Card making Livelihood Training!

 Last Thursday, 13^th October, nine Balikatan members received special training from Care Channels International Ltd, a non-profit organization that seeks to help the poor become self-sufficient and independent through various initiatives including livelihood training and micro-enterprise developments.  They learned the intricate and delicate art of pressing flowers and creating designs for cards and calendars with the pressed flowers. It was a full day of learning and hands on work. With clear demonstrations and an array of pressed flowers and leaves to choose from, Balikatan members began creating their first card in a design of their choice. Following that, they made 2 other cards based on the format and structure of the required cards for sale.

Our Balikatan members were thrilled to discover their own creativity and also the finer points of pressed flower cards. At the end of the session, they shared that they were delighted to be able to create something and to learn a new skill.

From here, nine of them will enter the next phase of training where they will practice sticking the pressed flowers on the given designs. If successful, they will proceed to work on the actual cards that will be used for sale.

We thank God for this new beginning and this opportunity to partner in mission with Care Channels International. We thank Ate Lyn and Seng Eng of CCI for their help and look forward to a fruitful and blessed collaboration.

As the Balikatan members left, they were reminded to persevere in the new skill and to keep encouraging each other in this new venture.

Join us for Reverse Carolling 2011!

Bless a family…

Share the gift of God’s love this Christmas…

Sing carols…

Help us bless a low income family this year with our annual project… Reverse Carolling!

For the 5^th consecutive year, we will be running our Reverse Carolling Project and we are looking for YOU to partner us in our project. To enable us to reach out to 300 low income families, we are looking to raise PHP 170,000 (approximately US$4000 or Singapore$5200).

If you want to contribute, you can send a telegraphic transfer to us directly:
Bank account name: ICPE PHILIPPINES FOUNDATION INC
Peso account: 003-115250-042
Bank address: HSBC, Ground floor, Discovery Suites. 25, ADB Avenue Ortigas Centre, Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Swift code: HSBC PHMM

Purpose of transfer: Reverse Carolling

If you are in Singapore:
you can contribute directly with a deposit via internet banking.
POSB Savings Account: 171-36923-1
Bank account name: Fong Tim Heng Esther & Chai Hui Chuan Amilia
Contact person in Singapore (Coordinator, ICPE Mission Singapore) Amilia Chai - 98291382

For all donations and contributions:
Please email Ms Esther Fong at icpeinfo@gmail.com with your name, contact details and donation amount so that we can keep a track record of donations. 

 

     What is reverse carolling? 

     Bringing Christmas cheer to low income families by sharing  food hampers, Christmas carols and     prayer. 

Each year, members of our adult ministry in Montalban also actively participate in the project. They share the joy of being empowered to give and share with the poorest in their community.

Why Reverse Carolling?

Praying for the family

Families usually host carollers by giving them food and money.  We do the reverse- giving each family food and praying for them. 

Who are the beneficiaries?

About 200 low income families in Montalban, Rizal Province and this year, we will also reach out to another 100 low income families in Tagaytay.

 Where will we go?

Montalban, Rizal, located at the outskirts of Manila, is a relocation site for squatters from Makati and Pasig. It is described by one inhabitant as a ‘human dump area’ because of its distance from the city and the lack of employment nearby. All the families live below the poverty line, struggling to earn around Php100-150 per day for food, utilities and the needs of the family. Since 2006, we have been reaching out to the low income families in this area.

Giving the Christmas hamper

Tagaytay City is known as a tourist or weekend escape for those from Manila. Yet, as we have discovered since re-locating here in 2010, there are many low income families hidden in the byways in this city.

 

For more pictures and information on past Reverse Carolling projects, please visit our blog pages:

2010 Christmas in Montalban –including Reverse Carolling

http://icpephilippines.blogspot.com/2011/01/celebrating-christmas-in-our-different.html

2009 Reverse Carolling in pictures

http://icpephilippines.blogspot.com/2009/12/carolling-we-go.html

Read a volunteer’s experience of 2009’s Reverse Carolling

http://icpephilippines.blogspot.com/2009/12/birthing-christ.html

2008 Reverse Carolling

http://icpephilippines.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-reverse-carolling.html

2007 Reverse Carolling

http://icpephilippines.blogspot.com/2008/01/reverse-carolling-christmas-2007.html

God surprises us...

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet isready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. ⁹So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ ¹⁰ So the servants went out into the streets and gatheredall the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the weddinghall was filled with guests.” (Matt 22:8-9)

These verses sum up my experience last Saturday, 24 September, as we prepared for our meeting with the youth. In these past weeks, we had been befriending several youths in our neighbourhood. They expressed a desire to know more about God, and their faith and wanted to meet together. It was agreed with them that we would meet together on Saturday afternoon. As the time neared, the ‘bleep’ of the cellphone message alert went off. True enough, it was an apology that said that she could not make it as she had a choir practice! But still there are the others who had agreed to come.

