My father’s house

There is a house in a quiet street in Malate with a big brown gate, with pretty pocket gardens, a cheery living room with bright plaid café curtains and upholstery, spacious TV rooms, a courtyard, a sunny kitchen with light wood dining sets. At the time I came in, merienda (saba with syrup) was being served, and the children were licking their silver spoons clean.

Cheery smiles, warm laughter, and a faint smell of vanilla and baby cologne. The place is super clean but you don’t feel like you are in a hospital. Do you know the feeling of your grandparents’ home on a lazy afternoon? Or that feeling you have when someone is happy to see you, when you know you are truly welcome? Maybe this was what the Prodigal Son felt when he went back to his father.

This is the ambience of My Father’s House.

Deanna Collins heads this home for abandoned children. She welcomes me into her very homey office. I attribute the place’s cheery and homey character to the fact that she lives in the Home. "Yes, I live here. This is it for me. This is my home."

She recalls her hometown in Florida. "I had a good job and a stable lifestyle. But I lived with this void in my heart. I wanted to make a concrete impact on the lives of others. I know I raised my son well. And when I knew it was time to go, I went to the Philippines, in coordination with our church, the Cathedral of Praise, to set up My Father’s House, under the ministries of Pastor Benny Hinn.

"I had never been to the Philippines before but when I got out of the plane, I knew, this was were I belonged. I knew this was where I longed to go," she explains, holding back that powerful emotion that grips you when you know something is profoundly destined. "My son and parents visit me regularly. They like it here, too."

My Father’s House was set up only last May 2000. "Usually the children are orphaned. They are referred to us by the dswd. We care for them on a long-term basis, which means that they stay with us until they feel they can start their own lives, or finish college–whichever comes first. We provide for their care and upbringing until they are productive adults. They will grow up here and never have to transfer from home to home.

"We have 49 children at present. We have separate living quarters for girls and for boys. We rented the house beside us to accommodate all the children. We have nine sets of siblings and eight teenagers. So you see, we have a varied range of ages here (from 3 to 18 years)–just like a real family!" she beams.

The set-up is truly like one big family. Thus, there are schedules, meals, activities and homework. Volunteers from nearby schools, like St. Paul’s College and De La Salle, come by to help out with the tutorials and crafts. There is a staff of seven–three social workers, a cook, a helper and two houseparents. The houseparents live in the Home and help with the daily activities, like packing 40 plus lunchboxes for school-bound kids.

"The children attend the private school in our Church. The teenagers will attend a public university when the time comes. In the meantime, we are busy with lots of activities. We have to follow a schedule to keep it manageable:

5 a.m. – wake up, shower, make-up beds

6 a.m. – breakfast

7 a.m. – off to school

3:30 p.m. – snacks study time

6 p.m. – dinner; clean-up chores

7 p.m. – TV time or group time or Bible study or family circle (depending on the day of the week)

10 p.m. – lights-out

"When we have a birthday celebrant, we have special dinners, with pancit and special birthday cake. If the child does not know his birthday, we give him a special one. Like Ramon’s birthday is my son’s birthday. Last Christmas, we had a banquet at the Holiday Inn where the children gave us a program of song, dance and mime. They are very talented. We have had two scholarships from the Cultural Center for dance. It is all very exciting as we are still being offered other scholarships and programs from civic organizations. Some of the children are very artistic. Jason, our artist, won 2nd place in a National Competition," Deanna beams with maternal pride.

Right now, the Home is funded entirely by the Benny Hinn ministries. But Deanna has to be creative in acquiring supplies. She has marked a small corner in the courtyard and is preparing it to be a computer-study room. "Now, I have to figure out a way to put four computers into that computer room. That will surely help the kids a lot!

"I really treat them as my children. We take walks. I try to schedule solo time with each one of them because it’s different when it’s one-on-one. When we’re all in a group, the quiet ones retreat, the aggressive ones compete. I pay more attention to the teenagers because they are truly in a challenging stage. Some have begun a turbulent searching for themselves. We have to support them in resolving their issues. I have to make it known that they can come to me or any of the house parents anytime."

It wasn’t always easy. "Some came to us very angry, like Jericho. But we had to show him that we are here for him, hostile as he was. He liked to throw tantrums and pick fights with anyone. Lately, we had a celebration because his teacher called me to say that he actually walked away from a fight in school. Can you imagine that?" she casts Jericho a loving glance. Love conquers all.

It is not easy to get a solo picture of Deanna. The children stretched out their arms to hug her and held her hands wherever we went, specially Maritess and Ana Marie. "Ana Marie wants to be an actress, right Ana Marie?" Deanna asks.

"Yes Mommy!" Ana Marie confirms enthusiastically.

"Some call me tita. Some call me mommy. Some of them want to see their birth mothers. One of them was really worried because she remembered her mother’s birthday. So I went with her and brought a small cake donated by the Starbucks near here. They give us the day-old breads and cakes. She was happy to see her mother. Here in My Father’s House, we are open to that. We know that a child will be curious about her birthparents.

And so, this is where Deanna feels she is making a concrete impact. "Though I first had to adjust to the culture, now I know that in my little way, I am part of the change these 49 children will bring to the world when they leave the Home. Everyday is a work in progress. I don’t know what it will bring but I have learned how to trust completely in God. And things fall into place–always," she avers.

"There were times when our teens, Jerry and Danilo, ran away. I was so worried. We went looking for them. Finally they returned. I told them, ‘Boys, you cannot just run away like that. You must tell us where you are or what time you are coming back.’ They were quiet the whole week. I could not figure it out. And then someone told me that they went to sort out their relatives’ problems. So it wasn’t a behavioral problem at all. Now, I encourage them to share with me their problems during ‘family time’. So far, we haven’t had any more runaway issues. Whatever the problem is, I want them to know that I will never give up on them." Just like a real family.