Shekinah Home /sheh kee neh/ (Hebrew: shekhinah 1663): the presence of God in the world

“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” Mark 10: 14-16

What is Shekinah Home?

Shekinah Home is a Christian home in the Philippines serving street children and abandoned babies who are victims of neglect, poverty and exploitation. The Home is located on 1.2 hectares of rural land near the small farming town of Dingras in the province of Ilocos Norte, about 500 kilometers North of Manila. When fully built, over a period of five years, Shekinah Home is expected to have five individual cell homes, each with a foster father and mother caring for ten children. The property has plenty of room for a large play field and gardens. The first cell home is now operational with a complete staff. The first child was admitted in March of 2005 and at this time the home has ten children. Shekinah Home is registered and licensed as a care giving institution with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (Region 1) of the Philippines. Shekinah Home aspires to provide a Christian home atmosphere and to raise children according to the teachings of the Bible. It seeks to raise the children with the ultimate goal of developing community leaders and responsible citizens who love the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the goal of Shekinah Home to prepare the minds, hearts and hands of the children for a lifetime of service to God and their community.

The Founders and Directors

Brian and JoAnne Whittle (American citizens) began the on-site work of Shekinah Home in the fall of 2004, after more than two years of administrative work and preparation. The vision for a home serving the younger street children of the Philippines began with the personal calling of Brian and JoAnne. They lived in Hong Kong for many years, with Brian working as a teacher in a Christian school and ministering in a Filipino church, and learned about the street children of the Philippines from their many research visits to the country. With a UN estimated 1.6 million street children in the Philippines, and the on-going problem of abandoned babies, it was determined that urgent help was needed. Brian retired from his vocation of teaching after 23 years and secured mission support from the church in Hong Kong along with two churches in the US. The Whittle’s are “commissioned” to do the specific work of Shekinah Home by Causeway Bay Baptist Church of Hong Kong, and are sent as missionaries by Cielo Vista (Baptist) Church of El Paso, Texas in the US. The Whittle’s are not associated with a private “sending agency”, but are working independently as employees of Shekinah Home.

The Call to Action

All of the children in Shekinah Home have at least one thing in common. They have all been abandoned. With the huge proportions of the overall problem of street children, abandoned babies, and neglected children in the Philippines, many like-minded and concerned people must put their hands to work, with the ultimate goal of saving the lives of these little children. Shekinah Home provides an environment where the children have the love and care of a mother and a father in the context of a Christian home. The Home provides proper nutrition and health care through balanced diets and regular visits to doctors and dentists. Education is provided through the Dingras Faith Academy Christian School along with on-site individual tutoring. The local churches provide spiritual guidance for the children through Sunday School training, worship services, and frequent contact with individuals in the churches. In the home environment, the children are taught the spiritual principles of the Bible through group devotions, and individual time with each child and their parents.

Who Are The Children?

Since the problem of street children and abadoned babies is so immense, Shekinah Home has strategically decided to minister to specific target groups. Street children are admitted to the Home being no older than the age of 5 upon their arrival. The reason for this is that there are many thousands of small children between the ages of 2 and 5 wandering the streets across the country, and that the smaller children are the most vulnerable to the syndicates and criminal activity along with disease and starvation. In addition, the smaller children are more easily integrated into classroom educational settings without the need of many years of tutorial preparation. The abandoned babies come to us either being left physically on a street or in a trash can, or have been signed over to the government by a very poor mother who cannot in any way raise a child, being homeless, having no money, being cared for themselves by other government programs to help such girls and women.

What Can I Do?

There are many avenues of opportunity to help with this ministry ranging from consistent and active prayer to actual on-site visits to Shekinah Home for the purpose of helping with needs. Given the cost of shipping, it is not cost effective to ship needed material items to the Philippines unless the contributor live either in the Philippines or in the neighboring region. We have ongoing needs for basic items such as clothes for babies and diapers, along with shoes and books. At the current time we are fully stored with these items, but when the next cell homes are built and children start to fill them, we will need more of these things. The most cost effective way of helping the ministry is through monetary contributions. You may contact us for information on how to help at the following email address. shekinahhome@yahoo.com Our web site is: www.shekinahhome.org Information is provided below for contributions of US dollars in North America, of Hong Kong dollars in Hong Kong, and Philippine pesos in the Philippines:

All contributions for Shekinah Home in North America should be sent to:

Cielo Vista Church

attn: Belinda Viescas

3585 Lee Trevino Blvd.

El Paso, Texas 79936

Contact Information:

telephone: 915 595-8988

fax: 915 595-0288

email: bviescas@cielovistachurch.org

web site: www.cielovistachurch.org

All contributions for Shekinah Home in Hong Kong should be sent to:

Causeway Bay Baptist Church

attn: Lorna Gabinera

1^st floor, flat B, Triumph Court

37 Electric Road

Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Contact Information:

telephone: 852 2806-1296

email: conqueror@netvigator.com

Physical Address of Shekinah Home:

Shekinah Home

Cali, Dingras 2913

Ilocos Norte, Philippines

Contact Information:

cell phone: 09162180503

email: shekinahhome@yahoo.com

web site: www.shekinahhome.org