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M/M Bob Pruitt CENTRAL CHURCH OF CHRIST P.O. Box ^92784- So.
River Road IW SO, OAKIIALE 3515 Aparri, CagayanGrants Pass, OR
9752? MEDFORD, OREGON 97501 Philippines
January 1988
Impetus for earnest prayer is provided by KESSA(^S FROM MARY AND
BERT beginning this year of 1988."Usually on this night (Itec. 31)
the place is busy with activity and noise, and a service at
midnight to welcome in the new year. But this year it is very
different. Everyone is in bed ( Iassume), noise is minimal, and few
people are out and about. On Dec. 26th we had a small battdebetween
the am^r and the rebels, just up the road a ways. We spent the
morning sitting in theliving room, to be sure no one might be hit
by stray bullets. There were about 50 extra people,for lunch,
neighbors who had come up to our house for protection. As the
bullets flew, helicopters circled, and people ran up the hill, our
neighbors were amazed at the calmness and relaxedfeeling here in
our home. They said "We are so nervous and you are just sitting and
singing."We pray that through this incident we have been able to
share the joy and peace we have in theLord, and the assurance of
His care. We must be careful, but we do not need to live in
fear.There has been very little activity in this area lately, but
many of the rebels are about now.So that is idiy this New Year's
eve is so quiet. And we will all be feeling more rested in
themorning, instead of starting the year tired from being up all
ni^t."
"As we step into this new year we want to praise the Lord for
each of you who have made it possiblefor us to help these children
and share the Lord Jesus Christ with them this past year.
Withouteach one of jou this ministry would not be idiat it is. We
ask your continued prayers for us aswe begin a new year, that our
light might shine brighter than ever."FAMILY NErfS! mms^' -Since
the .last newsletter our family has only increased by four, j
HE!!..bringing the total number to 8^. Gilbert (our 4th, including
Beft) 33 yrs. old, comes from a family of ei^t children. He was 2nd
de- ^ "'flgree malnourished but is now fine and healthy. Vincent
came at the I i |
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P^ISE FOR farthers Lord has been so good to us, through you who
support us and have sentextra and special gifts. The Lord knows our
needs, and because of your love for the Lord, anddesire to help
others, and because you also trust the Lord to meet your needs. He
has been ableto use you to meet o^ needs. Not only did we have the
extra construction and repair expenses,
had a lot of extra people to feed because of the incident on the
26th (about 15-20 spentthe night also, so we were thankful for the
new house). Because of the extra gifts for Christmaswe jrere able
to have a wonderful Christmas dinner and share some with a few
neighbors ^o had^thing, and are anticipating a special dinner for
the new year. We are also thankful for our^lipino friends who have
shared with us this Christmas season, and at other times. One
family,^0 sells clothes for their bisiness, and have become close
friends (and, we pray, someday ourfamily in ^rist), gave us 3
cavans (50 kilo sacksa kilo is 2.2 lbs.) of rice just before
320.00 per cavan, or $^dien it seems they have a lot of money it
won't buyeverything they want. Some have already made purchases and
they have been amazed that it buysso little. This helps them better
understand and appreciate what they have."
Please join us in praising God for His continued care and
protection for us here at the Home.It is as if His angels are
sitting on our roof and around us, protecting us. We praise "i
againfor His provision for our needs, even before we know them,
through you wonderful brothers andsisters in Christ."
Please join us in prayer for this nation, for the peace and
order situation, for the leaders ofthe country, and for the
upcoming election. Pray also for our children idio are new babes
inChrist. Pray for our two who will be graduating from high school
in March, and their futures.Pray for sponsors for the children and
for funds and wisdom in constructing a new building sot.hat xjft
uiH. be able to helpEven though Christmas Cay is past and by the
time you receive this letter all Christmas decorations will be down
and stored away, we would hope and pray that the joy of this
season, andthe love shown us by the Lord by sending His Son, will
continue to fill you throughout this yearof 1988. We come into this
year very uncertain as to trtiat it will bring, but very certain as
toWho is in control and will be with us always. "The wonder of
Christmas is that the God ;diodwelt among us now can dwell within
us." "... And they will call Him Immanuel which means,God with
US'." Matt. 1:23. How wonderful to be able to walk in the promise
of His presence."
