Issue October 2006

Meann (center) and Caleb,(right)

slightly suspicious of why we wanted to help for free and they were also very nervous about what the tests would reveal. As I write this today we have 18 patients in the CRU, some in each of the 5 rooms. We already have 28 staff for the hospital and recovery unit and we still need more. At the minute we especially need caregivers and nurses for CRU. Can you help? Perhaps you are a qualified nurse or child care worker, love the Lord, come with good references and want to take time out to serve Him? You could apply for a volunteer position here at helping hands. Just contact my dad at the Northern Ireland address for more details. Maybe you know of someone who may be interested? Perhaps you can mention our need to them? Or maybe you are tied into commitments there at home but you still feel you want to help? Could you help provide a salary so we can employ

The new HHM bus, possible because of your support

someone to take care of the kids on your behalf? A caregiver receives approx £55 a month and a nurse approx £85. We cannot operate without good staff as our name and the children depend on it. We only hire those who love the Lord and want to see the work of the Lord done with excellence. Please pray about helping us. Thanks to all who have kept me, and the children, in your prayers throughout the last year. We are doing ok. Meann is now in school and loving it. She got 80/80 in her first exam. Smart and gorgeous like her mum. She turned four on August 25th. But also, just like her mum, she’s a wee granny and knows everything about everything!! Caleb turned one this July and he was dedicated to the Lord this September. He’s a darling boy who is adored by all. Just like his uncle Jason he aspires to be a drummer! He blatters everything in

Claire and Gerlie, well on her way to recovery

sight with his wee drumsticks! Gerlie goes to school at P.O.C, (Chrissy Perillo’s work in nearby Subic) and she loves it too. She has matured a lot in the Lord this year and God continues to heal her heart of all its wounds. We are hoping to get home early next year to update you all personally on the work. It will be so nice to see you all again. I miss the Irish hospitality and craic! (craic means banter, humour) for all our non Irish readers. My health has been a little suspect recently between low blood counts, low blood pressure and various lumps and bumps that showed up on ultrasounds so I would appreciate your prayers for that. My guess is there’s nothing that a good rest wouldn’t cure though!! Anyway, once again, thanks for being a great support!

God bless, Claire.

Helping Hands Healing Hearts Ministries Philippines Incorporated

Claire with the kids in the Childrens Recovery Unit Bank Account: Helping Hands Bank: Northern Bank Ltd Account Number: 61239074 Sort Code: 95-03-61 Cheques payable to: Helping Hands Ministries Philippines Postal Address: 73 Main Street Moira County Armagh BT67 0LZ Northern Ireland Tel: 028-92612701 Email: [email protected] Website: helpinghandsministries.com

The medical mission team from Helping Hands

Claire and HHM staff Richard distribute medicines

See page 3 for full story ...He has now been here for about 6 weeks and gets better everyday. So far he has learned to say NO, GO, WOW and MAM. He laughs, shouts, plays and loves to greet me with a big kiss every time I arrive home. I praise the Lord for the miracle He has done in that wee boys life. It really is a great inspiration to us all.

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Evangelism meeting at the medical mission in Leyte

A boy receives treatment at the medical mission

God is good all the time! I know that’s quite a cliché to some but I tell you it’s been a reality to me and to my team especially in the last year. We have undergone trials, tribulations and felt the heat of the fight, but no matter what circumstances we’ve faced (either from the devil or man made), we have had the privilege of the assurance that God is indeed good all the time! Phew!! I’m glad He never changes! I want to focus on the good, the lovely and the praiseworthy! Let me tell you how your giving, prayers and support have been blessing the lives of children and their families here in the Philippines. Since the last newsletter we were able to go back to Leyte again to minister to the landslide victims for a second time. It was marvelous! We experienced even more divine favour everywhere we went and we were able to reach even more souls. This time we

