Rolly Tablatin: ‘It's All Up to You’

Former street kid Rolly passed the A and E exam along with his brother, Roberto “JR” Tablatin, Jr. (Read JR’s testimony here). Rolly is now eligible to proceed with his secondary education, while JR and other students at CCT Magdalena – Arnold de la Cruz and Daniel Seth Jerusalem – are now qualified to enter college. Last June 13, they all attended a graduation ceremony led by the Department of Education Bureau of Alternative Learning System for the students in Laguna. Below is an excerpt of Rolly's testimony.

I am Rolly Tablatin, 18 years old. I am among those who passed the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Accreditation and Equivalency (A and E) examination. 

When I was about to take the exam, I was nervous but I remembered to pray so that I would feel calm. I just offered everything to God. He gave me wisdom to answer all the questions from different subjects. I did not run out of answers and it seemed like everything that I reviewed was in the exam.

In the essay part, I just kept on writing and I even included a Bible verse. But, I wasn't able to write a long piece because there wasn't enough time. 

I had doubts about passing but I told the Lord, “It’s all up to You. If I would pass the exam, thank You. If I wouldn't, thank You still.”

I thank Him because He allowed me to pass the ALS exam. I also thank those who have been helping me in my studies. May the Lord bless you!

 

Rolly proudly shows his diploma.

Rolly's diploma qualifies him to continue with high school.

 

Rolly (third from the left) attends the ALS graduation
with fellow CCT Magdalena boys.

Beginning 2014-2015: A Photo Essay

Ever wonder what going back to school is like for Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS) community-based preschools? Beginning school year 2014-2015 was a fruit of hard work, commitment, and collaboration among VOHCS teachers, parents, Center for Community Transformation (CCT) staff, and leaders in the local community.

Community surveys were conducted to invite pupils to VOHCS. Reading readiness tests followed to assess the students’ learning levels. The students are a mix of sponsored and paying children. The sponsored children belong to poorest of the poor and are unable to afford their education, while the paying students, albeit given substantial subsidy, are children of CCT micro-entrepreneurs. As of August 2014, a total of 836 children are enrolled in 24 VOHCS community-based preschools nationwide.

A VOHCS Irawan teacher conducts a community survey in
Brgy. Irawan, Puerto Princesa, Palawan. 

Reading readiness tests are administered in VOHCS Midsayap. 

Former students and other children in rural and urban poor communities were also encouraged to join the Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade (or Brigada Bata), a character development program carried out once a week with VOHCS students.

Children from VOHCS Jaro and from the community enlist
in Boys' Brigade. 

Boys' Brigade drills start in VOHCS Taguig as the school year opens. 

Help was solicited from the children’s parents to help prepare the classrooms. This is in line with a Department of Education-initiated program called Brigada Eskwela. Parents then attended an orientation meeting where they learned about VOHCS school policies and their role in their children’s education.

A parent from VOHCS Irawan helps prepare the school grounds
for the opening of classes.

Mothers from VOHCS Midsayap help clean the floor of the
school's classroom.

Parents attend a parent orientation day at VOHCS General Santos City.

A VOHCS Midsayap teacher leads the parent orientation. 

Then, it’s all systems go!

VOHCS Butuan's new classroom is ready to use. 

VOHCS Irawan opens in June with 36 students.

Inside the classroom, VOHCS Oton (Iloilo) children learn to fall in line.

VOHCS General Santos children and their parents go out on a parade
of Philippine flags in celebration of the country's independence day. 

Despite Hardships, VOHCS Child Brings Zip to School

Judilyn Bukiron sings and dances to an action song
with her classmates. 

Energetic and affectionate – that’s how Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS) Mandaue teachers describe six-year-old Judilyn Bukiron. Despite being underweight, Judilyn brings much zip with her to school. She is bright, fun-loving, and one who quickly finishes her tasks. Perhaps to show them her love and gratitude, she runs to hug her teachers every time she sees them.

The VOHCS Mandaue teachers first met Judilyn when they conducted a community survey in a densely populated area in Mandaue City, Cebu. Judilyn was resolved that she would not enter school anytime soon, but that changed when she and her mother learned about VOHCS. Her father is serving time in jail, while her mother is incapable of work due to goiter. Only Judilyn’s eldest sister, who is married and employed, provides for her siblings when she is able. One of the other siblings struggles to finish grade school while another is mentally unstable and has a baby.

