Dear Friend,

 

A week before Christmas, our city was flattened...

 

Little warning came before Typhoon Odette (also known as Typhoon Rai) struck the island of Cebu in the Philippines.

 

The local community of St. Jude Acres never expected the 205 Kilometer per hour gusts of wind that would rip homes right off their foundations.

 

Entire rooms shredded to confetti in minutes.

 

The morning after the storm cleared, the city looked like a warzone.

 

Our ancestral home was old and constructed of light materials... It didn't stand a chance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The demolition began on January 4th and is now complete.

 

 

 

 

The chaos didn't end once the typhoon passed either, unfortunately.

 

The situation in Cebu remains uncertain and life hasn't returned to normal:

 

 

All of this has made the difficult task of getting a roof back over my family's head even harder.

 

I humbly & kindly ask you to spare any amount you can to help us build the house and get my loved ones back into their home after the devastation.

 

The organization I work with, Vidya Institute International, has also been kind enough to put together some bonus gifts for those who donate different sums to help us rebuild.

 

If you aren't familiar with Vidya, it's an organization that provides education on eastern philosophy, yogic scripture, Vedic astrology, and eastern teachings on the attainment of higher consciousness.

 

Gitte Bechsgaard, the founder of Vidya Institute, was tremendously kind to arrange this campaign for my family and do everything she could to encourage the community to help my family rebuild.

 

 

 

***Vidya Institute Thank You Gifts That You Will Recieve After You Donate***

 

 

Minimum Donation: 190USD

Format: Live Online Seminar via ZOOM

 

Description:

A primary way Yogic Sadhana brings you closer to your divine purpose is through the systematic training of your attention, called Dharana. Since the body is the most tangible thing for you to concentrate on, B.K.S Iyengar focused many of his teachings on how you can use your body to discipline the mind and inner consciousness. When your body and mind are worked with, in integration, your attention begins to reach into the previously blind depths of the soul and inner Spirit.

 

During this Virtual Yoga retreat we’ll focus on the many ways in which we can gain inner spiritual anchoring from sadhana and self-inquiry practices (svadhyaya). We will explore this topic from the perspective of yogic scripture, mantra, asana and pranayama sadhana. There will be 2 daily sessions.

 

Dates & Times:

Friday, March 25, 2022

Gitte Bechsgaard: Mantras (1 hour)

7:00am PDT/ 10:00am EDT/ 2:00pm GMT/ 3:00pm CET

Gloria Goldbert: Asana (2 hours)

8:30am PDT/ 11:30am EDT/ 3:30pm GMT/ 4:30pm CET

 

Saturday, March 26, 2022

Sheila Haswell: Asana (1.5 hours)

12:00pm PDT/ 3:00pm EDT/ 7:00pm GMT/ 8:00pm CET

Gillian McCann: Lecture (1.5 hours)

2:00pm PDT/ 5:00pm EDT/ 9:00pm GMT/ 10:00pm CET

 

 

Minimum Donation - 140USD

Format: Pre-recorded Lectures

 

Description:

In the Vedic Tradition, yogic masters rarely started their Sadhana or day’s Dharma without starting their day with invocations.These traditional invocations or prayers are an approach to spiritually prepare for one’s activities in the world, and were commonly done as a 3 step sequence of traditional Indian chants.

 

In this offering, Gitte will share 3 traditional invocations suitable for the day’s beginnings. You will hear these chanted as a whole, and be invited to join in with a call and response version. The Sanskrit text will accompany the recordings.

 

 

Minimum Donation - 90USD

Format: Pre-recorded Videos

 

Description:

In the years studying with Sri Krishan Mantriji I (Gitte) was encouraged to start my day with chanting the full invocation to Sage Patanjali followed by a recitation of the sutras entailed in Samadhi Pada. Sometimes the invocation was chanted one time, other times 11 times followed by the outward and inward recitation of sutras. Naturally, this was a process of practice over many years under Mantriji’s mentorship. In fact, it was a very integrated part of the process of writing The Gift of Consciousness: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

 

During this session, I share with you how this Patanjali Sadhana was taught to me, hoping that you can come to cherish the practice as much as I have. It's a true gem for anyone interested in following the Eightfold Path of Patanjali’s Yoga.

 

...And then Contact Us at support (at) vidyainstitute (dotcom) For Your Surprise Bonus. Everyone, even those outside of the yoga and spirituality community will find this thank you gift useful..

 

After you've made your donation, just send us your name, email, and donation sum to support(at)vidyainstitute(dotcom) and you'll immediately be given access to or registered for the Vidya Institute Bonus requested.

 

 

 

Meet The People You're So Kindly Helping - Hello From The Cavada Family!

 

 

If you haven't acquainted yourself with me yet, in person or via my work at Vidya Institute International, my name is Leah Antonette Futalan.

 

I'm a working wife, mother of 2 energetic young boys named Leandro II and Leandro III. In 2018, I moved to Montreal where I live, work, and support my family back in the Philippines.

 

My mother, Pacita Cavada, is the Matriarch of our family home in Cebu. Formerly an orthodontist, she retired early to fulfill her dream of providing quality, affordable education in rural areas with poor infrastructure.

 

Her schools in rural areas across the province were known for their excellent education, up-to-date tech, and affordable tuition to not exclude the poor.

 

In 2014 she retired to rest out the remainder of her oldest years with her son and grandchildren.

 

Her mission to provide affordable schooling was fulfilling, yet it didn't support her economically. She's on a philippine government pension today and I send money to her from Canada to support her.

 

 

 

 

My mother is widowed after her husband, and many other members of our family passed away in 2020 during the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The other member of the household is my brother, Virgilio Cavada III, and his 3-year-old son, who has to remain with his ex-wife since the house was destroyed and there's no shelter. He lost his job in 2021 after separation since he worked for his father-in-law's company. Now he does odd jobs and errands around the community and for my cousin to support himself, his son, and our family.

 

 

 

About The Community:

 

St. Jude Acres Federated Communities is a mixed-income community located at the southern end of Cebu city.

 

My mother, Pacita Cavada is the elected community president.

 

The chapel is the heart of the community and where we celebrate mass every Sunday. Dawn mass would have been celebrated between Dec 16-25th in preparation for Christmas, but because of the typhoon, it did not happen.

 

We have a community group called the “Dawn Rosarians,” founded by my grandfather, who goes around the subdivision to pray the rosary every 5 am (unfortunately, this stopped in 2020 because of the pandemic)

 

 

 

 

The wreckage of our house is right beside the chapel.

 

 

 

The Damage & Repair Requirements:

 

We consulted a local architect, and the running rate for rebuilding a house in Cebu City right now is 25k-30k Philippine pesos per square meter ($490.00-590.00 USD/sqm).

 

We estimate the cost to rebuild will be at least $100,000USD and I hope that you can help my family raise just one-third of that.

 

 

How Your Charitable Donation Will Be Utilized:

 

All donations will be used to pay for labor and materials for the reconstruction of the home. If we are fortunate enough to exceed our donation goals and have leftover funds, the remaining funds will be used to help provide fresh water and materials for others in the community to rebuild and get back on their feet.

 

 

A Final Note To You

 

Words can't express how grateful I am for your decision to help our family.

 

Choose any donation sum you feel is reasonable because we need to get my family into some proper shelter after these heartbreaking months since the storm.

 

Just click the 'Donate Now' button on the right side of this page and in 2 minutes your donation will be complete.

 

Then just send a quick message to support (at) vidyainstitute (dotcom) and I'll personally send your Thank You Gift to your inbox.

 

Kindest regards & many thanks,

Leah Antonette Futalan