Here is Mark, reclining as close as he possibly can to the Word coming through the Proclaimer. (Photo courtesy of FCHB)
Philippines (MNN) ― Mark was seven years old when he first came to the Faith, Hope and Love Kids Ranch (FHL). He still remembers the feeling of laying his head on a pillow for the very first time. It was a lot softer than the pieces of cardboard and drainage pipes where he usually slept.
Mark came to the ranch because he had been rescued from living on the streets. To feed himself, he learned the art of pickpocketing. He preferred covert crime to the humiliation and vulnerability of begging, selling drugs, or selling trinkets. Sometimes he stayed in a park where dozens of children gathered to sleep in drainage pipes or to dull their hunger by sniffing cement glue.
In the Philippines, about 2 million children live on the streets. Constantly on the move, they always face threats of rape, abuse, and murder. The Lamar family established the Faith, Hope & Love Kid's Ranch Inc. in 2004 to give abandoned, abused, neglected, and orphaned children a second chance at life.
40 children now live at the home. Last year, Faith Comes by Hearing sent Proclaimers -- audio recordings of the Bible in their language -- to FHL. Now the children listen to the Proclaimer every day during naptime and at night. If the caretaker forgets to turn it on, the kids yell, "Turn on the Proclaimer! Turn on the Proclaimer!"
FCBH initiated programs for the Tagalog language in 2006. Since then, it has distributed 5,970 audio Bibles.
Pray that God's Word will continue to bring healing to the lives of these kids and help them grow into strong Christians.
