Written By Neyzielle Ronnicque Cadiz, Writer, Operation Blessing Philippines
His brother should have been the beneficiary of the Back-to-School (BTS) project of Operation Blessing way back in 2004, but God knows who needs His help more, so choosing him over his brother was not an accident, it was indeed a blessing.
His mother was a housewife, and at that time, his father was striving to look for another job because the furniture establishment that he was working for stopped its operations. Life for them was hard, they lived near a river so they were very susceptible to flooding , and when the Operation Blessing staff saw their hardship and agony during their ocular survey, they considered helping the Alacha family.
Through the recommendation of the pastor of the The Lord Reigns Church in Kauswagan, Cagayan De Oro, Jay Miguel Alacha, now 21, was granted enlisted in the BTS program. He was in grade four then, and the grant paved the way for JM to strive harder in his studies. The BTS program covered his school fees, school supplies, uniform, shoes and even daily and transportation allowances.
The BTS assistance stopped when he reached grade 5, but the members of their church continued supporting his studies. When he graduated from high school, the same struggle of looking for someone who could support his studies began. The Lord never failed him and his family, because he received a scholarship from the government when he entered college.
However, in his third year, he needed to shift to Electro-Mechanical Technology from Electronics and Communications Engineering, so the scholarship was terminated. It was then that an OB volunteer learned about his situation and communicated it to OB, and JM once again received the benefits of the program. Fortunately, he finished the course in two years because some units were still credited.
“I was not only nurtured in the aspect of education, and financial and time management, my spiritual [well-being] also improved. They provided me more than enough. I’m living by God’s grace because of OB,” he said.
He honors God through his commitment and gives back the glory by participating in youth ministry in their church. He is also a member of the praise and worship team and was even a Sunday school teacher before. JM is indeed patient in sharing the words of God because of his innate love for children.
JM graduated last April and now still enjoys God’s abundant blessings. Now, he is working as a service advisor in a car company. He also passed the Certified Plant Mechanic board exams held in October 2014.
Like JM, many other youth are in need of support to finish schooling and achieve their dreams. You can play a hand in helping them out. Call us at 477-7802 to 04 and 06 or visit our website at www.obphil.com/home to learn how you can inspire change.