Now that she is learning to read and write, Judilyn dreams of becoming a teacher when she grows up.

Judilyn is one of the six children at VOHCS Mandaue whose schooling is fully subsidized by VOHCS. The preschool has 39 pupils this school year.

Kim Fajardo: Ready for First Grade

Kim Rando Fajardo attends
the moving-up ceremony of
VOHCS Irawan with his parents. 

 On March 29, 2014, five-year-old Kim Rando Fajardo took a long walk to the barangay hall in Irawan, Puerto Princesa City to attend a moving-up ceremony. But unlike his daily two-kilometer treks to school, he was walking with his parents this time, and was garbed in barong. He graduated from the CCT-Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS) Irawan along with 35 other children that day.

Around summer last year, Kim’s parents – a carpenter and a homemaker – signed him up for morning classes after hearing an announcement at a local Christian church that VOHCS was offering free preschool education to indigent children.

Kim was always the earliest to arrive at school when classes began. Although he determinedly came to class, he was initially shy and uncooperative. However, he started opening up when he saw that he was genuinely cared for at VOHCS. His teachers found out that he was undernourished and most of the time, his family could not afford to let him bring baon (packed snacks) to class, so they shared food with him out of their own pockets. Kim’s classmates gladly pitched in as well.

Kim (fourth from left, first row) joins his classmates in a special presentation on their moving-up day.

Also, on two separate occasions in November, Kim was hurt while walking home from school – he was bullied by an older child and attacked by a dog. His teachers were quick to pray for, comfort, and assist him with medical needs until he was well enough to come back to school.

Within months, Kim’s confidence grew. He learned to mingle with others, led prayers and joined class activities, and surprised his parents by independently working on school projects. He finished the school year as one of the class’s top five pupils!

Kim is ready to enter grade school in the coming school year. He plans to walk to the public school with his big sister, who will be in third grade.

VOHCS Child Survives Kidney Disease

Benchil Villorejo, seven, had been looking forward to joining his class’s nutrition month parade on July 29, 2013, but when the big day came around, he was just too weak to come to school. Dr. John Tabije and nurse Lynn Chan of the Visions of Hope (VOH) health team who were in Isla Puting Bato for their weekly community visit went to his home. Seeing that Benchil's face and abdomen were swollen and that he had difficulty breathing, they brought him immediately to the Ospital ng Maynila.

Dr. Tabije examines Benchil's health, especially as his
swelling becomes apparent. 

Laboratory tests revealed that Benchil was suffering from nephrotic syndrome, a kidney disease that causes the body to lose protein through the urine. His parents – a DVD vendor and a housewife – knew about his condition but did not earn enough to sustain his medication. He also had a few sores.

Benchil is one of 25 pupils of the VOH Christian School at Isla Puting Bato. The school provides free preschool education to children from families that have informally settled living near Manila’s North Harbor.

At the hospital, Benchil’s parents tapped into charity funds for some of his bills. VOH covered other expenses, and staff even braved floods to bring payment for laboratory tests. 

On his second week in the hospital, Benchil’s doctor announced that his condition was critical. The news rattled his family, but the health team’s faith remained strong and they mobilized more people to pray for his recovery. Benchil’s blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels  went down significantly the following week, showing a big improvement in his kidneys. A CT scan also produced normal results, the swelling of his face and abdomen subsided, and he was taken off the ventilator. Early during his fifth week in the hospital, his mother sent a message that Benchil had started walking again!

Benchil was discharged from the hospital on August 29 and is excited to get back to school again. “He is a bright student, he will be able to easily catch up with school work,” Teacher Elsa de Leon, who tutors him at home for the meantime, said. 

Benchil, whose face and body are no longer swollen,
stays at home to recuperate. 

__________________________

According to Dr. Tabije, Benchil’s malnourished condition became evident when the swelling left his face and body. His sores were also caused by poor nutrition. He is being given a nutritional drink and multivitamins daily to help him gain weight and be properly nourished. Please keep praying for Benchil’s health and for provision for his family.

