2024: THE YEAR THAT WAS PART 2
IN The FEAST FAMILY January 5, 2025, we gave you Part 1 of THE YEAR THAT WAS, featuring highlights of the Feast Talks in 2024.
In this issue, we go down memory lane again, this time to reminisce our Mercy Ministries in the past year.
31 “But when the Son of Man[a] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 …34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ –Matthew 25: 31-34
Guided by this inspiring message from our Lord Jesus, the
Light of Jesus Family has established and sustained Mercy Ministries — serving the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, and those in prison.
Most of our Mercy Ministries were spearheaded by Bro. Rey Ortega, longtime devoted member of our Light of Jesus Family.
Bro. Rey spent more than four decades helping the poor before his passing in June 2017.
At left, here he is with equally devoted Mission servant, his wife Myrna, with a child of Tahanan ng Pagmamahal.
Provisions and Prayers
Promptly, our Light of Jesus Family supported the Mercy Ministries, with provisions and, most important, prayers– all through the passionate loving care of our founder, Bro. Bo Sanchez, who himself founded a most needed ministry, our Anawim Home for Abandoned Elderly.
At right, a lola gratefully holds on to his hands.
Every step of the way, Bro. Bo has been bringing the Light of Jesus Family love to those who need Jesus most…
In succeeding pages, we share highlights of our Mercy Ministries events in 2024.
Our deepest gratitude to all our Mercy supporters.
God reward you a hundredfold as He promised cheerful givers!
ANAWIM HOME FOR ABANDONED ELDERLY
Caring for Caregivers
Abandoned by those who were supposed to love them and take care of them, our lolos and lolas find recourse in Anawim’s team of servants– particularly the caregivers.
Because when they are done with their assignments, the other servants go on to prepare for their next tasks.
The caregivers stay, serving in shifts, to make sure that the elderly have someone they can turn to for whatever their concerns at the moment.
Caregivers, however, also need to be taken care of. At Anawim, caregivers struggle through challenges for their own professional development and personal growth. Culturally, the singles, particularly, have obligations to provide for their respective families. So, our Light of Jesus Family Mercy Ministry, led by Bro. Hermie Morelos as chairman, has developed a program specifically to relieve if not totally free our caregivers from their burdens.
Bro. Hermie and his wife, Sis. Reng David Morelos, presented the program for caregivers during the Oceania Leaders Conference held in New South Wales, Australia, on October 25-27, 2024.
Spearheaded by Bro. Randy Borromeo, LOJ Oceania Region Builder, the Conference centered on the theme Purposeful Leadership.
Together for caregivers, from left: Randy Borromeo; Kemp Vinson, Builder, Feast West Melbourne;
Dr. Michelle Alignay, head, Light of Jesus Pastoral Care Ministry, and Conference Guest Speaker; Reng Morelos; Hermie Morelos; Pio Catubay, Builder, Feast
Melbourne City; Roqsee Villegas, wife of Melvin Villegas; and Melvin Villegas, Builder, Feast Melbourne District.
GRACE TO BE BORN
Reaching Year 15 by Divine Design
Celebration, from top: Thanksgiving Mass presided by Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara; Grace Team led by Executive Director Sis. Ester Palacio (seated, in plain white blouse);
Dancing Grace mothers and children (images blurred to protect their privacy); and party time!
In July 2008, Bro. Rey Ortega and his wife Myrna went on a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Mexico City. There, they learned that the Blessed Virgin Mary, called Our Lady of Guadalupe, was the Patroness of the Unborn. Bro. Rey noted there was no ministry in the Philippines saving the unborn from abortion, and he wished there would be one.
Back in the Philippines, the Ortegas attended The Feast led by Bro. Bo Sanchez at the Valle Verde Country Club in Pasig. By Divine Design, on that day, Bro. Bo delivered a passionate talk about abortion. Bro. Rey connected with Bro. Bo, and they established the new Ministry– to set up a shelter for unwed pregnant women so they will not resort to abortion, plus an orphanage for the babies.
