July 31st, 2013, Taytay Rizal, Rowenas Community, outskirts of Manila, Philippines. Jesus however said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them; for it is to those who are childlike that the Kingdom of the Heavens belongs.”  Matthew 19:14

As a family, we are still processing what we experienced this afternoon as we made our way to the Rowenas Community Development Project, an initiative of Dr. Kwon and students from APNTS (Asia Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary) in conjunction with Child Sponsorship and Nazarene Compassionate Ministries.

Along a small creek, homes  are literally stacked one on top of the other.  Blue hoses (a Work and Witness Project) deliver drinking water to one out of every 5 homes. 

The project, now in its third year, has provided a small pharmacy, public restrooms, a school for younger children, and community health training, focusing on Dengue Fever awareness and vaccinations.

The greatest provision to this community is the hope that comes through the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  A church has been planted and organized with between 100-150 regular attenders.

As we walked the paths that wound their way along the creek and around the homes, I was overwhelmed with the need, but also with the spirit of those whom we found along those paths.  115 children are sponsored through Child Sponsorship in this one program.   I will be featuring it in a news article in the coming weeks…but had to share this evening what we had experienced today.