Update as of September 24: 
Benchil has resumed joining classes at VOHCS Isla Puting Bato since September 16. Able to catch up with required modules, he got an average grade of 92% in the first periodical examinations. He ranked fifth in his class. 

Update as of December 17:
It is with heavy hearts that we momentarily say goodbye to Benchil. Last Saturday, he was rushed to the hospital for pneumonia and he passed away the following day. We thank God for his life and his story of hope. His teachers say that he was determined to learn new things and every time he smiled at them, their tiredness went away. Benchil will be missed but we know that he is in a much better place with our Heavenly Father.

VOH Child Thankful for Dental Mission

“Every time I had toothaches, I felt so much pain I could literally punch others. But that changed in a matter of minutes after two of my teeth were extracted. I feel so relieved,” said Elmer (name changed due to the sensitive nature of his story), 16, one of 73 Visions of Hope (VOH) children who received free dental services recently. Two of Elmer's teeth were also saved with flouride application.

In a dental mission led by the Philippine Dental Association of Quezon City (PDA-QC), children from the Magdalena and Puypuy VOH boarding schools attended a lecture on oral health, participated in a toothbrush drill, and got oral health kits. Thirty-six of them underwent fluoride application, 23 had teeth extracted, and one received oral prophylaxis. The dental services were done at the Rose of Sharon House of Friendship in Laguna on July 16, 2013. 

Elmer had been staying at the CCT Magdalena Campus for barely a month when the dental mission was held. Before that, he lived on the street for four years. He sniffed glue, begged for money, and stole from jeepney passengers and resting travelers to make it through a day. A turning point for him was when he and his friends preyed on a couple sleeping along Roxas Boulevard. The couple’s cries of despair upon discovering they lost all their money filled him with guilt and he wanted out. 

Now that he is part of VOH, Elmer dreams of someday reuniting with his parents and three siblings. He was just 12 when he ran away from home in Tacloban City after an argument with his parents. He hopes they have already forgiven him.

In the meantime, he enjoys newfound friendships in Magdalena. He likes that he is able to play basketball and soccer, and tend the garden with the other boys. He regards daily baths, sufficient food, and sleep as blessings because he was deprived of these on the street.

Elmer thanks the volunteer dentists from PDA-QC for giving him his much needed dental care. He prays God would grant them strength and more opportunities to serve more children from the street.

A VOH child undergoes an oral checkup from a
PDA-QC volunteer dentist.

VOH children follow instructions in brushing their
teeth while a volunteer dentist demonstrates.  

58 VOHCS Teachers ‘Step Up to Excellence’ in Summer Training

Fifty-eight teachers from all 30 Visions of Hope Christian Schools (VOHCS) in the country met for the 2nd CCT-VOHCS Annual Teachers’ Retreat and Equipping on April 21 to 27, 2013 at the Rose of Sharon House of Friendship Boarding School in Bay, Laguna. With the theme, “Step Up to Excellence”, they learned together through teaching and interactive sessions how to offer the best possible Christian education to their students as the new school year approaches.

A vesper worship service on the first night aptly opened the week-long training. The following day, the teachers reported on highlights and challenges met for the school year 2012 to 2013. “It was an encouraging time for many because we were reminded of God’s faithfulness and of our part in a bigger community that builds His kingdom,” one of them said. 

In sessions led by Center for Community Transformation President Ruth Callanta and VOHCS Board Member Edmon Ngo, the teachers were affirmed of their purpose and commitment. Meanwhile, guest expert speakers Bgit Tuico, Anna Alegre, Donna Simpao, Fe Mangahas, Malu Garcia, Leo Arnaiz, Rowena Kakilala, as well as the Right Start team led by Arlene Sy and the MGC New Life Christian Academy team led by its principal, Mrs. Helen Villanueva, introduced new knowledge and skills that would enhance the teachers’ capacities and teaching methods. Prescilla Salili and Christina Gellor, along with the VOH (Visions of Hope Foundation) and VOHCS support teams, also facilitated dialogues on policies and procedures that concerned the teachers. 

