Sept Report

GREAT TO BE HOME!!!!

Our family (Van Ryckeghem) arrived back to Hope For The Island on Sept 11th. Our time in the States and Canada was busy, yet very fruitful. Our schedule was booked from morning to night on most days. We enjoyed connecting with family, friends and supporters. God has blessed us with so many people who have embraced us and HIF. We appreciate your affirmation, prayers and continued support! I hope that through our times together you can more clearly envision how valuable your partnership is. Countless lives are being reached with the Gospel of God's grace because you made yourselves available and responded as Isaiah did by saying, "Here am I send me"!

It is so great to be back at home! This is the place that God has called us and our staff to proclaim the goodness of God. I thank God for the staff He has blessed us with who so faithfully carry the vision and serve the poor and needy day in and day out. Below is an update from HIF staff, Ben and Grace Cooney. This couple stepped out in faith and is excited to share what God is doing through Hope For The Island's Extension Ministry in San Mateo. God opened a big door for HIF to minister in this place of extreme poverty and need. We praise God for shining His light and making His love known to the people of San Mateo!

Pray for coming Hope Chapel Men’s Mission team from Maui as they prepare for the Youth Sports Camp at Hope For The Island Sept 26-Oct 9. Pray for safe travel and openness in the hearts of the 300 students we will have the opportunity to minister to. Adam Gribas (member of the team) is already here with us. He is an artist and is here to help develop our art students. His first class with them yesterday went very well!


Love Derek, Jenn, Brison & Makana

From Ben & Grace Cooney

Grace & I have lived in barangay (village) San Mateo for 4 months now. We have been so blessed by the Lord even though it has been a big adjustment. Grace and I had lived all our married life at HIF Burgos in communal housing. Being in our own house has been just awesome. It has been like an extended honeymoon.

Grace is now 7 ½ months pregnant. She and the baby are healthy. We thank God for your prayers for her and our baby. In the second month of pregnancy Grace was ordered to bed rest for one month by her doctor. She is now reaching out to the other pregnant ladies in our village. Every morning they go walking and talking. It’s a great time for her to become part of the other ladies’ lives. Every day we are so blessed and amazed with the life that God has brought us to in our new home. The Lord led us to help organize a community garden across the street from our home. It was a plan of ours early on when I was still building the house. There was a very large piece of land that was sitting empty that belonged to the school. We approached the head teacher and she thought that the idea of a community garden was good. Because I was busy building the house, I put the idea on the back burner.

One day, I came to work on the house and I noticed that someone was ploughing the lot that I was
praying for to become a community garden that would benefit the community. The lot was going to be used to plant sweet potatoes. We explained what a community garden would do for the village; they understood and gave us their blessing to use the land. We already had the blessing of the school and then the village government gave us the go ahead with the project.

We purchased seeds and measured off 20x20 foot lots. About 35
families, each with a lot came to us to get seeds. That was about 3
months ago. We are so blessed to share that we and many families are
now eating free, fresh, local fruit and vegetables every day!! Villagers
recognize and testify how God is blessing them, and how He has provided
for them. We are constantly reminded of their gratitude to God and to
Hope For The Island. We receive gifts of fresh fruit, veggies, bananas, rice
and tilapia fish almost every day. Relationships are being developed as
they share with us, even in their extreme poverty. Recipes are being shared
too! God has indeed blessed this ministry.

We have almost 70 kinds of seeds from the Philippines, plus seeds from India, Australia
and Canada that we are trying out in the garden. Growing Canadian tomatoes and local
fruits and veggies is a way to supplement low incomes.

Poverty is common in San Mateo. We know that this is not God’s will and that He
has so much more in store for the people here. Most people here do not eat 3 meals
a day. Children are often not in school because they have not eaten yet that day.

Previously the only income earned came from traditional farms where rice or coconut was common. Rice can be planted and harvested twice a year. Coconut trees can be harvested every 3 months. Paydays are few and really spaced out. The money earned never lasts very long and people begin to look for rice to eat sometimes one week after the last harvest. It is very sad. Traditional farms cannot support the people here.

Parasites and malnutrition have gone unchecked. There is no doctor assigned in the municipality of Burgos anymore. Those with very bad cases of various worms are not hard to spot and most have parasites that haven’t shown any physical symptoms yet. Often when the physical signs do appear, there is a lot of damage already done. The children have delayed mental development and some youth and adults have enlarged organs because of the parasite eggs that don’t leave the body. This can lead to major organ failure and death. Dinah and I have worked closely with a provincial team that test for parasites. Please pray for God’s guidance for me. I have been working on fixing our village’s water system; one of the main causes of parasites. Clean and safe water is vital. We have been working with the local health professionals who are testing and treating our neighbours. We are praying that we can get access to the equipment and training needed to test for parasites from out of our home. People are comfortable coming to our house, but unwilling and unable financially to travel to Burgos to get tested.

My desire is to make sure that we are following the Lord’s leading in all that we are doing. There are so many needs around us. In all the ministry areas we want to see the people here take ownership. Many charities have come and simply handed things to the people here. Often the locals don’t really understand the need, or the charity creates a need with their projects. I have seen many examples of donated materials and equipment all over our island that is not kept up and eventually destroyed.

Our home is a place where over 40 children regularly gather. We teach them games, songs and verses that bring glory to our God. It is wonderful to see them memorizing verses and learning about God’s amazing plan for their salvation. On Friday thirty youth come to hear the Word and fellowship with games and activities. We have started letting the youth try our laptop; the first computer experience for them!

Please pray that we will live a transparent life before the people and in that process they will be drawn to a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Please pray for Grace and the safe delivery of our baby girl in Surigao City in mid October. We will be away for about 3 weeks. Pray for protection from the sickness and disease that is so common here.

The Lord bless and keep you
Ben & Grace Cooney