Geneva and Jessa were OM scholarship recipients and are now teachers at their former school. They share how OM impacted their lives, not just financially but holistically, challenging them to get to know “the real Saviour.”
In the Philippines, OM scholarships have touched lives since 2008. Over 100 students have received financial support that made education possible when it would have otherwise been out of reach for most of them. There are different scholarship categories depending on the scholars’ individual situation, but generally it covers tuition, school supplies, uniform fees and other expenses related to school projects or field trips. “I don’t know where I’d be without OM,” says Geneva Bitor (Philippines), a young teacher in the mountain village of Sudlon — the same village where she grew up. After her mother died, Geneva’s teachers recommended her for the scholarship, having partnered with OM just a few years prior. Geneva’s family was struggling after their loss and the scholarship was a ray of hope, a chance for Geneva to pursue further studies and make a different future possible.
Jessa Desoyo (Philippines) shares part of Geneva’s story. She was part of the first group of scholarship recipients at the school. “I am so grateful [the scholarship programme] supported me until I graduated,” she says. To stay in the programme, students must pass all their classes and participate in the extra-curricular activities OM conducts.
Both women grew up in devoted Roman Catholic families. When the opportunity of a scholarship came around, some family members discouraged them from accepting it, saying: “They will just want to convert you.” There were times when the young students thought that there was a bit too much talk about Jesus in their weekly meetings. But gradually they understood more and more about Jesus and His role in their faith. “It is different when you get introduced to the real Saviour. For me, it was not the ‘Paul on the Damascus road’ journey,” Geneva shares, “What helped me a lot in that development were the people. We witnessed how Jesus works in [OM workers’] lives.”
According to both women, what impacted them just as strongly as the financial support was the home-away-from-home OM provided them during their college years. After high school, they moved from their village to the city to pursue higher education. “We were away from home at such an early age,” Jessa reminisces, “but the staff were like family.” Scholars take part in outreaches, Bible studies and trainings, and through it all they are always encouraged to share how they are doing and what they need prayer for. The scholarship programme is “not just merely receiving support, but it was really helping you grow holistically,” Geneva says.
Today, the two women are back at the school where their journey with OM began, not as students, but as teachers, hoping to make a difference in the children’s lives, just as their lives were positively impacted. “I had a high school teacher who taught her lessons very well. I admired her. I aspired to be someone like her,” Jessa shares. “It was a dream for us to join here,” Geneva says and Jessa adds: “We’re here now, back at our alma mater.”
Please pray that more scholars would meet Jesus Christ through OM workers’ lived-out testimonies. Pray for more financial resources for the scholarship programme so that more students can receive support and can attend school. Pray that more relationships to least-reached communities can be established so that more of their children can receive the OM scholarship, access education and learn about Jesus.