April 20, 2023
Report from David Dobson:
Here are several photos of the LifeNets community center project in Sto. Tomas, Mindanao, Philippines. The workers are moving fast, and the roof was put on the first week of April.
For the Sabbath of April 8, we traveled to Sto. Tomas for church services with 43 brethren. (This congregation is near the prisons where Jed Sy and Jong Pilapil are incarcerated). The Sabbath was buzzing with excitement since they were meeting in a newly constructed hall for the first time! Some U.S. church members had made donations through their place of work to LifeNets, and their company matched their charitable donations. LifeNets graciously forwarded the funds to the Manila office, and enough money was provided for a community center to be constructed. A formal dedication of the building took place before services.
The building now serves as the Sto. Tomas Sabbath hall and is also available for charitable needs in the community. The area is prone to storm damage and flooding from typhoons, so the building can be used as shelter and for distributing relief goods. It can also serve as a school classroom if necessary.
Thanks for your loving support!
-- David Dobson
