WE BOUGHT THE BIRTHING HOME!

The landowner informed us that he was determined to sell the birthing home property. He wanted us to have the first option to buy. 

This ministry belongs to the Lord, and so, in obedience to his call 20 years ago to “do” the Gospel through the ministry of midwifery to impoverished women and their families, we are pressing forward.

We have rented the present birthing home for 17 years and are deeply embedded in the community. We have served not only as a place of welcome and dignity to thousands of birthing moms, and their families over the years, but also as a community gathering place. It  also has been used as a place of refuge, relief, and recovery from storm’s devastation. We have seen births by the thousands, as well as hosted weddings, baptisms, and birthdays in the Birthing Home facility. The Learning Area hosts almost 200 women every week for Childbirth, Women’s Health, and Newborn Care education.  It also sees the annual Children’s  Christmas Party and is the site of forums and workshops.

The price for 1,024 sq. meters (approx. 3,100 sq. feet) which includes the recently re-roofed Birthing Home, Learning Area, and Reproductive Health Care facility, Total costs was about $75,000.

We achieved that goal with allot of help of very good people.
One of the things we did this past year was a Fundraiser !! On Jan. 26th 2012 Help International Ministries ended the evening with $17,000!! We were absolutely incredible! As a result of that exquisite evening, we now think in terms of FUNRAISING!!! 
Check out the links to get a better "feel" of that amazing evening.
http://youtu.be/_x2RHSK8Jkw

http://youtu.be/4bpvE_onKPs

To own the property allows us to develop it as we have wanted to do for so long. 

The building of the new support wall at Shiphrah Birthing Home has just been finished in the past few weeks.  We also are currently working on refreshing the learning area as well as creating a beautiful play ground for all the children of our area. There has not been a good and safe place for the community's children to play in. Building a new Septic tank for the Birthing Home is also in our near future plans.

Our dreams are big for this new purchase as we hope to provide lodging facilities for students, both those with families as well as single's. We also would like to add another birthing room, and badly needed renovation on the midwives quarters.

Please join us through prayer, and help all of our dreams for this wonderful place to come true.  

We do ask for your on-going commitment to support the daily operations of both Shiphrah Birthing Home and The Little Children's Home. Your support through prayer and donations make it possible for hundreds upon hundreds of women, children, and families to feel in a tangible way, the powerful love of God. For those who have not yet joined the HELP team, come aboard. It’s a wonderful life!

Please note that we have recently added an online donation capacity (not tax deductible for Americans, though).

The donation button is on our website:

http://www.helpintl.org/

Camiguin Island is five hours off the far, northern coast of Luzon (the main island of the Philippines, where we live), on a little banca--a dugout boat with outriggers. From September through February you watch the skies carefully for maybe one day in a week when it's safe enough to make the crossing. And it's from there that three courageous community healthcare workers have come to learn midwifery at Shiphrah (Exodus 1) Birthing Home.

At six o'clock this morning, Jing (seen above), Helen, and Carol attended a birth with Lornie, who was their midwife instructor. Alathea is the first girl in a family of four boys. Her parents had promised their good friends, who have been married for 15 years and have no children, that if they gave birth to another boy they would gift him to them.

Jovina was divided during the birth: truly, she wanted to bless her friends with a child, but she did not want to give up her child either. She had come think they wouldn't have another girl because their second child had been a girl, and then died after three months.

When Alathea was born, it was sheer wonder. They had not even prepared a name, and had only a few clothes on hand -- because in their minds, this was not their child. Amazingly to me, along with being delighted to receive the gift of a daughter, Jovina was also sad for her friends. We had the wonderful opportunity to talk to them about the possibility of adoption for their friends. The Philippine government is developing an excellent program to help local families adopt.

What Carol, Jing and Helen will learn about midwifery here will only be written on the margins a textbook. But they will go back to their island much better equipped to serve the surprising needs of the families there.