Happy New Year! Hope For The Island had a very blessed and busy December. Last month I asked for you to pray for our physical and spiritual health. We testify to His protection.December began with our Pastor’s Fellowship Christmas party. We host a monthly inter-denominational Pastors Fellowship that includes all northern Siargao Island pastors and their families. We welcomed 120 to the 2006 Christmas celebration. We had a great time. We worshipped God and heard a message from HIF board member Pastor Mozo. HIF staff and youth prepared the meal. The day finished off with the ladies volleyball tournament and mens basketball tournament. Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention that my team won the championship! (I'm actually quite bad at basketball, too bad they don't play hockey here.)That was just the start of our Christmas season. Each ministry had a Christmas party. We hosted 8 children's parties for each weekly children’s ministry, 8 parties for the adult home church bible studies, 1 party for our weekly youth gathering, and 1 party for our monthly youth gathering in a neighboring village. Approximately 800 children, 600 adults and 150 youth attended! Ninety percent of those who attended are in fact regular attendees of those weekly ministries.I confess a few times I would think of the financial cost to host these parties. Then the Lord would gently rebuke me as I watched how the people we were ministering to were truly blessed and praising the Lord. So many are being added to the kingdom in these individual ministries!! I witnessed how this blessing caused them to praise God. This would be the most abundant and nutritious meal of their year. I could not help remembering how much money I used to spend during the Christmas season or to dine out in North America.Every party centered on our holiday theme this year. JESUS is the hope for the island. Many parents of the children in the ministries were truly blessed and pleased to see that our preaching centers on Jesus and the Bible. Some parents were concerned before that we may be trying to convert their children. They are now assured that their children are hearing the truth about Jesus, and that is all! The Lord will do the rest.There are currently 10 widows/widowers that we are weekly giving 2 kg of rice to. We also gave them some groceries in December. These elderly men and women were truly thankful and blessed. Very often when we visit them, they are preparing a meager meal of rice with salt. Most have no income. With no social structure such as welfare or old age pension they are destitute.We have a great update from one of our other Mercy Ministries. Baby Dong was dedicated to the Lord last Sunday. Philippines tradition is to have ninongs (male) and ninangs (female) similar to godparents, although there are always more than two. All the staff at Hope For The Island were asked and accepted to be ninongs and ninangs. Baby Dong is now really a part of our family! Please continue to pray for him and the family that is taking care of him. Their daughter, Euren had an appendix operation. This has caused a huge financial strain for the family. She had to drop out of her first year of college because of the debts caused by her illness. Please pray hard for them. They are a family of 6, with another 8 in their house that they take care of.We ask for your prayers for physical healing for our staff. Our staff is daily exposed to various sick and wounded people in our Medical Clinic. We need the Lord’s protection for our workers. A pink eye outbreak is spreading in the nearby town, and 3 staff at HIF have already become sick. Our concern is for those in town who are already weak. Simple sicknesses can be fatal.Our Medical Clinic was recently blessed with another donation of children’s vitamins for malnourishment. The last box was a 3 month supply and was used for 10 children who are severely malnourished. Pray for us as we seek to determine which children need these new vitamins the most. When vitamins are given out, we pray for the child and their family, and tell them of the sacrifice and love of our Lord Jesus Christ for them as individuals.We at Hope For The Island are excited to host a YWAM (Youth With A Mission) team from Maui. Derek & Jenn made this contact while there on Sabbatical. This will be a short term mission trip for the team. They will spend time with youth leaders on the island. We will host a 3 day Youth leader’s Seminar later this month. A one day follow up is planned for February. Please be praying for this opportunity.I am sending Grace’s (my beautiful and godly wife) travel visa to Canada for approval in the next few days. I haven’t seen my family for almost 2 years and Grace has never met them. Please pray that the Lord will provide this visa and the finances for our visit to Canada in May. Derek, Jen, Makana & Brison will be returning to the Philippines in May. After a brief transition time, Grace & I will leave for a visit to Winnipeg where my family lives. Support for Ben & Grace can be sent to Hope For The Island address below.God Bless you and your family. Please continue to pray for the ministries that God has entrusted to us as well as Derek, Jenn, Makana & Brison.In His ServiceBen&Grace, Dinah, Divah, Jing, Ding, Dong, Christina, Joan, Pastor Murillo & Diday Denrick, Salome, Rosemary
