Icthus Christian Academy (Part 1)

Two of the children at the Sierra Bullones Christian Church

At the end of my first week in Bohol, I thought I had found a large enough project to keep me busy for a long time.  I still don't have all of the facts to give a complete assessment of the number of children who would benefit from receiving school supplies, but I can assure you that number is substantial.  Just a quick estimate, based on 25 churches, each with approximately 30 children, is 750 students.  Those churches are scattered across Bohol; some are in the larger towns, some are in very rural locations.  Not all of these children are at risk of being forced to drop out of school; however, with the economic conditions as they are, the situation could change quickly and with little warning.  Organizing a project like this so that each child in each of the churches gets an equitable amount of assistance is going to take some time and effort.  Locating sources for buying supplies in bulk and then transporting those supplies to the churches for distribution will be quite an exercise in logistical planning.  It is very "do-able".  It will just take some time and the financial support of people who can appreciate the situation these children are in.

Up to this point, I felt that my plate was very, very full.  I had been invited to visit a Christian school in the town of Ubay.  It started to look like I wouldn't be able to go, as there was a slight conflict in scheduling.  After some phone calls and text messages, everything had been rearranged and the trip to visit the Icthus Christian Academy was back on the schedule.

Love and Rachel with Wayne Duhon of World Mission Builders

The school was founded by a pastor and his wife, Nemesio and Terry Carbonilla, in 1999.   Since then, their two daughters, Rachel and Netter Love, have taken the helm.  Both have given up careers which could have been financially rewarding in order to operate the school.

The school is located on the same property as the Ubay Church of Christ.  With a current student body of 75, the school operates its K-12 program using a handful of dedicated teachers and a very tight budget.  The school is growing, with hopes of reaching 100 students in the coming years.  The staff are committed and extremely dedicated to the tasks facing them.  Construction is ongoing, with each year seeing additions and improvements to the facility and equipment.

The school could certainly benefit from a financial backer.  I know that the Carbonillas would prefer the school to be completely independent, but the reality is that they could use some serious support to get the many physical projects complete.  I think once they have the facility finished, the numbers of students will increase to allow for the independence the staff desires.

Ongoing construction - classrooms and a gymnasium

Now I am not by any stretch of the imagination the financial backer they need.  I am barely keeping my head above water as it is.  But one of the things they really would like to have access to is someone with credentials in special education.  While they are not attempting to operate a special education program, they do have children with learning disabilities who struggle to succeed.  While teachers in the Philippines are given some basic instruction in dealing with special needs children, none of them have any substantial training.

This is where I think I enter the picture, because I am a certified K - 12 special education teacher.  While I don't have a complete picture of what I would do there, I have been invited to spend a couple of months there.  Whether I would be teaching classes directly, providing teacher training, developing special education programs or what is undecided.  The reason I titled this article "part 1" is because the school staff is still wrestling with the idea.  When you are doing a project on a limited budget, sometimes you put nice-to-have items on the back burner, or maybe they aren't even near the stove at all.  I think that the idea of having access to a special education teacher was simply not something they were anticipating. So now that they might actually have the opportunity to have someone on board, even if only for a short time, they are needing to do some brainstorming and planning.  

I'm not a photo-op kind of person, but couldn't resist this one.

Once the school staff has a clearer picture of what they would like me to do, then I will return with "part 2".  Until then, I am just overwhelmed and overjoyed by the prospects of this opportunity.  Of course, that means that I too have some brainstorming and planning to do.   Not only do I have the project to provide school supplies, but also the support of a wonderful Christian school.  All I can do at this point in time is to turn it over to the Lord.  I am trying to schedule some speaking engagements in some Sunday school classes and at a couple of churches.  The goal will be strictly informational at this point -- until I have some firm idea of the number of children to be supported and the needs of the Icthus Christian Academy, asking for support at this time is probably unwise.  But that day will come also.  Keep me in your prayers, along with all of the children of the Christian churches of Bohol and the Icthus Christian Academy and her staff.