Our Children
Given A Future - Testimonies
Juan Martinez
My name is Juan Martinez and I am 20 years old. My life before entering Arms of Love was total chaos. I cannot find words to express the terrible life that I had. I was a boy without goals, a clear direction, understanding, or a family. I felt alone like someone simple-minded and unimportant.
I was abandoned by my mother, who was a prostitute and mentally ill. I never met my father. My brother Eduardo and I lived with my grandmother for awhile but she didn’t have money to feed us. Sometimes all we would have for food would be one small portion of oatmeal daily and we then stopped attending school.
Then my older brother was stabbed to death at a party one night. I came to Arms of Love in March of 2000 at the age of 11 with my brother Eduardo. I began to grow in an environment of love and to experience for the first time what it felt like to have a family, to live as a family, to share with a family, and most of all to know God.
In Arms of Love I continued with my learning and as I began to finish the last two years of secondary school, I began to understand more about who I was. I began to get all the answers about all the unknowns in my life—and I began to experience the love of God in my life.
Now, I will soon begin my third year at the University of Central America and am studying Tourism. I am actively involved in the campus student ministry and help to lead worship at the meetings. I recently went on my own mission trip and helped a poor family build their own home. I continue to learn so much.
I don’t know how to explain in only a few words my amazing life at Arms of Love. I am so proud of myself and of all the sponsors that support the home. Arms of Love has been and will always be the most special place in my life; where I have grown with love for others and learned about the love of God.
My goal is to complete my university studies and one day in the future make a difference in my country and in the world.
Myla Salise
My name is Myla Burgos Salise, I am 20 years old and was born on November 01, 1989. I am the third child in the family with 1 sister and 3 brothers. I grew up in a non-Christian family and our life was always miserable. My father was a soldier and a drunkard. He always battered my mother, and physically abused us. He punished us like military men. He raped me when I was 5 years old. My mother did not believe me when I told her about it, so I continued to live in fear. My mother left us when she could no longer bear the abuses of my father.
My father didn’t care if we had food to eat or not. We roamed around our neighborhood begging for food and if couldn’t find any, resorted to stealing. We were even put to jail for a night for stealing which was terrifying. We worked in construction by carrying hollow blocks, 5 gallons of water in a container, gravel and sand. Our father forced us to work and used our salary for drinking and left us only a very little amount for our food.
My father got me pregnant at the age of 13. After I delivered my baby, I was brought by my Aunt to DSWD then to Bohol Crisis Intervention Center, Tagbilaran City. It was there that I personally came to know God and received Him as my Savior on November 5, 2005. After a year of staying there I decided to place my child for adoption because I wanted to finish my studies. I was brought to Arms of Love Children’s home where I experienced what a Christian family is; I now have parents, brothers and sisters.
I was accelerated from elementary school to College after passing the promotional test of the government. Later, AoL allowed me to work as part time support staff during the summer of 2007. I am always amazed by God’ surprises, fulfilling His promise in Jeremiah 29:11 “To give me hope and a future” and “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). I thank God for the trials, without them, my life would not have direction. I am now in my 4th year of College studying for a degree in Psychology and hope to graduate by March 2011.
I have a job on campus working for a professor. I was recently elected by my schoolmates as the class representative. I have many friends and am doing very well in my studies. Arms of Love taught me to live independently and to have hope for my future.
Myla is still undergoing healing of her past. One day, if she has the resources, she plans to locate her child.