Kingdom Message Ministry Foundation

The Toloreso Family

Father: Rene, employed in mining
Mother: Ellen, housewife

The family consists of three children. The eldest, Efreylen (5), is a kindergarten student in KMMS. She has two brothers. The father works far from home (in Manila) and is able to send home only a small financial support.

The Sabales Family

Father: Left the family without support
Mother: Ilma (looking for a job in Cebu City)
Grandmother: Belna Mahinay, vegetable vendor and trisikad owner

Ibreahn Ken (7), Grade 2 student, lives with his Grandmother and sister while his mother is looking for a job outside of Butuan City.

With the ever-increasing number of children in KMMS, our sponsorship program is continually blossoming. At the end of the last school year (March), all of our indigent students except for three were fully sponsored. This year brings us more little ones who are in need of a sponsor. We are very grateful to our Maker who has always made provision for each of our children. Our sponsors keep steadily coming in bringing joy to many little hearts. Thank you, sponsors, for your continued kindness to the children of KMMS. We are looking forward to welcoming new sponsors in the future.

Each year, our school participates in a “Nutrition Month” celebration. You may ask, “What is ‘Nutrition month’?” “Nutrition Month” is an annual campaign held every July to create greater awareness of nutrition among Filipinos. It is mandated under Presidential Decree, The Nutrition Act of the Philippines. The 40th annual nutrition campaign was this year called “Kalamidad Paghandaan: Gutom at Malnutrisyon Agapan” or, “Prepare for emergencies to prevent hunger and malnutrition”.

The objectives of this year’s campaign were to:

• promote interventions to address nutritional needs in emergencies and disasters including preparedness, response and recovery;
• mobilize responders particularly the local nutrition clusters and stakeholders to address gaps in nutrition in emergencies response from national to barangay levels; and,
• increase awareness among families and individuals on coping and resiliency strategies to prevent malnutrition and worsening of nutritional status in times of emergencies and disasters.

Nutrition in emergencies is also important because malnutrition in the Philippines is a pre-existant problem and can, therefore, worsen when emergencies and disasters strike. Based on the 2011 National Nutrition Survey (NNS) of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute-Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST),

• 20.2% of children aged 0-5 years are underweight;
• 7.3% of children aged 0-5 years are wasted;
• 8.5% of children aged 6-10 years are wasted; and,
• 33.6% of children aged 5-10 years are stunted.

Moreover, results of the 2008 National Nutrition Survey of FNRI-DOST showed that,

• 19.5% of Filipinos suffer from anemia; 55.7% of infants 6-11 months are most affected followed by 42.5% of pregnant women;
• 15.2% of 6 months – 5 years old children have Vitamin A deficiency;
• Iodine deficiency among 6-12 year old children, a marker group for the entire population, is within acceptable levels; however, iodine level among pregnant women is below recommended level; and, 66.9% of households did not meet their dietary energy requirement.

During our celebration, the children had various presentations showing vegetables while reciting poems and singing nutrition songs. The parents have enjoyed selling fruits and veggies by the roadside as you can see in the pictures below.

We are very grateful to God for His provision for our children. Please continue to pray with us so that their needs would be met both in the natural as well as in the spiritual.

Thank you for making this event possible!

After having a small break for the two summer months, we are back on our weekly schedule cooking and feeding our little ones. As we have added 40+ children to the program, there is more food preparation needed. However, our parents are right on it!

Volunteering parents happily render their cooking services

Yummy food display

Children  praying a blessing upon the food and giving thanks to God for the lives of the sponsors who lend their hands to provide for them. 

Brother Lito, one of our maintenance workers as well as a parent, serving food. Kindergarten children patiently waiting for their rice.  

Some of the parents (school officers on the parents’ board) participated in serving food to the children.

Children enjoying their meal

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

June 15, 2014 marked our first Sunday fellowship meeting of the school year 2014-2015. Many parents of our children attended this meeting. Brother Lito shared a wonderful message on “Seeking first the Kingdom of God.” He taught us that we must first seek the Kingdom of God before anything else and then all other things like food and clothing will be added unto us. Only God can give us a bountiful life if we learn to follow in His footsteps.

Some parents shared their testimonies how thankful they are that God directed them to go to KMMS as this school not only provides a proper education for their children in the academic area but also spiritually. They are very grateful that the school can teach their children how to grow as the children of God. They are all praying and hoping that God will bless those who have it in their heart to help the indigent in the Philippines so that they could continue to bless the school.

Over the last couple of years we, the partners of KMMS in the U.S., have been enjoying the privilege of having access to a very reasonable shipping service to the Philippines. We take advantage of it as often as we can. After visiting garage and books sales and collecting a number of goods, donations as well as gifts from the sponsors, we pack a big box and send it off with a prayer that it would, in about three-months-time, arrive safely to its destination – KMMS. The beneficiaries are always grateful for this extra provision. The following pictures show smiling faces of those who received their blessings this time, not only from the box but also through the brethren who visited the Philippines in June.

Clothes are packed individually to be given to the sponsored and indigent children.

Krishelle is very glad to receive gifts from her sponsor. She says, “Thank you so much for your gifts.”

Jefferson is happily handling a sack of gifts from his sponsor. “Thank you, my sponsor, for your care.”

Kurt is wearing a gift shirt from his sponsor. “Thank you so much, sponsor, for the special shirt for me.”  

Christine Mae receives her gift from her sponsor.

“Thank you, Dubuque fellowship for this very special and beautiful dress.”

Sweet smile of Jared Daniel as he receives gifts from his sponsor. “Thank you, dear sponsor.”

A pose of Chastine Ann with her father, brother and sister as she receives gifts from her sponsor. “Thank you so much for the blessings!”

Bob says, “Thank you again, my dear sponsor, for this bag of gifts.”

Jacquilyn and her mother want to thank her sponsors for their thoughtfulness, love and care.

Jonnah Faith, who moved out of the area and cannot attend KMMS anymore, still received a package from her sponsor. It was specially delivered to her at her aunt’s house. “Thank you, my sponsor, for your care.”

Faculty and staff were glad to receive hand-made bags and personalized letters from the sisters of Dubuque fellowship. From all us here we would like to say, “Many thanks to all of you and God bless you!”

Every new school year brings a need for new school uniforms. Those of our children who have been with us last year get to add one more set to their school outfits. This way they can always wear one while the other one is being washed. The new children will be the happy owners of one set; at least for now. Thank you, sponsors, and other donors for making these outfits possible!

Rolando, our maintenance worker, together with some volunteering parents cut the uniform clothing so that the children’s families can take them to the seamstress and have them turned into a beautiful uniform.

Uniform material ready to be handed out.

Parents and children receiving the material.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Our dream has come to pass! Thanks to one of our generous sponsors, we now have 3 computers in the computer lab and a new air conditioner. Even though this was a great expense, we were able to satisfy a newly passed government requirement for school. We are very excited about the opportunities this knowledge will provide for the children in the future.

Teacher Janice teaching the children a basic computer lesson.

The children were SOOO excited to touch the computers!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

We just wanted to extend our special “THANK YOU” to Charles & Melissa Trotter family for their generous donation towards Kingdom Message Ministry School. The Trotter’s eldest daughter, Anna Naomi, went to be with her Lord at the age of 16 on May 8, 2014. She valiantly fought a rare form of leukemia for 13 years and ultimately has triumphed over it all. As Anna very much loved children, the Trotters decided to forward all funeral memorials to the Kingdom Message Ministry School. And so, the school has received $575 in memory of Anna. Thank you, Trotter family, for your kindness. We are very grateful for your generosity. May the Lord bless you and keep you in the days ahead.