Read the testimony of Mabel, one of CCM’s girls, on page 3

A Ministry of Cubao Reformed Baptist Church Manila, Philippines

“I asked God for forgiveness praying, I am a sinner, please forgive me.”

Christian

Compassion

Ministries

Issue 19

UPDATE April 2013

News and Prayer

Dates for your prayers

APRIL

8th-11th HOMES Annual Physical check up 12th HOMES Swimming Outing

12th EAP Dental Mission 15th-19th CRBC Daily Vacation Bible School

24th-26th EAP Youth Camp

MAY 3rd EAP Leaders’ Outing

6th HOMES CCM got talent 7th EAP Children’s Assembly

9th-10th HOMES Teens fellowship 9th-10th EAP Youth Assembly

16th HOMES Anniversary and thanksgiving 21st EAP Recognition and Thanksgiving

24th EAP and HOMES Sportsfest

29th EAP Packing and distributing School Supplies

JUNE

Enrollment of all students and start of classes

CCM Website

Have you seen the CCM website? You can keep up to date with the latest, both on the homepage and under ‘news’. Please do tell us if your email or postal ad-

dress changes: www.ccmmanila.org/contactus

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Please continue

to pray for CCM’s work for

the Homeless and the weekly

Drop in Centre.

Staff News

Flor Bontigao, Social Worker for the EAP, has recently moved to New Zealand. We are thankful for her work in CCM.

CCM is currently looking for a Social Worker for the Homes, Two Social

Workers for the EAP, a married couple to be House-Parents in the Boys Homes and a Tutor for the Homes.

CCM Events

Would you like to learn more about a CCM event or help to

sponsor an activity? Find out

more:

www.ccmmanila.org/events Could you help sponsor a CCM event?

News and Prayer

Dates for your prayers

Great is Thy Faithfulness

There are many things in this life which try to make us feel good and happy. The Bible says that I am a sinner and deserve God’s wrath. When I was younger I used to think that being religious was strange and weird. I treated the Bi-

ble as though it had no value and was not relevant to my life. Grow-ing up in CCM, I heard regular de-votions, preaching and went to Sunday school; however this made no difference to my life. After hearing the gospel regularly I started to become scared of going

to hell. On one particular occasion I became so frightened that I ran to the stock room and prayed, hop-ing God would save me because I didn’t want to go to hell. Unfortu-nately this made no difference and once again I started to ignore the voice of God and started enjoying my teenage life. I hardened my

heart to the truth that I was a sin-ner and needed a saviour. I didn’t care if I committed sins and would-n’t accept that I was doing wrong. I remained proud. When I was 21 I started my nurs-ing course. After four years I was busy studying for my Nursing

Board exam. I put all my effort and concentration into preparing for this exam. God was not one of my priorities. I had planned that after I finished studying and passed the board exam I would go back to my

family. The day I failed my exam was an awful day. I realized that I had made my own plans without relying on God. I realized what a fool I had been thinking I could do everything in my own strength.

God used this to bring me to him-self and realize my weakness. I re-alized that the things of this world do not matter and I needed to be forgiven. God is sovereign; he is the one who holds my life in his hands. I knew I should surrender my life to him. I asked God for for-giveness praying, I am a sinner,

please forgive me. I knew Christ had died on the cross for my sin and I was forgiven. Through his blood I am cleansed from all my sin and saved from all my iniquity. I want to praise God forever for bringing me out of the darkness. Praise God!

Mabel, one of the CCM girls, shares her testimony of how

God has worked in her life.

Mabel came to live in the CCM Girls Home when she was 9 years old.

Erwin leads Bible studies in various areas where CCM are supporting families through the Educational Assistance Program.

Sharing God’s Word in the Slums

Every Tuesday we gather in one of the homes in a slum area called Agham. We meet to study the Word of God. There are usually ten or more attending. When the Bible study first started two years ago, it was hard to gather the people to-gether. Now by the grace of God they come eagerly.

During our study we begin with prayer and sing a hymn. Then we study a passage of God's Word. At the moment we are studying the gospel of John. After the study we have a time for questions and dis-cussion and then we finish with prayer.

It is encouraging that by God’s grace some of the group are pro-fessing faith and we are seeing changes in their lives. They now have a desire to attend the worship services at the church although there is a problem. They are poor and do not have enough money for the fares to travel to the church.

It is a blessing to see God working in their lives. We can see their joy as they meet to study God's Word together. We are praying that the attendees of the study could have a Bible to read. At the moment the passages are written on paper so they can read them during the study. Please continue to pray for them spiritually and financially.

