Thank you to all of those who have been donating towards the Camiguin College Mentorship and Scholarship Program! Your donations are doing so much good. Of the 14 students currently being sponsored, 7 are pursuing degrees in the field of agriculture. You might be thinking: “Agriculture?? Why?? How is that going to help them get a job??” The truth is that the options for majors are very very limited on Camiguin Island. Moreover, our program’s PRIMARY goal has never been about securing a future for these kids on earth but in heaven! HOWEVER, I do care immensely about these kids and their future careers too. And apparently, so does God! Recently, He gave me a small glimpse of what He has in store for these kids in the near future! In so doing, He reminded me that He knew what He was doing when 2.5 years ago He inspired these kids to take up agriculture and when He moved me and my team with compassion to agree to financially sponsor these students.
This past week, a few of the students were able to apply some of their learnings from the last 2.5 years of schooling to help Casa San Pio Pilgrim’s Inn and Apostolic Farm which has seen an infestation of scale insects on 100 lanzones trees. Here are pictures of the students harvesting beetles from our little island (with permission from the Dept. of Agriculture) and applying them to the lanzones trees terribly infected by scale insects on the mainland! The job of the beetles – kill the scale insects which are killing the lanzones trees!
Casa San Pio, a favorite haven of mine since my first year as a missionary, has also become dear to the students after we recently spent 8 days there on a retreat. It should be noted that the students’ efforts were due neither to a school requirement nor a request from Casa for help. Rather, the students themselves recognized the need. After being blessed by the retreat experience at Casa, they wanted to give back by sharing and applying what they’ve learned in school. In return for their kind service, they got to return to their beloved Casa with their travel expenses covered along with free lodging and meals. And for these simple island kids, that’s already a lot! For me, I saw how God can use my students’ training and education for their own good and the good of others. Indeed, God knows what He is doing and is preparing a “future full of hope” for my students. Perhaps one day He will provide some of them with an opportunity to work for a place like Casa San Pio. Undoubtedly God will do His part in making sure that these kids will be ok after college and even in the life to come. The kids, with their school work, and I, with my missionary obligation, will need to do ours.
For more info on the College Program, please visit:
https://gomissionaryjo.wordpress.com/…/send-a-student-to-c…/
In the Name of Jesus 