Summer 2013 - Sparrows Gate

Rescuing His little ones
in the Philippines!
~ From Dean Tinney
About 24 years ago after opening
an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, I
felt led to review a map of the world
in an attempt to discover Englishspeaking countries in Latin America
and Asia. The reason was to identify
mission fields where our future
volunteers could communicate
in English because most of our
volunteers and visitors from the US
and Canada did not speak Spanish
and they felt frustrated trying to
communicate with our Mexican
children.
After earnest prayer and searching
my world map, Belize in Central
America; Guyana, South America and
the Philippines seemed to pop out at me; and I remembered that English is the official
language in these three countries. I promptly enrolled in a class on Filipino history at
Southwestern College in San Diego, and learned that the Philippines is much more
Latin than Asian because Spain ruled these 7,000-plus islands for more than 400 years.
I felt connected to the culture because of a close friendship with a Filipino
businessman in the US and because I remembered that my grandfather, who served
in the Navy, died defending the Philippines from the Japanese and that his name was
engraved on a stone, cemetery plaque in Manila.
After much prayer, I felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to visit each of these Englishspeaking countries starting with Belize about 22 years ago and then Guyana, South
America. I finally headed to the Philippines about 14 years ago. After landing in Manila,
I checked into a hostel and promptly left to look for homeless street children and saw
three totally naked kids, probably ages 4 to 10, trembling and hugging each other on
a busy street corner. The youngest was crying.
These children were abandoned, had no food, no clothing and no one to love and care
for them. I knew at that moment why God directed me to the Philippines. I was able to
find loving homes for abandoned children in Manila and Cebu and after subsequent
trips to the Philippines, I decided to focus on Davao because death squads were killing
street kids for breaking into cars and businesses to steal something to trade or sell for
food.
I asked a taxi cab driver to take me to the poorest area of Davao
and was dispatched to a barrio known as Bucana and after
walking aimlessly down flooded slum streets, I heard children
singing a Christian song and tracked the sound to a Christian
(Continued on next page)
Our temporary, one room, bamboo boys shelter on Samal Island,
just one mile from metro Davao,
Philippines, can be seen behind
our X homeless, street boys. Our
new, permanent boys home has
just been completed and is only a
few yards away.
Our kids will be blessed for the
first time with a roof that doesn’t
leak, showers, toilets, kitchen,
closets, dorm and a place to study
and do homework. Four new,
boys have been rescued from the
dangerous streets of Davao, since
this photo was taken a few weeks
ago.
In the Back:
House Parents Ludy V. Lopez &
Albert “Jun-Jun” V. Lopez
Standing:
Roger Laguna, Steve Morales,
Remond Aligito, Ceasar Ian
Caballero, Gringo S. Buniao,
Harry I. Celebrado, Ben Snider,
Dean Tinney, Alderick S. Teves, Jr.,
Peter John “Cezar” B. Agot,
Pastor Paul Barner
Kneeling:
Ian I. Celebrado, Gerald I.
Celebrado, Oneil A. Amimeta
Rescuing His little ones in the Philippines!
(Continued from previous page)
Kinder School about 13 years ago, where I met Pastor Renato Labos and
his wife Linda who operated the large school by faith. Sparrows Gate
partnered with the school and I recruited a pastor’s daughter from another
part of the Philippines to help them.
Years later, I searched the Internet in hopes of finding a ministry in Davao
willing to help Sparrows Gate care for street kids and I read about Pastor
Paul Barner, founder of a very large Christian elementary school in Davao.
We met, and his colleague Ben Snider volunteered to help us love and care
for homeless street children. Ben and I began to walk Davao streets at night
to rescue the children.
We formed a Filipino non-profit organization and Sparrows Gate bought
a home in Davao that is currently occupied by a Christian widow, her four
children and a growing number of otherwise homeless girls. Sparrows Gate
also bought pristine property on Samal Island, Philippines with unsolicited
and substantial funding from a long-time friend and Hollywood celebrity
about a year ago that is being used to love and care for the 14 boys we
have now, and many more in the future.