Please pray for Erwin and other men as they lead Bible Studies in the areas where EAP recipients are living; that God would bless the seeds of his Word that are been planted and that in his perfect time we would see much fruit.

Erwin leads Bible studies in various areas where CCM are supporting families through the Educational Assistance Program.

Sharing God’s Word in the Slums

Please pray for Erwin and other men as they lead Bible Studies in the areas where EAP recipients are living; that God would bless the seeds of his Word that are been planted and that in his perfect time we would see much fruit.

RUN! And help build a Home!

On Saturday 26th January 140 runners from many different churches all gathered early in the morning to take part in the CCM Fun Run. The run was organized to raise money for a new boys’ home. The course was 3.5 km long, with beautiful green surroundings that made a change from the noisy, polluted streets of Cubao! The run was a great success and raised almost £750 for CCM. Please continue to pray for funds for the boys’ home; much money is still required before the new home can be built.

Scott and Emilyn Delohery began to

work for CCM in 2007 as volunteer house-parents for the boys home. Raising young boys from difficult back-grounds has not been easy but we thank them for their love and concern for these boys. We are thankful for all their hard work and dedication. We are sorry that they will now be leaving their job as house-parents. We pray

the Lord will continue to bless them and guide them in their future plans.

The CCM children also joined the Fun Run. Here they are recovering at the finish Line.

Scott and Emilyn with their son Daniel

RUN! And help build a Home! Their Christmas Story

One of the sisters said this in a letter to her sponsor: “I am happy to have spent

Christmas with my family, but why does it seem that the days are shorter when I am with them?” As soon as school finished in De-cember, the children packed their bags and eagerly awaited the So-cial Workers’ announcement to say they can leave CCM. When they heard that their mother had arrived to collect them the four girls jumped to their feet full of joy! There were big smiles all round as they waved goodbye to the staff and clung to their moth-er’s hands. They were also eager to see their other two sisters who normally live elsewhere. More than any-thing, they were excited to visit their father in jail.

On special occasions such as Christmas, families are allowed to be with their relatives in prison. The girls woke up very early on Christmas morning as they could-n’t wait to see their father. They prepared porridge and a meal to take to the prison. Lanie, the se-cond youngest, said in her letter:

“Last Christmas was the hap-piest Christmas day because we were together again as a family.” Lita, one of the siblings who has professed faith in Christ, has an-other thing to praise God for this

Christmas visit. She is thankful that God has taken away her an-ger towards her half sister. This is something she has struggled with for quite some time because she saw her half-sister as the reason why their father abandoned them and ended up in jail.

Please join the children in praying that their family will be whole again someday, and please also pray that each family member may come to know the true meaning of Christmas, as Lita has done.

The CCM children also joined the Fun Run. Here they are recovering at the finish Line.

Christmas for some children

means Christmas lights, for oth-ers presents or food. But for many children in the CCM homes, Christmas is the only time of year they get to be with their own family. Sadly for some this isn’t possible due to their difficult and danger-ous backgrounds. This, however, is a Christmas story of four sis-ters who do have a family they are able to see for short periods.

I’m Jennifer B. de Guzman, 36 years of age and one of the Social Workers of Christian Compassion Minis-tries. I have been work-

ing in the Educa-tional Assistance Program for more than eleven years. I was only 24 years old when I started to work in CCM. I became a member of Cubao

Reformed Baptist Church in 2002.

Truly, it is by God’s grace that I reached these long years of work

in the ministry. I really love my work and I still very much enjoy helping children and parents from the

communities. The Lord has been my fortress in times of encouragement and discouragement. It is my pleasure to help the needy through

this ministry. We pray

that many people may see the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jennifer de Guzman has been working as a Social Worker for

the Educational Assistance Programme for 11 years.

Meet the Staff

Addresses for more information:

Website: www.ccmmanila.org

Email: info@ccmmanila.org

UK Treasurer (for all financial matters) Mrs. Angela Green

Netherfold, Heath Road, Woolpit Bury St. Edmunds, IP30 9RU 01359 241713

uktreasurer@ccmmanila.org

UK Sponsorship Secretary (for all other sponsorship queries)

Miss Becky Goodman 8 Bank Road Lancaster, LA1 2DG

01524 380664 uksponsorship@ccmmanila.org

UK Registered Charity Number: 1084104

Playing outside the Girls Home