In His love,
Bert and Mary Bireros
Please note change in field address for Mary and Bert,
eliminating old zip code 1118 and inserting new code 3515 before
Aparri. They love to receive lettersJ
CENTRAL CHURCH OF CHRIST1440 SO. OAKDALE 773-3144MEDFORD, OREGON
97501MISSIONS DEPARTMENT
iQ
Horizons MagazineMissions ServicesBox 2427Knoxville, TN
37901
J
Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage Paid
Permit No. 56IMedford, Oregon
-
Forwarding AgentsM/M Bob Pniitt2784 S. River RoadGrants Pass, OR
97527
Cai>JTRAL CHUtiCK OF CHRIST1440 SO. OAKDAUi
MDFORD, OREGOi^ 97501April 1988
^3 S3M/M Bert BurerosP.O. Box 493515 Aoarri,
CagayanPhilippines
irlESSAGES FROK FiARI Ai^D BERT"This letter comes to you with
many mixed emotions. The last 3 months have been a time of joy
andsadness, trial and trust. Vfe hope and pray there will be no
more months like this, but if thereare, we know that we can trust
in the Lord for protection, guidance, strength, and love. The
Biblepassage that comes to my mind is Psalm 91* '*He who dwells in
the shelter of the Most High willrest in the shadow of the
Almighty. I iri.ll say of the Lord, *Ke is my refuge and my
fortress, myGod in whom I trust*." The idiole chapter is one full
of promises of the Lord for those iriio trustand rest in Him. Even
though there are hapoenings that we do not understand, we know that
we canrest in the promises of the Lord and know His continual care
over us. Two of the popular songswith our children right now,
especially Jordan, are "All Through the Day, All Through the
Night",telling of God's constant watch-care over us, and "X Cast
All Cares upon Him". How appropriatethey are at this time."
INCREASE: "We have experienced great growth in the last 3
monthsa total of 10 children havecome. ^ have also had 3 leave. Our
total today is 91 (plus our 2). Early in Jan. two familygroups
joined us. Randel, 6 mos., Rodalyn, almost 3> Reynaldo, 5 and
Rodel, 8, came after theirfather had been killed by the rebels. The
mother had to find work and none of the relatives werefinancially
able to take on more children. Leami, 4, and Edralyn, 2. also came
at the same time.They were abandoned by the father and the mother
had to look for work. We are thankful that thesewere all healthy
children. They have all fattened up, though.""3h Feb. came Aileen,
9 mos. old and 8 lbs. 3 mos. ago her aunttook her from her mother
because she was so thin and sick, but wasalso unable to orovide all
the medicines needed, so Aileen never improved. Vfe hospitalized
her immediately for a week, and she camehome gaining ground. She is
now a nice fat 12 lbs. On the bed beside Aileen at the hospital was
a 7 mos. old girl named 3ieryl. Hermother had just died of a
cholera type sickness and Sheryl had alsobeen ill with diahrea and
vomiting. When she was released the fatherbrought her to us. She
weighed about 10 lbs. Sie had a hard timeadjusting from being
breast fed to the bottle, but is now doing fineand is a smiley
girl. Then came Rafael. He is illegitimate, froma very poor family.
The family has accepted him, but the mothermeeded to work, and no
one could care for him. He was 14 mos. old,almost 3rd degree
raal-nourished. He is a good eater and getting fat.Just today
little Joselette joined our family. She is 10 days old,but weighs
just barely 4 lbs. The mother died in child birth andthe baby was
born at 8 mos. The father and relatives have given hergood care,
but again poverty is a problem. She is tiny, but healthy.We praise
the Lord for all of you who make it possible for us tohelp these
children and give them love and teach them the love ofthe Lord.
They are each a joy to us and we praise Him for them.Several of
these children have come from Christian homes."
"With mixed emotions we said goodbye to our boy David, Zj yrs.
old. Vfe have had him since he was12 days old. Vfe are thankful he
was adopted by a family in Iirvine, CA, but we miss him.
