You may remember Junar and Dian Mardoquio from our April Good for Others work. Thanks to your purchases, this amazing Filipino family teamed up with us this past April and were able to bless 50 families in need with food for a week or more! (Read More of that Story here). A few weeks ago we reached back out to the Mardoquios and asked if they would be interested in partnering with Rooted once again (I didn’t realize when I asked that they were only a couple weeks out from welcoming their newest baby girl). True to their nature of generosity and service Junar and Dian agreed and took this month's project to prayer. 

Junar and Dian’s discernment brought them back to a ministry they have been involved with since 2014, when they started visiting the Malaybalay City Jail. The stunningly beautiful mountainous setting of the Malaybalay City Jail is a stark contrast to the austere and difficult circumstances experienced day in and day out by those who find themselves on the inside of the fences. Inmates here live in cramped quarters and rely on outsiders to bring them toiletries and other items they need for basic hygiene. 

Years ago Junar and Dian were invited to join a team of other committed disciples who had begun a ministry of visiting these prisoners, sharing testimonies and prayer with them and even building friendships. Over the course of that ministry, some of the inmates who fulfilled their sentencing time, found a new lease on life thanks in part to the graces at work in them through the Mardoquios and others who took the time month after month to visit them. Visitations to the jail have been far more limited since the dawn of the global pandemic, but the needs of the inmates for care and kindness remained.

Thanks to all of you who bought soap or skincare or essential oils from Rooted this past August, we were able to partner with the Mardoquios in providing 260 care packages to each of the inmates in the Malaybalay City Jail. Each care package was outfitted with some hygiene essentials and a few other items, like coffee and sugar, offering a glimmer of hope for those who find themselves in a very dire situation. We are awed by the opportunity to reach out together across hemispheres and timezones and meet the needs of a population in need of mercy and support. Thank you for being a part of this ever growing Rooted community! If you are blessed to know that your purchases are impacting lives around the world, and blessed by the story of 260 hearts that were uplifted by a simple gesture of mercy, please help us spread the word and share this story and what you love about Rooted with your friends, family and social network. Let’s see what more good we can do together.