At the appointed hour, still there was no one! We were ready to start but walang tao (nobody in tagalog). So how? No problem. God is always present and we can always worship Him. Our team began to pray and worship. As we prayed, this scripture came to mind and some felt that we should go out to the streets and invite any youth that are there. We did.

Praising the Lord

God is indeed the God of surprises! He surprised us by inviting 9 young men. These young men were hanging around outside, playing, not knowing what to do. They were excited to come, though as you can see from the photos, some of them were younger boys. The younger boys followed their older brothers and friends as they did not want to be left out!

Praying together

We had an afternoon filled with laughter, prayers, games, praise, action songs and short sharing. A small beginning of something new for the youth – the older boys want to meet again and this time,they will bring their peer friends.

Sharing and sowing of seeds

My reflection on this – often times, we plan and prepare for something, and it does not quite work the way we expected. We put in the effort and work. Our temptation would be to give up and cancel the afternoon, yet God had a different plan and worked it for his purposes. It was my first experience of seeing boys coming together, having fun and open to learn and share on their faith. At the end of the afternoon, my heart rejoiced as I believe that the Lord was touching these young hearts, and sowing his seeds of faith!


Be faithful and do not give up even when things are not quite turning out as they should or what we would like. Trust in the Lord,and let him work his ways for ‘his ways are not our ways’ (Isaiah 55:8), they are much higher.

Thank you, Lord that it is a privilege always to serve you. It is never boring and always full of surprises! Thank you to my community, J, D and G for the way you desire to follow and serve the Lord.

Child vendors of Tagaytay

    We see them everytime we pass the heart of Tagaytay, fondly known as Olivarez- a place teeming with people who are waiting to board the bus at the bus terminal or frequenting the fast food centres located a stone's throw away from each other. Here, young children from ages 6 to 13 roam the streets, selling Filipino snacks to supplement their family's income. The lucky ones start their 'business' after school whilst there are some who drop out of school to earn money for their families. 

     We decided to 'visit' them yesterday, on the birthday of Our Lady to share with them some milk and to listen to their stories. Sure enough, when we arrived at the local fast food centre, Jollibee, 2 young girls approached us, asking us to buy their Espasol, a Filipino snack. Age 6 and 13, the sisters said that they were there everyday from 5 to 8pm, straight after school. They were joined by their friend, another girl of the same age. On weekends, they would be there the whole day to target the weekend visitors. Articulate and friendly, they immediately told us that it was the "birthday of Mama Mary" and they were simply delighted with the gift of chocolate milk, sweets and a picture of Our Lady. As we continued talking, a 13 year old boy joined us, carrying his peanut brittle for sale. His story was more heart wrenching as he had dropped out of school at 4th grade.  When asked if he would like to continue studying, his eyes teared and he covered his face in embarrassment. It was a familiar heart-breaking story in the Philippines- children forced to drop out of school due to poverty.

     As it grew darker and later in the evening, we asked if there were more children there and the girls piped up "marami" (many in Tagalog). Sure enough, they pointed us to the car park where more boys and girls were waiting with their baskets of snacks for sale. We went over and talked to them, sharing the chocolate milk and sweets. So many of them came that we had to return to our van for a refill of chocolate milk! We ended that time with a prayer- asking the Lord to bless them that night especially in the selling of their snacks. 
     
     We promised to return to visit and to see how the Lord leads us in our future outreach to them.

The children posing with their snacks

Gemma and Rannie packing milk packets for the children... getting ready to set off in the light drizzle!

Two grateful brothers, age 8 and 6, looking at their packet of milk

Sharing with IYCS youth

Last Friday, we hosted a group of Chinese youth leaders from the International Young Christian Students (IYCS) in our centre. Enroute to Manila after two days in Tagaytay, they visited us for a session on Evangelizing Youth. Ranging from 16 to 20 years old, they hail from Handan, China and are student leaders in their respective schools.

After a brief video clip on the ICPE Mission, we shared the urgency of the sharing Jesus with other young people in China. In our halting Chinese, aided by a student translator,we shared a sign language to the song 'Who am I' followed by a short testimony of encountering Jesus, the One who gives meaning to life.

Towards the end of the session, we prayed with them that they will be empowered by the Holy Spirit, the principle agent of evangelization. We prayed for them to have courage to share and to be grounded in God's love in their lives. As a sign of our unity as children of the Father, we ended our time with the Lord's Prayer, sung in Chinese.

It was a beautiful evening of sharing the Great Commission with our brothers and sisters from China!

Planting and building up youth for Christ!

It was a weekend of renewal and meeting up with the "Freeque"s, the Free to be Unique youth from Manila. They came with their friends from 6-7 August and spent a weekend renewing their faith and commitment in the Lord. We encouraged them to be planted and built up in Jesus Christ through the essentials of prayer and the Word of the Lord.

