Help JPs Family; Mom is Sleeping in a Tarp!

In 2016, I visited the Philippines with my wife, Teresa, who was born and raised there. While there, I struck up a friendship with JP who I had hired to drive us places. He was sleeping in the cab while taking us around and we were sleeping in the hotels - until I learned this, of course, and then brought him into the hotel with us. This man is extremely hard working, doing whatever he can to support his family of three young children and he is humble and kind. I enjoyed every minute I spent with him and his children and have kept in touch with him ever since.

While there, I was astounded by their living conditions which was one room, cement slab, for eating and sleeping for his family, including his mother in law. They had no running water and it was brutally hot because, of course, they had no AC. But, now, since COVID they have fallen on even harder times.

The economy is basically shut down and, though he is willing to do anything legal to earn money, he is stuck and spending every waking moment trying to figure out how to feed his family. They now live in a place with worse conditions. They had to move to his mother's house because they could no longer afford the other place (which was $150 a month.) His mother's place is a couple of pieces of aluminum with a roof. Last time we spoke via FB messenger video - he showed me that his mother is sleeping in a tarp just outside the aluminum structure. The schools have all closed down for the past two year - except via online - but they can't afford phones and service for the Internet, so the kids don't have access and are, basically, existing and doing, not much, in that aluminum structure every day.

I am struck by thoughts of them every night. We are so very fortunate; even those of us that are financially stressed here in the States seem to have much greater fortune and abundance. JP tries to make the best of this situation - but seeing those kids, when he calls, is haunting me.

I know if many of my friends and family gave, in whatever possible, we could make a huge difference for this family. I'd like to help them get some funds so the kids can access their school on the regular and so that they can get a better living situation and also not be concerned about how they are going to eat each day. This will free JP up so that instead of using all of his time to get food and shelter for his family, he can figure out how to get a job out of the country to send money back to his family. Remember, all of his original work was from the tourist industry which is shut down now.

So, please help... give $5, $50, $100, $1000 - whatever you can do to stretch a little. Give in gratitude for what we DO have here in the United Stated. Because... there for the grace of God, go I!

Below are some pictures that try to sum up what I just shared.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Love,

Steve Stolls

This is how the kids sleep each night - on the floor, in the extreme heat.

The pictures below show the tarp where his mother resides currently. First one is the outside and the second one is someone pulling the tarp back so you can see inside.

Here is a sweet picture of the entire family I took of them, before they fell on the relative, recent hard times. If you look closely (zoom in if possible) you can truly get a sense of how sweet and kind the entire family is.