TRAGEDY Two Negrito boys, Alfredo, 24(idio was here to go to
schoolthere were no schools available to him in his home area) and
his brother, Robert, I6, also left us. This was under very unhappy
circumstances and one of our most stressful situations in ny 11
yrs. in the Philippines.On the night of March 5 Alfredo went out
and did not come back. When we knew of this Sun. morning we
notified the police. That night (without our knowledge) Alfredo
went to the home of someof our neighbors, ate supper with them and
then stayed the night as it was already dark. At1:30 AM he took a
bolo (machete) and attacked the family, killing the 5 yr. old boy
and putting5 others in the hospital. The mother was serious and had
to have a blood transfusion. They spentmany hours at the hospital
stitching the many wounds in all of them, and some also had
brokenbones. This was so sad for us and such a shock as there had
not been any signs of any problem ofthis type from Alfredo for the
9 mos. he had lived here. Vfe are so thankful to the Lord that
thisdid not happen in the Home where he could have hurt so many
more, but our hearts ached for thefamily. They are a Christian
family so have had the Lord to help them in this time and have
thehope of seeing their boy again. Unfortunately Alfredo is still
at large and we have had to keepour children in because of not
knowing if and "when he will return and maybe hurt someone
here.This has been a real trial also.Please keep this family and
Alfredo in your prayers. Because they are a poor family we have
paidall the medical expenses and are still helping them because
they are not yet able to work and getfood. Alfredo accepted the
Lord and was baptized last Oct. and had been very active in
helpingwith Bible studies, etc. Somehow Satan was able to get hold
of him. Pray for a repentant heartfor him and for peace and
protection for us. This has been an expecially trying time for Bert
ashe has had to deal with the people in their suffering and need.
Praise the Lord for His strengthand love that has kept us
going.Alfredo's father was visiting at the time and so took Robert
home with him. Pray that Alfredowill be captured or surrender
himself soon."
"Other exciting (7) things that have happened have been the
presence of the rebels around us, andtheir activities. One day
several Negritos came to the Home. They were dirty and upset. In
the
mos.
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night the rebels had come to their place and burned their homes
(such as they are) and were shooting at the people. One of the
ladies said she crawled through the grass and down into the creekto
hide. But idiile sitting in the creek she remembered that there
were leeches there and beingafraid of them, she climbed out of the
water and jwas hiding in the grass, idiere she could hear
thebullets going overhead. Ihese peoole have very little and they
lost ;diat they had. There hasbeen other fighting around also, but
none here near us."DANGERl "On the way home from M^ila recently,
while we were in Tuguegaroa, Bert was in the fhil-ippine Air lines
office buying tickets for anothejr trip. The boys and I and Faye
Burton were inthe car. A man came and stood by the car. This is not
real unusual, especially with two Americans in the car. Bht he
asked to borrow the newspaper, idiich is unusual. Then he started
to asktoo many questions and I had an uncomfortable feeding about
him. He then asked for a ride to aplace about an hour away, on our
way home. I told him he would have to ask Bert. Later he picked up
a piece of copper pipe with some nuts welded on, out of the street.
I thought again, he isup to no good. Then a little later I saw him
pick up his shirt and inside his belt was a pieceof PVC pipe \d.th
a pair of scissors in it. He alpo inserted the copper tube. Then I
really knewhe had bad ideas. So I just started praying for the Lord
to take care of the situation and toprotect us, as there was
absolutely nothing we could do. There was no way to warn Bert,
andnothing we could do to protect ourselves. I just kept praying
and claiming the promises of Hisangels' care, etc. Li all, the man
had been there more than an hour. As he was facing the backof the
car a tricy pulled up in front of us and stopped and a soldier
climbed out. He came upbehind the man and grabbed his handand he
had the scissors in his hand already. The soldierhustled him off to
the tricy, took his pipe, etc.!, and off they went. About 3 minutes
later Bertcame out of the PAL office, having finished purchasing
the tickets. That is one time I wasthankful (in the end) for
something taking so long to get done. The Lord know the timing and
Hewas the only one who could have caused this man to be taken away,
just 3 minutes before he wouldhave asked Bert for a ride. Wb praise
the Lord, again, for His care and protection."Jacob celebrated his
first birthday. He is about ready to take off running. We praise
the Lordfor such sweet, easy to care for, healthy boys.
VISITORS (what a joy!) Cur girl Sherry Ann came to visit us,
bringing with her our number threegrandchild, Kristina, 7 mos. old;
Walt Prevost and his father GOLen (Walt teaches at Cebu
BELbleSeminary) visited us and were enjoyed by all; Anna Fletcher
and Debbie ^y, ^o are working in theHome of God's Love in
Lo-TIhng,Taiwan. They got in on some exciting events here, but
think theyhad a good time anyway. They did a lot of painting in our
nursery and we thank them."Faye Bhrton from Hope House in Nampa,
Idaho, has joined us for a time. She is open to sta3ring upto two
years, if she sees this is xdiat the Lord wmts her to do. The
children love her and shekeeps busy loving and holding them. Please
pray jTor her as she adjusts to this new culture. "GRADPATIOH
"School is closing. This is the year of graduates for us: 2 from
high school, 7
--(should be-S with Alfredo )from the A+Vi ft -P-roni Wa are
very happy to announcethat Jessie Lorenzo graduated as
Valedictorian with 7 medals from our school in Isabela (one ofthree
high schools sponsored by the Hiilippine Mission). Ws pray that his
success and love forthe Lord will be a guiding influence on the
younger boys. Oir girl Msnna has 2nd honors in thefirst grade and
we congratulate her also. Vfe hope that in the jRiture we will have
many who willhave the initiative to work hard and attain the
honors. Ifeny are capable but not: motivated.
