Fifty-two former street-dwelling children and youth attended the dedication and inauguration of several new buildings at the Rose of Sharon House of Friendship, a boarding school facility built for them, in Puypuy, Bay, Laguna on December 8, 2012. The children were composed of 26 preschoolers, 21 grade schoolers and five high schoolers who are under the education program of the Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS), VOHCS Chairperson Stephanie De Los Santos reported.
Some of the children who are members of the Magdalena Drum and Bugle Corps greeted the arriving guests with music. Dressed in Filipiniana, the smaller ones entered the program hall in lines led by their teachers. Brigada Bata members in official uniforms carried the Philippine flag and the CCT colors. They quietly sat down and listened to the inauguration and dedication service that followed.
Testimonies of God’s faithfulness from VOHCS staff, board members, students, and parents were the highlight of the service. When it was their turn to perform, the children danced to a medley of Christmas songs, much to the delight of the guests. The hall echoed with their voices when they sang with everyone, Dakilang Katapatan (Great Faithfulness), a fitting song about God’s faithfulness, toward the end of the program.
Each new facility was then prayed for and dedicated to the Lord. The facilities are:
- A three-story dormitory, which can house up to 140 children;
- A two-story academic building with four classrooms, a reading room, a play room, a computer room, and a library given the name Kinabookasan (a play on the words "book" and "kinabukasan," the Filipino term for future);
- A six-lane swimming pool which will help train the children in swimming so that they may apply for athletic scholarships in college; and,
- The two-room faculty building.
VOHCS board members, children, parents, staff, and guests shared food and fellowship afterward in the wide and well-lit canteen, and a donor gave gifts to the children at the new dorm.
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A couple of Christmas cards written by VOH children hang
on the wall of the new canteen. |
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| With smiles on their faces, VOHCS children wait for the program to start. |
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The CCT Choir serenades guests, VOHCS staff, and children with Christmas carols
in the new VOHCS canteen where the inauguration service was held. |
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| A group of young boys dance to a Christmas medley number. |
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Everyone prayed to dedicate the facility to the Lord and receive His blessing
during the benediction. |
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VOH Board Member Maria Gemma Donna Simpao and
Kaibigan Ministry Peer Servant Arlene Diel cut the ribbon
in one of the VOHCS buildings being dedicated.
(Photos by Jean Francis Barcena) |
