Philippines: teaching children to care for God’s creation

“Our plan last year for school visits did not happen, as the principal (and all other schools too) are under pressure to make more of an effort to improve children’s reading skills,” write Eric and Sandra Read. Eric and Sandra were hoping to have school groups visit their farm as part of their work of teaching children and youth to enjoy, appreciate and care for nature, and encouraging and practising creation care-centred food production. Now that schools have increased focus on other things, pray for wisdom to know how to move forward with teaching local children to look after God’s creation.

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Philippines: new early years programme

We give thanks with mission partner Tim Lee for Jigsaw Ministries’ new early years programme, part of the charity’s work with families living in poverty in Manila.

The new early years learning clubs, starting up this month, aim to give children a better start in life through a holistic approach to learning.

Pray for the clubs not only to support children to learn but to help them and their families to experience more of the abundant life God has for them.

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Philippines: typhoon aftermath

Please pray for people in the Philippines as they continue to attempt to recover and rebuild following two super typhoons. Pray for floodwaters to recede and for God’s comfort for those who have lost loved ones, homes and belongings. Jigsaw, a CMS mission partner-founded charity working with families living in poverty in Manila, ask for prayer as they respond to the disaster. Pray for their emergency food packs to help families recover and for opportunities to share the love and hope of Jesus in the midst of such sorrow.

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Philippines: typhoon season

Last week we asked for prayer for people in the Philippines following Typhoon Kalmaegi. Our partners at Jigsaw Ministries, who share God’s love in practical ways with children and families living in poverty in Manila, ask for continued prayer: “In recent weeks and months, the country has been struck by a series of powerful typhoons, large earthquakes and erupting volcanoes, leaving many regions in a state of emergency.” Please pray for the safety and protection of everyone in the Philippines and for the Jigsaw Philippines team to bring comfort and peace to communities dealing with extremely difficult conditions.

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Philippines: typhoon aftermath

One of 2025’s strongest typhoons, Typhoon Kalmaegi, has caused severe flooding in central Philippines, and at least 114 people have died since the typhoon made landfall earlier this week. Pray for the 400,000 people who have been displaced by the disaster, and the many more who have been affected, to receive the support and aid that they need. Ask God to help government organisations and charities seeking to protect people in the continuing path of the typhoon to communicate clearly and take quick and effective action.

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Philippines: earthquake aftermath

It has been reported that the recent 6.9 magnitude earthquake in the central part of the country has killed at least 69 people. For every person who has lost loved ones, homes or indeed everything, pray for comfort, and strength to keep going.

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Philippines: life in all its fullness for children at the edges

Please pray for Kate and Tim Lee, currently in Manila to help set up a new kindergarten project to provide quality early childhood education in some of the poorest communities in the city. Kate and Tim founded Jigsaw Kids Ministries in 2004, and Tim now supports the Filipino team from Cumbria. The Jigsaw team runs eight family centres in the Metro Manila region, sharing God’s love in practical and strategic ways with children and families living in extreme hardship and poverty. Kate, an early years education specialist, will be training Jigsaw staff over the next couple of weeks. Pray for her to inspire Jigsaw staff about the importance of early years education and equip them to make a difference to the children they will be teaching. Pray for Tim as he leads the new Jigsaw children’s building project.

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Philippines: life in all its fullness for children at the edges

Mission partner Tim Lee founded Jigsaw Kids Ministries with his wife Kate in 2004, and Tim now supports the Filipino team from his base in Cumbria. The team run eight family centres in Metro Manila, from which they share God’s love in practical and strategic ways with children and families living in extreme hardship and poverty.  Tim and Kate are preparing to be in the Philippines 20 July–14 August, where Kate (an early years education specialist) will lead training for, and development of, a new kindergarten project. Pray for Kate as she leads this training, and for Tim as he leads the new Jigsaw children’s building project.

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Philippines: improved crisis response

We give thanks with Jigsaw Kids’ Ministries and mission partner Tim Lee for the charity’s newly-developed crisis response teams, part of their work of bringing life in all its fullness to children and families through eight centres across Manila. Pray for God to use these teams to bring hope and healing to children and families in crisis.