Before closing we want to thank each of you again| for your part
in the ministry here in the Home.Without your prayers and financial
support we would not be able to serve here and would not beable to
give love and life to these children. They are normal, having their
times of temptation,problems, causing discouragement, etc. Bit they
also know the Lord and we ask y>ur prayers thatthey may become
great workers for the Lord. Pray| for a hunger in them to know the
lord more andto feast on His Wbrd. Pray for us as we teach and lead
them, that we will have the patience, love,strength, and wisdom.
ELease pray for the political situation in the country, and our
safety inthis time of unrest, the adding of space so we c^ help
more children, and for sponsors.Wb also want to praise the Lord for
how He meets our daily needs through each of you and for Hiscare
over us. How wonderfhl to know the Lord who can do all things and
\^o will never leave usor forsake us. can trust Him and know of His
love even ^dien we cannot understand or see intothe fhture. The
future is in His hands and we have His strength to meet each day as
it comes.May His name forever be praised." Si His love.
CENTRAL CHURCH OF CHRIST1441 SO. OAKDALE 773-31^MEDFORD, OREGON
97501
Miary and Bert
Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage Paid
Permit No. 561MISSIONS DEPARTMENT Medford, Oregon
Horizons MagazineMilsslons ServicesBox 2427Knoxville, TN
37901
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3Forwarding A-^nts CENTRAL CHURCH OF CHRIST M/M Bert BirerosM/M
Bob Pruitt l-W-O SO. OAKDAIE P.O. Box 492784 3. River Road MEDFORD,
OREGON 97501 3515 Aparri, CagayanGrants Pass, OR 97527 ^^7 1988
IMwa again for loving MESSAffiS FROM MARX AND BERT! 'I thank my
God every time I remember you. 3hall my prayers for all of you, I
always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospelfrom
the first day until now, being confident of this, that ho idio
began a good work in you willcarry it on to completion until the
day of Christ Jesus.** (Phil. 153^) Vfe praise and thank theLord
for each one of you who make this ministry possible, ftcause of
your love and trust in theLord, wo are able to care for these
children, and teach them to love and trust the Inrd also. Vfeare
also thankfhl for aTi your concern and prayers for our safety and
strength. Vfe praise Him thatwe have not had anymore problems like
we wrote about last time. Satan has not stopped working, butour
Lord is stronger and in His love and strength and wisdom we can
overcome Satan and his attemptsto stop the Lord*s work here.These
last three months have been busy. In early April we joined about 70
missionaries (includingchildren) for 3 wonderful days of fellowship
and sharing together in the love and Vford of the Ix)rd.>fe were
home for 1 week and then left for Cebu for 10 days of visiting with
Bert's family andfriends. "^It was a ve^ restfUl time, i^ich we
swre in need of. It is always a joy to be with theLord's family
^dierover wo are, and to be with our blood family also.Oaring the
week that we were home between trips wo were blessed by having Joy
Fisher (teacher) andSusan (college student) from D.EJI.F. School (a
Christian school for the deaf and blind) fdieroJames and Maureen
stu(^. liiey came to teach us signing so we would be able to
communicate withJames and Moreen. The children picked it up quickly
and some of us others learned some also. Ihope to learn a lot more
and really be able to share and communicate.Shmmer vacation was a
busy time for the children also. Many of the children went home to
visitfamily, some being gone as long as a month. were all happy ^en
everyone was back home again.There were three weeks of B3.ble Camp,
and we got attendance banners from two. The kids alwaysenjoy camp
and look forward to it. Several nei^ibors wnt also; one young lady
was baptized.CHURCH gjOWTH Vfe praise the Lord that the
congregation meeting here in Jurisdiccion (at the Children's Home)
is growing. Besides the girl baptized at camp there have been
several others ^o haveaccepted the Lord as their Savior and been
buried with Him in baptism and raised a new creationin Christ.
