Hope For The Orphans

by MEGS S. LUNN

A promising orphanage named Cross Point Ministries located at Bougainvilla Beach, Pook Interior, Kalibo, Aklan aims to provide a Christ centered haven of hope for orphans. The initial focus are the infants zero age to 6 months. It will serve the needs of the entire province of Aklan. 

Mr. Michael Yap a Filipino-American who lives in New Jersey, USA but with roots in Pook, Kalibo conceived the idea. He had a clear dream to take care of small children which started way back in 1989. 

Michael is married with eight (8) children. As if he doesn’t have enough, he still thinks of an orphanage back home. In 2006, he came back to the Philippines to conduct need analysis, went around orphanages in Aklan, Bacolod, Iloilo and Metro Manila. Michael, with his deep faith in God, prayed for wisdom about his dream. 

Back then, he shares backlogs in the family. He lost his job as carpet cleaner. He nearly lost his wife and children as they were on cross-roads, until in his dream, God told him to fix his family problem first before anything else. Therefore, he went back to the USA and attended to his family problems. After which, he finally decided to put up this orphanage in Pook in 2009. He went back again to the Philippines and talked to his father, Manny Yap, who owns a large property in Pook Interior. 

It is surrounded with fishponds and many green trees. In 2010, he went to Iloilo and filled up the SEC Registration Form. He organized the board. Back in the USA and with his grandparent’s property, the father, out of the 30 hectares of land, donated at least one hectare to fulfill his dream. It was a welcome donation from his father. Indeed, God favored his dream. In 2011, he secured all the needed legal documents. The Board of Directors was organized with two American friends and six Filipinos additional members. They all came home together for the ground breaking in March 2011. 

Instead of constructing a new building which could have cost US $20,000, his father Manny Yap gave their old house to the orphanage.

The board members back in New Jersey   raised funds for the orphanage expenses. The initial amount was spent for the renovation of the house. The fund raising included the night of worship, a dinner and some rummage sales auctions. There were anonymous donors at the same time.

Michael has strong faith to make things happen. So that at present, the Cross Point Ministries Hope for the Orphans is manned by seven staff members. The board of directors religiously open their hearts and minds into taking good care of the orphans. /MP