I SERVE in the Media Ministry in the afternoon session of The FEAST at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) every Sunday.

Yes, I help out at The FEAST, but it is I who receives grace upon grace through this Ministry.

One blessing recently was when my co-servants and I visited the Jeremiah Foundation, our home for sexually abused minor girls located in Montalban, Rizal.

We know about Jeremiah Foundation and our Mercy Ministries in our Feast sessions through posters and announcements– but visiting in person is an entirely different experience.

Jeremiah Joy

Jeremiah Executive Director Jing Saavedra kindly welcomes our group.

The Jeremiah girls happily welcomed us. Far from loved ones– or those who were supposed to love and care for them– they are ecstatic when visitors come and stay with them even just for a while.

With bright smiles, the girls said, “Thank you!”

Then, they promptly entertained us with a wonderful program– singing and dancing as if they didn’t long for a glimpse of God’s promise of healing and wholeness here on Earth.

Here are our Jeremiah girls reflecting on Praise song I am blessed to share, playing with my guitar.

Time for Healing

When we talk about God’s promise, we think of its fulfillment in the heavens. Fr Bob McConaghy, our beloved priest at The Feast Bay Area, said in one of his homilies that there is no more pain when we get to Heaven. All is joy.

We’re not there yet, but we experience the fulfillment of God’s promise when we wake up early in the morning to have our quiet time with the Lord, when we build relationships with our families and friends, when we empower and lift each other up, when we help those in dire need.

Like our girls in Jeremiah.

The Ministry is named Jeremiah 33:6-7 Foundation based on the Bible verse: 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 refers to the situation in Jerusalem at the time when Babylon, an ancient city on the lower Euphrates River in Mesopotamia (within today’s

Hillah, Iraq), was the world power in 587 BC– five hundred years before the time of Jesus. The Babylonian Empire imposed taxes on tribes under its rule, such as Judah, the tribe of the Jews. Judah refused to pay taxes, so Babylon captured its main city, Jerusalem, and the Jews were exiled to Babylon from their home in Israel, and served there as slaves for 70 years.

The prophet Jeremiah thus gave hope to the Jews, declaring God’s promise in Jeremiah 33:6-7 which our Jerimiah Foundation has claimed as God’s promise to minor girls suffering captivity in sexual abuse.

Pursuant to this Word, the Foundation provides a shelter for the girls.

The goal is to guide the girls in their journey towards a happy, healthy Christian living. To do this, Jeremiah provides psycho-spritual counseling to the girls while providing for their daily needs.

A brainchild of Reylindo E. Ortega, a longtime, devoted supporter of the Light of Jesus Family, opened the Jeremiah shelter in Dansalan, Mandaluyong, on November 27, 2012, first taking in two girls.

With more girls to take care of, the Foundation, led by Ester Palacio as Executive Director, transferred the shelter to a vacant lot within the sprawling greenery property of our Anawim Home for Abandoned Elderly in Montalban, Rizal.

Blessings

Yes, Jeremiah Foundation provides the girls a home– free board and lodging. They enjoy health care services — doctors and nurses ready to attend to them when they get sick. Plus social workers and caregivers ready to listen to their woes and help them find solutions to their problems.

While we went to minister to them, they were the ones who ministered to us with a wonderful program of songs and dances.

For the Jeremiah girls, the fulfillment of God’s promise often comes through generous supporters. The presence and attention of benefactors convey God’s message to them: “I will never leave you; I will take care of you. I will provide for you.”

Our shared brokenness allows us to be aware of our desperate need for Jesus and the longing to experience God’s promise of healing and abundance for us.

May we always be compassionate with each other as a glimpse of God’s promise being fulfilled in this, our corner of the world.

May we walk this life knowing that the love and wholeness of God will overcome our brokenness.

To our Jeremiah girls, again, we declare God’s Word.

This story was first published in the Feast Family Online News Magazine.

Published by THE FEAST MERCY MINSTRY (October 6, 2024)