Children learn best when they’re having fun. What could be better than being taught about God’s love, mercy, and grace while painting pictures? That’s what the 30 volunteers from Our God is The Living Word Christian Church of Cebu did. They spent 4 consecutive Saturdays working with 50 Restore clients to create a beautiful mural of beloved Bible characters and stories…from Joseph, the dreamer, the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, the changed heart of Zacchaeus the tax collector, and Jesus’ sacrificial love.

Upon completion, the project was named the Wall of Hope. That is what the members of Living Word IT Park Cebu provided the girls from Restore….hope. They gave hope to those who have lost hope in people they trusted, lost hope to finding wholeness, and lost hope for a better tomorrow. They shed light into the darkness. One of the girls said, “Despite of how sinful we are, God is still reaching out to us.” Yes, He is still reaching out. He is reaching out through you, through me, and through volunteers like the members of Our God is The Living Word Christian Church of Cebu.

The irony is while we are reaching out in His name, He is reaching in to our hearts as well. A volunteer expressed it eloquently: “I have experienced greatly the love of Christ through the lives of the Restore clients. I have realized how faithful God is in His promise to care for those who are lost and in need of Him. I have had a glimpse of hope seeing the eyes of the victims that they can be set free if they would let Jesus make home in their personal lives. I was beyond grateful being part of the volunteers, teaching them Bible stories, planting the seed in the hearts of the clients, entrusting Jesus to water the seeds in their hearts that those will grow and bear fruit in God’s perfect time.”