brought two Doctors with us. Doctora Cacho is the Assistant Chief of James L Gordon Memorial Hospital and yet she came with us to do a medical mission! It was her first mission trip since she came to know the Lord last year in our bible study. She and Doctora Miranda, who also accompanied us, were both moved by the presence of the Lord while we worked. It was tangible! The local pastor there, put us up in his church again and treated us like royalty throughout our stay! I should clarify though; we slept on the floor and once again shared the bathroom with about 30 other people!! In return we filled his church with many newcomers and helped him start numerous bible study groups throughout the evacuee camps. We all worked well as a team! Dang and Pastor Badi evangelized the adults through bible studies, (and have since fallen in love so watch this space). Ferns made sure that the kids were all kept entertained with puppet shows, dances, singing and all

Helping Hands Healing Hearts Ministries Philippines Incorporated

sorts of fun. And of course he made doubly sure that they all heard the gospel. Grace, Leo, Emma and I assisted the Doctors with the patients and medicines and counseling. All in all it was amazing! Everyone ended up worn out by nighttime but in usual Helping Hands style we still had enough energy to eat plenty and crack jokes till we finally fell asleep! Who says ministry can’t be fun! One evening, I, Leo, our volunteer psychologist, and Emma, the social worker from our hospital in Olongapo had the opportunity to counsel some of the actual mud survivors. No other medical mission teams had been allowed to meet with them up to that point as they were being sheltered from the media and onlookers. We had the privilege of helping two of the girls open up and receive much needed counsel. They had been struggling to release

- www.helpinghandsministries.com

Claire with the kids of Leyte landslide survivors. Northern Ireland Address: Helping Hands Ministries C/O Moira Pentecostal Church, 73 Main Street, Moira, County Armagh, BT67 0LZ, Northern Ireland Tel: 028-92612701

Advisory Board: Pastor David Goudy Sally Goudy Pastor David Calvert Jonathan Brady Gillian McPherson

Praise Reports:

- For the many children and parents who come to the Bible study on Tuesdays at C.R.U. - For the successful fostering of M-Jay. The 1st from the C.R.U. - For the new Jeepney to transport kids to the Bible study. - For the successful medical missions that touch so many lives. - For the souls saved, bodies healed and lives transformed. - For the generous support of those churches and individuals who give to HHM, a big thank you to the unstinting work of Compassion Charity Shop in N.Ireland. You accomplish more than you’ll ever know.

Keeping the kids entertained and sharing the Gospel

their hurts until that point. One young teen had been trapped in the mud for three hours. She spoke of how the people ran like hoards of rats when the mountain collapsed and the mud flowed. She had been running with her dad but he told her to run ahead. When she looked around he was gone, swallowed up by the mud. The next thing she knew she was stuck in the mud. It burst her eardrums, temporarily blinded her and left her with fears that she feels will never leave her. When she was dug out, the first thing she asked was if her family had survived. The tears rolled down her cheeks as she described the feeling of realizing that she was the only one who survived. She wished she were dead! Later she found out that her big sister had also survived but she was still heartbroken as both her parents and all her younger siblings were dead. That night as I listened to her I was overwhelmed. You know one of those times

A girl gets a checkup at the medical mission

when no words come to mind and all you can do is listen in silence, weep when she wept and smile when she smiled. Until now she keeps in touch with us via text. Her ears are still bleeding and she still faints regularly and displays all the signs of post traumatic stress so please do keep her in your prayers. Here at CRU, Kenneth is still doing well. He continues to get stronger everyday following his heart surgery last year. In fact he did so well that we were inspired to help another boy! So we took another step of faith, and successfully put John Mark, a 12 year old through his much needed surgery. It really is a big step as it costs around £2500 and is performed only in Manila, which is a four-hour drive from here! He too has done so well and is a testimony to God’s healing power working through the doctors who have treated him. Continue to pray for his health and long-term recovery. In the last few months we have housed and

