Giving Hope at Home of Hope
by Pastor Hector Araña, Director of AMG Philippines

“. . . The blind receive their sight, the lame walk . . . the poor have good news preached to them”

— Luke 7:22

The story is told of a blind boy who sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He had a sign which read: “I am blind. Please help.” The morning passed and there were a few coins in the hat.

Around noon, a man walked by, took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. Then he took the sign, turned it around and wrote some words on the back. He put the sign where it was, so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

A lot more people began giving money to the blind boy. Soon the hat began to fill up. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were going. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?” The man said, “I simply reworded what you wrote, so now your sign says, ‘Today is a beautiful day, and I cannot see it’.”

Both signs told people the same thing. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were extremely fortunate that they were not blind.

The blind boy reminded me of the thousands of children around the world who are in great need. Many suffer from poverty and diseases; many from different forms of child abuse; many suffer because of some physical impairment, and still others because of a dysfunctional family. Most of them grow up with no knowledge of what love is.

But despite the glaring reality of this social illness, there is hope in Christ for these children. He promised that He will be a father of orphans and a champion of widows (Psalm 68:5).

AMG Philippines’ Home of Hope (HOH) Orphanage is a ministry that not only provides a caring and loving home for abused, abandoned and neglected children, but also teaches children the Living Hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Let me share with you some stories of children whose lives are being rewritten because of the love they have experienced through our staff and programs at Home of Hope Orphanage.

Hazel Mae was three years old when she entered Home of Hope. She came from a very poor family. Her father died early and her mother could not support her and the other siblings. In order to survive, Hazel’s mother worked for their neighbors for food until she decided to relinquish Hazel to the care of Home of Hope. After six years, Hazel returned to her mother, but Home of Hope continued to support her.

Now, Hazel Mae is 13 years old. She’s a teenager with a happy disposition in life. She loves studying. In fact, she performs well in academics. She makes her teacher happy by taking part in extracurricular activities. She is quite an achiever in school. A diligent student with hope for a bright future, she has received meritorious awards in academics. She desires to be a nurse or a teacher someday. She is fond of doing household chores. She can be depended on both at home and in school, always eager to help.

Hazel Mae has not forgotten what she learned at Home of Hope — to love God and to pray every day.

Airyl graduated from high school on March 31, 2011. Airyl’s teacher at Handumanan National High School describes him as a responsible and active student. He participated in class discussions and always helped in menial jobs in school. Airyl has a bright future ahead of him because he intends to finish college.

Airyl’s upbringing was not healthy. His parents were separated. His father had a mistress. His mother lived with another man. With this kind of life, Airyl and his siblings barely survived from day to day. Their neighbors gave them food. A concerned neighbor referred the case of Airyl and his siblings to the Home of Hope. They were given a healthy environment of love, support and concern. They were exposed to the Word of God through Sunday School, worship services and devotional times.

Now 19 years old, Airyl lives with his family under the Community Care Program with the support of Home of Hope. HOH continues to provide physical, spiritual and moral support for Airyl. He needs your prayers and support as he pursues a two year course in electronics.

Hazel Mae and Airyl are only two of the many children whose lives have been turned around because they have encountered the God of Hope. Through your partnership with the Home of Hope, they and many others like them will continue to discover that life is beautiful – beyond the broken homes and grinding poverty in which they have grown up.

You can make a difference in the life of orphans, neglected and abused children by partnering with us through Home of Hope.