Because of the growing church our dining room is getting too small
for the services.In May the congregation held ground breaking
services for a chapel building. Vfe praise the Lordfor their desire
to grow in the Lord and in number. Flease be in prayerfor the
needed funds, forthe leaders in the congregation, and decisions to
be made. The chapel will be on Home land.
REVOLVING DOORS Througli the summer five children have left us.
Richard, a Negrito, had been withus 2_years. He is 12 3rears old
and just finished 2nd grade. Because he was doing very poorly
inschool and sdso not wanting to follow the rules, and because he
had parents to care for him, wesent him home. Carmelo was an
abandoned child ^o came 2 years ago. He is from the island ofLeyte,
near Cebu. He asked if he could go home because he was homesick. He
is staying with people^o are not his real relatives, but with whom
he had stayed before. Marma came to us idien she was3 weeks old,
and is now Vl. Her mother was not married at the time, but has
since married Manna'sfather. They are now able to support her and
asked she be returned to them. Needless to say, itwas with aheavy
heart that we let her go. Sie is living in Baguio, so can be
visited now and then.Angel. 7* has been with us since he was 4 days
old. He is a Negrito and the family is now living^ere he can stay
with them and go to school. Vfe were thinking to send him home
because he washaving a very hard time obeying and we were afraid
something mi^t happen to him because of hisstubbomess, so this
worked out well. Vfe miss him and his big sparkly eyes. Flease pray
that hewill leam to love and serve the Lord. He is vezy young to
have such a rebellious attitude. Again,the Lord can be victorious.
Salvador came with his brother Johny 5 years ago. Their mother was
awidow. She has now married and Salvador wanted to return home. Vfe
miss him, but if he wants tobe with his mother that is the place he
should be. Of these 5three- live in Christian homes. Fraythat all
will remain strong in the Lord and that those 2 non-Christian
families will see the li^tof the Lord's love in our children and
throu^ them become Christians also.PiveFare gonewo have 5 new
babies! Edcel. 2 mos., is an ille.gitimate child. Both parents
haveother spouses and other children. He was m^-nourished but is
now strong and a good smiler andtalker. Mllagrosa came at 1 week.
She is a beautifhl girl, small but strong. Her mother has
beenseparated from her husband and they have 7 other children. MLla
is the result of rape, and themother just could not care for them
all. Mmia. l-J- mos.,is Angel's cousin. The mother almost diedafter
giving birth and was too weak to care for the baby,and had no milk
to feed her. Hopefullyshe will become strong again soon and can
care for her baby. The mother is a strong Christian.Mary Jane's
mother had died and the father and grandmother were trying to care
for her. But theyare very poor, and at 5 nos. she only weighed 8
lbs. She has quickly recovered and is a beautifulhappy girl.
Virgilio. 18 mos., was the last to join us. He is from Banaue (rice
terrace countzy).Because he is hydrocephalic he is behind in his
motor developnent, and his si^t and hearing areimpaired. But he is
healthy and smiley, and everyone enjoys him. He had surgery at 3
nos. and hishead is normal size. He is already iitq}roving as we
give him therapy and encouragement. Again wewant to express our
thanks to all of you ^o make it possible for us to care for these
children.
In May Richard Foster from Japan visited us again. Vfe are
thankful for his concern in helping thechildren's families, and for
the help sent to us from Japan.IfflVING TIME! On June 4 we moved
from our apartment (^ich wili become nursery extension) into thenew
house. (On the 6th we got 2 new babies and another on the 7ththe
Lord was waiting for us tomove!) It is nice to have much more
room.
