It was the 24th of July, but for the children from the Rose of Sharon House of Friendship (ROS) and Magdalena boarding schools in Laguna, it seemed like Christmas. In the morning, they welcomed 34 Filipino and American volunteers from Operation Christmas Child (OCC) with leis and music and a program where some VOH girls did a dance interpretation of Hillsong’s “I Believe.” In the afternoon, they helped the OCC volunteers give out shoe box gifts to about 300 children at the neighboring Puypuy Elementary School. This became an opportunity for them to serve others in their community.
OCC is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization. Through OCC, volunteers collect and pack gifts in shoe boxes for distribution to needy children around the world.
After hearing about the life-changing love of Jesus Christ in stories told by the OCC volunteers, the VOH children lined up to receive their Christmas gifts. They were instructed to close their eyes and, while holding their gifts, pray about what they wanted to find. At the count of ten, all of them opened their gifts.
Eleven-year-old VOH child Carmela Panis, who used to live on the street with her family, said she wanted to receive shoes, sunglasses, toiletries, and school supplies but was glad to get necklaces, combs, a pair of cloth slippers, lip gloss, wallet, a small bag, drawing pads, and adhesive bandages. She described these as beautiful.
Thirteen-year-old Janelie Clavel, on the other hand, giggled about getting a box meant for a younger girl. But that did not make her less grateful for her new Barbie doll, as well as for the new clothes which she prayed for. She also got toiletries and flash cards to help her practice addition and subtraction.
Since she moved to ROS, Carmela said, she is able to eat three times a day and have a permanent dwelling, instead of having to always wander around. She also found people who mentor and correct her. Her mother, who stayed at the Center for Community Transformation Kaibigan Center in Manila for a time, died of cancer last year, and Carmela misses her dearly. She said that aside from the provision of her basic needs, she prays to be content despite her loss, and to know God more and draw nearer to Him. She thanked her shoe box giver and the volunteers who came to share their lives with her, and whom the Lord used to help change her life.
Janelie and her older brother Michael were referred to VOH a year ago after he ran away from their home in Cavite. Janelie had to quit school after the fourth grade because her parents could no longer afford to send her and her five siblings to school. Today, she enjoys reading and writing. She related that in her former school, she learned unruly behavior from her classmates, but at ROS, she appreciates the rules she has to follow and the teachers who give enough attention to her learning needs. She dreams of also becoming a teacher someday and of taking her family out of poverty.
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| Carmela Panis interacts with a volunteer from OCC while checking her shoe box gift. |
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| Janelie Clavel (left) strikes a happy pose after opening her gift. |
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| OCC volunteers, seen here with VOH children, also helped cover books for the ROS library. |
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| VOH children line up and help give gifts to the children from Puypuy Elementary School. |