Samal is a beautiful tropical island with more than 100,000 residents and
is a major tourist destination just one mile from metro Davao. It is the third
largest city in the Philippines with more than 3,000,000 residents. Because
thousands of visitors come to Samal for vacations and leisure activity
and visit the very popular Samal Island Pearl Farm, we may open our own
tourist attraction to help fund our children’s ministry in Davao.
One idea, requiring a minimal
investment, is a Peacock Park. We
are researching the feasibility of
this potential business enterprise.
Our boys’ home property is
strategically located on a welltraveled and maintained road.
Peacock Park visitors would pay
an entry fee and presumably
buy food for our big birds, our
branded T-shirts, mugs, key
chains, photos of themselves
with our peacocks and tasty
healthy sandwiches and natural
juices and more. We hope to
lease or buy adjacent frontage
road property for this enterprise.
Our main goal for ministry in the Philippines
and beyond is to influence more poor
children to know, love and serve Jesus!
Pastor Renato Labos, wife Linda and Dean Tinney,
rescue another homeless street boy in Davao.
Denmar, age 10, was sleeping on a public park
bench. An angry drunk tried to stop Dean from
taking the boy to Sparrows Gate’s loving Christian
home. Street kids are often used by homeless adults
to steal and sell drugs.
Our Samal Island boys get a ride to the local store
to enjoy an unexpected snack with Sparrows Gate’s
Filipino mission board members Dean Tinney; Ben
Snider, Boys’ Home Administrator; and Pastor Paul
Barner, Founder of Barner Christian Academy. The
young man sitting high on the right is our Filipino
social worker who is one of several adults who live
full time at our boys’ home. These boys are going to
school now and some are the top students in their
classes.
G
od blesses those who are kind to the poor.
He helps them out of their troubles.
He protects them and keeps them alive; he
publicly honors them and destroys the power of
their enemies. He nurses them when they are
sick, and soothes their pains and worries.
~ Psalm 41:1-3 (The Living Bible)
From left to right: Dean Tinney, Ben Snider and Pastor
Paul Barner inspect the construction of the muchneeded and large Samal Island Boys’ Home just
one mile from metro Davao. Dean is Sparrows Gate
Founder; Ben is the boys’ home administrator and
Sparrows Gate Philippines board member. Pastor
Paul is founder of Barner Christian Academy, an
elementary school with 500 students in Davao. Paul
is also a Sparrows Gate Philippines’ board member
and an extraordinary missionary and friend.
Sparrows Gate Builds New Home
for X-Street Boys
Our new Samal Island Boys’ Home in Davao, Philippines
will lodge our dozen plus X-homeless street boys. We
should be able to accommodate 40 otherwise homeless
street boys in this facility soon. More importantly, we
can educate, love and care for them in Jesus’ name! The
building was completed and dedicated on June 8, 2013.
You are invited to see this answer to a relentless 15-year-old prayer and meet our
precious little Filipino boys and girls and very dedicated mission team this October!
For more information about this trip to the Philippines or to learn how you can help
support this work, please contact Dean Tinney at sparrowsgm@hotmail.com.
A
father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families,
he leads out the prisoners with singing…
~ Psalm 68:5-6
Our Samal Island boys at the dedication
service of their new spacious living quarters.
Not long ago, the streets of Davao were the
only homes they knew.
Do or Die in the Philippines
~ From Dean Tinney
The Bible story of the Good Shepherd (a doer), who leaves 99 sheep safe in their
pen to rescue one lost sheep, describes our urgent mission in Davao, Philippines.
The homeless street children of Davao are without a loving shepherd, and death
squads slash their little throats for stealing as the children attempt to survive.
The Davao city mayor endorses these premeditated murders.
Deep sorrow still shadows me with first-hand knowledge that thousands of
children in Manila, Cebu and Davao had nothing to eat yesterday and won’t
have even one morsel to eat today. These little ones have no safe place to sleep
tonight, no school or church to attend tomorrow and no one to love and care for
them or give them hope! And some kids will not survive another week.
No man (or woman) who lived a life of ease ever left a name worth
remembering; and the name we want these children to remember is Jesus. I
pray that the Holy Spirit will compel you to go meet the homeless street children
of Davao and rejoice with our redeemed former street boys and girls at our new
loving Christian homes. We plan to GO rescue more homeless kids in October!
Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t
stand back and let them die. Don’t try to disclaim responsibility by saying you didn’t know about it. For God who
knows all hearts knows yours, and he knows you knew! And
he will reward everyone according to his deeds.
Meet the Labos Children
Pastor Rick and Linda Labos,
who founded and operate Little
Friends Kinder School, partner
with Sparrows Gate Mission in a
poor suburb of Davao known as
Bucana. They have birthed five
children so far, and that’s enough
to form a full-fledged basketball
team. Filipinos love basketball
more than Americans. Featured
from left are Weigibbor, age 17;
Immeka, age 12; Kairos, age 2;
Kair, age 10; and Milchamah, age
19.
~ Proverbs 24:11-12 Living Bible
A Home for Homeless Girls
Pancelita’s husband died recently and she and her four children needed a home.
Dean Tinney suggested they move to a home that Sparrows Gate bought that is
being used to love and care for Davao’s
homeless girls. This loving Christian
mom cares for these destitute girls.
Featured in the photo to the left are
(from left to right) Isabel, Melody,
Jorgie, Baby Ben and mom Pancelita
Magkidon.
The family of girls continues to grow!
Princess Caracut
Chanchay Lanos
Baby Jane Duarte
Hazel Duarte
Pamela Caracut
Rowena Duarte
El Nido
Across the bay from the Palawan Island, cliff
side town of El Nido, (nest in English) are many
tropical beaches with cathedral-shaped rocks and crystal-clear
waters. If paradise were to exist on earth, these island beaches should
be nominated.
Palawan Bible School Seminar
Palawan
Some Palawan Bible School students pose after attending a baptismal
service hosted by Pastor John Stutzman. Dean Tinney spoke to these
students and many more during his stay at the Bible School (and
orphanage) where he presented a much-needed seminar on how to be a
self-supporting missionary.
The precious little children at a loving
orphanage in Palawan, Philippines pause
on the stairs behind (from left) Dean Tinney;
Pastor John Stutzman, founder; wife Joy and a
house parent. Dean was a featured speaker at
their large Palawan Bible College that is at the
same location which is operated and directed
by the same extraordinary missionaries Luke
and Annie Pearson.
Chick-Kabob
Paul Go, a very successful Christian retailer, has agreed in principle to be a major
Chick Kabob partner in a Chick Kabob pilot store and franchise operation starting
in Davao, Philippines. Paul suggested using a portion of the bottom floor of his
enormous and very busy department store as a potential pilot location. Featured
from left are Jonathan Go, Paul Go and Dean Tinney.
Sparrows Gate Boys and Girls
Visit the Davao Zoo
Our Samal Island boys, girls’ home
dorm mom and her children and
our Sparrows Gate Mission team
go to the Davao Zoo to ride the zip
line and check out God’s creatures,
great and small. These children
have never experienced a treat
like this before and it’s exciting to
witness their genuine joy!
THE JEEPNEY: The Ride of a Lifetime
“Throw in the kitchen sink” could describe this cargoladen beast-of-burden known as a Filipino Jeepney.
People, pigs, chickens, furniture and much more are
welcome and are the norm for journeys through a
beautiful tropical steaming jungle. The Filipino CAN-DO
attitude and energy is contagious!
Barner Christian Academy
Dean Tinney has an opportunity to influence others
to help needy children to know, love and serve Jesus
at a very large Christian elementary school known as
Barner Christian Academy in Davao. Dean spoke at other
service clubs and churches in Davao, thanks to the very
enthusiastic efforts of Pastor Paul Barner who made all
the arrangements.
SPARROWS GATE
Sparrows Gate in the Philippines
Shepherd’s House Boys’ Ranch is a home for 14 former
street boys on Samal Island. The search to rescue more boys
continues as the home has room for about 40 boys.
SPARROWS GATE
SPARROWS GATE
Father’s House Girls’ Home is a home for a widow, her four
children and six other girls rescued from the streets.
Little Friends School—Sparrows Gate began to partner with
founders Pastor Rick and Linda Labos more than 13 years ago.
Today, kinder school enrollment varies from 70 to 100 students
per year depending on funds available to pay teachers.