Claire is happily married to mark and together they have 5 children (4 fostered and 1 homemade!). Gerlie is 19, Georgette is 16, Meann is 7, Caleb is 4 and Luke is 1! Their family is very unconventional but a very happy one. Mark is an Engineering Manager for an Australian owned firm on the nearby Freeport Zone and Claire Directs the Ministry of Helping Hands fulltime. They are actively involved in their local church CRC and enjoy being part of the worship team.
Both Claire and Marks heart is to serve God in whatever way they can. They love being on the mission field and although sometimes they miss out on family things in their native Northern Ireland they have committed to the Life call given to them by the Lord. They remain open to His will but love what He is doing through them now.
The Olongapo team is made up of two main sections; the hospital staff and the CRU staff. All in all, there are 29 people!
The best thing about this team is their versatility. They may officially be “admistration” or “evangelist” but if a ‘code blue’ is called in the hospital you will see every one of them run to help who ever is dying. Each is gifted in their own area of skill or expertise. The team is lead by Beth, a Business Administration Graduate with years of experience in office management and ably assisted by Pastor Badi. We have 4 evangelists whose passion is to share Christ. Dang, the wife of Pastor Badi, Yna (formerly an EEG Tech at The National Kidney Institute) and Leo and Emil, the two youngest team members! Together they make up the team who work everyday in the hospital to attend too and enable parents and doctors to help sick children. They are officially 9am to 5pm staff but in reality they are always on call as people tend to not stick to 9 to 5 when having medical emergencies!
The Cru makes up the most sizeable team within the ministry having 23 members. Its packed with people from all walks of life and with wonderful testimony’s to share. Mariza Salang and Loy Napalan assist Claire in leading the unit and the new social worker Laura May is a welcome addition to their team. Janet Mabita our midwife has been part of CRU staff since 2005 and she now is the supervisor of the full time care staff. The nurses, caregivers, midwives, houseparents and play specialist are the people who spend most time with the children. In addition we have a cook, maintenance man and housekeeper to keep things running smoothly. Many of these staff are parents of our former patients. Who best to have a heart of compassion for the children but the very parents who have been through similar experiences in life. It still touches us to see parents like Amy, Leah, Geraldine and Norrie involved in the lives of these kids despite loosing their own child or having been through discouraging life circumstances. They are true examples of how God can transform terrible situations and turn them into something beautiful. All of the CRU staff are dedicated people who truly love the Lord and want to honour Him by serving Him here in their own country. Many have given up higher paying jobs just to take on their roles here within HHM. The latest addition to the team are two young ladies who have come from Leyte, the south of the Philippines just to serve God. They had no experience of working with children but have become amazing house parents and evangelists because they allowed themselves to be used of the Lord. Dr Cogie Oliva and Dr Jay Pusung volunteer in the ministry. Dr Jay does our surgeries when possible and Dra Cogie visits and makes rounds at the CRU about 3 times a week. They are very dedicated and we very much appreciate them.
The Baguio team is made up of 9 people so far. That includes Marissa Dela Peña who transferred from Olongapo to head up the team, and local Baguio woman, Grace Demandante her assistant who came with years of experience in working in orphanages and working in children’s ministries. Others on the team are qualified caregivers, houseparents and even a nutritionalist. They are currently praying for a new nurse and a play specialist to join their team. Someday they hope to have the hospital work in Baguio too but for now, as budget allows, they are focusing on the CRU. All of them have the heart of a missionary and love serving in their own country.
The trustees are Pastor Arnel Reyes, Pastor Badi MonteVirgen, Mrs Margi Viloria, Dr Cogie Olivia, Dr Rogel De Hesus and Dr Debbie Alba. All of the trustees have retained their positions within the ministry for many years and enjoy sitting on the Board and being actively involved.