During our time of ministry, each of them were affirmed in the truths of their identity as loved by God. God continued to speak to us throughout the weekend, affirming also His assurance to the young people not to be afraid in their walk of faith..

We continue to hold you all in our prayers, Freeque and Friends. God bless you as you hold firm in your faith in Christ!

We are on Facebook!

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http://www.facebook.com/icpephilippines


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Celebrating the Eucharist, consecrated as students...

Last Saturday, 23 July 2011, we celebrated a special Mass for the children in Montalban to consecrate them in their vocation as students as they embark on the new academic year. This year, we were privileged to have Fr Jun, the parish priest of the Chapel of Immaculate Conception, preside the Mass.

It was a special day for the children and youth as they served in various capacities throughout the Mass. Our lovely commentator Ianna Marie, welcomed the children and their families while the row of altar servers walked down the aisle followed by the Lectors. All of them are currently members of our youth group, the Seeds of Faith. In his homily, Fr Jun reminded the children to be wheat for the Kingdom of God as they pursue their studies. He engaged the children ranging from 5 to 15 years of age with his interactive explanations and insightful stories.

For the Prayers of the Faithful, each student took turns to pray for the different needs. During the Offertory, the children offered up ballpens (symbolizing their desire to be used as instruments of God) and a set of school uniform (a sign of their desire to grow as students for the Lord) together with the bread and wine. After Mass, the children were blessed by Fr Jun and each child received a ballpen as a souvenir. It was a special day of thanksgiving for the lives of each child and their call as students.

May the year ahead be a fruitful year for them indeed!

Our new school supplies!

This year, the children from Montalban returned to school at the start of the new academic year with a basic set of school supplies with our Back to School project. On 17 July, 135 children turned up with eager faces for our Children Ministry sessions, clutching the precious vouchers that enabled them to claim their set. Thanks to a group of teachers from Singapore who sponsored the school supplies, we were able to run this project for the second consecutive year. For a small contribution of Php 10, each child received a set of stationery for school. Each pack contained basic school needs like notebooks, papers, folders, art papers, pens and other writing materials. As they received the packs with bright smiles, the children lifted up a prayer of thanksgiving for the sponsors and for God's provision through their generosity.

Our school supplies waiting to be distributed

Our vouchers to claim the school pack

Each pack contains the following...

Finally.. our start up packs!

We thank God for our generous sponsors and our volunteers who helped us pack and distribute the school supplies with us!

We're back...

After a month's break, we're all back in action.. beginning with our regular ministry in Montalban and also in Tagaytay. Last week, we had Mass in the centre for our neighbours and today we held our Children Ministry in Tagaytay. Once again our house resounded with the voices of 21 children, singing with gusto and answering in chorus. Today, as we shared with them Jesus' friendship, they responded with much excitement in wanting to have Jesus as their friend.

Each child then made a friendship band with 2 hands clasped together- one hand to symbolize Jesus and the other as their hand-holding onto Jesus, their friend, who never abandons them.

What a lovely way to end the day..

Would you like Jesus to be your friend?
What about you?
I know how to pray.. and tell Jesus that He is my friend!
Making our friendship band...
Yay...we are friends of Jesus...!

A one- of -a-kind retreat

For the first time, our Montalban ministries of Balikatan Ministry (adult group) and Seeds of Faith (youth group) came together for 3 days of retreat in Tagaytay. It was a special occasion for the adults and youths to participate at the same retreat and more significantly for families whose parent and child were able to attend the retreat together.

Centering around the theme ‘Thirsting for the Living Waters’, the participants met together for common prayer times, games and meals but had separate sessions for inputs. Throughout the 3 days, they encountered Jesus the Living Water in the various sessions comprising of teachings, prayer ministries and the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist. As the weekend marked the start of Holy Week, we journeyed with Jesus as He entered Jerusalem and reflected on His love.

One highlight was the outdoor Way of the Cross. Each person took turns to carry a big cross in small groups while reflecting on the 14 Stations of the Cross. In the evening, they continued their reflections on Jesus’ love for them on the cross in a prayer ministry and through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Many of them shared that it was a grace-filled occasion of growing in awareness of their sinfulness and Jesus’ loving forgiveness. The following day, we celebrated Palm Sunday together, again with the awareness of entering Jerusalem together with the Lord who would lay down His life for a friend. Earlier that morning, we had prayed for them to be renewed in the Holy Spirit and released further in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was thus with such grateful hearts that a chorus of voices began praising God in greater freedom and in the joy of the Spirit.

For this retreat, we were blessed to have the use of the retreat house of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). Surrounded by lush gardens and tall strapping trees, the participants enjoyed the beauty and stillness of God’s creation in the morning reflections in the garden. Strengthened by the retreat, we hope that the adults and youth will continue to pray, encourage one another and grow as a community in Montalban.

We thank the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) Seminary in Tagaytay for the generous use of their retreat facilities and the cooks from the St Augustine Major Seminary who prepared our meals. God bless you!