A tribute to the teachers, which moved some of them to tears, wrapped up the full yet rich training week. Donned in Filipiniana attire, the VOHCS teachers each walked down a red carpet, received a garland from a VOHCS child, and were honored by the MGC New Life team and VOHCS board members. They left the training venue with improved skills, minds full of new things learned, and, hopefully, hearts ready for another year of service to VOHCS children.

VOHCS teachers work in groups to discuss their teaching exercises.

They also get their hands dirty in outdoor team building activities. 

A group of VOHCS teachers lead one of several teaching demonstrations.

Shown here with VOHCS support staff and mentors from MGC New Life Christian Academy, 58 VOHCS teachers
successfully finish the teachers' training for 2013.   

100 VOHCS Children Drink Milk for 40 Days

Super G child Jizelle Hallera from VOHCS Caloocan
gains healthy weight after the milk program.

Seven-year-old Jizelle Hallera used to be underweight but after forty days of drinking milk every break time at Visions of Hope School (VOHCS) Caloocan, her body mass index (BMI) turned normal. Jizelle, who loves the taste of milk like most of her classmates, became two kilograms heavier and one centimeter taller.

In VOHCS Cabrera, five-year-old Jan Senley Enaje was sluggish but since he started drinking milk, he became active in class and gained weight. Jan’s teacher says he belongs to a very poor family that hardly has anything to eat. He and two of his siblings would sometimes share a sachet of chocolate drink for breakfast, so his teacher gave him one box of milk to take home.

Super G child Jan Senley Enaje from VOHCS Cabrera
becomes active and energetic in class. 

Of the 100 VOHCS children who were part of the milk program, Jizelle and Jan were among those chosen as Super G children because they showed the most progress after Visions of Hope’s Super G…in 40 Days milk program. 

“G” in Super G, which stands for gatas or milk, also means ganado (having a good appetite, active, enthusiastic), galing (great), ganda (beautiful), guwapo (handsome), and other words that describe what the children could become at the end of the program.

Super G was initiated when partner organization Kabisig ng Kalahi donated 226.5 kilograms of chocolate flavored powdered milk in January. The milk was distributed to five areas: Cabrera in Pasay City, San Pedro in Laguna, Payatas in Quezon City, Caloocan City, and General Trias in Cavite. VOHCS teachers in those areas administered Super G between January 28 and March 21.

Parents and children from VOHCS General Trias give a thumbs up for Super G. Twenty-six children from
this school, 25 from VOHCS Caloocan, 22 from VOHCS Payatas, 10 from VOHCS Cabrera,
and 17 from VOHCS San Pedro are part of the VOH's Super G...in 40 Days milk program.
   

The 40th day of the milk program was a Super G moment for most of the VOHCS children, teachers, and parents – it was Super Galing and they were Super Grateful. The children’s body mass indexes as well as their behavior and appearance generally improved. Their stamina and appetite increased and they looked healthier, as observed by their teachers. For a number of children, the milk ration filled gaps in their daily food intake because it served as their breakfast, mid-morning snack, or both.

9-Year-Old VOHCS Child Finishes Preschool

Ryan Gayo (center, second line) graduates with brothers Roy (leftmost), Rene (second from left), and Jeran (fourth from left) from
VOHCS Iloilo in March. Behind the VOHCS children are their teachers and VOHCS Principal Cristina Gellor (second from left, third line).

“My dream is to finish school so I will be able to support my family someday,”  declares nine-year-old Ryan Gayo in Ilonggo. A Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS) student from Sitio Ilaya, Tabuc-suba, Jaro, Iloilo, Ryan finished a year of preschool education in March, along with three younger brothers.

VOHCS teachers in Iloilo first met Ryan and his brothers – Jeran, 7, Rene, 6, and Roy, 5 – when they surveyed the community for potential students in mid-2012. Asked if they would like to go to school, the brothers, with sun-burnt skin and bald heads, hesitated. After a minute, Rene said aloud what they were thinking, “We don’t have slippers to wear to school.”

Ryan has eight younger living siblings; three others passed away because of poor health. Sickly himself, Ryan lives with his family in a bamboo house by the river. His father is a pandesal vendor, and his mother washes laundry for a living. His mother only bathes them every two weeks and shaves their heads to save on soap. The family does not even have a toilet. Ryan quit school in the middle of first grade, preferring to go scavenging with his brothers to help out. He got bullied in school, anyway, he says.

