By: Rosella Abenio
The opening of a new school year is a little like Christmas. For most part, the kids are looking forward to buying new things for school. Every kid’s wish is to have a complete set of school supplies stock in their backpacks. And just like any other holidays, going back to school evokes financial winces for most parents. Often, there isn’t enough money in the budget to buy school supplies.
For some children in an outstation barangay, supplies as simple as a pencil or a piece of paper can’t be taken for granted. Due to lack of financial support, these kids have very limited access to basic school supplies. It’s common for poor school children to break a pencil into two pieces to be shared with others and use it until there’s nothing left to write with. What’s even worse is that some kids go to school even without the basic pencil and paper necessities.
Having seen the needs of these kids in various outstations, EFC-CDO, together with the volunteer church planters of Barangay Lapasan, Calaanan, Indahag, and Nazareth, initiated “School Supplies Giving Program”. They have been encouraged to organize this initiative every school opening on top of the church’s feeding program and community outreach. This annual labor of love has brought together not only volunteer church planters but church members as well. They put all efforts and resources together and gathered on June 3, 2018 to deliver the school supplies to the outstation kids.
One parent, Tata Pacuribot exclaimed, “It’s a great help for us!”. Her gratefulness is a reminder of the impact of this humble gesture. By placing essential school supplies into the hands of children, we are giving them important tools they need to start school with confidence. But most importantly, we are giving them hope in Jesus by showing God’s love to them.
As these children received their supplies, overflowing joy and gratefulness wrapped their hearts. They couldn’t stop saying “thank you” with their eyes smiling. One kid even wrote a letter expressing her gratitude. This act of kindness has blessed many kids who do not have a penny to buy even one piece of notebook for the upcoming school opening. Indeed, one of the best ways to give back to the community is giving back to the kids.
The birth of a humble desire to bless less fortunate kids grew to a more passionate commitment to wanting to give unsparingly. The church still has a lot of work to be done. Currently, it has taken the first step to bless the community. In the coming years, it will do more as God enables and provides. To God be the glory!
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).”
