2022 Christmas Gift-Giving

It was another day of Christmas spirit-filled inside the small garage of our Alido house as we hosted our family-tradition Christmas party and gift-giving to some poor children and their family. This was the first face to face gathering since the covid pandemic started.

Mama Tonette and Papa Ben graced our modest gathering with their opening prayers and welcome remarks respectively. There were games coming from Ate Eunesse, Pauline and Euanne. There was a special piano and song presentation by Aim. Then, the raffle for the minor prizes came with 10 lucky winners. The much awaited snack meals were then served to the children and their guardians. After the kids energy level came back, we proceeded with the giving of the noche buena packages and gifts to the families.

Before heading home, everybody sang a happy birthday song to the main celebrant and ultimate reason for this season – Baby Jesus.

Our sincerest thanks again to our donors and sponsors who made this Christmas outreach possible - Barangay China, VROOM, 3UE Mobile, Rizbon Events Management, Mr. and Atty Jon and Jenny Santos and Mr. Raimund Koehler

Christmas Giving 2021 - A Look Back

 

2 Corinthians 8:15

Last December 24, 2021, we are on our 13th year of MOP Christmas Gift-Giving.

But since it is still pandemic time, we refrained once again from the lively games, anticipated raffles, entertainment and dine-in snack for 30 poor kids and their families. Instead we gifted them with a hearty Noche Buena package consisting of 1kg spaghetti with sauce, chicken luncheon meat, Eden cheese, Hero Choco powder, a big can of Season fruit salad and Magnolia all-purpose cream. For the kids' loot bags, we included 3 pcs face masks, 1 box of crayons, 1 ballpen, 1 pencil, 2 pcs small toys and assorted candies and chocolates.

Once again, we are humbled and thankful for the support of our kind families and donors who made this gift-giving event possible:

1. Brgy China - Embrace Life and Share Love Program

2. JT Family of Nueva Ecija

3. VROOM

4. Rizbon Events

5. Jon and Atty. Jenny Santos

"To the one who has much, nothing was in excess, to the one who had little, nothing was lacking." - 2 Corinthians 8:15

All praise and thanksgiving be unto God.

#amDg

 

Yuletide Smiles

On our 8th year of joyously celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus and lovingly honoring our beloved angel-daughter Maia, we held our annual Christmas party for the less-fortunate children of the Holy Spirit Parish last December 24, 2016 at the MHHA Multi-Purpose hall.

Around 50 kids with parents and guardians were treated to a 2-hour of fun and enjoyment with challenging games, a family-band song rendition, a lively magic show, lots of raffle prizes and goodie take-homes.

Once again our sincere family thanks to all those who make this special day for the kids:
1. Maribon Catering of Kuya Rommel and Ate Norie for the program preparations and delicious snacks.
2. EU3 Sounds of Jben and Chique for the envigorating lights and sounds. 
3. Barangay China for the raffle, games and goodie give-aways.
4. VROOOM team for lots of boy and girl toys for games and participating in the program.
5. Tita Myrna Annudin, widow and board member of MHHA for the cash raffle prizes.
6. All family members and volunteers who selflessly yet quietly helped in their small ways.

But above all, we give thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the source of all our shared blessings - our time, our talent and our treasures.

Why are we homeschooling?

First Communion

Homeschooling, presently, has gained quite a solid base following after many years of being frowned upon and misconstrued as a sort of deficient learning method. We clearly remember before how well-meaning friends and family members around us either giving us their blank stare of disbelief or an upfront unsolicited advice to bring our son to a traditional school whenever we told them that he is being home-schooled.  

Looking back, our home-school journey started with painful a family tragedy. Back in 2008, while we were living overseas, we lost our 22 month-old daughter. We were devastated. But with God’s healing and loving support of people around us, we slowly picked-up our broken hearts and discerned how to move forward with our eldest son Zek who was barely 4 years old at that time. Wanting to spend more time with him, intent in sharing our own and shared family values and for lack of any Catholic educational institution in our host country, we searched for options, found a few choices and ultimately decided to home-school our son.

We him enrolled into one of the pioneer-provider of home schooling in the Philippines, the Catholic Filipino Academy (www.catholicfilipinoacademy.com) from Pre-school up until Grade 6.

We had a great time learning lessons together, making it fun and creative. Despite living in a foreign land, Zek learned a lot about our Filipino culture specially our religious belief while taking advantage in learning other things around him. We use lots of Legos, game boards and materials that can be interactive to help us to have more fun in learning. Admittedly, making every lesson interesting to Zek was really a great challenge for us every time. He’s unending questions wore off our energy and our patience so we needed a lot of time out just to gain back our strength to finish our daily tasks. Praying together everyday is what makes us at peace together and helped us persevere.

