I spent this month in Puerto Galera, Philippines. My new team and I worked with an organization called Threads of Hope. Threads of Hope seeks to help the community, and particularly the women, by giving them a way to earn money with skills they already possess-bracelet making. Currently, Threads of Hope has over 700 bracelet makers who make thousands of bracelets, bookmarks, keychains, and lanyards each week. These items are sorted, bundled, and shipped to the United States where they are sold at festivals and camps. Threads of Hope also serves as a unique fundraising opportunity for many raising money for missions trips. If someone would like to fundraise through TOH, all they would do is let them know how many bracelets they want to try to sell and TOH will ship the items to them. Then they would just sell the bracelets however they like and when they finish, they send back all remaining bracelets and 50% of the profits made. These profits go directly back into the ministry to pay the bracelet makers and purchase the large quantities of thread needed.
Threads of Hope all started because a family saw a need in this community and wanted to help. This family was vacationing in Puerto Galera when they met a young woman selling handmade bracelets on the beach. They struck up a conversation with her and began to build the relationship with the young woman and her friends for years. The family noticed one year that one of the friends was missing. When they asked about her, the young woman said that selling bracelets had not been giving her enough income to support her family so she started selling her body instead. Right then the family decided they wanted to help these women. So they gave the young woman money and told her to make as many bracelets as she could with it and that they would come back to get them. A few months later they go back to find thousands of bracelets waiting for them. The bracelets were taken back to the States and sold. The bracelets were an obvious success and within days every bracelet was sold. The money from the sales was given back to the young woman and she was asked to gather her friends and make even more bracelets. Since that time seven years ago, TOH has continued to grow, now including hundreds of bracelet makers providing income for their families who desperately need it.
This ministry is incredible. I am familiar with TOH from home where I have helped friends sell bracelets for mission’s trips. It has been amazing to see the ins and outs of an organization that I know from home and get to know the people who make it all possible. It has been a joy getting to know and work with the leadership team. They lead with grace and humility and have a genuine desire to change the lives of the families here. God has blessed them, and through their faith, many people here are coming to know Jesus.
My day to day life this month looked a little something like this-
At 5:30am some of my teammates and I would get up to go running (mind you this running was uphill at multiple points). We’d have time to shower and get ready for the day before beginning devotions with our team and the TOH pastor and his family at 7am. This was followed by an amazing breakfast cooked by our pastor’s wife, Ate Marina. After breakfast we’d clean up and then set up our work station for the day. We spent most days untying knots on thousands of lanyards and resorting bundling bracelets. Although our fingers would hurt, this was fun because it meant that we got to see the bracelets first and snag up any that we loved. We would do this until about 4pm, with a lunch and siesta break in between. Siesta was a part of Filipino culture that we were all okay with!
Each evening looked different. One night a week was an evening church service for the bracelet makers and their families, so we would help set up for that and usually end up singing a special number during the service in front of all 900 members. Some evenings we were free to go to the beach or relax and sometimes our hosts would have something planned for us. One night they took us to a popular beach on the island where lady boys perform. Towards the end of the month, we began to prepare to be counselors for the church youth camp. For 3 days we were counselors for somewhere around 80 kids. It was crazy and exhausting, but we’ve got some good stories from it!
We were exposed to many different areas of ministry this month and met so many amazing people. The young woman who was originally involved in helping to start TOH continues to work there and now brings her two young children with her during the day. We often took time to play with them and get to know them. They brought us so much joy!
I think I could confidently say that this month is a favorite for me. Our location, our ministry, and all of the people we worked with made this a place I won’t forget. I am excited for this ministry and the growth that’s going on here. I feel blessed to have been able to call this place home this month.
