It’s been three weeks since we opened the Every Nation building as a temporary housing facility for healthcare workers in St. Luke’s Medical Center – Global City (SLMC) and Rizal Medical Center (RMC). We thank God for this opportunity to serve, and we are grateful for the church’s generosity to make this happen.
Our partnership with the hospitals has helped with the screening of our guests and following the safety protocols in our building. We are now using six rooms as male and female sleeping quarters and serving meals in our cafeteria for 50 guests. Here are some of them.
Meet Nick, Geffen, and Marlotte. They recently passed the nursing board exam and are new hires of SLMC. They came all the way from Batangas and started to be on duty two weeks ago. They are grateful to have a temporary shelter until the end of the enhanced community quarantine.
Meet Raymond and Dr. Elvira. Raymond, a nurse who used to bike from his house in Rizal to RMC, and Elvira, an internal medicine doctor who rides with ambulances from RMC to her home in Quezon City. When the wards weren’t full yet, they both used to sleep in the hospital. Now, they can comfortably ride in our shuttles and rest well in our building.
We plan to extend our temporary housing initiative until April 30, the end of the enhanced community quarantine period. After the government lifts restrictions, we will resume offices and worship services in the building. Even beyond the enhanced community quarantine, we remain committed to serving our front liners and are looking for other ways to continue to support them.
Our church in Lipa was inspired by this initiative in BGC and also opened their facility for healthcare workers in Mary Mediatrix Medical Center. We have ongoing relief efforts for affected communities in 30 provinces. We are also partnering with the local government and nongovernment organizations to provide protective gear and meals and pray for front liners, such as army officers and policemen.
Together, let’s continue to face this crisis with faith, speak hope, and express God’s love in every way we can. You can read more inspiring stories from the front lines on victory.org.ph/GoodNews2020.