Children hear the gospel at a HHM medical mission

treated (around 15 at a time) abandoned babies, malnourished babies and infants, kids with chest problems, brain tumours, malaria, meningitis, cerebral palsy, Hydrocephalic babies and even a Micro cephalic 3yr old! It has been a real challenge to take care of all these children and be able to financially cover their medical and nutritional needs and pay the staff that we need to employ to take care of them. But God is faithful to provide and you have continued to bless us so thank you so much once again! You have saved lives and changed lives with us! One such life is Dominic! Just last year Dominic was the valedictorian of his class. He was a normal, smart healthy 6 year old until he was struck with meningitis. Suddenly his whole family’s life was thrown into turmoil. The child was confined for months in the hospital and they had to sell their

A boy gets a dental check at the medical mission

cow so they could afford his treatment. His health went progressively downhill and he ended up in intensive care for a whole month. By the time he got back on the ward, Dominic was being fed through a tube in his nose and his weight had plummeted to that of a 3 year old. He was not in good shape. He was irritable all the time and could no longer speak or properly communicate with his parents. He was weak and bedridden. The doctors referred him to us for nutritional build up and some TLC while the parents were trying to work out the payment for their hospital bill. It had accumulated to more than a £1000. Dad earns around two pounds a day on a good day! You can see the problem!! So Dominic came to CRU weak, tube fed and not in great shape. Within three weeks of TLC and prayer he learned to walk again and dribble a basketball with his better hand. He began to eat normally again and really gain weight. When the

A child receives treatment with her mother

HHM worker Ferns shares with kids on medical mission

Doctors who had been treating him heard about it they all came to visit! It was really a miracle right before our eyes. He has now been here for about 6 weeks and gets better everyday. So far he has learned to say NO, GO, WOW and MAM. He laughs, shouts, plays and loves to greet me with a big kiss every time I arrive home. I praise the Lord for the miracle He has done in that wee boys life. It really is a great inspiration to us all. Our Tuesday bible study here at CRU continues to thrive. We now have at lest 64 kids every Tuesday afternoon and at least 30 parents. It amazes me how well this has gone and how steady those who attend have become. The teachers and helpers are good and dedicated to their work, which helps a lot. I believe God honours their efforts. So thanks to Marissa, Ferns, Dang, Mazi, Lolit, Robert, Leo and Tony for all their hard work and effort! We’re blessed to have them all. Our Tues-

· Helping Hands Healing Hearts Ministries Philippines Incorporated

- www.helpinghandsministries.com

HHM worker Grace distributes much needed supplies

day night Hospital Bible study is going well too. There are usually between 15 and 25 in attendance and every week I can see each of them mature in the Lord. Just two weeks ago we had a medical mission in Baseco. Manila. We were invited to go there by Hope Worldwide another Christian mission who work there, near the harbour, with some of Manila’s poorest people. We joined forces to provide healthcare and evangelism to more than 200 children and their families. What a day! Again, days like this are made possible because of your giving. We were able to provide much-needed antibiotics, vitamins and even cover expenses for x-rays and other tests that were needed. One of the Doctors was able to discover a potentially serious illness in one little boy and ordered more tests to be done. Pray that he does not have hepatitis or any other liver disease and that his family will continue to allow us to help him. They were

Helping Hands Ministries Philippines – Children’s Recovery Unit 6 Harris Street, East Bajac Bajac, Olongapo City, Philippines 2200 Helping Hands Ministries Philippines Visitor’s Residence 17 Foster Street, New Banicain, Olongapo City, Philippines 2200 [email protected]

Prayer points:

- For more dedicated, godly, and professional staff to join the team at HHM. - For continued health and strength for everyone in the ministry. - For the extra finances to cover this growing ministry; as well as medical missions, there are currently 28 staff at HHM. - For wisdom, courage and compassion when making life and death decisions about very sick children. This is often the hardest part of ministry. - For Reuben, who is going blind. For Ari who needs 24/7 care. Her mother suddenly died and the father can’t cope with Ari’s constant care. She is now back with us in the C.R.U.