The Lord’s Hand at Work
June 5, 2012
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When we received the following letter from our ministry partner in the Philippines, it reminded me of the phrase “God’s hand working in your life.”
When we received the following letter from our ministry partner in the Philippines, it reminded me of the phrase “God’s hand working in your life.”
Although leprosy may have been nearly eradicated from Filipino society, its stigma remains. Now referred to by its medical name, Hansen’s Disease, it still affects a group of Filipinos, many of whom live in Tala – a location designated as a ‘leper colony’ in the past.
Mary, the Filipino girl in this photo, is deaf and blind, but she compensates for her handicap with an acute sense of smell. She often uses this special ability to track down Mother Joan Clare when the elderly nun is out of hand’s reach.
“My whole life has changed,” says 18-year-old John Michael Montilla, one of thousands of Filipinos benefiting from Cross Catholic’s support of Gawad Kalinga, a ministry that revitalizes old, impoverished slums into new, Christ-centered communities.
Whenever I see the results of Cross Catholic’s Gawad Kalinga house construction projects in the Philippines, my first thought is, “Wow! This used to be a slum?” The newness, the cleanliness, the bright, cheerful colors are a visual repudiation of poverty.
Cross Catholic has been working with Gawad Kalinga in the Philippines to transform the slums of metro Manila into thriving communities. The difference is like night and day, and you can see the change not only in the landscape but also in the hearts and minds of the families who now have so much hope.