Sheila with bloated stomach before she was healed

No Longer Hungry, No Longer Sick, No Longer Forgotten

How Remembering the Forgotten Community Brings Beautiful Transformation

Dear Family,

Sheila woke up coughing violently on yet another early morning. She could hear her neighbors in the tightly congested “Forgotten Community” ghetto in the Philippines stir and complain about her waking them up. She was finally catching her breath as an unwelcome guest began to growl in her stomach. Hunger was an ever-present companion, reminding her that her life was better when she was asleep.

As her stomach ached, Sheila wondered if her nursing baby was getting any milk at all. She could hardly see in front of her, as there was no light switch to flip. So she opened the only door of her one-room hut, hoping the light of dawn would be there. Just enough light came in to shine on a bag sitting on the floor by the door. Suddenly Sheila remembered—some kind and caring people had brought her some food the previous evening. Breakfast was beautiful that day.

Prior to this day, Sheila had trudged through life never expecting anything but hardship. No one seemed to care that she even existed. Never had anyone intervened in her life to make it better.

Sheila remembered that those kind people who brought the food had also invited her to attend a worship meeting. So she decided to go. The moment she arrived, she felt a presence like none she had ever encountered before. She couldn’t help but weep as she realized the presence of the One who would soon become her Lord and Savior. That day, she found new hope and new life through the gospel. An even greater kindness overcame her. Sheila gladly repented of things she’d done and felt, and she began to follow Jesus.

This is the first miracle in Sheila’s life that you were a part of. Miracle number two was already on the way.

Sheila was coughing incessantly because she suffered from a disease called pulmonary effusion. Fluid filled her lungs and caused her abdomen to swell.

Despite this, Sheila faithfully served God. However, she could not afford medical treatment as her husband is an on-call construction worker who earns less than $10 per day when he is called to work.

You helped not only to provide food to sustain Sheila, her husband, and her children, but also to cover her medical expenses.

Sheila is now healed of pulmonary effusion and has experienced God’s kingdom touching her heart through those kind and caring people who have now become her supportive friends.

Without you, the donors to the Unreached People Groups Ministry, Sheila wouldn’t have been reached or helped. You provided the food for our team on the ground to take to her. Thank you! Many more in the Forgotten Community need to be reached with the gospel and given a hand up.

Since the onset of the pandemic, Heaven’s Family’s Unreached People Groups Ministry has been feeding families who were starving because they had no income or aid during the long lockdowns in the Philippines . Medical and other practical needs have been met. Recently, we provided backpacks and school supplies to over 100 children. Earlier this year, solar streetlights were installed in 100 spots throughout this hillside ghetto, which has no electricity.

The Forgotten Community isn’t the only place where we are working. In seven other communities across the Philippines, we are making the lives of children better. Among Afghan refugees in Tajikistan, war-torn refugees in Myanmar, unreached peoples in China, and many other groups, we are bringing the gospel to the unreached and helping to meet urgent needs. Thank you for helping to make this happen.

Todd Matthews
Director, Unreached People Groups Ministry