JULY 21 UPDATE

HOPE FOR THE ISLAND

Wow God!!

By Derek Van Ryckeghem

For the majority of my 11 years serving in the Philippines I have relied on a very unreliable mode of public transportation, the Jeepney. The memories are still fresh in my mind. Jeepneys pass through most villages once a day, that is, if the driver is up for a trip that day! During my years riding the Jeepney, the scheduled daily trip was between the horrific hours of 2 - 3:00 am. To be sure that we did not miss the trip, Jenn and I would wait on the side of the gravel road with our newborn baby at exactly 2:00am. This was not easy during monsoon season, when on most days, torrential rains are common. It was always exciting to see the headlights coming, knowing that the trip was not cancelled. The Jeepney was usually very full by the time it reached our village.

Beyond being filled with many sleepy passengers, we had to share space with large sacks of potent smelling dried coconut as well as pigs and chickens. We would squeeze our way into what felt like a sardine can, breathing in fumes not worthy of describing and fighting back nausea and claustrophobia. If travelling alone,I would usually opt to find space on top or grab hold of a bar and hang off the back or side of the Jeepney. It was travel at your own risk! The trip was always delayed by breakdowns and flat tires along the way. When we thought that there was no way to jam one more person or more cargo in, they always managed to find a way!

The day we were finally able to purchase our yellow multi-cab (rightfully named our little Tonka truck) was a day of rejoicing. These multi-cabs are surplus vehicles that have lived out a full life in Korea or Japan and then sent over to the Philippines to be reassembled and driven till they keel over and die. Though somewhat of a risky purchase, because many turn out to be lemons, we were thankful to get one that was reasonably priced and held up for over 3 years.

Our Tonka has served it’s purpose, taking us into many areas of the island to bring the gospel of Christ. This past year we stepped up our prayer for a new vehicle because our Tonka was struggling navigating the rough roads. Breakdowns were frequent. As well, it was not safe to accommodate all 21 of our staff and volunteers going on outreaches each week. With our ministry operating by faith and no reserve funds to work with, we knew getting behind the wheel of another vehicle would have to be a God thing! God knew the need and moved to meet it in His way and time!

Philippians 4:19

And my God shall meet ALL YOUR NEEDS according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus .

Our website section “Project/Ministry needs” shows that we have an urgent need for a new ministry outreach vehicle. A few weeks ago I received a call with news of a donation indicated for a vehicle!! It never ceases to amaze me how God works in someone’s heart so far away. I am glad I was sitting when I received the call!! I soon headed to a large city in search of a vehicle that would meet our unique needs. When I found it, it then had to be driven aboard an overnight ship followed by another boat ride before arriving at Hope for the Island. As I returned to the island driving a spacious and sturdy double cab truck our staff greeted me with shouts of joy!!!

Our staff will be much more comfortable and safe as we travel throughout the island on outreaches. It will be fitted with a removable cover for the back cab during rainy season. As for the Tonka truck, it will live out the remainder of its days on the farm that we plan to start at the end of this year. (See Project/Ministry Needs at www.hopefortheisland.org )

We’re Moving

We have had so much prayer, concern and support from many friends and family. Jenn and I, as most of you know, have lived in communal living for 9 years of marriage. It is something that came natural as we sought to immerse ourselves in the culture and build relationships with those we worked alongside.

There are many positive aspects to living in this type of setting. Communal living has made us grow in areas of character and as leaders. We never really considered any other alternative, but after having many teams visit the ministry, we were challenged by some observations that they made. Beyond the many positive aspects of living in community, there were some things that we were overlooking.

We struggled to maintain a healthy marriage and family life in an environment where there was no privacy or down time. As we reflected on some of the things brought to our attention, we recognized the strain that we had become blind to. These close and trusted friends asked us what we thought about having a place of our own. After talking with our staff about what they thought, and seeking Godly counsel, we realized that this was something we needed to seriously consider. It was during our sabbatical that God really confirmed how desperately we needed to have our own place to work towards a healthier marriage and family life. We came back from that sabbatical refreshed and excited to start building our home. We also realized that this step was key for us to be able to keep up with the pace of a growing ministry.
We were taken aback and blown away by the response of God’s children who took the initiative to help raise funds to buy land near Hope for the Island and to build a home for our family. This all started 3 years ago. During the past three years, you have helped to keep the dream fresh in our minds while we continued to live in a communal environment.

Well, our day has come!!! Yesterday we had our house blessing. Each one of our staff along with Jenn’s mom (visiting from Canada) prayed over the house and dedicated it to the Lord. By Friday July 24th we will have moved most of our belongings into the house and will have had our first night sleep in our very own home!! Jenn is especially excited to make a home for our family. She longs to make meals for our family, to decorate and to plant flowers in the yard. I love seeing the joy in her eyes as she plans and prepares for our move. Many of you continued to keep this dream alive for us. Thank you for being a part of this in one way or another. More than being blessed to have a home, we are abundantly blessed to have friends who truly care and love us! Thank you!!!

PRAY for the week ahead:

With the help of a Hope for the Island visiting partner, we will be installing a water pump in a depressed area. Though there is a stream that flows nearby, it is dry most of the time. The pump they once used broke 2 years ago without being replaced. We will install a new pump. Equally important we will share with them about Jesus the living water. Pray for this outreach!

We will be building toilets in 4 villages where Schistosomiasis disease (the disease that ravaged Mark Anthony’s body) is wide spread. Installing these toilets in remote areas where farmers usually defecate anywhere, will help alleviate the spread of this deadly disease. At the beginning of these projects we will educate the people on the importance of using these toilets. Though it would seem like plain old common sense, it isn’t the case in areas where education levels are low. We will share the Word of God and trust that God will open their hearts to Him. Our team will split up between the children, youth and adults to have further ministry time and administer first aid for those suffering skin diseases because of poor hygiene.

Love & Gratitude from
Derek & Jenn & the Hope staff