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Survival’s missionary school, the Lord provided everything
needed to go out: the support, the place and the mission.
God sent them out through Survival Ministries, supported by
individual families and their Home Church Murrieta Country
Church (now Calvary Chapel Murrieta). And by 1988 the whole
Rosmarino family: Pastor Joe and his wife Billie, with (daughter)
Elizabeth, 14 years old, and (son) Bill, 12 years old, moved
from Temecula, California to the Philippines.
Still with a heart for people and kids, thru out the world
they trusted in the Lord’s guidance. God guided them to the
city of Bacolod, on Negros Island, in the Philippines. God
directed them to build a building and start a feeding center
for the starving street children, in the poorest and roughest
areas in Bacolod called Barangay 40. (No Christian ministry
had ever been allowed into this squatter’s area until then.
Lots of outreaches for children started out of that, called
Kid’s Praise (10 Bible Clubs throughout the city). The strong
burden to pray for the people and parents of the kids, made
Joe sense God wanted to start a bible study. Heavy spiritual
warfare and months afterward an adult Bible study was welcomed
in a home, in the same poor squatter’s village (Brgy. 40).
It later became a fellowship they now call Calvary Chapel
Bacolod. Prison, Helps and Hospital ministries came out of
this small fellowship of growing believers.
By 1989, the Rosmarino’s were caring for an abandoned and
disabled child thru the fellowship’s hospital ministry. After
while the Lord brought two abused girls, to that little church.
They really needed a family and a temporary home. The Rosmarinos
opened their home and became foster parents, just extending
their family a little, for awhile, (they thought just temporarily,
never expecting what God was really gonna do). The Lord, continued
to add children, until their home, became a large family in
Christ. The Lord miraculously, moved Mary Jung, the mother
of the Rosmarinos, to be a missionary “GRAMMA” to this large
family of God.
Serving the Lord over the years they grew and continued to
be blessed by the Lord. God showed Pastor Joe, that the children
under his care needed more permanence from the people in their
lives. So thru prayer, the Rosmarinos committed to the LORD,
to become permanent residents, in the Philippines. It was
then they started to seek to become a licensed children’s
Home.
In 1993 through many struggles and joys, they bought a land
in the farm lands of Bacolod, Barangay Handumanan. They cleared
and started to build and plant. A building large enough, to
hold a growing fellowship of believers and a Godly home to
house the growing homeless children, that God had brought.
In 1994, the Philippine Government DSWD, licensed the Home
as a shelter/orphanage Calvary Chapel Children’s Home. Temporary
or long term, children need to belong, to feel wanted. They
need a family not an institution. The home has always strived
to maintain a homey, family atmosphere. And through God’s
GRACE it is a loving family. One by one, God, has brought
and accepted needy, unwanted and abandoned children of all
ages. Even some who have grown up in the orphanage or even
graduated from college have stayed to serve the Lord in the
Rosmarino family as missionaries. They understand and give
the younger children the love that they received as kids.
Children are being taught the love of Jesus Christ in a family
numbering over a hundred. The Home grew so big and the kids
so many, that problems arose in educating the large tribe,
in the public schools. By 1995 God started a small Christian
school on the land, that later became known as, Calvary Chapel
Christian School. Most of the teachers are the grown up children,
who had finished college to come back and teach God’s truth
and His word. Thru a Christian curriculum and Filipino studies,
God is honored. Not only recognized as a private Christian
school with ACSI, it is recognized with the Philippine GOV.
under DepEd. In 1999 the Lord saw the need for our handicap
children also to enjoy special education with God’s compassion.
So a special teacher with God’s heart and patience came from
among the kids to teach, special-ed. Then just this last year,
Calvary Chapel Christian School has become a satellite school
for 8 home schools thru out the Philippines.
After many years, God has called many short-term teams and
others with a heart for His mission, to serve Him here. He
has even called missionaries like; Suzanne Kesling Lefler
(1989-1991) of Calvary Chapel Laguna Hills (now married to
Lance Lefler, in USA with three children of their own). Teri
Rotherham (1993- still serving) of Calvary Chapel Cypress,
serving faithfully, with the Rosmarinos. Misty Wright (2002)
of Michigan. The Rosmarinos (the R’s or little R’s) are still
many.
Elizabeth, now expecting a child, (educated in the Philippines)
a doctor, is married to Kenneth Bongcac, serving the LORD
and living in Bohol, Philippines. Bill, a business man is
married to Joanne and living in Manila, Philippines have two
sons Will and Nathan (our grandchildren). Of course there
are many Filipino missionaries, that have come to serve the
Lord. All together, we minister to His children and becoming
a part of this LARGE family of God. And so on and on it goes.
Be fruitful and multiply. The kids come and go, none are perfect,
but our prayer is that they always strive to walk and shine
as lights for Jesus, in this world.
Proverbs 22:6
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