Last Sunday was quite a memorable experience for me, as it was my first time to attend an outreach activity organized by our cell group, Tuesday Diversity.
We went to Silong Tanglaw Foundation - an organization which provides underprivileged children with shelter, guidance, and education (by sending the kids to school).
The ones in charge of the place met us with a warm welcome, while the kids were a bit shy at first. Look at the artwork they made for us - so creative!
We prepared a lot of activities for them that day so they could enjoy an afternoon of praise, worship, and fun!
Praise and worship is one of my favorite parts of a church service. It always makes me happy when we get to sing for the Lord. For our opening activity, we taught the kids new songs (with actions!). The first song was Follow You (Fixin' My Eyes On You), and the next was Forever.
Sing praise, sing praise
Forever God is faithful
Forever God is strong
Forever God is with us
Forever, forever
We also had a skit on the Bible story, Joseph the Dreamer (Genesis 37). Among all siblings, Joseph's father, Jacob, loved him the most as he was faithful and obedient. Jacob gifted Joseph a beautiful coat, and Joseph told his siblings that he dreamt that they will bow down to him, which had earned him the jealousy and ire of his brothers. They connived and sold Joseph off as a slave. As a slave in Egypt, everything Joseph handled prospered because God was with him and was always blessing him. He soon earned the trust of his master, Potiphar. But Potiphar's wife had lustful thoughts about Joseph. Joseph, being a righteous man, refused her, so she made up a story that brought Joseph to prison. There, he was able to interpret dreams (by the power of God) for his prison-mates and also for the Pharaoh. Joseph rose to power and became second-in-command in Egypt. His brothers came to Egypt to buy food because there was a famine, and when Joseph saw them, he forgave them and took them in to live with him.
The kids shared their leanings with us on what they've picked up from our play - characteristics such as humility, patience, forgiveness, and being God-fearing.
The kids also loved their present - The Action Bible. This book tells the stories in the Bible - comics style!
We also played games with them, such as "word play" where they have to come up with legit Tagalog or English words from the name "Silong Tanglaw". The team with the most words won prizes!
Also, the ever popular Pinoy Henyo must not be missed! This is where the one wearing the hat must guess what is written on it by asking the crowd questions only answerable by yes or no.
For the gospel sharing, we were divided into smaller groups. We taught the kids about God's love for the people, and how He sent His one and only Son, Jesus to die for our sins so we could all be cleansed and be saved. Merely doing good deeds isn't enough; we can only be saved if we accept Jesus Christ in our hearts as our Lord and Savior. As Christians, we must grow spiritually, and make an effort to share God's word to others, so they too could know the truth - that God really loves us so much.
Here, I got to know Jason, Patrick, and Mikaela a little more. The two boys wanted to become soldiers so they could defend our country, while Mikaela wanted to become a doctor so she could help heal the sick. They're studious and they go to church every week. It's nice to know that they didn't let poverty hinder them from dreaming big, but as their big sisters (and brothers) we can help them out, too.
We played a final game before the afternoon snacks, which was a relay game. We had to use chopsticks to transfer a cookie from one bowl to another, and blow the plastic cup along the string, drag the cup back to the staring point, and repeat until the rest of the group was finished. There was also a talent show afterwards, where the kids danced and sang.
The kids enjoyed their meal (party food!) from Susan's Kitchen. "Even better than Jollibee!", one of them said. Good for them, since I'm drooling over that chicken leg with rice and a huge serving of spaghetti!
When the program we prepared was through, they surprised us with a song number and thank you letter. Sweet. ♥
Seeing these kids' happy faces and how simple things made them smile reminded me of how blessed I am. The children here are inspiring. They have ambition and they don't let their current circumstances define their worth, which is right, because everyone is precious in God's eyes. As for us, the ates and kuyas, God wants to bless the world through us. He gave us two hands - one to receive with, and the other to give with. With this experience, I'm happy we were able to help them, and hopefully, touch their lives as well.
If you want to do an outreach activity for them, here are the contact details:
Silong Tanglaw Foundation, Inc.
644 G. Araneta Ave. cor. Kaliraya St. Quezon City
Telephone No.: (632) 742-3099
Website: http://www.silongtanglaw.org
Email: info_silongtanglaw@yahoo.com
Love,
Helen
PS. Thank you, dear readers, for helping me raise funds from my blog sale to donate to this outreach. Thanks also to Shakey's Philippines for providing the food for our planning session. :)
Photo Credits: Christopher Chan and Katherine Lee
Photos may not have watermarks, but you may not use them without permission.
