Dear Sponsors and Friends,

Time has gone by so fast and we can hardly believe that we are down to three months until this year ends. How have you all been? We are all doing well here, though we have been battered by several strong typhoons that you have probably seen on the news. The latest one we had were typhoons locally known as “Pedring” and “Quiel” that have affected Manila and most of the Luzon provinces. We are still expecting more, as we have an average of 23 typhoons per year. Some leave with little affect but most exit leaving us with great devastation. Most of the effect would be on the farmers.  Their crops and expected harvests sometimes all go to waste, thus affecting the entire country. Philippines is an agricultural country, so fishing and farming are the largest source of income among many Filipinos, especially in the rural areas. If the farms have been destroyed and there is no more to be harvested, we expect an increase in the price of commodities. It will be hard for all of us, as we have little income and we need to buy high priced foods. It has always been like that during typhoon season. So it is really smart to save and store food during this season so you wont have to  suffer with the other people, and you could assist them in any way that you can.

The school that we help feed is doing very well and thank God that they did not have to suffer very much. During this time, the Meals at School Program is really a great help for these children. The more than 600 school children that we feed everyday benefit so much from this program, as well as their parents and their school.  It is always hard for the parents, especially those that do not have much to provide all the meals that their children need.  What you do for the children is help them to realize that people are there to help. Their eagerness to be in school overrides their hunger, but with your help, it has never been a problem since.

Our volunteers in Manila are making sure that those who are in great poverty will be supported by this program. Thus, the sponsored school in the Camarines Sur area has been changed since it was determined by the school district that this particular school is not in the poorest situation. We felt sad that we have to leave the former school that we sponsor, but we hope that the help we have given them for several months has left them the motivation that they need to continue to be in school despite their circumstances. What we do now is really a great help though we want so desperately to do more.

The children have been blessed physically… most of them have been gaining weight since. We always try to provide the most nutritious food that we could serve them. The parents who have been helping for the preparation of these meals have been very great as well. They wanted their children to have the best meal during the feeding so they themselves make it a point to prepare the most nutritious meals that they know their children can have.

It is really true that people draw strength from each other. We all thank you for the things that you do for us. The impact of your goodness cannot be measured in specific ways but as we see these children endure each day and as we leave a smile on their faces, we know that we have done what we could for them.

Thank you so much for all the help that you have been extending to us. May you have a blessed month and we always pray for you and your families.