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Nheng is the daughter of Pastor Edwin and Nena Sonio, who lead the Foursquare churches in Mindoro Island in the Philippines.She is the head teacher of the Hosea Schools in Mamburao and Aroma. Here she writes of happenings at our schools and in the area.
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LATEST BUILDING NEWS
From: Nheng Sonio
Subject: Latest Building Photos
Received: Friday, 5 November, 2011
Hello Anne,
These are the latest photos of the school building that is being worked on. They are now working on the second floor. They work long days, They are putting cement on the second floor that will soon be finished. An electrician is also there to arrange the electricity. Thank you so much Anne, may God bless you more and more.
Thank you and God bless
Nheng
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FEEDING PROGRAMME AT AROMA SCHOOL
From: Nheng Sonio
Subject: feeding in Aroma
Received: Friday, 27 August, 2010, 3:40 AM
Hello Anne,
I am sending you photos of our feeding programme in Aroma village. We provide food for the school pupils there every Friday. Last Friday we fed them with soup and we distributed all the uniforms. This morning when we provided food to the children they were very happy - we saw it on their faces. They even said that they would not have their lunch at home because they were so full! Here especially in Aroma, August is a poor month for the families because it's rainy season and they don't have work - their parents earn their living through fishing.
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Next week I will send you pictures of the second fishing boat because we are waiting for the return of the Hosea 1 boat because it is in the ocean catching fish at the moment. So we will be able to take photos of both boats (Hosea 1 and 2).
About our school in San Jose it's doing well. When the books have arrived here I will go to San Jose to bring the books for them.
Thank you so much - we appreciate all of your efforts for us. Quite a few parents of our school children are regularly attending our church services together with their families.
Thank you and God bless
Nheng
NEWS ABOUT AROMA & SAN JOSE SCHOOLS
From: Nheng Sonio
Date: 7 July 2010 08:08
Subject: Schools
Anne,
Hi! I read your email about the uniform for our Aroma school students. Thank you so much because this means that all of our students in Aroma can wear their uniform, and look very neat and nice, just like the Mamburao School students. This July we required all of our students here in Mamburao to wear the complete uniform, as you can see from the photos that I am sending you. Anne, we are so very thankful for all of your help to the kids of Mamburao.
My mom went to San Jose this afternoon and visited our school there in Caminawit. She got some pictures of the students which I am also sending to you. We appreciate all you have done to help us here. I'm so happy because our school is the one instrument to share the word of God here in Mamburao. You know there is one family here who are continuing to attend Sunday service here even though their child has finished our school because he is now in grade 1.
About the boat, yesterday they went to sea to catch fish, and they will stay on the ocean more than four days. When they come back I will take more pictures. They took everything - food, rice, gasoline - everything they need for more than four days at sea, and we provided all of that. We have 5 or 6 people who are in the boat to catch fish,and all of them are the parents of our students there in Aroma. It is such a big help to them because they do not have any job, only fishing, but from that they can buy everything that they need including food and rice.
Anne,thank you so much for your help to them, the school that you set up in Aroma, the uniforms, and the livelihood that you have given to the people of Aroma through the boat. You know as of now we have so many kids there and they are very well known in Aroma village. There were so many kids to enroll because they said that our two teachers there are very good and the teaching standards are very high. The students learned a lot from us - to read and write and especially the word of God so that they will have a good and successful life and a future... Thank you very much. May God Bless you more and more. Take care always...
Love and prayers,
Nheng
04-JUL : NEW PHOTOS OF AROMA SCHOOLCHILDREN
From: Nheng Sonio
Subject: Photos of Pupils in Aroma
Received: Sunday, 4 July, 2010, 2:02 AM
Anne,
Hello. Here are the photos of pupils in Aroma- Nursery , Kinder and Prep...
Thank you and God Bless you
Love and prayers,
Nheng
26-JUN : 155PUPILS ENROLLED!
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From: Nheng Sonio
Subject: Mamburao Students
Received: Saturday, 26 June, 2010, 1:54 AM
Hello, Anne,
Sorry for not emailing you for a while but I had to go back to Manila for check up on my right eye. It's getting okay now but it is under medication and observation.
We have so many students here in Mamburao now! There are 155 enrolled altogether with 56 in Nursery, 69 in Kindergarten and 30 in Preparatory. In Aroma School there are 55 students.
I have heard from Josephine at San Jose and now we have made all the arrangements and bought everything for the new school there, which as of now has 30 students. About the estimation of the price of the school uniform I will ask my mom and send you the details.