Grace To Be Born came to life on May 8, 2009, the only day the Board members had common time for the inauguration of the shelter. The day, again, by Divine Design, happened to be the birthday of Bo’s mother, Sis. Pilar Sanchez, a staunch supporter of LOJ’s ministries.
HE CARES MISSION
Love Offering for Street Children
“Cast all worries to Him because He cares for you.”
This Bible verse in 1 Peter 5:7 is the inspiration for He Cares Mission.
Founded by Bro. Joe Dean Sola, longtime LOJ member, He Cares is committed to caring for homeless, wounded, and vulnerable children in Metro Manila and now in other key areas in the country, restoring their hope, and helping them to make a meaningful contribution to the world. http://www.hecaresmission.com/index.html
Once a carefree youth, Joe Dean needed help with his finances one dire day. He called his elder brother Dan, an active LOJ member, who eventually introduced him to the Light of Jesus Family.
Experiencing spiritual awakening, Bro. Joe Dean then embarked on caring for children like he was once. With his supportive wife, Sis. Ardis, he has put up a home for street children, sent them to school, taught them livelihood skills, especially in a farm donated to He Cares.
In 2023, he came to The Feast to appeal for support of He Cares’ Back-to-School program granting scholarships for out-of-school children.
And through their Love Offering, Feasters promptly contributed to the program.
On June 9, 2024, he came back to The Feast to report that with the Feasters’ Love Offering, He Cares was able to grant scholarships to more than 700 out-of-school youth, and many of them were to graduate last year.
Bro. Joe Dean said: “That’s my happiness. Responding to God’s call to serve the poorest of the poor. And today, I am a voice for them. Because next school year, we are going to send more than 800 scholars back to school– with your help. I’m asking you never get tired of doing this for the glory of God. Because this is a part of our mission.”
JESUS CHRIST CARES FOR CANCER
Celebrating Year 9!
COULD anything good come out of tragedy, one might ask. It could. And it did.
Thus starts the major info document of Jesus Christ Cares
For Cancer (JCCFC) which marked its 9th Founding Anniversary on September 28, 2024.
We celebrated JCCFC with a special feature in The FEAST FAMILY in July, a significant month for the Foundation.
Jesus Christ Cares For Cancer started with Reylindo “Rey”
Ortega, founder of most of the Light of Jesus Family Mercy Ministries. Bro. Rey has gone on to Heaven but he lives in the heart of every person he has helped live a life of providence, dignity, and faith in God.
Like Brian, a 7-year-old boy who succumbed to cancer in July 2013.
The young boy’s passing disturbed Bro. Rey and made him more conscious of the plight of the poor afflicted with the illness.
In May 2015, Bro. Rey himself was diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer. With only six months to live, he resolved to spend his remaining days serving indigent cancer patients.
He started JCCFC and officially registered it with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2015.
JCCFC has been able to accomplish its mission mainly through dedication of volunteers–from its chairman,
Bro. Angelo Gelano, and Sis. Maritess Cordero,
JCCFC board secretary, to the members of the board of directors, accountant, bookkeepers, and area coordinators.
The Foundation has also been blessed with generous donors supporting fund-raising projects such as the I’m Possible
I’m Possible benefit concerts in 2024 which raised much-needed seed funds and helped finance the liver transplant and save the life of a terminally ill baby.
The Foundation accepts donations through BDO Peso Account No. 01109 8000 356.
LIGHT OF JESUS FAMILY DISASTER RECOVERY MINISTRY
A burden turned to blessing. The Light of Jesus Family Disaster Recovery Ministry was established at the onslaught of super Typhoon Ondoy on September 26, 2009.
Bro. Bo Sanchez encouraged our Community leaders to form the group to help members in times of calamities.
Early on, Bro. Bo assigned Bro. Roy Pasimio (below, left) as the first head of the Ministry.
Bro. Roy formed its organization, objectives, and policies.
Bro. Jorge Diomampo (left) next handled the Ministry.
And today, at the helm of the Ministry is Bro. Marvin Tan, (extreme right) here with
Bro. Hermie Morelos, chairman of our Mercy Ministries.
