Welcoming Our New Staff
We would like to extend a warm welcome to 5 new speical people who have joined us in our acts29 family and mission as we continue to make our work A Mission of Love.
Our Director of Operations, Alan Farinas, joined us in early March. Alan has left behind his executive, air-conditioned office and comfortable life for our simple way of life in acts29. However he is not new to the community or to Paaralang Pantao (School for Humanity) and Payatas. Alan has been volunteering together with us since 2001.
He graduated from the Univerity of Santo Thomas in Sociology In his parish, he oversees 9 choirs. He loves music, chorals, sings and he cooks (pesto pasta :) and he laughs LOUDLY. He has more energy than a 15 year old kid and an outgoing personality that easily reaches out to others.
Now without a car, he travels from home in Fairview to Payatas and Erap City and commutes back regularly. With jeepney strikes, stop-go traffic and rough roads, he's a messenger on a mission. And we hope we continues to bring his message of hope and love beyond the season of Lent. He joins us to fulfil Blessed John Paul II's call to the youth during WYD Manila - "as the Father sent me, so I am sending you” (John 20:21).
We also welcome Nicholas Chua who has unconditionally said "Yes" to the call to serve. Nick arrived in Manila on March 10, unsure of what to expect from the community of acts29, the kids, the parents, even the house. Likewise the community did not not know what to expect from this Singaporean who is giving 6 months "to live with them". A former pastoral worker at the Church of the Holy Spirit, he was also a novitiate in Australia for a year before returning to Singapore.
Nick spends his time on the faith formation program of the kids/teens and staff of acts29. He also cooks dinner for the community on Sundays. And so far he's learnt one thing when travelling out of Erap City (where he lives). "I learn that when I travel out, I may not be able to travel back." He's experienced his first jeepney strike and good ol' Manila traffic.
We also welcome Ate Eden, the new house parent for the formation house residents. She has already been with us for 2 months. She's settled well with the kids and also helps them with their homework besides cooking. The kids are doing very well under her supervision.
2 of our mothers from the support group, Martina and Adelaida, have also joined us have full-time as DOT officers for the TB treatment program.
Just last year we only had 1 full-time staff on board, Eugene, our supervisor. As our friend May Batol always reminds us when it rains, it pours. So we thank God for his abundant blessing but this call to serve is extended to you too.
Matthew 9:37 "The harvest is rich but the labourers are few".
If you too would like to join us as a full-time volunteer making Christ known and loved, pls contact us. We need long-term volunteers (for teaching). We also need short-term volunteers.
If you cannot join us as a volunteer but would like to contribute in other ways, do drop us an email.
The work of our staff is essential. They are involved in the direct care / supervision of our teens/kids, scholarship, formation, mother's support group, medical, teaching. If you would like to make a donation or pledge to the operations/salary of staff in acts29, pls email daryl@acts29mission.com
In the meantime, acts29 is registering as a foundation /NGO in the Philippines.
Posts