Ryan’s parents agreed to send the brothers to VOHCS after they were assured that slippers and school uniforms could be sourced from donors. Teachers raised funds and bought slippers, school shoes, and socks for the Gayo boys and 20 other preschool children. They also bought second hand clothes, and some CCT micro-entrepreneurs donated clothes for the brothers.

The boys’ father brought them to school on the bicycle he uses when hawking pandesal. At their classroom door the boys would pause to put on their slippers, carefully carried from home. After school, they would hang the slippers on a wall at home as if these were prized treasures.

It is customary for VOHCS children and teachers to share food during recess. Ryan and his brothers seldom had snacks to share except on rare times when their father had pandesal leftover from his morning rounds. No one seemed to mind, though.

Despite their lack, the brothers brought their teachers happiness (and sometimes tears of joy) with their zeal for learning. Ryan would gladly read aloud whenever asked. His brother, Roy, volunteered a lot too.

Today, Ryan does not see his poverty as an obstacle to making himself better. He is certain of two things – poverty is transient, and his heavenly Father is able to meet his earthly needs. Hopefully, he carries these truths as he moves forward in life.

Soccer Team Bags Surprise Win

A team of soccer novices who thought they would only be spectators at a football festival ended up bringing home a trophy.

On March 16, 2013, the CCT Magdalena Soccer Team was all set for a few friendly soccer matches in Los Banos, Laguna but a last minute change brought them to a nearby town for the Calamba Football Festival. Instead of playing, they watched teams from the Laguna Football Association play. But it was not long after the festival organizers gave them a chance to play for free in place of a no-show team.

The CCT Magdalena Soccer Team, also known as the Magdalena Youth Boys Binhi, is composed of 17 former street-dwelling youth housed at the CCT boarding school in Magdalena, Laguna. Its members, aged 13 to 18, are under the care of Visions of Hope Foundation (VOH) and attend the Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS). The team has a junior, non-competing counterpart which has seven members aged 8 to 10.

Coached by two German volunteers, the Magdalena boys play soccer every weekday afternoon. In three years of training they had seldom competed against teams their age. 

Early this year, VOH Youth Development Coordinator Dulce Reonico and VOHCS Teacher Fil Jutba touched base with two Laguna Football Association member teams, making way for a friendly match. On March 9, wearing new soccer uniforms from partners in Wholistic Transformation Resource Center and inspired after watching their first ever professional soccer match through the help of Team Socceroo, a football club and academy, the CCT Magdalena Soccer Team won against the University of the Philippines Los Banos Raptors U17! 

A second match was scheduled for March 16, the same day that the Calamba Football Festival was to be held. The Magdalena boys planned to play against the Raptors, and attend the football festival afterward. As they headed to Los Banos, they were advised to instead proceed to Calamba. Little did they know that an opportunity to compete for a title was about to open up. 

The boys competed in eight games from morning until afternoon, and their overall standing sent them to the semi-finals. The crucial game ended with a tie, which was broken with the best-of-three-kicks rule. Much to the boys’ delight, their team emerged as the festival’s third best team! 

Immediately after winning, the Magdalena boys gathered around and kneeled to say a prayer of thanks. The junior team and a group of children from the community prayed with them too. Then, they all shouted “Plenus pectus!” (Full heart!), a slogan adopted from Team Socceroo, and “Glory to God!” 

Before leaving Calamba, the CCT Magdalena Soccer Team received an invitation to join the 2nd Roxas Football Cup on April 20. Various soccer team coaches also gave invitations for tune-ups or friendly matches. The boys celebrated their surprise victory in a small party and are already conditioning themselves for the games lined up.

A member of the CCT Magdalena Soccer Team advances with a kick.  

VOHCS Teacher Fil Jutba serves as the team's head coach during the
Calamba Football Festival.

The team kneels down in prayer after winning third place.

The boys line up in twos to receive their medals.

With the statue of Philippine national hero and Calamba native Dr. Jose Rizal behind them,
members of the CCT Magdalena Soccer Team give a thumbs up after their surprise win.  