Pastor Arjay has now left his teaching post at our school because he has been assigned as pioneer pastor in Tagumpay Sablayan. But I have got another teacher as a replacement for him. Her name is Charisse Faith Fesarit, daughter of Pastor Willy Fesarit of Romblon. She is very talented in music and has completed her Bachelor Degree in Elementary Education. She loves teaching kids, is 23 years old and single. You can see a photo of her (opposite)
We are so happy that we have so many pupils enrolled and we want to thank you for your good heart in helping these Mindoro kids and of course for the uniforms for the pupils at Aroma School.
I am also sending photos of our students here in the main school in Mamburao and the parents' orientation during the class opening on 15 June. The other photos are the new wall paintings at the school designed to make it attractive to the children – we have repainted the whole building.
Thank you for your approval for employing our security guard here ... it will be a big help for us because it is difficult with children arriving at various times and being on a busy main road. It will make it much safer for the children.
Finally about the boat, it can't go fishing now because it is rainy season here but after those months it will go fishing again...thank you so much for your help...God bless you and your family...take care always...may God continue using you...thank you
Love and Prayers,
Nheng
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11-MAY : WEDDING AND BAPTISMS
From: Nheng Sonio
Sent: Tue, 11 May, 2010 8:05:22 PM
Subject: more photos
Anne,
Hello, I am sending some photos of our teacher Daisy's wedding on 27 March to her boyfriend of five years and the water baptism of our new church members.
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We set up a new bible study in Casoy and already we have 50 members: 17 of them decided to go for water baptism last month. We are so happy to have so many new members in the church and for the miracle that God has done.
Yesterday was our national election ... Noynoy Aquino got the highest number of votes to be the president. He is the son of the late Corazon Aquino, former president of the Philippines. But the counting was not yet finished ... Brother Eddie Villanueva who is the pastor of JIL (Jesus is Lord) ranked number 5, but abroad he is leading.
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Here in Mamburao and Aroma we need to repaint the tables and blackboard for them to look new. We also need chalk for the year ahead and two teachers' table because we have only one, and two big electric fans for Sharon's classroom because last year it was so very hot. Thank you very much. We will start our enrolment this week and we have many students from places some distance away like Balansay. I will be there for the enrolment so that I will be able to talk to the parents before their children enter our school.
Thank you very much for your ongoing help for us and thank you for your prayers that God will bless us here and use us in miraculous ways. May God Bless you more and more as well as your family.
Love and prayers,
Nheng
7-APR : THE SECOND HOSEA FISHING BOAT
From: Nheng Sonio
Sent: Wed, 7 April, 2010 8:56:46 PM
Subject: fishing boat
Anne,
Hello again, the second fishing boat is under construction, it is two meters longer than the first boat.
The first boat really does help a lot in the everyday life of those people in Aroma. There are times that they can't catch fish because of the big waves. It is the source of their income,they buy foods and provide for other family needs. Those who go fishing in the Hosea boat are the fathers of our pupils in Aroma.
Thank you very much and God bless you...
Nheng
SCHOOL GRADUATION CEREMONY IN MAMBURAO
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From:Nheng Sonio
Sent: Thu, 1 April, 2010 8:54:31 PM
Subject: Graduation Ceremony
Anne,
Hello! How are you? Here arephotos of our graduation last Wednesday,March 24, 2010. It was lovelysuccessful celebration, in the municipal plaza of Mamburao.
Thank you very much for your support and help to the people of Mamburao. You know I experienced many things during our graduation, because we prepared more than 100 certificates and we did our best to make it a very nice graduation andI praise God because itwent so well.
Many people were amazed because we had a little pupil as master of ceremonieswho called the names of all of the graduates. Also our valedictorian and salutatorian gave a speech to everybody. Attheir very young age they did so well to speak in front of so many people, I felt quite nervous because I thought they would beshy in front of the people,but you know they are so very talented and proud to be there facingthe townspeople! Evenour guest speaker was amazed when he saw the results of our graduates.
The girl wearinga floral dress is our valedictorian,Carla Mae Mortel - her father is a fisherman. Our salutatorian is Jervin Robee Fabol, and he was our little Jesus in our Christmas programme last December when you were here.
Wealso gave medals for academic awards, as you canalso see in the pictures. We gave character awards to our children too so they received most cleanand neat, most patient, most responsible, most punctual, most polite, most helpful, most kind and other awards. These were givenin nursery,kindergarden and preparatory here in Mamburao and Aroma. All of our childenwere sohappy when they received their awards.
Anne, all of the parents here want to extend their thanks for your help in the education of theiryoung children.Thank you so much!!
Love and prayers
Nheng
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