Discipleship Friday

Every Friday children 16 and older come to the Jesan Center for our 'Discipleship Friday' program.

They help out around the center, maintain the garden, have bible studies, cook and sometimes even wash the JC vehicle. 

Our goal with this program is to get to know the kids better! We want to guide them to see their worth in Jesus Christ and to be in relationship with Him. Through the example of the whole JC team these young men and women have been making great changes in their lives! Some have started working on getting their GED, some have taken the garden as their own, they are growing to know Jesus, some have stopped the use of drugs, and one young man is even working on getting his drivers license (with the guidance of the JC) to be of more help. 

We are incredibly blessed to be working with such great kids! 

Would you prayerfully consider donating to this work? 

If is our goal by December 2015 to have a children's home in order to better serve these precious children.

Follow the paypal link or visit our go fund me page. 

Jesan Center Garden

The evolution of the Jesan Center garden.

Before the garden began 

The beginning. The start of the compost pile.

This is how the garden started. Little bag with little plants.

                                               

This young man has work on this garden since the beginning. He has put so much hard work into making the garden great! 

                                             

This was also step one of the garden. Some of the Discipleship Friday boys made this little space.
We have since outgrown it.

Starting to produce actual vegetables! 

Step 2. Transfer what was in the bags to the ground. 

The kids worked hard and diligently to make sure all the plants from the bags
to the ground would survive. 

Keeping the garden area clean. 

Taking out the weeds. 

Some boys even worked in the rain to get things done! Here he is working on the fence that now
surrounds the garden. 

Cleaning out the weeks and making it a better area for the vegetables to thrive! 

Starting to grow! Okra. 

We also have a fish pond in the works. Prayerfully, we will be able to finish this project by the end of the year.

Proud of all his hard work! 

This is what the garden looks like today! 

Proud of all their hard work!

Mission Trip

The Jesan Center/818 Ministry will be hosting a group of eight in June/July 2015! 

Want to come meet and visit with our kids? Street feedings, Vacation Bible School, building remodels, street visits and fun are all among the activities that will be happening on this 12 day trip. 

If you are interested in going please contact Chris Amaral, chrisp.amaral@gmail.com , for more information and to reserve your spot.  

See you all soon! 

In case you missed it

In case you missed out on Caidy's presentation while she was in the States here is a link to the video. 

Jesan Center 2014

3 years later

Three years ago Ronald and I met a sweet, funny, curious 12 year old boy named Jesan . In the short time we knew him before he died he inspired me and caused a spiritual uprising in my soul! The Spirit moved me in ways I had never been moved before. I had the pressing need and yearning to work with these kids, to give them opportunities to make positive change in their lives.

Three years after his death we still remember him every day. Every time we work with his friends, every time we deal with drug related issue, every time we help a child who has asthma we remember Jesan. His body may be dead but his soul lives with Jesus and it is Jesus who keeps us {the team} going.

Every day the doors of the Jesan Center are open we have the opportunity to impact a child's life for the good. Thank you, supporters, for partnering with us as we strive to make a difference in the lives of so many broken children such as Jesan.

Praise God for making great out of awful tragedy.

3 years later. 

Caidy and Josiah are headed to the States!!!

Here is a tentative schedule

June 23: Arrive in Florida
June 26-29: 818 Ministry booth set up at Spiritual Growth Workshop in Orlando, Florida

July 1: Travel to Rhode Island
July 6:  Presentation at Warwick church of Christ
July 13: Presentation at Wallingford church of Christ and my brother's WEDDING!!!!!!!
July 14: Speak at Tidal River Christian Camp
                     Where my young faith was nurtured by so many great people!
July 16: Travel back to Florida
July 21: Travel back to Cebu

Unfortunately this is a short trip. Because I will have 4 month old Josiah with me I will be doing little traveling and will only be visiting RI and FL.

It is our prayer that in 2016 all four of us can take a 3 month trip to the States and visit all our supporters!!

Until then, I hope to see many of you in the next few week.

Discipleship Fridays

At the Jesan Center it's extremely important to us to get to know each child personally. To know their life stories no matter how broken it might be. On normal drop in days we have any where from 10 to 25 kids ranging in ages from 5 to 20. It have been difficult getting to know some of the older boys and finding out how we can serve them best due to the ever increasing needs of the younger children and the ever increasing quietness of the teen boys. However, praise God for He had a great plan on how to change this fact! 

One day our oldest boy, 20 years old asked if he could make a garden at the Jesan Center and there birthed the idea of Discipleship Fridays. Every Friday the older boys ages 16 and above have the opportunity to come to the center and work with our intern, Noel, on the garden and other small projects. We have had this program going for about a month and it has been very fruitful! 

A boy that I used to be afraid of (yes, me afraid of one of our kids) is now one of the most trustworthy and reliable kids we have! He faithfully comes to tend to his garden every day working from the time he arrives to the time he leaves, about 6 hours only breaking for lunch and a quick shower. I am completely blown away about how this young man has transformed over the last several months of coming to the center and especially over this last month of coming on Fridays. He has a sense of purpose now. He now has reason to make good decisions, to shy away from the drugs and gang violence. The Jesan Center has given him an opportunity to make better of his life and he is holding on like no other! The meaningful work partnered with the new friendship with our intern has done marvelous things for this young man and it is our hope that we can continue to use Discipleship Fridays to get to know more young men like him. 

Working hard at preparing the ground for the garden. We now had a cute little garden their and they are now working on building a fish pond.