Javines Siblings Find Hope through VOHCS

Siblings Carmela, Mahal, Allan, and Marie Javines wander the streets no more --
 they are cared for at a boarding school in Laguna run by Visions of Hope Foundation. 
(Photo by Arthur M. Trinidad)

Allan, 18 years old, Carmela,11, Marie, 7, and Mahal Javines, 6, who used to wander the streets of Metro Manila with their mother to look for food and shelter, find hope as they go to back to school through the help of the Center of Community Transformation (CCT) Visions of Hope Foundation.

Allan says he was seven when his parents parted ways because of financial struggles. Homeless, his mother Esmeralda worked as a cashier in a public market while Allan collected and sold junk to help feed Carmela. Then, for a time, the children found an adoptive father and a new home when Esmeralda had a relationship with another man named Rodel. Rodel, who is Marie and Mahal’s father, later became abusive. Esmeralda had to leave him and, with her children, dwell in the streets again for the next five years.

A pastor from the CCT Group of Ministries met them around 2010 and brought them to the Kaibigan Community Center, CCT's drop-in center for street dwellers. There, their basic needs were provided and they learned about God through Bible studies and discipleship sessions. The Javines siblings joined the Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS) in Laguna a few months later. A boarding school, VOCHS  is a place where their character is molded, according to Allan. He said he personally grew in humility and in loving others.

In July 2012, Esmeralda died of cancer. "It was a trying time, but I drew strength and comfort from the Lord," Allan says. Now serving as a sole parent to his sisters, he says he prays  they will have a good future and a dedication to serve God.

Shortly after he passed the high school equivalency examination administered by Department of Education earlier this year, Allan was accepted as a scholar of the Angelita V. del Mundo Foundation, Inc. where he is currently enrolled in a two-year hotel and restaurant services course. Mahal and Marie are in kindergarten, and Carmela is in first grade.

Allan dreams of becoming a teacher to children someday. He said he hopes other children in need will also experience how he and his sisters were given a chance and  new hope (“Sana maranasan ng ibang bata kung paano kami binigyan ng pagkakataon at bagong pag-asa”).

The Javines siblings are just a few of the children who receive physical, emotional, and spiritual care through the Visions of Hope Foundation and the Visions of Hope Christian School. To learn more about VOH, go to www.visionsofhopefoundation.org and like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/visionsofhopefoundation).

113 VOHCS Children Receive New Footwear

 VOHCS children are excited about the new 
footwear that they received from CCT friend 
Valerie Malabonga (center).

A child clutched his new pair of clogs tightly to his chest. Asked why he was still walking barefoot, he replied, “Isusuot ko lang po ito ‘pag magsisimba ‘pag Linggo” (I will wear these only to church on Sundays). He was one of 113 children from the Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS) who each happily received a pair of footwear through The Thongs Project. 

The Thongs Project was initiated by Valerie Agbayani-Malabonga, former Mission: East Asian National Support (MEANS) board member and a friend of the Center for Community Transformation (CCT). Ms. Malabonga visited the VOHCS boarding schools in Magdalena and Bay, Laguna on November 20, 2012 to personally hand over the footwear to the children. In Magdalena, 52 preschool and 23 high school students shared talent offerings of songs and memory verses, then patiently lined up to receive their gifts. Thirty-eight children from the VOHCS boarding school in Malungon, Saranggani also benefited from the project. 

According to VOH Administrator Noeh Vios, the footwear are perfect for the VOHCS children because these will cushion their young feet against protruding pebbles as they walk from one school building to another. These will also serve as formal footwear fit for use in the classroom and for special occasions. 

Vios also observed that The Thongs Project did not only mean a great deal to the VOHCS children but to Malabonga as well, who said her visit fulfilled a long-cherished dream to meet and minister to the children.

After Long Wait, Isla Puting Bato Preschool Starts 2nd Run

It was like a waiting game. It was already November of 2012, way past the opening of classes in June, but the Visions of Hope Christian School (VOHCS) preschool in Isla Puting Bato, Tondo, Manila remained closed due to the unavailability of a new venue. The building that the school previously used had been turned into a tutorial center.

