As you might guess, children in Manila love Disney just as much as children in the West.  ...or even more, if possible. The street kids in our educational programs only dream of experiencing Disneyland. This Christmas, in the spirit of bringing joy and making dreams possible, we want to bring all of the children to Disneyland! 

Yes, this seems like a near-impossible plan. However, we discovered that the trick is not necessarily to get them to Disneyland, but to get Disneyland to them. So on December 5th we're throwing a Disney-themed party for the street kids. This is no small-time, backyard party. In fact, there will be a castle, appearances from Disney characters (who may look curiously like IT Tender staff), a feast fit for kings, and Christmas gifts (with toys, hygiene and school supplies). We will also share the true meaning of Christmas, about a kingdom much greater than Disney's "Magic Kingdom" and a king who humbly came to earth as a baby in a manger.



To pull off this epic feat and give our children the chance to experience Disneyland, we need your help! For every $5 donation a child will be able to join the party. Donate to IT Tender Ministries to share the joy this Christmas at iteams.ca/give/it-tender or by emailing john.coffey@iteams.ca

On October 27th we were encouraged by the visit of a team called the "Vision Tour" from our partners at Extreme Response. They listened to us share IT Tender's vision to empower street children through education, prayed for our greatest needs at this time (i.e., a ministry vehicle, scholarships for our staff to complete their college), and volunteered at our Night Life program. 30 minutes into Night Life, the power at our drop-in center went out! I admire our visitors for continuing on with the games and the food with just the light of their cell phones to brighten up the room.







Joining the Vision Tour was a doctor and photographer from Ontario named Mark Ghesquierre whom I was blessed to first meet last April at Leader Mundial in the USA. Mark snapped some incredible photos of the Napacor community. Here you will see where many of the families from our programs live. This community of shanties is built around a large electric tower. Without electricity or running water, you will notice in the photos that the families cook over a fire and wash clothing by hand outside. Parents work very hard to provide for their children, like Analiza seen below selling simple snacks and hygiene products from a store in their home. However, budgets are so tight that many families cannot send their children to school. Hence the pertinent need for our educational programs at IT Tender.

  
  
  
  

Staff and personal development are very important to me as the team leader of IT Tender. I was thus very excited to join the Leader Mundial "Manila Summit" From October 28-31 where Jam & I discovered more about the qualities of a leader. Leaders in Manila from various organizations (e.g., International Teams Philippines, Extreme Response, etc.) experienced seminars, coaching, worship and even a talent show to kick off the summit.


  

On a personal update, Jam & I really enjoyed our getaway to Thailand and Cambodia for our first wedding anniversary. While we awed at the breathtaking kingdoms and temples of both countries, the highlight of our trip was actually a visit to an orphanage 2-hours north of Bangkok. Missionaries Alex & Julianna Goertzen (who I know from my home church at WMB in Ontario) are filling in for a couple on leave at the orphanage. In the snapshots below you will see some playful moments with the kids and a photo of Alex & Julianna at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. We were inspired to see Alex & Julianna learning the language and interacting with the Thai children like family. Our prayers are with them as they serve the children and adapt to the culture.


  


Thanks for following along with our blog, and don't forget to support and pray for our upcoming Disney-themed Christmas party.

God bless you and your loved ones,

John & Jam