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PARTY TIME! On June 18 ELdon Fbtts and his gang^ 21 in all, came
and threw an Incredible partyfor the kids* Because of very generous
gifts frc^m his companions and many more people in theStates we had
two roasted pigs, fried chicken, cakes, ice cream, and Kool-aid*
Then we also hada gift for each child, 25 bicycles and tricycles,
funds for a half-court size basketball court,a music machine (two
tapes, microphone, etc*, very good qualityvery useful in the Home
and forour Sunday services), and other items* All thisj^plus 2
clowns{ Xt was a very astounding day andthe words ^^THANK YOO** are
hardly sufficient* It was Christmas in June, and then some*
Ourthanks to each idio contributed* Vfe are so thanklhl for special
times like this, and for those idiomake everyday life possible*
God*s love is always evident in His people*Msl Taylor and Oanny
Powell also blessed us with special naisic concerts(keyboard and
singing)*SCHOOL BELLS June 20 school started* Vfo have l6 in
kindergarten, 20 in elementary, 8 in hi^school, 1 in vocational
school, 1 in university, and 1 in Seminary* Jessie, vho earned
valedictorian honors, is studying in Silliman'University! (a
Christian college), taidng Med* Tech*, hopingsomeday to become a
doctor* We pray for ftinds and for the Lord's help in his studies
and dailyactivities* He is in Dumaguete City (near Cebu) living
with Bert's brother, who is ministering inpioneer work there, so
Jessie will bo very involved in the work of the church* Vfe are
also veryhappy that the local elementary school has allowed our
Dolores (cerebral-palsied girl) to attendclasses, although they
have no special Ed* Fayel Burton, who joined us last March, takes
her eachday and helps herin school* Pray for both of themit is hard
work, and hot* James and Maureenalso returned to school (south of
Manila) June l6th* Vfe enjoyed ha'^ng them home for vacation*Both
showed a lot of iiiq)rovement and self confidence*SURQBRIBS In May
3 of our children went to Baguip for surgeries funded by Project
lake. Our onlyexpense was travel, food, a donation* Rsdentor's
surgery was for crossed eyes. Oil and Samuel'sfor cleft palate (2nd
for Oil, 3rd for Sam)* They are all fine and looking handsome, life
praisethe Lord for providing again for our needs in a very special
way by members of His family.U* S. NAVY want to say a special
thanks to the U.S. Navy ^o donated 18 sacks of non-fat milk(25
kilos each), some medicines, disinfectant, ancl many other items*
Vftiat a help they have been2Especially helpfUl was the
disinfectant i&en so many of our babies were sick* And wo are
stillusing the milk, mixing it with Ihll cream milk. ;PLEASE PRAY:
FOR the political situation of the country* "The angel of thelcrd
encamps aroundthose idio fearlEa, and he delivers them." (Ps*
3'l':7) Wb claim this promise and we also praisethe Lord that
things have been calm hero. FOR someone to stay in our place when
we come to theStates in March next year* will be gone about 6 mos*
Someone is considering coming, and weask your prayers in this
decision* ^ the renew^ of the visas of Mary, Jordan, and Jacob*
Theeprocess is much stricter now and a matter of concern to get the
visas renewed*The Lord has blessed us in so many special ways* Your
prayers have been a tremendous source ofstrength for us* Wb have
received surprises, parties, and special toys for our babies
^enough
-Jsasy-hoxas so each eribLhas- qpaL)^ T-shirts^for^rndfoCTis^The
regular and faithfhl support by so many of you is such a
blessinghow we pr^se and th^ theLord for each of you* Pray for the
children to grow strong and be faithful to the^I/jrd. Pray forus
that we may speak, teach, and live the Gospel,our real purpose for
being here*
to the salvation of precious souls, for this is
In His love,Mary and Bert
^ -r f -
EMERGENCY BUTT.TgTTW!! J^y 18 Cagayan Valley Children's Home was
struck by a severe typhoon*Praise the Lord with us that no one was
injured!
They lost half of the top of the main buildingj. Losing the top
means major sti^ctural damage,as it is all tied together as if in
one piece, according to Naomi Goode, who observed this
construction* Estimated damage is $5,000*00, $3,000*00 of idxich wo
wore able to instantly supplyfrom savings for fhrlough funds and
emergency Ihnds, and some recent generous gifts* , ,
Rain with a typhoon is torrentialeverything is wet* The terror,
anxiety,and added burden isgreat. Please pray for health and
strength for BSrt and Mary and the staff as they care for andfeed
90 children under extremely difficult conditions*
Bob and Jean Pruitt, Forwarding Agents
CENTRAL CHURCH OF CHRIST1440 3. OAKDALE 773-31^MBDFORD, OREGON
97501
MISSIONS UEPARTMENT
Horizons MagazineMissions ServicesBox 2427Knoxville, TO
37901
Non-Profit OrganizationU^S* Postage Paid
Permit No* 5^1Medford, Oregon
-
Forwarding AgentsM/M Bob Fniitt278i^ S. River RoadGrants Pass,
OR 9752?
