We believe that parents have a critical role in supporting their children’s education. Thus, we do not simply reach out to the students directly in their educational needs, but also to their parents. One way we do this is to conduct quarterly meetings with them.

Last week, we gathered the parents of our scholars to discuss the progress of their children in their studies and where they still needed additional assistance. We prayed with them and also gave them opportunities to write encouraging notes for their kids, an activity that they are not used to doing, but was received with great joy by their children.  One of the scholars said that it was her first time to receive a letter from her mom, and she treasured it so much!

We are happy to report that all our scholars are doing well in their classes and passed the first quarter exams with flying colors. Their success in their studies lies in part, we are sure, in the partnership with their parents that God has allowed.

We have also made intentional efforts to bridge our Tiwala youth to one of our partner churches. As a result, many of those in our teens class also attend the weekly “Teens for Christ” group at Generation Christian Fellowship. We are especially happy about this, because most of these youth need positive male role models.  Since all of the Tiwala staff team are women, we wanted the youth to also meet “kuyas” (older brothers) who could disciple them and model for them how to live out the Christian life.

Please pray that we will be able to channel more of our beneficiaries to our partner churches where they can further grow towards Christlike maturity.

Tiwala Kids & Communities recently received two government documents for our operations here in the Bicol Region.  The first was the renewal of our accreditation with the local government of Legazpi and the second was the renewal of our registration and license under the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

As a non-profit organization, Tiwala Kids & Communities has to comply with the government requirement of acquiring registration, license, and accreditation to different regulatory bodies. Although all these require a seemingly unending amount of paperwork to accomplish and do not really translate into financial assistance from the government, having such documents does make it easier for us to implement programs in schools and communities. Also, because of our accreditation, we occasionally receive trainings and updates from the government concerning new laws, policies, and required standards in providing services to the different vulnerable sectors of society.

The staff of Tiwala had a chance to recharge during the “Ichthus Conference” this month in Manila sponsored by the United Evangelical Church of Malabon. The conference sought to bring together Christian workers serving in the different parts of the Philippines in order to learn from each other as well as learn from God as we took time to study and meditate on His Word. We were so blessed by the generosity and warmth of the members of the church that hosted us, and came away from the conference refreshed and encouraged.

Of course, of all our partnerships, our partnership with you is one for which we often thank God.  We cannot stand strong in this ministry without the help of people like you who have so faithfully supportedus through the years. Our deepest heartfelt thanks for being a part of this ministry through your interest, prayers, and support. It gives us much encouragement and motivation to know that we are not alone in reaching out to the underprivileged children and communities here in Bicol. Thank you very much for helping us make a difference in their lives!

Blessings,
Tiwala Kids & Communities Team