Mid February Update

HIF Library:

One of HIF desires for some time has been to help young developing minds through literacy. God has answered our prayer through the generosity of friends abroad who helped by donating books and resources! We officially opened our Library Ministry to the community this month! Though on a much smaller scale, our library is operating like a public library in the West. The principals from the local schools in our area are excited about this new step towards educational development. Literacy programs will be launched by the public schools in connection with HIF this coming June. We are praying that the library will bring us one step forward in battling the ever growing illiteracy rate on our island. We have books for all ages and a growing selection of Christian resources that have become popular to those visiting our library!


Hope For The Island Learning Academy

Hope For The Island presently operates a high standard preschool (Hope for the Island Foundational Learning Center). Now in our 4th year, we are seeing the impact this school is having in the homes of our students and the community as a whole. All students who graduate from our Kinder 2 and enter the public school are much more attentive and excel quickly. The honor students in elementary were previously students at Hope For The Island. The problem we observe in schools outside city limits, is that the level of education is sub standard. Education has not been given the priority or focus needed to produce quality graduates. HIF desires to be able to keep up with the momentum started at the early childhood education level by starting an elementary school that would encourage a high level of learning. HIF is now in the final stages of processing our papers and permits to start Grade 1 for 2008 school year starting in June! This decision came with much prayer and consideration. Our goal at HIF is to develop individuals and a community where productivity can break the cycle and grip of poverty. That goal can only be achieved when priority is given to properly educate children! By investing in the lives of children, we can help groom them academically, physically and spiritually where a hope filled future awaits them!

PRAY

-For the funds needed to purchase classroom supplies and materials for Grade 1.
-Also pray for the fundraising efforts to build separate classrooms needed for the 3 preschool classes. Grade 1 will be held in multi center where preschool has been for past 4 years. (click on link below to see perspective, layout and Est. building costs)
http://hopefortheisland.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=47


Other praise and prayer items:

Our miracle child Mark Anthony continues to gain health and strength each day!! The doctors and nurses were awe stricken yesterday when we brought him in for his monthly check up. They could not believe they were looking at the same child. The doctors shared to our staff that seeing so many cases that offer no hope has hardened them. Poverty and parental neglect results in many fatalities that could otherwise be prevented. When they first saw Mark Anthony severely malnourished, diagnosed with Tuberculosis and in advance stage of Schistosomiasis they were ready to write his death certificate. They testified that what God did through Mark Anthony’s life and how HIF stepped in to help him restored something long since dead in their hearts. Each of his tests yesterday showed that he is on the road to full recovery!!! Seeing Mark Anthony full of life and giving testimony of God’s love and salvation to all the patients, had many people shedding tears. Doctors report revealed his liver(initially measuring 67 and not possible to recover) now measured 50+ and functioning normal!
When Mark Anthony was orphaned as a baby, the family neighbor took him into her home and cared for him as her own child. Though he did not get anywhere near the care he needed to avoid many of the sicknesses that plagued his body, she does love Mark Anthony and they share a special bond. The past few times we have met with her she communicated her desire for him to return home with her soon. She has started making steps to receive Mark Anthony back. Recently she showed her seriousness by moving out of the critical area where Mark Anthony contracted the disease that almost killed him. If all continues to go well with Mark Anthony’s health we will try to enroll him in June
at the school near to where his ‘adoptive’ mother has moved. When talking to Mark Anthony he also expressed desire for this. Please pray that Mark Anthony will be at a place physically to make this transition that is only a few months away. When this time does come, HIF will continue to monitor Mark Anthony’s health and be sponsoring him to ensure he gets proper nutrition and his needs met for school.

HIF said our good byes last week to the School of Biblical Foundation and Missions team from YWAM. They were with us for over a month and served the ministries and staff with all their hearts. I was especially blessed by the way they ministered and mentored our staff. Day in and day out HIF staff give faithfully of themselves to meet so many of the needs within the surrounding communities. During this past month God used the YWAM team to meet some of those needs that get left unmet in missionaries on the field. It was as though God breathed fresh His life and joy into our hearts. Mutually we all walked away from this season encouraged and challenged to press on with greater commitment to glorify God!

Last week I was a guest speaker at a local college on Siargao Island. I was given the topic “Work Ethics”. When asked to speak on this subject I gladly accepted because I knew that this was an open door for me to share God’s perspective on this subject. It is a subject that only has its roots in the truth of God’s Word. With permission by the school administrator to share from the Bible, it turned out to be a great morning. God’s Word was planted into the hearts and minds of the 3rd of 4th year students. Please pray that God will protect those seeds and fruit will be produced from lives that respond to God’s call!

Blessings!
Derek Van Ryckeghem