Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17 On March 8, 2018, Anawim Home for the Abandoned Elderly had a Lenten recollection for the staff and volunteers with the theme "Transformation." The recollection was held in the beautiful Anawim chapel with the green mountain of Montalban, Rizal in the background. The main goal of the recollection was to equip the staff and volunteers with the Holy Spirit. The management and personnel believe that to better serve in Anawim, the servants need a break to reflect and connect with God. And Lent was the perfect season for a recollection. A Dream Come True Ben Salvedia, Anawim's personin-charge for formation, hosted the day's event, while Babes Zambrano, Anawim spiritual adviser, shared how God blessed her through her service in Anawim. She felt God’s embrace in all the trials she had been through. She believed that God would do the same to all the participants. Babes led everyone to a heartfelt worship to officially open the recollection. Caloy Dimson, Anawim center director, shared that he was grateful that God allowed the recollection to happen in Anawim. “This is one of my answered prayers,” he said. Caloy then introduced the first speaker as someone who was also enthusiastic to make the recollection happen. It was no other than the president of Shepherd's Voice Publications and one of Anawim's board of trustees, Hermie Morelos. He said, “I know how difficult your work really is. But I want to honor all your hardwork. I admire your patience and love for all our lolos and lolas. I am happy to be here with all of you. I am happy that we have this recollection. Because I know this will help you serve our lolos and lolas more.” Overcoming the Storms Hermie opened the topic about facing the storms in our life. Storms may be problems and challenges. He emphasized that no matter how strong the storm, God will never leave us. He added that through the storm, God remains with us. Hermie reminded all the participants that a storm is an instrument to transform us—from weak to strong, from failure to triumph. After his talk, every one was encouraged to spend time alone and reflect. Volunteers and staff went to different corners of the Anawim chapel. Ben instructed the participants to write down their sins, burdens, and concerns on pieces of paper. These were collected and nailed on a cross as a sign of surrendering everything to God and accepting His grace and forgiveness. The recollection ended with a smile on the faces of the servants, and hearts full of love and grace. Truly, God can transform anyone. The old things have passed away and new hope is coming for Anawim volunteers and staff. Source: Kerigma Magazine  May 2018

- Five years ago, Jeremiah 33:7 Foundation Inc. was just a dream of Rey Ortega. The foundation was built to support abused young girls. The foundation aims not to only give what they need daily but to also help them heal through spiritual programs. Rey's dream came true when with the support of Bo Sanchez and the Kerygma Family, a shelter for abused girls was established in Pasig City—fulfilling for the girls the promise in Jeremiah 33:7, "I will restore their fortunes and rebuild them as they were at first." On December 7, 2017, the ten young girls at the Jeremiah home, the board of trustees, and staff celebrated their 5th year anniversary, with the theme, "Alive at FIVE... In God's LOVE, we THRIVE." The celebration started with a Holy Mass presided by Fr. Emmanuel C. Hipolito, who also gave the sacrament of baptism and confirmation to two Jeremiah girls. After the Mass, everyone gathered for a delicious meal before heading to the second part of the program. The Jeremiah girls started the program with a doxology, followed by an opening message by Executive Director Glo Viola. In her speech, she remembered Rey Ortega and asked everyone to offer one minute of silence to pray for him. Rissa Singson-Kawpeng, editor-in-chief of Shepherd's Voice Publications and Board of Trustees member of Jeremiah also shared a message Rissa Singson-Kawpeng, editor-inchief of Shepherd's Voice Publications and Board of Trustees member of Jeremiah also shared a message. “In five years with trials and challenges of Jeremiah, God takes care of the foundation. And God is able to provide for girls and the foundation itself,” she said. Delfin Viola, husband to Glo and also a Board of Trustees member shared that Jeremiah is one of their blessings and they consider the foundation as their mission to serve God. Another Board of Trustees member, Liza Caleda, shared to the girls that there is always hope and reason to be happy. She reminded the girls that God is always with them, and as their spiritual mother, she is always there to pray for them. Beautiful, loved. Feast Builder Obet Cabrillas reminds the girls how beautiful and important they are in God's eyes. Obet Cabrillas, builder of The Feast Valle Verde, graced the event with his powerful message to the girls. Daddy O, as he is fondly called, shared how precious the Jeremiah girls are to God’s eyes and to all of them. For the final message, Jenny Gindap thanked the foundation for giving her the opportunity to serve and be a mother to the Jeremiah girls. After the talks, the guests and Jeremiah girls engaged in some fun games. The laughters of our girls in Jeremiah is one of the evidences that God is really working. Not only for the foundation’s financial needs but for the restoration of these beautiful girls. Source: Kerigma Magazine  March 2018

