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Dear Friends,
Welcome to a bumper edition of the Rehoboth news. Since our last newsletter so much has happened!
Some exciting developments with regards to adoptions, John Ward and Edward celebrated their birthdays, a few of the children have been sick so we have made use of some of the medical clinic rooms, we welcomed volunteers on site and look forward to more coming at the end of this week. We are excited to have the new tiller onsite; some generous donors made this happen in perfect timing. Last newsletter we told you about a High Tea fundraiser near Melbourne, Australia - you'll be amazed at the result. There is another fundraiser going on in Australia, you can read about it below. With another directed donation, the staff were treated to an appreciation dinner. with awards of recognition given on the night. So here we go !
Zyra was approved for local matching and is due to be picked up by her forever family this week ! We are so excited for her and her new parents. Ino and Ina, Cedric and Ralph have all progressed in the matching process at ICAB (Inter- Country Adoption Board) level. Please pray for the families and parents they are matched to with hope for acceptance and a pathway to a new family life.  In March we let you know that Samuel, Nicole and Catherine were accepted for adoption by their forever family. This month they had a chance to "meet" them via Skype ! We look forward to the time (hopefully only 1 more month) when they can all be together at their forever home in Canada.
John Ward and Edward had a combined birthday celebration. See some photos below of their special day.
Marian Joy, Marian Jane and John Mark (siblings) and Jomar all left for their Summer of Hope program this week. If you missed this last newsletter you can read more here. Please pray for them. It is a huge experience to get on a plane, fly long haul and spend 6 weeks of the summer in a different country. Please pray for their host families and the local community into which they are accepted.
JM has been suffering with an ear infection and Catherine and Rap Rap both needed IV treatment for asthma related dehydration and were confined to rooms in the medical clinic. If you have met Rap Rap you would know that confinement anywhere would be a challenge for him and you can see from this image that he didn't lose his cheeky streak while undergoing treatment. We are still praying for staffing of the clinic (in particular a doctor and dentist) so it can operate on a permanent basis. If you know anyone or would like to volunteer yourself, read more below and contact Ken.
You may remember that last newsletter Fe expressed the need for a few hundred more dollars to buy a tiller for the agricultural plot. We are so thankful to generous donors who gave this money and here it is !! Eric and Dave are also so excited at the possibilities with this machine. You can read more about it's impact here
On June 1st Rehoboth held a staff appreciation dinner with some funds directed for that purpose. Read more about it below.
Summer for the older children has brought some time for water play. You can see from the photos the fun times they are having !
Some of the older kids are also a great help with chores around Rehoboth - building shelves, washing the van, helping with farm produce. A little work builds their self-confidence, helps them know they have something to offer the world, and eases boredom while waiting for school to start.
Thanks for keeping up with everything Rehoboth !
Please keep us in your prayers
Elisa
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 Volunteers
We were happy to welcome some volunteers onsite recently.
Jen and Dave Steer from Australia and Celine and Daniel Brewers from the USA were at Rehoboth at the same time. You can see the photos below of the precious time spent with the kids which even involved mask making and pinatas !
Kazuko Ishihara (Baba) from Japan also visited in the last few weeks.
At the end of this week the first of 2 teams from Heathdale Christian College in Werribee, Australia arrive. What a great time of enrichment for our Rehoboth children. Meeting new people, having new experiences and lots of new friends to play. Please pray for the volunteers and the important contribution they make to the children and staff at Rehoboth.
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Staff Appreciation Dinner!
Recently some funds were donated directly for an appreciation dinner for the staff. Their tireless work for the needs of Rehoboth children goes above and beyond mere performance of duties or lists of tasks (like endless washing, dressing, changing and playing !) The staff intertwine their hearts with the children to give them the love and care they need spiritually, emotionally and physically. This is part of the reason that the staff are not just staff, but Mama's and Papa's to the children and called by name as Mama and Papa. We have a number of staff who have been at Rehoboth for many years who were acknowledged with Loyalty Awards.