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More stories of Jesus empowering people at the edges

The post Eric and Sandra Read, Philippines appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

More stories of Jesus empowering people at the edges

The post Tim Lee, Philippines appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

The pandemic and resulting lockdown have forced people all over the world to rethink how we do so many things – from school and work to the weekly food shop, keeping up with friends and more. In the Philippines, the team behind Jigsaw Kids Ministries were forced to reimagine their ministry, with surprising results.

Mission partners Kate and Tim Lee, together with members of a local church, founded Jigsaw Kids Ministries back in 2003 to share God’s love with vulnerable children in Manila. Former local partner Lendehl Sallidao was also involved with Jigsaw for six years before going on to serve with the Episcopal Diocese of Central Philippines.

Over the years Jigsaw has grown into a child, youth and family development organisation working with over 1,000 children a week in four deprived areas of Manila. These days, Kate and Tim support Jigsaw from Malaysia, helping it to grow into an independent, sustainable Filipino organisation.

Closed down by lockdown

Early last year, lockdown forced some of Jigsaw Ministries’ core activities to be put on hold. Their kids’ clubs, where hundreds of children could come and play, hear Bible stories and learn to pray together in communities around Manila, had to stop for now.

Harsh lockdown impacted thousands of the poorest children and their families, resulting in malnutrition and near-starvation for many. In this initial phase of the pandemic, Jigsaw felt called to focus on emergency response. From March to June, God provided funds and opened door after door for Jigsaw to purchase groceries and pack thousands of life-saving food parcels for more than 1,500 of the poorest families in Manila. These families were so grateful – community officials reported dancing and singing as food packs were distributed! Jigsaw was also able to hand out hygiene kits and baby formula and offer health support, hospital transportation and more.

In June, COVID-19 numbers in the Philippines started to rise. Jigsaw wanted to do something for local kids, but with so many restrictions still in place, what could they do? They couldn’t reopen their kids’ clubs just yet. Jigsaw felt called to completely reimagine their community ministries and support services to continue to serve the 10 urban communities they are committed to.

A new vision

In prayer, the Jigsaw team sought a new vision from God for the ministry, keeping their eye on Jigsaw’s five main goals: community, creativity, boundaries, significance and security. “God graciously led us in his power to develop a ministry that developed these goals in ways we could never imagine,” says Tim.

God led the team on an amazing journey to develop what they call Jigsaw at Home, individual activity packs which could be delivered to people’s homes. Alongside meal packs for children, soon the team were putting together weekly Bible, education and craft packs, mums’ sewing ministry bags, home therapy packs for children in their disabilities programme and more besides.

The key to whole families

Now, more than 1,500 children, young people and families have hope as they wait eagerly for their Jigsaw at Home packs. Before lockdown hit, children had been coming to Jigsaw’s clubs and learning about Jesus on Jigsaw’s turf. Through the lockdown-inspired Jigsaw at Home packs, Jigsaw is now coming to them and bringing Jesus into hundreds of the most needy, vulnerable homes in the city. Mums are using the sewing ministry bags to teach their children to sew, parents and grandparents are sitting with their children and reading Bible stories together, and whole households are using Jigsaw’s at Home packs to do prayer times together.

Some of the families engaging with these packs are people Jigsaw staff have been trying to connect meaningfully with for 17 years. The team couldn’t have imagined how God would move during this time. They are in wonder at how God has used lockdown to allow Jigsaw to minister to people’s physical, mental, social and spiritual needs and bring the Scriptures right into the heart of so many homes. The delivery of these packs by the Jigsaw staff has been a ministry in itself, with households grateful to spend a few minutes with someone who will offer a smile and listen to them, and even offer help to other individuals in need by referring them to Jigsaw’s support services. Jigsaw’s philosophy, “all are welcome”, is lived out each week as more households request assistance and are welcomed into the fold.

The Jigsaw team hope they will be able to welcome kids back to their kids’ clubs in June, and plan to continue and develop their Jigsaw at Home initiative in the meantime. “We praise God for the faith, hope, purpose, well-being and love that is growing despite the lockdown,” says Tim.

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