You can help a family in the Philippines for Christmas. Through Mission Love Seeds you can sponsor an entire family for only $25.
For $25 the family will receive a Christmas dinner, including hot dogs (which the children love and seldom get), cooked chicken, sliced ham, rice, vegetables, fruits and desserts, and a small pre-decorated Christmas tree.
These families are very poor and live on less than $1 a day. I have visited these villages and see the impact Mission Love Seeds is making.
You can visit missionloveseeds.org and click on sponsor to see some of the children you will be helping. From the sponsor page you can also sponsor a child. However if you would just like to adopt a family for Christmas here's what you need to do:
Send a check to Mission Love Seeds, Inc., P.O. Box 1717, Destin FL 32540. Write Adopt A Family in Philippines on check.
Since 2004 Mission Love Seeds has helped poor villages in the Philippines.
“Our work is currently carried out in the villages of Admiral, Sitio Pantay, Binayuyo and Dumpsite located near Antipolo City,” Barbi Carroll, president of Destin’s Mission Love Seeds, Inc., said in an interview. “Each village is unique, but all still need the basics of life. For most, just getting water is a daily chore.”
In all four villages, there is a monthly distribution of food, clothing and shoes. The food is purchased in the Philippines because shipping is so expensive, but all clothes and shoes are shipped from the Destin offices.
Betty Pope, Destin resident, said in an interview that “once, after viewing a video of the children in the Philippines, I remarked to Barbi that I thought the children were dressed so nicely and I didn’t expect that. She remarked ‘Oh, Betty, all they are wearing came from Destin.’ Isn’t that awesome?”
Carroll said that in the Philippines, most children eat only one meal a day — or some not at all. In most cases, parents make less than $1 a day, live in a 10 foot by 10 foot home with dirt floors, have no electricity or running water and have never had a Christmas tree.
John Hawbaker, vice-president of Mission Love Seeds, Carroll and their mission team visit the Philippines and know first-hand the poverty there.
“A gift of food and a small pre-decorated tree would be a blessing to a child and his/her family,” Carroll said.
The goal of Mission Love Seeds is to have 1,000 families adopted in the Philippines, and for only $25, the family will receive a Christmas dinner, including hot dogs (which the children love and seldom get), cooked chicken, sliced ham, rice, vegetables, fruits and desserts, and a small pre-decorated Christmas tree.
Carroll and Hawbaker recently gave a program at Destin United Methodist Church’s women’s group where 18 Adopt-A-Family sponsors signed up. The church is hoping to sponsor more.
Packages will not be sent to the Philippines due to expense and length of time to receive.
Mission’s coordinator in the Philippines, Fely Zapanta, and her staff will select a family, or you may visit www.missionloveseeds.org, go to sponsor, and select a child. E-mail missionloveseeds@cox.net with your child’s name and sponsor number or call (850) 650-5583. Do not fill out the form unless you plan to sponsor the child. Just e-mail the name and their sponsor number and Mission Love Seeds will do the rest.
Cut-off date to select a child is Dec. 1.
Checks or money orders may be sent to Mission Love Seeds, Inc., P.O. Box 1717, Destin FL 32540. Please write Adopt-A-Family Philippines on the check.
After Christmas, you will receive pictures of your child and his family and a thank you note by e-mail or postal service.
“Just imagine the look on a child’s face when a feast fit for a king and a beautifully decorated tree is delivered to their home on Christmas Eve,” Carroll said.
Mississippi
After Hurricane Katrina, Mission Love Seeds felt the need to help at home as well, and now continues their work in the Philippines while expanding to help families in Mississippi.
“When Barbi heard of the destruction caused from Katrina, she got down on her knees and asked, ‘Lord, what can I do to help?’ ” Pope said. “And she and John have not stopped since.”
Throughout 2005 and 2006, Mission Love Seeds has made monthly trips to forgotten towns such as Pearlington which was ground zero for Katrina. In 2007, the organization began working directly with the families to provide specific needs and help set up entire homes.
Pope and her husband first learned of Mission Love Seeds’ work in Pearlington in January 2006.
“And soon the Missions Committee and members at our church, Destin United Methodist Church, became involved,” Pope said. “Men and women helped with picking up household goods, loading the trucks and traveling to Pearlington on the last Saturday of the month. We admire John and Barbi so much for what they started as soon as Hurricane Katrina hit back in August 2005, and are continuing to do in Destin.”
Many people still live in FEMA trailers and will have no Christmas unless they are adopted by a caring person or family.
“Last year, some local people bought for people in Mississippi instead of their own families,” Carroll said. “Many family members went together and adopted three or four families. Parents asked their children to buy gifts for others instead of them. They said they didn’t need anything, but the people in Mississippi did.”
This year the goal in Mississippi is to adopt 100 families, but there are literally hundreds who are still in need.
Anyone wishing to adopt a family can call the Mission Love Seeds office and request the name of a family and their wish list. You will receive the story of the family, names and ages of children, their wish list and their contact information.
“A great idea is to purchase gifts for the children and a Wal-Mart gift card for the parents,” Carroll said.
For those who do their own shopping and mail the packages to the Mission Love Seeds office, call now and adopt your family to allow plenty of time for shopping.
Don’t have time to shop? Mission Love Seeds and volunteers will shop for you.
The day-long event to deliver the gifts begins at 7 a.m. on Dec. 15 when the caravan will leave Destin. There will be no regular distribution that day, just Christmas presents.
“This would be a great time to bring the children,” Carroll said. “Although we are still in the planning stage, God has supplied a place for the event. A youth pastor will speak about the true meaning of Christmas. There will be entertainment, lots of food, candy for the children, fresh baked cookies, a clown, and — of course — Santa will be there. Come and bring the whole family and get to know your ‘adopted’ family.”
To help
If your church or organization is interested in seeing a short video presentation about Mission Love Seeds, or if your church would like to have a special love offering for the Mission Love Seeds program in the Philippines, call Carroll at (850) 865-1055.
For more information about Adopt-A-Family, call Carroll, Hawbaker at (850) 865-6161, Pope, representing DUMC, at (850) 650-2663, or e-mail missionloveseeds@cox.net.
If you feel you cannot adopt a family at this time, and would still like to help, call Carroll about donating a toy or making a cash donation.
Every child should have a Christmas.
