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I have dealt with abandoned children cases in the past, but the other day, when I did this particular intake, the word “unknown” haunted me as I wrote it line after line on the admission form.
Name of child: unknown
Date of Birth: unknown – Date Found: June 14, 2011 Age of child approx 2-3 yrs old.
Place of Birth: unknown – Place Found: Marketplace
Name of Father: unknown
Name of Mother: unknown
Medical History: unknown
And so on…
The little boy was sleeping in the arms of the case worker that brought him to our facility. His body was full of scabs, sores and open wounds. His hair had to be shaved to treat the wounds on his head. He wakes up as he was being handed to our nurse, he starts crying as he stared at the eyes of another complete stranger.
Still trying to process the reality in front of me, I think to myself “truth is stranger than fiction.” Just a week ago, we did an intake on 4 siblings ages 8 months to 6 years old who were abandoned in their home for 5 days until a local community official took them to Social Services. The grace of my sovereign God allows me to believe that He is in control and to Him, these children are KNOWN!
As I was interviewing the Social Worker who brought the little boy, I asked what name she wanted to give him– she paused for a second and said she’ll name the child after her cousin, Emmanuel. In my head, I was like “great choice!” To her, “Emmanuel” was just her cousin’s name – but as a Christian, I know what Emmanuel stands for – God with us! I did not think for a second that the choice of name for this child was coincidental. God was truly with this child during the time he was left all alone in the marketplace, He was with this child when he obtained every single wound in his little body, He was with this child when he was crying for his mom and when he was crying from hunger. God is with this child now, here at Babyanne’s Mansion.
- Karen
I really do not know what to say, but before coming to BAM I had been struggling with brokenness and broken family life. I felt so distant from knowing what family was even though I surrounded myself with my friends, step-family and my church community. It was really hard to see and grasp the idea of God as my father and accept his fatherly love, but during the time at BAM I was blessed with the opportunity to see and understand Gods fatherly love for all those broken and needing to see and witness his love even if it isn’t from the status based biological family setting society expects us to consistently rely on. I was so blessed and encouraged by seeing how big God’s love is, even in the smallest moments of childrens, who have endured suffering, smile and laugh. BAM, as a a place and organization, Jennie, Carmen and Anthony, and Karen showed me what it is to put all their trust in God and be willing to take risks that may not please many people who have hopes and expectations in what they will do or could do, but please God and utilize and put into practice the passions that God put on their hearts. My time at BAM has began to heal me and it showed me what God’s love is and where the root of love is from and how no matter what we do, we know that our ultimate father will always be there for us. I have learnt so much from BAM and only pray that others will be able to witness the God given life and love changes that BAM is offering to children and anyone who goes there. My biggest prayer for the founders, house parents and staff and children is that Gods hand continues to enrich their lives and guide them to know his heart and receive the vastness of His love.
Love you all and miss you,
Jennie Stanford
On June 6th, 2011, five of our children attended their first day of classes at Tarcan Elementary School. Preschoolers Christian and Joy attended kindergarten class while the bigger children Jochelle, Andrea and Harry were enrolled as first graders. The children were all thrilled to wear their uniforms and shoes to school along with their backpacks with school supplies such as pencils, crayons and notebooks. I want to say a special thank you for our generous supporters who donated the first set of uniforms and school shoes for the children.
The children were given an orientation during their first day of school and were then assigned to their specific sections. As the children begin their formal education and enhance their social experience by mingling with peers and meeting new friends, we are hopeful that this is contributing to each child’s better future.
Should you wish to give donations in kind towards the Educational program, we are looking for the following:
- A second set of uniform
- Socks
- Shoes
- School supplies such as: pad paper, colored paper, pencils, crayons, stroller bags
As the rainy season once again starts we are also in need of raincoats, rain boots and umbrella. You can also give a financial donation towards other costs such as special projects and field trips at school.
- Jenn
We had a fabulous week on May 9–13, 2011 as twelve children had the opportunity to experience a 5day Vacation Bible School (VBS) summer event in the home. The theme of the event focused on “The Fruit of the Spirit” where the children were taught the value of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control through various bible stories. We had a great opportunity to plant seeds in the lives of the children and to share the love of Jesus in a fun, biblical and life-changing manner.
A dear friend Ms. Marisol Llenado helped organize the program and conducted the story telling. Teacher Carmen was in charge of welcoming, praying and assisting with the craft activity. Karen taught the kids the actions to the song “Fruit of the Spirit” and our volunteer, Mary Kris helped prepare and build the props for the event.
The entire week was a lot of fun, high energy and lots of laughter. The children thoroughly enjoyed every single activity and the special treats prepared for them. It was filled with prayer, learning of action songs, story time, small group where the children got to answer questions about the story, memory verse, coloring activity, and the children also learned other songs like “Big Backyard” & “The greatest commandment.”
On the final day of the event, the kids had a simple graduation where they were given a certificate of completion. They also performed the song they learned and recited the memory verse. Several awards were also given to the children to their delight, some of these are Best in Memory Verse to Christian, Most helpful to Joyjoy, and Most Creative/talented to Harry. It is truly a joy to see little children grow in the knowledge of the Lord and in caring for others.
-Jenn
Jay-em thanking one of his supporters
On May 30, 2011, Jay-em went to the Philippine Heart Center (PHC) for his routine check-up. That afternoon, we received a phone call from his doctor asking if we could take him back to the hospital that evening for admission. A scheduled surgery for June 1st has been cancelled for someone else and they chose to give the slot to Jay-em amongst many other patients.
Jay-em underwent the surgery in the afternoon of June 1st. Much prayers have been uttered for the success of his operation and by the grace of God, all went well! After the surgery, we were informed that Jay-em will be transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for a close monitoring of his recovery. Praise be to God, he was doing so well, the doctors deemed it unnecessary to take him to the ICU ward. Jay-em spent 24 hours in the recovery room; afterwards was brought back to the pedia ward for recovery and observation. Five days later, on June 6th he was discharged from the hospital and brought back to Babyanne’s Mansion.
Since his operation, we noticed a significant change in Jay-em’s physical and emotional state. He is much happier and more energetic, we have to remind ourselves he is still recovering from his surgery! The story of God’s grace over Jay-em’s surgery is a blessing to all of us! Overnight, God provided the money we needed in time for his admission ($2,000CAD). Jay-em and our staff found favor in the sight of the medical professionals at PHC and we were treated very well! Jay-em’s recovery is astounding all of us, we can’t help but believe God surely has great plans for this little boy’s life.
We thank all of you, our friends for supporting Jay-em during this life-changing event in his life. Your prayers and financial support gave him the much needed and much awaited heart surgery. We are truly grateful, to God be all the glory!
