Tuesday, December 10, 2013

I.T. TENDER MINISTRY > NOVEMBER 2013 NEWSLETTER


“Maligayang Pasko!”
By John Coffey

Christmas is just around the corner, but in the Philippines people have been hanging up Christmas lights and playing festive music since September. The anticipation for Christmas by Filipinos is immense and unparalleled. However, many Filipino children have yet to experience the true meaning of Christmas and to experience the love, peace, and joy of Christ. This is why each year we host multiple Christmas parties in Manila – to share the joy of Christ with the street children.

I want to personally thank all of our supporters who have given so generously to our programs at IT Tender, to our sponsor children, and to the Christmas parties. Thanks to your compassion, the children in Manila have an opportunity to hear the message of Christ, to receive Christmas gifts and hygiene supplies, and to receive groceries for their families. My team has been working exceptionally hard this year in preparation of Christmas and I couldn't be blessed with a more dedicated and passionate group of workers. IT Tender aims to provide gifts and parties for over 200 street kids this year. I'm proud of my team for all their efforts this season in my absence. This is the first time in several years that I am celebrating Christmas with my family in Canada while on furlough for two months. Please continue to pray for my team and our programs as they continue empowering the community for God's glory.


Have a wonderful Christmas season. "Maligayang Pasko!" ("Merry Christmas!")
IT Tender Team; 2013
Back Row L-R: Karin Jose, Lorna Carro, Cecille DeJesus, Jizza Magallanes
Front Row L-R: Gabby Malquisto, John Coffey, Jamielyn Torres


Food For Life
By Karin Jose

On November 28th we started our Food For Life feeding program in Putatan – one of the areas where our Night Life program was launched earlier this year. From running the Night Lifeprogram, which caters to youth, we saw the great need for the children in this community of simple makeshift houses along an active railway. We realized the children needed a program more suited to their age and their needs – food and fun! We also saw that the program needed to be run at a time of day that was more suitable for younger children to attend.

This program runs Wed-Fri between 5:30pm and 7pm and caters to 51 children ages 5-12, almost all whom are considered underweight or malnourished. We run a simple program of singing, games, story telling and feeding. After only one week we can tell the program will be a fun, chaotic adventure but we are so excited that by Gods grace we will be able to continue with it in 2014 and look forward to building lasting relationships with our kids and the community of Putatan.
We offer a special thank you to Action International for sponsoring the food for this program through
Feed My Starving Children

Food For Life clients: Rosary, Ereckson & Chrisantha Mae (Mae-Mae)


PRAISE
·         The opportunity for IT Tender Director John Coffey to spend Christmas with his family in Canada
·         The launching of not only Food For Life Putatan, but also the feeding program of our partner church ‘Jesus Our Hope’. Thank you Ontario Christian Gleaners for providing the food for this program.
·         The opportunity to start working alongside partner organisationsand the local barangay in Sitio Aplaya, Sucat
·         The amazing generosity of friends and partners around the world who have given financially to support our fundraising effort for our Christmas Parties and grocery giving for our clients
·         The visit from Extreme Response International whofinancially supported and personally assisted IT Tender in hosting our Christmas party for the beneficiaries of our educational programs
PRAYERS
·         Peace of mind and financial provision for IT Tender missionary Cecille de Jesus who requires urgent surgery to remove a large cyst (for further information or ways to support Cecille, please contact karin.jose@iteams.org)
·         The upcoming Christmas parties for the clients on our Food For Life and Night Life programs and for strength and energy for the team as they host them
·         Fellow Filipinos living in the areas devastated by Typhoon Yolanda. Although IT Tender was not directly affected, we continue to stand alongside our fellow countrymen in prayer