Day of Prayer reaches children in need
in the Philippines

A member of staff from the Philippine Bible Society in prayer at the Philippine Heart Center. The Society visited young patients in three hospitals to mark the UBS World Day of Prayer on May 9, 2005. Manila, Philippines. Photo: PBS/Edna Mae Rabago (PHI05DJ-130.JPG)

PHILIPPINES — When they were planning activities to mark the United Bible Societies’ (UBS) World Day of Prayer, staff at the Philippine Bible Society were keen to ensure that they prayed with, as well as for, people in particular need. So on May 9 and 10, they visited young patients in three hospitals and spent time in prayer with them, their parents and the medical staff.

The Philippine Heart Center, the Philippine Children’s Medical Center and the National Children’s Hospital are among 11 hospitals in the Philippines that benefit from a special facility called Migi’s Corner. Set up in memory of a boy who died from heart disease in 1998, these act as a ‘comfort zone’ and a place of education and entertainment for children undergoing medical treatment. Well equipped with toys, books and televisions, they are an important source of play therapy. They also provided the ideal location for Bible Society staff to interact with the children when they visited.

Engrossed

In each hospital, children quickly gathered in Migi’s Corner to see what the Bible Society staff had brought, and many were soon engrossed in reading the Children’s Bible sa Wikang Filipino or a Scripture comic. Others chose a colouring book or listened to a staff member reading a Bible story. As opportunities arose, the Bible Society team prayed with the children, their parents and the medical staff.

Encouraged

Encouraged by the very positive reaction of children in these three hospitals, the Bible Society now plans to provide biblical materials to the other Migi’s Corner facilities spread across the Philippines.

The Bible Society also marked the UBS World Day of Prayer (May 9) with a distribution of Scriptures among 632 inmates at the prison in Marikina, a municipality of Metro Manila, undertaken in collaboration with the local Ministerial Fellowship. And in northern Luzon, some partner churches devoted the entire day to fasting and to prayer based on a special primer supplied by the Bible Society. (WR 394/2 - 07.05) [7 photos]

(left) A girl in prayer at the Philippine Heart Center. The Philippine Bible Society visited young patients in three hospitals to mark the UBS World Day of Prayer on May 9, 2005. Manila, Philippines. Photo: PBS/Edna Mae Rabago (PHI05DJ-129.JPG); (centre) A young leukaemia patient at the Philippine Children's Medical Center with a colouring book received from the Philippine Bible Society. Bible Society staff visited children in three hospitals on May 9 and 10, 2005, to mark the UBS World Day of Prayer. They prayed with the children and supplied them with Children's Bibles, colouring books and Scripture comics. Manila, Philippines. Photo: PBS/Edna Mae Rabago (PHI05DJ-92.JPG); (right) A patient at the National Children's Hospital. The Philippine Bible Society visited children in three hospitals to mark the UBS World Day of Prayer on May 9, 2005. Manila, Philippines. Photo: PBS/Edna Mae Rabago (PHI05DJ-113.JPG)