May 1, 2018 marked my seventh year anniversary as a full-time missionary at He Cares Mission, a foundation for street children in Quezon City, one of the mercy ministries supported by Light of Jesus Family. It was in 2010 when my caring group head first took me to He Cares. I felt burdened when I learned about the lives of the wounded kids to the point that I would just stare blankly at a corner. I began to volunteer at the center. I was then working as an accountant for Shepherd’s Voice Publications (SVP) and was also undergoing the Radical Training Course for young male leaders of The Feast. I was free every Saturday so I pledged to go to He Cares. I would be drained and tired after serving but I would go home fulfilled. That was my life for eleven months. One day, Joe Dean Sola, the founder of He Cares, asked me if I want to be a part-time volunteer in the foundation. I discerned it well but my mentor told me that it would be hard to be an accountant by day and missionary at night. I had to choose only one. So I did another round of prayer, fasting, and reading the Scriptures to know what God's will was. Then my Radical Training coach, Obet Cabrillas, dropped by our office and randomly told me that the deepest desires of your heart is the will of God in your life. I was surprised. Although I consider him my mentor, I didn’t immediately believe him. I searched for more wisdom. I went to confession in the chapel of a mall. I asked the priest how I would know if I have a calling. He said that I would only know if I try it out. If I didn't, nothing would happen. So on March 15, 2011, after one year of working in SVP, I resigned. And on May 1, 2011, I started to serve full-time at He Cares. Challenges Ahead I must say it’s very challenging to deal with the poor. Before we can introduce Jesus to them, we must first fill them with their basic needs. If we don’t satisfy them, they will say that we are just using the poor. Another challenge in dealing with street children are the times when some of them escape from the shelter. We have to search for them the way the good shepherd looks for the lost sheep in Jesus' parable. At the same time, we need to journey with them, taking into consideration their different personalities. The worst that happened in my experience was the death of one of the kids under our care. He was an 11-year-old boy who had an ear infection which reached his brain. Those were challenging times. But through prayer and sincere service, we continue with the mission. Biggest Blessings It has been fulfilling for me to see all our kids in He Cares getting baptized in the Catholic Church and receiving

As we start another year, let’s meet some of the scholars of Pag-asa ng Pamilya Foundation, one of the mercy ministries of the Light of Jesus Family. They’re off to reach greater heights this year after they graduated from college, thanks to the help of generous people who support the ministry. Here they are: Dreams Come True Diana Q. Bernardo had always wanted to go to college when she was growing up. But because of their family’s financial crisis, she doubted if it would ever happen. Thankfully, God has a way of turning things around. With fervent prayers, she was able to get a scholarship from Pag-asa ng Pamilya. She didn’t give up on her dream. She persevered, studied, and did her best to prove to herself that she can do it. And with God’s grace, she made it. For her and her family, it was worth the wait. Prayers and patience all paid off in the end. Because last year, Diana graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of Santo Tomas with high marks. “I accomplished what I wanted to do, and this is my dream come true,” she said after the graduation ceremony. Diana also offered a few words of advice to the younger generations: “Don’t give up. Don’t let anybody discourage you. Say that, ‘I’m going to do it,’ and do it yourself.” God indeed provides. And yes, dreams do come true. Proud and Thankful Years ago, when her friends mentioned that they were already graduating from college, Emanuelle Rose S. Amparo felt that she still got a long way to go. Emanuelle Rose or Ella took up B.S. Information Technology in Systems Technology Institute (STI). Being a scholar of Pag-asa ng Pamilya was really a blessing for Ella and her family. She wouldn’t have made it through college without the help of the foundation. It was God’s grace. Four years of hard work and perseverance, starting and ending relationships, ups and downs made Ella who she is right now— stronger and wiser. Blessed Beyond Measure College can be the best four years of your life, but not without a whole lot of support, guidance, and balance from the family. Ara Mae Garcia, one of the students of University of Rizal System, just graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration Major in Operating Management. For her, finishing college is an answered prayer and being one of the Pag-asa scholars is a big blessing. Despite the challenges her family was facing, she managed to finish high school and college with good grades. “Graduation is the culmination of our hard work. Studying at University of Rizal System was definitely a right decision as the support I received and experienced will enable me to apply the skills I’ve learned in my future career,” she shared. Forever Grateful Jerome Jay V. Dael finished Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Manila. For him, graduation is a transition. There are