The parents of the school's first set of pupils anxiously and eagerly awaited its reopening. Some of them, growing tired of waiting, registered their children in the nearest public school. Meanwhile, the VOHCS staff and teachers kept looking for a place that would best meet the needs of the children.

An opening came when Samahang Maralita ng Isla Puting Bato, a grassroots organization, planned to move its operations to another barangay. VOHCS Director for Administrative Affairs Cristina Gellor and VOH Administrator Noeh R. Vios met up with its president and discussed the possibility of renting the place it would vacate.

In due time, the wait was over. A contract was signed. A general clean-up drive was carried out. Chairs, tables, boards, and other school equipment were transported to the area. A date was decided upon.

On Tuesday, November 6, 2012, the VOHCS preschool in Isla Puting Bato officially started its second year of operation. In an opening ceremony, Pastor Nhoy Vista gave an apt teaching on the importance of spiritual values taught to children. Ms. Gellor also reminded the parents of their part in running the school and ensuring that the children are able to comply with its requirements. The parents responded by pledging to give their utmost support to VOHCS while the teachers committed themselves to training the children with excellence and tender care.

VOHCS Assistant Teacher Elsa de Leon welcomes Isla Puting Bato children
to the school's second run.

Together with their parents, VOHCS children sing the national anthem
on their first school day in 2012. 

VOHCS Teachers Explore the Night Sky

Nearly two dozen Visions of Hope Christian School teachers learned night sky observing techniques during a seminar on  Astronomical Observing with a Biblical View (AOBV)  led by Roland and Linda Beard.

Roland Beard, co-author of the AOBV curriculum, checks to see
if a telescope set up by teachers is focused right. 

The seminar covered night observing periods, sketching of deep sky objects such as star clusters, lessons on assembling and disassembling a telescope and on  focusing a pair of binoculars, and review of Scriptures  about the heavens that God created.

During the  night observing periods the teachers viewed Vega, the fifth brightest star in the night sky; the constellation Cygnus (Northern Cross) and  the star Deneb at the head of the cross;  the M22 globular cluster of about 70,000 stars; the bright red star Antares; and  the beautiful blue and gold double stars Albireo.  "God is simply amazing," was the hushed comment of many,
looking through a telescope or from behind pair of binoculars.

The teachers' new found knowledge gives them ways to use the night sky to point their students toward God, the Creator of the heavens.

Teacher Esther Mendoza said, " I never knew one can actually see the Milky Way with the unaided eye! I'm glad I know that now!"

Roland and Linda Beard are founders of Christworks Ministries, a home-based, all-volunteer Christian non-profit organization based in Crozet, Virginia. The couple has also done ministry work in Uganda and Haiti.

 The seminar was held at the Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center on September 6 - 8, 2012.

Roland Beard watches as VOHCS teachers put a telescope together. 

Photo:Myra Gaculais del Rosario

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Photo:Myra Gaculais del Rosario

Teacher Tina sketches an improvised moon crater (made of mud and 
placed on the lectern). Roland Beard recommends sketching  as
a method of keeping a record of night sky objects one observes.  Photo: Myra Gaculais del Rosario

The Night Sky Planisphere is made up of two sections -- an inner rotating dial (white) marked with the days and months of the year, and a fixed outer section (blue) marked with the hours of the day. The dial contains a sky map printed with dark stars on a light background for easy nighttime readability. To use the planisphere simply turn the dial to match the date with the time. The planisphere will then show the stars, constellations, and prominent deep-sky objects that are currently above the horizon as well as the location of the Milky Way. It works for any hour, of any day, of any year -  http://www.skymaps.com/store/cat04.html 

Roland Beard demonstrates how a planisphere is used to locate 'objects' (such as
constellations and star clusters) in the night sky. 

Image credit: Jason Smith, http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/albireo-finest-double-star

Linda Beard talks about how a telescope can help school children learn more about God's created heavens.

Part of the training involved assembling a telescope individually...

...and in groups. 

Despite heavy rains during the day, the skies were clear for deep-sky object viewing in the evening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE0yUobk6TM  - Indescribable by Cris Tomlin

Photos: Courtesy of Anir Adovas  (unless otherwise stated)