This last quarter, the surge of Delta variant cases caused intermittent lockdowns and strict quarantines, and this has not been easy for our community. Our center operations were limited to online training sessions. Nevertheless, in God’s faithfulness and goodness, we have very few cases of COVID-19 infections, and all of them got well. Despite these challenges, we praise Him for continuing to pour out His blessings upon the ministry. We were sustained in the following ways: our survivors, their children and families were continually supplied with monthly food packs since most of the families lost their livelihood, we continued with our weekly online prayers, Scripture reflection and parenting education for the Mom-survivors. Our kids continually receive spiritual feeding through our weekly Bible ‘kuwentuhan’/story-telling and Bible art workshops, and through continuously listening to Okiddo, the 4/14 Kids’ show in DZAS, Christian radio station. We are amazed at how they have grown in their faith in God! The kids send their insights and learning online, through video and audio presentations, as well as written journal reflections and artworks. In September, we have also started gathering our pre-teens children (10-11 year-old kids) for online fellowship. It is an encouragement to see their delightful and excited faces online and hear them share about their growing knowledge and experience of God despite the pandemic.
In July, two of our women leaders (Partner Trainees), Malou and Marilyn, completed their LEAD2 (Leadership Empowerment And Development) Training. They testified how God has led them to grow more in their God-given skills and in their faith through the training. It culminated with a one and a half month On-the-Job Training at the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) in Montalban, Rizal.
Our five new Livelihood Trainees are also growing in their faith and in their parenting skills. In July, they started training in facilitation skills and livelihood. They will resume the training when the quarantine eases. To date, we now have seven women leaders reaching out to other survivors in the field through online parenting education, conducting Bible sharing and fellowship with kids, and one-on-one visits whenever possible.
God is and will always be with us. This has never been more evident in She WORKS than these last 18 months of pandemic. We unceasingly thank Him for His goodness and for His loving provision and care for our individual and ministry needs. His Word, which we faithfully share daily, has sustained us and given us directions on how to properly steward the resources that He has entrusted to us. More importantly, He has shown us how to continually care for the women and children in our community who are in need of constant love and protection. Our joy is indescribable as we see and hear some fruits of our labor through their testimonies. Thank you so much, brothers and sisters, for taking part in shaping their lives through your faithful prayers and support. May these two videos give you continued hope in seeing more women and children’s lives transformed.
We would appreciate your continuous prayers for the following:
1. Wisdom and guidance as we gradually transition to our center operations at Barangay Fairview. May God protect us and give us wisdom in doing this with utmost care and safety/
2. Additional livelihood for our women survivors. Jobs are difficult to find in uncertain times, since the surge of the Delta variant is still not waning.
3. Safety and protection for the women survivors and their families, as well as the staff and other service providers.
4. Upcoming community education on human trafficking and OSEC (Online Sexual Education of Children) in partnership with other organizations and the Local Government Units.
5. Awareness-raising campaign through the Freedom Sunday Network on OSEC and fund-raising for all the network members, including She WORKS.
To God be all glory and praise!