Maria Rosemarie Wins "Most Trustworthy"

Congratulations Maria Rosemarie on your "Most Trustworthy" award in the 2nd grade! Maria Rosemarie is a very bright little girl. She loves school and loves coming to hang out with Hope for Tomorrow. She has developed a real love for read...ing and cannot get enough books, magazines, or signs to read. She is a delight to have in class, After School Program, and Bible class. Over this year, she has begun to blossom into a confident little girl. We are so proud of the accomplishments Maria Rosemarie has made both in and out of the classroom. Thank you sponsors for helping us help her to reach for the stars.

 

Hannah Mae Finishes First Grade with Honors

Congratulations Hannah Mae for receiving an Honors Award in your section of the First Grade. We could not be more proud of the achievements Hannah Mae has reached this year both in and out of the classroom. Hannah Mae is always eager to l...earn and is a reading machine. Through out the year, her confidence and self-esteem have blossomed. She has smile that will light up any room. Hannah Mae loves learning and we cannot wait to see her continue to reach her fullest potential! Congratulations, Hannah Mae. Ate Andrea and Kuya Gepher could not be more proud of you. Thank you sponsors for helping this bright little girl become the child God designed her to be.

 

 

Mica's Big Award

Congratulations to Mica Algoso. She was awarded the "Most Trustworthy" Award at today's High School Recognition Ceremony. We are very proud of the accomplishments she has made in her first year of high school. She is developing into a co...nfident, smart, considerate, Christian young woman. Thank you sponsors for helping Mica reach her potential during her first year of High School. We could not be more proud of her!!

Marjun's Great Tragedy

PRAYER REQUEST: Over the weekend, we heard from people in the community that one of our precious little boys, Marjun, had suffered a tragedy. Tonight, we have been able to confirm his mother and step-father were shot and killed outside of their home early Saturday morning. Marjun and his siblings were in the house at the time of the shooting; however, they were not physically harmed. Even though they do not have any physical wounds the emotional wounds the children have run very deep. Gepher will be visiting the tribe tomorrow to see how Marjun is (along with his grandmother and uncle, which we also support through Hope for Tomorrow) and determine the best way we can help this sweet little boy and his family. Please join us in a prayer of comfort for Marjun as he has now lost both of his parents tragically and for us as we determine the best ways to minister to this family and community



Gepher met with Marjun's uncles today at the wake to learn more details of the tragedy. It seems Marjun was a witness to this horrific crime. For this reason, his grandmother is currently staying with him in the city of Cebu. We do not know his exact location in the city; however, we do know that DSWD (child protective services) are involved and helping him get the assistance he... needs. We believe God has put him in our ministry for this very reason...for us to be able to help him and his family overcome and heal from this tragedy. Please continue to pray for Marjun, his two younger brothers, and one younger sister as they begin to heal the very deep emotional wounds. Pray that God can show us the best way to minister to this special little boy and get him the help he needs. Thank you for the outpouring of love, prayers, and support.

Marilyn's Great Success

On Sunday, Marilyn came running into church with a HUGE grin on her face.  As she sat down in front of me, I could tell she wanted to tell me something very important! She told me and Gepher she has an average of 85% on her third grading period (that's up 2-3% from the second grading period) and that she is in the top 10 of her class!!  Since the beginning of the school year, Marily has improved her grades each period by 1-3%!!  She went on to tell us that her mother couldn't believe how well she was doing and even thought she was lying about being in the top 10. 

What an exciting achievement for this special little girl!!  We have seen a total transformation in Marilyn since the beginning of the school year.  Her self-esteem has grown, she is more confident, she's not afraid to answer questions (even if she is wrong), she is excited about learning, and she will even carry on an English conversation with someone she doesn't know.  Hope for Tomorrow has definitely helped transform this little girl for the better!!  Thank you sponsors for helping Marilyn reach her potential!!

Christmas Sunday Celebration

Hope for Tomorrow Sundays have become an anticipated tradition for our families.  Everyone loves the time of worship, wonderful fellowship, fun games for all ages, and a delicious lunch together.  Christmas Sunday was no different.  Because Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday, I wanted to make this Hope for Tomorrow sunday extra special as we took time to celebrate Jesus birth!!

   

Because most of our families have lots of children, Sunday School is always at maximum capacity.  We have loved getting to know the siblings of all the children.  Christmas morning was no exception.  There were so many children in the Sunday School it was literally standing room only.  There was no room to even sit on the floor...only stand.  Luckily one of the young people from church, Criselle, had agreeded to help teach the kids!!

   

The children enjoyed celebrating Jesus' birth with a "Happy Birthday Jesus" party.  After sharing the story of "The Crippled Lamb" the children enjoyed fun games of Jesus Bingo, Place Baby Jesus in the Stable, and Pass the Present.  With each game the children won prizes.  They had so much fun choosing small toys (that had been donated by one of our sponsors) as their prizes.  What a special present these prizes were to the children.

   

While the children celebrated Jesus birth, the parents were reminded of the blessings we receive because God sent his Son.  Our families have a hard life, but we often remind them through the trials there are many blessings!  Its these reminders that we hope they take time to thank God for what they have been given and how God is working in their lives.

On this Sunday (thanks to a special donation from one of the sponsors), each of the families received a coupon for a "blessing".  After church, the families redeemed their coupons from Gepher for ten pounds of Rice.  The mothers faces were plastered with smiles as they would be able to use this to help feed their families.  What a special blessing this was for the families.

   

Thanks to a special donation ("blessing") one of our sponors gave us, we were able to surprise our families with a delicious Christmas lunch.  After service we shared in a special Christmas lunch of lechon (rosted pig), chicken adobo, rice, and fruit salad.  While everyone ate their lunch, we showed the movie "The Crippled Lamb".  The children gathered around closely to the laptop as they didn't want to miss a single second of the movie!

This Christmas is one we will never forget.  Christmas is suppose to be about Jesus and the promises, blessing, and hope His birth has brought to us.  This is exactly what this day was about for us and our families!!  We are so very greatful to have shared this special day with these special people...people who often are forgotten by society...but people that God loves (and we love too)!!

The Nativity Story Performance

The children did such a good job performing the Nativity Story for their parents and families that we wanted to share it with you.  Since you couldn't be there in person, we wanted you to share in the true meaning of the season with us.

Merry Christmas from the Hope for Tomorrow Children.  May God continue to bless you as you have shared your many blessings with these special children.