Zek is more of a visual learner with an entertainment type of personality. We needed to prepare a lot of drawings, posters or visual aids for each topic and we did a lot of art works together that all our walls around the house are filled with hanging papers. We looked for his activities related to his lessons for the mastery of his skills. We visited museums, watched theater plays and frequented theme parks. We also enrolled him to a music class for he loves to sing. We also encouraged him to write about every event that he attended to or any outdoor activities he did into his blog site from www.zeksantos.ph to www.readyzekaim.blogspot.com for this is one of our way to keep track of his amazing journey in learning besides making his portfolio with his progress reports to be submitted quarterly.

My Lego Collections

After more than 7 years of homeschooling, we still ask the same question to ourselves every now and then especially during tough times teaching our eldest son. For now, he has started his Grade 7 in a traditional school because we feel he needed to learn and experience a real-world educational environment and to learn to deal with different kinds of people and situations too. We also decided to build our own house away from the city to improve our lingering health concerns like endless asthma attacks, sinusitis, rhinitis and the host of other pollution-related allergies.

Now that our youngest son Aim has turned 5 years old and is a preschooler, we are leaning towards independent home-schooling based on his learning pattern and do his lessons according to his interest. Aim is showing skills as an auditory learner and loves to read books. With God’s guidance, we will hopefully journey with him as well throughout his young learning life.

CFA Graduation Day

We are always thankful and grateful to God for all the amazing years of home schooling journey of our family.  After all, enjoying while working together with our kids is always a mutually learning experience we look forward to.

May God bless us all.

GTBB - Seven Years of Love

Grace To Be Born shelter celebrated its 7th year anniversary today, May 12, 2016. It started with a celebration of the Holy Mass in the morning and was followed by the open-house visits of its partners and donors, including celebrity husband and wife - Jimmy Alapag and LJ Moreno.

In behalf of Brgy. China, we visited the center to join them in their simple celebration. Our 2 sons - Zek and Aim have such a great time playing with the energetic toddlers while my wife and I did carry-hug duties to some sweet and sleepy infants ( Hi Carmela, Hi Troy, Hi Elise :) ).

An appetizing lunch meal buffet and refreshing sweets were prepared for the visitors before we finally headed home.

Congratulations to GTBB Shelter !
Our love and prayers for all of you.

Love is In the Air

Love is in the air!

Universally accepted is the fact that February is the month of love. Flowers from all sizes and colors bloom. Chocolates of all sizes and flavors abound. And restaurants are fully-booked for the romantic dinners of emancipated couples in love.

Undeniably, Valentines brings out the love amongst many of us.

On February 2, our small vacationing OFW community, Brgy. China, celebrated the month of love early in a more significant way and a more deeply profound experience without the commercial trappings of the season.

We visited Grace to be Born shelter, a half-way house for the unborn and their mothers. We brought a few baby needs for them and spent nearly two hours with these heavenly infants and toddlers playing, talking, hugging and carrying them. Tita Ester and her staffs were more than accommodating in replying to our queries and personal questions about the stories of most kids and how the center helps these kids get back to their mothers/families or to find foster or adoptive families to give the love they need as they grow up.

When we left, we were happy to be able to share love to these lovely kids but deep inside us, we felt more blessed because we felt God’s love playing with us, talking to us, hugging us and carrying our hearts.

Thanks to Chua family - Joel, Sally, Jojo and Mimi.

Thanks to Laca family - Choy, Pam and Gelo

Thanks to kuya Eric

God bless po.

Yuletide Cheers

Spearheaded by our Kuya Rommel, our annual MOP Christmas party for the less-fortunate children of Holy Spirit Parish in Malolos Bulacan, was celebrated in the afternoon of December 24.

Backed by the kind-hearts of EU3 Mobile for light, sounds and additional gifts, Maribon Catering for snacks and drinks, and the generous support of Brgy China for the give-away goodies and game prizes, more than 50 kids and their guardians enjoyed the party as everybody went home refreshed, entertained and blessed with gifts and good memories.

Kuya Rommel hosted the party and Ate Clarisse provided the fun games to everyone’s delight. The traditional games of Stop dance (with a new twist), Bring Me and Name That Tune brought the house down with endless laughter.

Everybody held their breath as the raffle draw for the top prize of Noche Buena grocery package was picked which was eventually won by the youngest kid in the crowd.

