Here is our October 2016 Newsletter.
Incredible John
In the midst of a busy morning in July, all of us stopped what we were doing as we saw John enter our IDEA office with his teacher. He looked very weak and pale. He was coughing and could barely get his feet moving. Our greeting, “How are you John,” went unanswered which was unusual for him. We all know …
New Dormitory for the Deaf in Loon
Three years after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Bohol and damaged the dormitories housing our deaf students, the Loon Special Education (SPED) students have been provided with a fully furnished, two-story dormitory designed to withstand earthquakes. The memory of that traumatic earthquake is still fresh to all who lived through it, but we also remember the gracious gifts that came …
BDA Intramurals
Darkness faded away and the golden rays of the sun started to break out. The students jumped out of their beds in excitement as the days they have been preparing for had finally come – the Bohol Deaf Academy Intramurals. The beating of the snare drums and large plastic water tank (the students’ improvised drum) blended with the students’ various-pitched …
Changing Lives
The Philippines is a land of stark contrasts, there are those that live in homes the size of resorts with servants and all the comforts one could dream of while right outside their gate are families living in bamboo shacks without electricity, running water, or food for each meal. At first sight it would be easy to judge the rich and …
YWAM Visitors Blessed With A New Perspective
Here at IDEA we often have the opportunity to host visiting mission teams. On January 2, 2015, seven wide eyed visitors bounced down the runway at the Tagbilaran airport and right into our lives. This team of young adults is the first ASL (American Sign Language) team to be dispatched to the Philippines by YWAM (Youth With A Mission).
2014 Was A Year of Recovery, Rebuilding and Rejoicing
Now that 2014 has come to a close we can look back on it as a time of rebuilding, recovering and rejoicing. We know that 2015 will also hold its share of triumphs and tragedies but we know that God has a plan for all these things and can turn disasters into blessings.
Taking the Show on the Road
This year’s vocational training at the Bohol Deaf Academy has gone to a whole new level. Every Wednesday and Friday our High School students are getting the opportunity to learn job skills that will help them to find employment for summer jobs and hopefully long term employment after they graduate. Part of the training for the Food & Beverage class …
Bohol Deaf Academy Graduation 2014
Nothing encapsulates the vision and mission of IDEA more than the graduation ceremonies at the Bohol Deaf Academy. This year we had one young man and 7 young women graduating. As is the custom here in the Philippines the ceremony included all of the necessary pomp and circumstance and attention to detail. What an honor it was to be able …
New Dorm – Maasin
Faith Chapel Volunteers from Billings, Montana transform abandoned building into a home for deaf children. Maasin City, Southern Leyte, Philippines, August 21, 2011 Hundreds of deaf children live in isolation in the mountains of Southern Leyte with no chance for an education because of distance and economics. There is only one practical solution to providing them schooling and that is …