February 2021 Photo Update
Dear <<First Name>>,
It is always a special time when we dedicate and release boats and put puts to families in Palompon, Leyte. Each unit has a name and almost always there is a very special story behind the name. There are now 68 families who have been blessed with put put units for livelihood and 105 families with fishing boats. Another boat is being built and soon two more put put units will be added. We are so grateful for the many donors of the boats and put puts.
The put put drivers continue to gather each Friday for a Bible study as well as for noon meals on M-W-F. Life is very difficult for the families as there are few passengers due to the COVID restrictions.
Many Bibles were distributed in the past four weeks - around 2,000 copies in the Cebuano or Tagalog languages, depending on location. We are planning for another 1,400+ Bibles to be distributed to rural pastors in the coming weeks.
Some are in organized distributions with 10-20 pastors attending. Bibles are also given to pastors who are partners with SOD and have expanding ministries. The organized distribution events are in partnership with the Tebow Cure Hospital. Many patients are being located via the connections of the local pastors.
At all the distributions, clothing is given out to the pastors, coming from boxes sent from the USA and Singapore.
There is clothing for men, women and children. All are so grateful for your kindness and generosity!
This is one of our partner pastors at a recent distribution in Paquibato, where his daughters were also blessed with clothing.
In rural communities where we have SOD supported ministry workers, we are blessed as they continue to reach out to the less fortunate families with food and medicines, while sharing the gospel message and words of encouragement.
Their love for the people is shown by cooking meals and delivering them, as it is difficult to gather at a central site during this time.
Our surgery assistance workers are still in the field several days a week, often side by side with co-workers from the Tebow Cure Hospital. Many cases are being lined up for future surgeries. The hospital remains in a holding pattern as to surgeries. The doctors are having challenges entering the Philippines. Please be in prayer for breakthroughs on their VISAS.
We are recruiting for future orthopedic cases, burn cases along with cleft lip and palate repair.
This seven year old girl with burns, needs surgery so she can bend and lift her arm. The scars will remain but she will be able to use the arm if the burn contractures can be released. Her case will be similar of that of Alex, who had more than 60 appointments at the hospital.
Two of our college scholars, Mariel and Rachel continue to travel into the interior areas to find potential cases for surgeries.
We pray that both of these children along with many others can be helped in 2021.
As we travel, we often visit completed cases and those waiting for a surgery. The twins from Astorga have both finished their cleft lip surgeries. One has had her palate repaired and the other is listed for a palate repair surgery when the plastic surgery team is able to return.
The Padada Community Church, a supported ministry of SOD, quietly celebrated their first anniversary as a church. Previously, this was supported as a youth center.
We rejoice as we hear many of our friends and family in the USA, Canada. UK and Singapore are able to be vaccinated against the COVID virus. We probably are looking at June or July here as a possibility to be vaccinated, subject to supply and delivery.
We continue to lift you up in prayer and are so grateful for your prayers about what God is doing here.
Some specific prayer items we want to share with your are:
1. Lifting of restrictions for travel so the doctors can safely enter the Philippines
2. Safety for our teams doing patient screening and Bible distributions. Some of the locations are requiring overnight stays due to long distance travels.
3. More substantial income for the livelihood recipients (boats/put puts) which requires a decrease in COVID cases to allow more passengers and the central marketplace to be re-opened.
4. Praises that all of our staff, partners and their families have remained free from COVID.
5. Praises that donations have remained steady thus far through the pandemic
We are very grateful for your prayers and financial support, thanking God always for your partnership in the gospel.
Peter Cowles for the SOD Board(s), staff and the many beneficiaries of your prayers and financial support.
As a reminder, we have changed to a P.O. Box due to ongoing issues with lost checks and/or delays in receiving checks. This allows for a more secure address for donations received by our volunteers, Tim and Kathy Atchley, who serve faithfully on our Board of Directors.
Seeds of Dignity Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 161
Standard, California 95373
We also have a PayPal donation button on our website:
https://www.seedsofdignityministries.com/donations/
