Team Thriven and Team Alabaster are working together with Threads of Hope in Aninuan on Mindoro Island. Threads of Hope is a ministry started by Alex and Chris Kuhlow from Neenah, Wisconsin. Threads of Hope is a ministry that acts as a vendor of the bracelets made by the local women and children to help provide them a sustainable income to prevent the alternative of prostitution as a source of income.
Threads of Hope is an amazing ministry that helps to prevent women and children from entering prostitution and keep the children in school to complete their education. It is so important for us to not only provide them a skill and sustainable income by marketing their products but also verbally share Jesus with them and the tourists in this area. The Gospel is taking root in the hearts of the people here battling against the predominately Roman Catholic and also agnostic and Islamic faiths in the area.
Making an eternal difference in the hearts and lives of every person through Jesus Christ is what the Gospel is all about. It begins by building relationships. This month, we’ll be doing some construction this month around the Aninuan Christian Church where we are staying but mostly relational ministry with Pastor Alex and his wife, Marina, and the women that make and sell the bracelets along the beach in the tourist area of Puerto Galera.
All fourteen members of our teams are staying in huts beside the church built with the profits from Threads of Hope. Alex and Chris have told us this is the most comfortable month for weather in the Philippines. The highs are in the mid to upper 80’s and the lows are in the upper 60’s. It is INCREDIBLY humid though! It reminds me of South Florida in the summertime. The mosquitoes aren’t very bad this time of year, which I am so thankful for. I do want to deal with mosquitoes again like we did in Swazi!
There are plenty of animals around to keep us entertained. We have a couple goats as well as pet dogs and monkeys that run the area where we’re living.
Prayer for our ministry this month that we’ll connect with the locals and be able to share and demonstrate Christ’s love to them. Pray also for the Alex, Chris, and the Threads of Hope ministry that they’d be blessed and have guidance of how to continue to do the Gospel in this area.