CENTRAL CHURCH OF CHfaST1440 SC. OAKDALE
HEDFORD, ORSGON 975OIOct. 1988
M/M Bert Bireros ^^^P.O.' Box 493515 Aparri,
CagayanPhilippines
Gratitude is the theme of MESSACSS FROM MARY AND BERT, "As I
write this letter my heart isfilled with joy and thanksgiving and
praise for the Lord because of all of pu tdio are a part ofthis
work and ministry. In Fhil. 4:19 we read 'And my God will meet your
needs according tohis glorious riches in Christ Jesus.* Because of
you and the working of the Lord this is aletter of thanks for His
provision."TYFHGOM UPDATE: "Itost of you have heard that on July 18
we had a terrific typhoon that lifted2/3rds of the roof of the
Children's Homo right off, taking much of the ceiling also, and
ofcourse causing much water damage. Because of theLord's provision
through you. His peoole, we wereable to house the 60 children,who
sleep upstairs,inour new residence that is about 5U yards from
theHome(surely don't know what we would have done without the
house!). We were also able to begin makingrepairs within the week
because of emergency andtravel funds in savings in the States that
we wereable to borrow. How can we praise the Lord enou^for you
wonderful people who have given so generously so that we could
completely repair the damage? We received $2, 000.00 from IISIS
(International Disaster Pkoergency Services) and sacrificial gifts
from many to meet the estimated$5)000.00 needed to complete repairs
on themain building and out buildings. How wo praisethe Lord for
those who contribute to lEES and foreach of you who contributed for
this special need.The 60 children slept in our house for two nights
and then the preschoolers were able to returnto the Home, all
sleeping in the girl's room \diere they would not get wet if it
rained (it rainedevery afternoon for many days after the storm).
The 20 school children slept in our house fora month before they
wore able to return to their beds and everyone was back in place.
We had toeat all meals outside until Aug 22 ^en the dining room
again had a ceiling on it (it is underthe boy's room, which had
lost it's roof). Picnics are fUn, but three times a day with 87
children, eating outside is not always a picnic! Eight of our
c^ldren are in high school and stayin town and they were just
fine.We praise the Lord that no one was injured in the storm. The
children had just closed the doorto the boy's room to join the
girls for breakfast when the roof and ceiling wont off. They
werewet (as was everything in the housemade a lot of laundry), but
safe, and no one became illbecause of it. One window was broken in
the nursery by flying debris, and our tiniest baby wasshowered with
glass splinters, but the Lord's protecting hand kept her from
getting a scratch."WEDDING PTin-.T.s "Two days before the storm our
girl Gloria got married. She is not the first toget married, but
the first since Bert and I to get married in the Home. Please pray
for them asthey begin their life together."SPECIAL BLESSINGS: Two
days after the storm we were blessed with peace of mind as Alfredo,
theboy \dio had stayed with us before and had attacked the nei^bors
with a bolo, was captured, inthe hills behind the Home. He had been
running for about 5 months, and we were always concernedthat he
might return and hurt someone here. Please pray for him concerning
what caused him toto this thing.""We were also blessed by being
able to begin construction on our chapel building, to house
thechurch that meets at the Home. So far all funds for construction
have come direct from the congregation. At the moment construction
has stopped for lack of funds, bit the people are giving.Because
this is also a part of the work of the Children's Home, xre hope to
be able to help in thecost of the building. Anyone tAio would like
to give for this special need (our dining room isnow just too
small), please designate it so on your check.""Another blessing was
the donation of a chest freezer from Jim and Dcnna Smith, in Cebu.
Weshipped the freezer from Cebu to Manila (the freight company gave
a special price) and then bytruck from Manila. Unfortunately, the
truck was stopped by some armed men while still in the
-Manila area, and completely unloaded and all goods stolen. Bit
we praise the lord the truckingcompany had insurance. We are just
waiting the payment and we will purchase a new freezer,making it
possible for us to save much on marketing by being able to buy fish
at a good priceand freeze it, and to freeze meat from our own
animals when we butcher.""We have been blessed with visits from
wonderful people, workers for the Lord. In August Dickand Kay
Davidson, from Efevao, visited us for a week. Not only did we enjoy
good fellowship butthey were a great help In work aj?ound hereKay
cleaning and organizing the office, Dick inrecommending a drain
system for our driveway (which works), and helping with other
things around.Vfe hope they will be back to visit us again. It was
nice to share with Dave Pitney, an internfrom ii^shington, and with
Mary Gilson from Puget Sound Christian College in Washington.
Sieshared her music and her love with the kids. She also taught our
staff some CFR and we appreciated that help in case of emergency.
