The Philippines is a country in Southeast Asia located primarily along the Pacific Rim. It is composed of 7,100 islands with beautiful white sand beaches like El Nido, Palawan, and Boracay in the central Visayas. It is the home of the giant eagle known as “the Philippine monkey-eating eagle” and of the Tarsier, one of the world’s smallest monkeys. In the South East are found exotic fruits in like durian, mangosteen, marang, lanzones, jackfruit, mangoes, star apples, pineapples, bananas, and soursop which are available in abundance.
The Reform Movement activities started in the Philippines back in 1958 when Brother Lavrik arrived in the southern part of the country. A few years later, Brother D. Nicolici arrived. He followed up and organized the work. Today, there are approximately 1,400 members and five fields comprising the Philippine Union Conference.
There is a missionary school, an elementary school, and a radio station that operates on the school campus. Our brethren are deeply engaged in the medical missionary work and many make it their livelihood. They operate private natural health clinics and manufacture herbal medicines. This venture has helped the tithe revenue of the church grow within these past few years. However, many of the patients of these brethren need extra care and in-house treatment which they are not in a position to provide. This prompted the brethren to dream of building a sanitarium.
The Lord's messenger describes: “In the night season I was given a view of a sanatorium in the country. The institution was not large, but it was complete. It was surrounded by beautiful trees and shrubbery, beyond which were orchards and groves. Connected with the place were gardens in which the lady patients, when they chose, could cultivate flowers of every description, each patient selecting a special plot for which to care. Outdoor exercise in these gardens was prescribed as a part of the regular treatment, {CH 171.2}.
“Scene after scene passed before me. In one scene a number of suffering patients had just come to one of our country sanatoriums. In another I saw the same company, but, oh, how transformed their appearance! Disease had gone, the skin was clear, the countenance joyful; body and mind seemed animated with new life." {CH 172.1}.
The GC Health Department Director visited the Philippines several times and together with the local brethren planned to search for a place in the countryside to build a sanitarium to serve not only Filipinos but brethren from around the world. The brethren have found a property measuring 4.8- hectares (11.9 acres) that will cost around US$65,000. It is about two hours driving distance from the airport of Davao City.
To make this project possible, the Philippine Union needs assistance from our brethren around the world. Therefore, the General Conference Council has designated a special offering to be collected for this purpose in all our churches during the Sabbath School on the third Sabbath of April, 2017 (April 15, 2017). We hope and pray that when the collection of the Special Offering for this project will come, you will remember the Sanitarium project in the Philippines.
Your brethren from the Philippines and the GC Health Department
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