Clarita Oliveras 6 years in the service (2008)
Gemma Bulawan 7 years in the service (2007)
Meredith Pulao 8 years in the service (2006)
Eric Teoxon 8 years in the service (2006)
Lilibeth Gallarte 8 years in the service (2006)
Joe Marie Bagaan 8 years in the service (2006)
Julie Anne Relleta 8 years in the service (2006)
Marivic Balladares 9 years in the service (2005)
Luzviminda Canales 9 years in the service (2005)
Fe Phillips 10 years in the service (2004)
It is difficult to have a fitting acknowledgement of the care, service and heart these and the rest of the staff provide for the children at Rehoboth. How do you measure the depth of ones care or their heart for children in need?
Their impact is far reaching - and travels with the children who have been adopted, to the far ends of the earth. Daily they pour of themselves into the lives of the children and anyone who has visited Rehoboth or knows any children from Rehoboth will be able to attest to the phenomenal work they do.
Also, acknowledged on the night were the volunteer workers onsite and offsite - Jan (the COO since opening) and Craig Druckenmiller (Board Member since opening), Sarah Tibben and Ken Phillips - who all work tirelessly for Rehoboth on a volunteer basis.
Rehoboth is blessed with so many willing hands and hearts who come together to serve God in this place. Thanks be to God !
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Medical clinic - Volunteering Opportunity
We are looking for 1, 2 or 3 doctors, a dentist and dental technician to volunteer on an extended basis in the clinic. It would be preferable to have local Filipino volunteers, as the paperwork process for foreigners can be cumbersome and involved. But, if you are a foreigner and happy to dive in to the paperwork and willing to volunteer, Rehoboth would love to have you ! With Rehoboth's financial issues, we have no resources to give an allowance, but we have a few designated donations that would pay for some support staff and medicine/supplies for a while. What we can offer is lodging on-site. Any kind of health service that we could provide regularly would be enough to get the medical clinic wheels turning faster and begin to establish its roots in the community.
For more information please contact Ken: clinic@rehobothsampalocministries.com
If you are interested in volunteering in another capacity, please contact Sarah: volunteer@rehobothsampalocministries.com or visit our website for more infomation
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Join in this great fundraiser for Rehoboth and save money on your electricity bill at the same time. Based in New South Wales, Australia, but can be posted anywhere !
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Agriculture - A New Tiller !
Maraming Maraming Salamat po A Dios at Donors !
(Thank you God for the Donors!)
Here is a paragraph from our last newsletter...
"We are working toward our next crop in the garden but the ground is too hard to till at the moment. It would be wonderful to have a tiller to prepare the soil before the May rains. We already have had funds donated for the majority of this purchase but are a couple of hundred dollars short. A tiller would make a significant difference in what we were able to grow in our garden to keep our food costs low"
We are thankful for the donors who gave the needed funds. Here are some photos of our new tiller in use !
A couple days after it arrived, Eric and Dave had a block of time to use it. They were so very excited and blown away by its usefulness. In hours they turned up a huge area that last year required 2-3 days of a cow's efforts plus weeks more of manual labor.
The tiller arrived at a good time, as the rainy season started this week--winds shifted to come from the southwest, and we are now getting rain every afternoon. It is every farmer's intent to have the ground prepped before the rain comes. We are so thankful to the donors who made this possible !
Mangoes Mangoes Mangoes !
Our mango trees are producing more fruit than we can eat ! We are trying to sell some to get a little income, but it seems everyone else's mango trees are doing the same. We are thankful for their provision and appreciate any recipes for using vast amounts of mangoes !
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Some photos from John Ward and Edward's birthday celebrations
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High Tea Fundraiser Result - WOW !!
On May 24, a phenomenal 270 people attended the High Tea Fundraiser in Werribee, Australia, in support of Rehoboth Childrens Home.
A huge thanks to Hilda and Rachael who coordinated the event, the wonderful hostesses who served their tables, the decorators, speakers and entertainers, the donors who contributed to the silent auction and the wonderful guests. Rehoboth is so thankful for all of your efforts and your heart for this place. We feel so blessed that you have come alongside Rehoboth in this way.
This event raised an amazing AU$14,300. If you are a regular newsletter reader, you will understand how much of a help this is in reducing present financial strain on Rehoboth. We are praising God for the provision and generosity of this community.
Click here to watch a short video of the event.
If you would like to initiate a fundraising activity or event, please contact us for more information or resources. |
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