Our latest visitor, who just left, was an auditor fromManila. She
is a wonderful Christian lady and very patient trying to figure out
my (Mary's)bookkeeping since 1984. Vfe have had a bookkeeper
employed since mid-1985, ^t things were amess before that. She will
be returning to complete I986 and '87. Each of these people
havebeen a blessing in a special way.
PARTINGS. . . A sad thing for us has been the release of 4 of
our children. First was Mvma. whohad only been with us a short
time. She is a Negrito, and came because her mother nearly died
"iiiRsii;!
1.^
Typhoon Damage to Main Building
How wonderful to be in God's family tw
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at her birth, but she recovered and is working with some
Vfycliff translators (she is a wonderfulChristian) and so was able
to get her baby back, Vfe miss Ifyma but do not worry as her
parentsare Christians." Next was Aileen who came at 9 roos. and
left at 16^- mos., fat and healthy. Shereturned to her aunt and
uncle, who hope to adopt her. Sie lives close by so we will be able
tosee her. Ws pray that we will be able to reach her and the family
with the Vford of God. Jonalynand Jocelyn had come to us at 2 mos.
and left just a few days before their Jrd birthday. Theirparents
were now financially stable and able to care for them. They are
from a distant mountaintribe so it will not be easy to follow up on
them. Vfe really miss these children, but it is nicethey can be
with their families. Pray that as they grow they will be taught of
the Lord.*WELCOMING In the sadness of those vho left the Lord again
gave us joy as new children arrived.Jennepher is 6 years old. Her
mother is blind and the father had left them. They are living
withvery poor grandoai^nts. She has two younger sisters whom she is
concerned about. She is a sweetgirl, smart and industrious. Ruby
Maricris, 25 days old, is an abandoned baby and a beauty. Vfeare
all enjoying her as she grows and smiles. Manuel. 9 mos. old, is
here because of poverty.Vfe have had children from this family
before. The father is improving in his responsibility, bathas
cataracts, ^rtiich is also a problem. Thank you to each of you
"vdio make it possible for us tocare for, love and teach these
children."SCHOOL REPORTS;"The children have gotten their report
cards. Sadly, many were much lower than weexpected. We pray they
will improve in the next grading period. Our boy in college is
doing wellbut had trouble with one class. Please pray for all these
children todo well in school and to be shining lights for the Lord.
Because ofyour generous giving they have a chance at education. Vfe
pray they willbe able to educate others in the love of our Lord
Jesus Christ. "Now he J||f ^who supplies seed to the sower and
bread for food will also supply and "increase your store of seed
and will enlarge the harvest of your right- wTeousness." IlCor.
9j10 How we pray that your generosity will cause | j':'Ja harvest
of righteousness in and through those children as they reach ' *out
to the community and their families. Without you they would have
^no chance."STAFF I would like to introduce one of our staff, Lilia
Homando, vhohad been with us since 1979* She is a widow, but has
raised 5 childrenin the love and Vford of our Lord. Her youngest is
now in college. ^lily started out working in our laundry but is now
in charge of theboy's dorm. Illy studied in Aparri ^ble Seminary
back in the 50's and is very active in the Sunday School here. Vfe
appreciate all the fc; :years of service and Christian witness she
has given.""Please pray with us: 1. For this country and for
continued protect- Auntie Illyion for us and all the Lord's people.
2. For someone(s) to stay here in our place when we return to the
States in March for a short furlough. 3 For the renewal of Mary's
and the boy'svisas. Vfe will be going for our hearing soon. For our
young people to hunger and thirstafter righteousness.""Please
praise the Lord with us; 1. 'Hiat no one was injured in the
typhoon. 2. Bbr the Lord'sprovision through you in this time of
emergency (we had one large donation for house repairs evenbefore
the storm; that is how our Lord worksi). 3* For our generator,
vriiich again got plenty ofuse in the month after the storm before
powr was restored. For those idio give so that ourdaily needs may
be met and those vAio pray for us. 5 For several new sponsors and
for thosealready sponsoring. 6. For the Lord's wonderful love and
care and for the Saviour of the world.""May each of you be richly
blessed as you have blessed us through your love, faith and
generosity^
Auntie Lily
In His loveMary and Bert
Joy and excitement filled our hearts at the quick, loving, and
generous support that came forrepair of the typhoon damage.
Response came from many parts of our country and even from
othermissionaries and their national people. Vfe are so grateful to
all of youi
Bob and Jean Pruitt, Forwarding Agents
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