                         

As such we would like to sincerely give thanks those who helped our Christmas party this year another meaningful success to bring yuletide cheers to these children. Thanks to all members of our family circle and some friends for their cheerful support from cleaning the halls, preparing the venue, gift wrapping, children’s registration, organizing the kids during snacks and gift-giving.

God bless us all.

GTBB Visit

Funded by the proceeds of the raffle draws from Brgy. China's annual Christmas Party get-together, MOP visited Grace To Be Born shelter in Pasig City to bring baby goods like diapers, alcohol, feeding bottles, cottons, soap and the like.

You can watch the shelters video by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnJOB9Qd5k8

If you want to support the unborn and their poor mothers, you can visit them or contact them at:

3 Dr. Sixto Antonio Ave., Bgy. Kapasigan, Pasig City 1600

Contacts:

(+63) 02 501-0965

(+63) 02 635-6056

or email:

• reylindo.ortega@gmail.com

Christmas Party 2014

The traditional MOP Christmas Party for the poor kids of the Holy Spirit Parish annually organized by Tito Rommel and Tita Norie was successfully held at the Bulihan Multi-Purpose Hall last Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

After the welcome remarks and opening prayers, the fun games immediately followed that became instant ice-breaker. The crowd became lively as the game host added funnier twists and challenging add-ons to traditional kiddie games like stop-dance and “bring-me”. Tired from the action and laughter, delicious snacks of baked macaroni, fried chicken, Zesto juice and ice-cream were served by the Maribon Catering of Tito Rommel.

While the children and parents were enjoying their snacks, the much-awaited raffle draw took placed as well. Winners won plastic bags of goodies, train toys and a final single cash prize winner.

To make sure that each child will go home filled with Christmas cheers and spirit, more plastic bags of goodies with gift clothes were distributed.

In the end, the MOP volunteers were indeed affirmed by the smiles and endless thanks from the happy children.

Thank you, Lord for the chance to do this party for the children again this year.

Acknowledgments:

In behalf of our MOP family, we would like to give once again our sincerest thanks to the on-and-off-camera sponsor, donors and volunteers.

Tito Rommel and Tita Norie – for being the brains, the hearts and the main hands-on-the-deck each year in tirelessly making sure the Christmas party happens and is a success.

Papa Ben and Mama Tonette – for all your behind-the-scenes support and guidance in our family.

Maribon Catering – for the games, snacks, goodie gifts and venue decoration.

Please check and like them on :https://www.facebook.com/MaribonCateringMalolosBulacan

EU3 Mobile – for the light and sounds mobile

Please check and like them on : https://www.facebook.com/jeunesseben.santos?fref=ts

Mr. Pie Gutierrez – for the clothes and gifts giveaways with

Brgy. China friends - for financial support and drinks.

Mr. and Mrs. Joel and Sally Chua

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Malou Javier

Mr. and Mrs. Alvin and Lalet Po

Barangay Bulihan – for the permission to use the barangay multi-purpose hall this year.

And to the rest who prayed for this year’s outreach and to those who have helped and may have not been properly acknowledged – maraming salamat po.

God bless and Merry Christmas to all.

Christmas Party 2013

It was another fun-filled day for the poor kids of Bulihan as Maia Outreach Program hosted a neighborhood Christmas party organized by Tito Rommel Santos. It was held 4:00pm on December 24, 2013 at the Bulihan Multi-Purpose Hall.

Opening remarks and prayers were lead by Papa Ben and Mama Tonette respectively. Magician Ren brought out the fun and laughter with his kiddie games, magic tricks and puppet show. In between shows, yummy snacks consisting of fried chicken, spaghetti, sandwiches and juices were given to the kids and their guardians.

Before the program ended, cash-raffle prizes were drawn and gifts/cash were also distributed.

In behalf of our MOP family, we would like to give our sincerest thanks to the on-and-off-camera sponsor and donors.

Maribon Catering – for the yummy snack treat and venue decoration.

Like them on : https://www.facebook.com/MaribonCateringMalolosBulacan

EU3 Mobile – for the lively light and sounds mobile

Like them on : https://www.facebook.com/jeunesseben.santos?fref=ts

V.R.O.O.M. team with Mr. Pie Guttierez – for the cash and gifts giveaways with

Brgy. China – for the gift-giveaways

Brgy. Bulihan – for the friendly discount of the multi-purpose hall

And for those who have contributed, in their own small and humble ways, in bringing the Christmas smiles into these wonderful kids, our heart-full thanks as well.

God bless po.

