Thank you so much for all your prayers and encouragement during the past few months. It has been a difficult time, as we have faced numerous challenges with the closure of the Mercy In Action Maternity Center here in Mandaluyong.
Originally, almost three months ago, our sanitation license was pulled and we were issued a “cease and desist” order by the city of Mandaluyong. This meant we could no longer provide any care for the women we had been serving through the center, until we could get the “cease and desist” lifted. This development was devastating to us and the women we cared for.
In the last two and a half months, we have had a lawyer working on our behalf to open the center. As we had feared, it has come out that the closure had nothing to do with sanitation, and everything to do with politics.
The two inspectors that inspected our facility were not able to provide proof of any shortcomings in our sanitation, or how we had failed in our inspection, apart to say that our “operating room” was not adequate to provide C-sections. (We don’t have an operating room, because midwives don’t operate, so we don’t do C-sections!) However, those same two inspectors own birthing centers in Mandaluyong and were very concerned that we offer our services to the poor for free.
At the meeting that our supervisors had with the DOH (Department of Health), it finally came out that a formal complaint had been lodged against our center by another birth center, stating that because we were offering our services to the poor for free, we were cutting into their territory and basically stealing their patients away from them. This meant they felt they were losing money.
The nuts and bolts of it are that the Department of Health has stated that they do not want us to reopen in Mandaluyong because: “You are not needed there” (despite Welfareville and the people who live in poverty there) and are wanting us to relocate the clinic to another area of Metro Manila at a location of their choosing. This development is an interesting one, and we are in the process of getting information on where that may be.
We would so appreciate your prayers regarding the future of Mercy In Action here in the Philippines and for the staff and students here who have had to face a lot of changes in these past few months!
Since the clinic has been closed, God has opened other opportunities for ministry here in the Philippines for both Richard and Jocelyn.
Jocelyn:
In July, I was able to go to the But But tribe in Kalinga for a dental outreach and pulled over one hundred teeth! I traveled with a youth group who was building outhouses for the people who live there. We partnered with the local church, and experienced But But culture, including the “lifesong”- each believer sings their testimony in a song they have written themselves. It was an amazingly beautiful experience. The pastor began a 24 hour community party, to celebrate the partnership with the local church with the following words: “We will fellowship!” They killed two pigs in our honour!
Also in July, I completed all of the academic requirements for Mercy, and all that remains in order to graduate is “well woman” exams. This means I am more freed up for ministry to women and have more time for family!
In late July, I began teaching prenatal classes as an outreach from Metro Manila Bible Community, our church here in Manila. Every weekly class includes prayer with the women, prenatal education and free prenatal care. There have been 5 classes to date and some of the women are planning to have home births with us at no charge. We will attend their births with our Filipina licensed midwives. I have also been visiting a squatter area in Quezon City to offer free prenatal care and well woman care to women who otherwise are too poor to access health care. More recently, Richard and I helped organize a medical outreach to the same area, in partnership with one of our Filipina midwives. On September 2nd, the team provided care for many children under the age of five, pregnant women and referred others for medical treatment. This outreach was a tangible expression of God’s love and was received well by the community. We hope to continue this outreach and partnership with the community, to show God’s love and share His message of hope. Some of you donated money for medical outreach, and we have used this to buy medications for these outreaches as well as to fund laboratory testing, such as urinalysis, CBC’s (complete blood counts) and pap smears.
On Friday nights, I travel an hour away to a Christian birth center in Antipolo to work a twelve hour shift. It has been a great experience to be back in the birth room and caring for women in the name of Christ.
It has been an interesting journey this past few months…The unexpected happened, and yet God has been so faithful in showing us where he is at work among the poor and joining Him there.
Richard:
In July, I was able to go to Palawan and partner with the YWAM base to provide medical care to squatters living in a local garbage dump. While I was there, our team led a Bible study, a youth group meeting and had other opportunities to share the hope we have in Christ. One interesting connection I made was with a man who is reaching out to Muslims in the area. I am organizing a two week outreach on Palawan for the new medic team that will arrive in the next week. We will partner with other national Christians to offer free medical care in areas that have few resources on Palawan. One of the tribes we will visit is in a remote part of the island, where they have been cave dwellers for centuries. There is no medical care there. I am excited about other opportunities that have developed there, specifically in outreach to the Muslim community. There will be some great opportunities to share Christ there and bless the people with much needed medical help. Malaria, TB and pneumonia are the biggest killers in this area.
