| Email: | BobbyMoore@altamesa.org |
| Missions: | http://www.altamesa.org/ministries/missions |
| Tree of Life: | http://www.altamesa.org/tol |
My Friend Rico...
Happy Birthday Rico
Bobby Moore ( Associate Minister )
It was about 80 degrees in the afternoon as school was being dismissed in the Philippines. With a little tug on my shirt, I spun around to see one of the cutest kids I had ever seen. Three words, “Hello Mr. Bobby” with a big smile was how he became my Filipino Friend. 7 years old and a grin that could get him out of any trouble, Rico was now my sidekick for the remainder of time in the Philippines. Anywhere on campus I would go, my shadow was sure to follow. Countless pictures and notes greeted me each day, but the one that really touched me was when Rico asked if I could stay in town for his birthday. His birthday isn’t until February and if my family would have been with me I would have really considered staying. I asked Rico’s mother if I could take the family out for pizza and bowling to celebrate Rico’s birthday a month early. They said sure, so later that evening we loaded up a jeepny and headed to the mall. Rico had never been to the mall and had never eaten Pizza. Watching him devour his bacon and cheese pizza was a sight, but to watch the bliss on his face as he covered his crust with banana ketchup brought joy to my heart. Later that evening we went bowling and Rico got a spare in one of the frames. I have never seen a kid break dance with as much enthusiasm as he did after that last pin fell.
On my last day in the Philippines, Rico and I were hanging out and I pulled out a US one dollar bill, a two dollar coin from Hong Kong, and Jim Cooke provided a Mexican Peso and Lire from Italy. We told Rico he now had money from around the world, and although he may never get to all of those countries he could have a piece of money from each one as a souvenir. Rico left to go show his new treasure around to others who were at the building and I finished up packing for the trip home. As I was leaving one of the ladies pulled me aside and told me thanks for all I had done for Rico while I was in the Philippines. She said, “You should have seen Rico come down to his mother and show her the money you gave him.” She continued by saying she overheard Rico tell his mother “Look mom, now we have enough money to buy milk for the baby.” While Jim and I provided him with less than a total of two American dollars for him to have as a souvenir, he was more interested in giving the gifts he received to provide milk for his little brother.
Rico is one of the kids supported by the Tree of Life Ministry. Salvador mentioned to me that he is a great example of how Tree of Life works. Sal said that Rico was just what we would call a street kid, very poor and no hope for an education. However, because of someone’s donation of $25 dollars a month, Rico is able to grow up learning about a God who provides; a God who is a giver of life. I hope that you are a part of this great ministry and that you continue your support of such a wonderful ministry. There are many more Rico’s that need someone to invest in them. If you have any questions or would like to support a child like Rico, please email me or call the church office. Thanks for your love of people around the world and in our own neighborhood.
Download PDF version of this page