With an unending cycle of generosity– giving, sharing, saving lives— we have called our Ministry
The Feast Little Acts of Love.
The Ministry holds a monthly Feeding Program for street dwellers dubbed Isama Natin Sila sa Mesa– yes, in English, Let’s Include Them at the Table.
The project is a partnership between the LOJFDRM’s Feast Little Acts of Love Foundation and The Feast Meycauyan.
In 2024, volunteer members prepared 200 food packs and helped distribute them to street dwellers in Caloocan, Manila, and Quezon City.
To donate, log on to www.feast.ph/giving.
The LIGHT of JESUS PRISON MISSION
Shining Light
IN the first two issues of The FEAST FAMILY, January 2024, we featured the organization, objectives, operations, and theological basis of this Ministry.
In our January 18, 2024, issue, we went back to the prison, carrying a powerful message:
“Darating ang ating kaligtasan” (Our salvation is coming).
Our ka-Family shared their lessons, showing that hope can transform even the toughest situations.
JEREMIAH 33 FOUNDATION
Building a New Haven of Healing
A major Mercy Ministries event in 2024 is the ground breaking for a new complex for Jeremiah 33: 6-7 Foundation, our home for sexually abused minor girls.
Jeremiah 33 ministers to girls 18 years old and below, providing psychospiritual counseling, education, care, even legal assistance should they need to file a case against their abusers.
The Foundation used to have a shelter for the girls in Pasig City. Time came when the venue was no longer available for the Foundation, so it had to move out and camp on a vacant space in the property donated for Anawim Home for Abandoned Elderly in Montalban, Rizal.
By God’s grace, construction of a Jeremiah complex in the Anawim compound will soon begin.
Thus, the happy Ground Breaking Ceremony last August 2024.
In 587 BC, Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylon Empire, then the world power, and the Jews were exiled to Babylon where they became slaves.
The prophet Jeremiah gave hope to the Jews with God’s promise:
6 “Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s wounds and give it prosperity and true peace. 7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and rebuild their towns.
The verse, Jeremiah 33:6-7, is now the name of our Foundation which is fulfilling God’s promise of healing, this time, for abused, wounded girls.
LIGHT OF JESUS PASTORAL CARE
The Light of Jesus Pastoral Care is a 24/7 Ministry that provides
psycho-spiritual support to the emotionally burdened. You may tap its online website and someone is there to attend to you any time of the day, and to provide emotional support amid your difficulties.
Here are excerpts from a sharing of Elah Czarina Perez, who is supporting this Ministry as a donor. She came to know about LOJ and Bro. Bo Sanchez through the Kerygma magazine (now called The Feast).
Someone Listened to Me
By ELAH CZARINA A. PEREZ
…We all know how relentless God is when He pursues us…
By His grace, a friend at my workplace happened to be a servant of The Feast Bay Area. She invited me, and some others as well, to attend The Feast. When I learned that Bo Sanchez was preaching, I was happy to join…
There was one day in March 2021 when I just needed someone to talk to… I sent a message to the Ministry — and as promised, a “duty carer” responded to me, listened to my woes, prayed, and cared for me.
Having experienced this pastoral care, I realized this Ministry is a blessing to people needing relief from their emotional wounds… At the back of my mind, I was asking: Who cares for the duty carers?
So, in October 2021, I did an online fundraising for the Ministry to celebrate my birthday… Miraculously, the funds raised were greater than P100,000! In May 2023, I pledged to make monthly financial support to the LOJ Pastoral Care.
Around this time, I learned that Sis. Michele Alignay would be leading this Ministry. It was like a confirmation from Jesus that I was doing the right thing.
Ichel, as I fondly call her, happens to be my sister’s friend who became my doctor-counselor… I learned that while there are big challenges that come my way, there are bigger blessings alongside them. And that these blessings aren’t something we keep to ourselves. Rather, they are meant to be shared.
And somehow, the blessings keep on coming back.
Proverbs 11:25 is so true, after all. It says: “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”