In August, I have been to the Island of Pollilio, where I traveled with Mike Fast as he presented a pastoral training seminar for pastors on the island. To get to the island, we had to drive for four hours to the coastline and then take another 4 hour boat ride. We spent a few days there and I was able to meet with the one nurse on the island who handles all the medical care. One nurse for 13,000 residents and no doctors! She was stretched to the limit, but had trained 3 midwives to handle the island’s deliveries, over 300 every year! I treated some patients for skin infections and was able to pray with them. It looks as though we will travel there monthly, to provide pastoral training and some medical help. We flew home with Pacific Missionary Aviation, with a Filipino missionary pilot in the cockpit. What an experience to fly in a missionary plane and look out through the front window…the view was incredible! It looks as though God is opening new doors for ministry on Pollilio!
I helped to plan and organize a medical outreach in Quezon City, where we saw and treated many children for respiratory and skin diseases. Eva Fast had donated some antibiotics, paracetamol and vitamins that she had left over from a previous outreach our church had done. It was fantastic to pray with the patients and offer this service in the name of Christ. We worked with special permission from the barangay, and were able to offer care out of the local chapel!
As of this moment, we are still unsure as to where our clinic may reopen, but it appears as though it may never reopen in Mandaluyong. Please be praying that God will make clear the decisions that need to be made, especially for wisdom for our leadership team. There is a possibility that the clinic may be moved a couple of hours away from where we live presently. Should that be the case, we will be looking at a reduced schedule for Jocelyn, as she continues with the prenatal classes ministry with women locally. There are opportunities for her to begin this ministry in two other churches, who have squatter areas nearby, which would bring her to three days a week teaching prenatal classes in churches and one night shift in Antipolo. Please pray with her for Filipina women to come alongside her to train so that this ministry to women could continue once we return home.
We apologize for our lack of communication over these past two months. We have been in transition after moving house, and have had difficulty with internet access. We are so thankful for those of you who have been praying us through this situation, despite the lack of information on our part. Please forgive us.
Danieke and Marijke continue to enjoy Filipino school, and just celebrated Filipino culture week by performing traditional dances in traditional costumes and memorizing a Tagalog poem. We watched their performances on Friday! God has been so faithful to us with providing this school experience for our girls, and we are so thankful that they have had the normalcy of attending school through all of this upheaval…there has been school as a constant. They seem to be adjusting well and look forward to seeing their friends there.We also celebrated Danieke’s eighth birthday on Thursday…We can hardly believe she is already that old! Matthijs is enjoying playing with Playdoh, Lego, and cars. He really enjoys playing on our roof. (It is flat and fully fenced, so there is room to run around in a safe place!) Our place just got fixed, so we are no longer leaking water into the bedrooms when it rains and the walls are repaired…It’s beginning to feel like home. Just this week, we moved in the table and couches from our old house, so now we are finally out of transition and settled into one place.
Items for Prayer:
Please pray for the future of our birth center, that God will pave the way for a good working relationship with the Department of Health and that we will impact the community for the kingdom of God…wherever they place us. Pray for the logistics of setting up a new clinic, and for a smooth transition
Please pray for us as we work in partnership with Filipino believers. We are excited by the new opportunities that God has provided. His kingdom is coming to this place! Pray that we will encourage and empower the Filipinos who work with us to reach their people with the gospel.
Please pray for the health of our children. Both girls have had high fevers this weekend, Marijke has been vomiting. Please pray that God will protect their health, specifically that they will not get Dengue fever. We have had many mosquitoes lately. Please also pray for wisdom as we parent all three!
Pray for what God is doing in us, that His plans and purposes for us would continue despite these bumps in the road. Pray for His character and love to grow in us. We are struggling with feeling frustrated and disappointed with the news of our clinic. Please pray that we will not allow Satan a foothold by becoming bitter.
Please pray that we will have courage and boldness to share the message of Christ. That we will always be ready to give the reason for why we have hope.
Please pray for our future, that God will guide our decisions as we look beyond this year to where He would have us serve in the future. We are specifically praying about possibilities in Rwanda, and are waiting on Him.
We hope you are all well and that your summer was enjoyable! We pray that God blesses each one of you for the investment you have made in prayer and support of us here. We are looking forward to the future and are trusting Him with today.
Please feel free to email us with any questions, thoughts, or notes! We would love to hear from you.
Trusting Him,
Richard and Jocelyn Jelsma
Family Ice Cream
