A report from the workers at the Philippines Self Help Foundation: Around noontime on 18th March, our Bacolod administrator Sherry, together with our field worker Warlita and I (Ireen) journeyed to Bago City to meet with Alfie Gico (38), a grant recipient from September 2020. We were at the tricycle terminal when Alfie showed up on his tricycle (a three-wheeled…

Our meditative service on Good Friday was very moving and included well-loved hymns on the theme of the Cross, intrerspersed with readings and prayers. The bare wooden cross covered with chicken wire was displayed in front of the bare altar. Then on Easter Sunday we had a joyful celebration of the Resurrection, when the bare cross was filled with individual…

Our service of “Christmas Lessons and Carols – Many voices, one Gospel” took place on 18 December at 6pm and was a joyful, musical event, as always. Sadly some of our French friends were missing as the football World Cup had gone into extra time and they wanted to know if France won. However, we had a good attendance, including…

St John’s hosts a library with an extensive collection of English language books, including novels, thrillers, biographies, etc. There are new opening times for this: Tuesdays and Thursdays  10am to 12 noon. Access is via the vestry door at the east end of the church. Do come and take advantage of this facility.

Our Harvest Festival service on 18 september was made all the more enjoyable as old friends were able to join us from the UK, some of whom we had not seen since beofre the pandemic. The singing was uplifting, led by a choir of 11, who also sang an anthem. Our flower arrangers created beautiful displays, and one of our…

MICANDRO AND VAISHYA ECHEVAZ WITH MIKE ANDREW Micandro Q. Echavez (26), his wife Vaishya (21), and their one-year-old son Mike Andrew live with Vaishya’s parents and siblings in the hills of Barangay San Jose, about three kilometres off the main road leading to the town of Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental. Once a week, Micandro visits his own parents and siblings…

We celebrated Pentecost in our usual joyful musical way, with hymns sung heartily by the choir and congregation, and an excellent rendition of César Franck’s “Panis Angelicus” from the choir. As a token of our respect to Her Majesty the Queen on the Platinum Jubilee, we stood at the end of the service to listen to Britten’s moving version of…