Salamat Po

Dear All,

To all those who donated to BBBS through our Maia Outreach Programs, our sincere thanks to you. We have deposited our total donation of 7,600.00 Php to their designated bank accounts in order to support 2 volunteers and 12 student school back-packs this coming May 2012.

Please include all BBBS organizers and volunteers in your prayers for another successful and safe trip.

God bless your kind hearts.

In Christ,
Maia Outreach Program

2011 MOP Report

To all our Dear Good Friends,

Our Happy New Year Greetings to all.

May the start of the year be merry and full of hope to all of us giving praise and glory to God for His year-long guidance, healing and our eternal providence.

2012 will be our 4^th year, Maia Outreach Programs (MOP) and 2011 was another good year for all of us with so many blessings in spite of our own family concerns.

We want to give thanks and praise to our God for continuously providing us, protecting us and healing us again in the year 2011 that we may be able to share in His ministry. In spite of the financial crisis to everyone last year we were able to continue to love others in many opportunities that God is giving to us.

In May, it was our 3^rd year of joining BBBS (Big Brothers Big Sisters) project with 2 of our MOP volunteers sending the 18 pieces school bags we sponsor. http://maiaoutreachprogram.i.ph/blogs/maiaoutreachprogram/2011/05/13/three-schools-and-a-storm/ They went hiking to Marinduque, providing school bags to the students in one of the rural area in our country. http://maiaoutreachprogram.i.ph/blogs/maiaoutreachprogram/?p=48

In July, we were able to contribute a 500 pieces of bricks into the “Donate-A-Brick” campaign for the construction of 4-storey bulding to house the street children of He Cares Foundation. http://www.hecaresfoundation.com/

On December 2011, our small community Brgy China’s Christmas Party was not just full of fun with lots of good food to share but we were able to generate through kind donations and fund-raising raffle. As a result, we were able to transfer donations amounting to 12,250php to the Cancer Warrior Foundation (http://www.c-warriors.org) to support a cancer-stricken child with his/her expensive medical treatment. We were also able to provide Php 25,000 via Caritas Manila (http://www.caritasmanila.org.ph) to the casualties of Sendong Typhoon last month in our country which have taken away so many lives and their properties (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/113585/catholic-bishops-join-calls-for-more-aid-to-storm-victims). Let us all pray that this tragedy may not happen again in our country or any part of the world. These include also the “Noche Buena” yearly community service of Chua Family in Pasig City wherein our least brothers and sisters received a grocery gift bags. Distribution reached to about 97 families using a total amount of about 29,100php.

And the primary beneficiary of MOP is the Bethany Orphanage House in Guiguinto Bulacan accommodating abandoned children under the care of Sister Shirley together with all her volunteered assistants providing them a sack of rice regularly.

In addition, we also support other ministries of Kerygma Family as a member.

Thank you again for your unending kindness and generosity, our prayers for you all.

May we continue to love God by loving other and share our blessings to them.

(originally posted on January 5, 2012)

United in Faith

Joel, an OFW band artist in Shenzhen suddenly felt intense chest pain on August 5 so his friend rushed him to the nearest hospital where he was confined in ICU for several days and subsequently diagnosed with a heart problem that needed immediate surgery. However, being relatively new in his job, he is without any financial capability to support his astronomically-high two-part surgery to literally extend his life. His kind employer offered to shoulder a large part of the cost but the balance is still beyond his means. And so, his kind-hearted friend, who has been taking care of him ever since, make the desperate yet humble move to reach out for help to one of the Pinoy she met before in the Philippine Consulate.

Before everyone knew it, the prayer and donation campaign has started. Small groups, and friends of friend of friends of this small group started to give their individual support in whatever simple way they can. Some are campaigning persistently and liaised with consulate officials who promised to extend assistance in the coming days, some people donated outright, and most have offered prayers.

During these few days, I can’t help but recall the biblical story of the paralytic man who was bodily-lifted by his friends to be healed by Jesus.

Matthew 9:2 reads, “And behold they brought to him one sick of the palsy lying in a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man sick of the palsy, “Be of good heart, son, your sins are forgiven.”

Seeing their faith.

It’s a humbling revelation that when humanity unites for a Godly purpose, God who sees this collective faith, in addition to the faith of the ailing individual, hears and answers their prayers.

Joel’s first-part operation last Friday was a success and his second operation will be this coming Wednesday, Aug. 24. You too can be a part of this unity in faith.

Please offer a short prayer for Joel Oliva.

PS.

Another former OFW in China is also battling his stage 3 cancer in Philippines. His name is Ben Ducusin.

Please include him and his family in your prayers, too.

God bless us all.

(originally posted on August 22, 2011)