Pam Griffin
A village in the Philippines now has a library — thanks to the children of Destin.
Mission Love Seeds, based in Destin, has just completed building its first library in the village of Pantay, and the children at Destin United Methodist Church donated the first books during vacation Bible school last summer.
The library next to Mission Love Seeds Pantay Church, built in memory of Mission vice-president John Hawbaker’s sister-in -law Nancy Hawbaker of Decatur, Il, will also serve the children of the village of Galilee.
Nancy was a woman who loved to read, and in her honor the children of the villages will know the laughter and joy that comes from reading, and they will have access to a world, and the people in it, which could change their lives forever.
The bookshelves and tables and chairs were handmade, and Fely Zapanta, Mission coordinator in the Philippines, and her family stained the furniture. The children of the village even helped with painting. There is also a playroom in the library where the children, especially the littlest ones, have access to small toys.
The library will also be used for Bible study classes, vacation Bible school and English classes for both children and adults.
Mission Love Seeds is now accepting donations of new or gently used books appropriate for children of all ages, including Bibles and Bible stories for children and adults. Also needed are monetary donations to help with the cost of shipping the books.
To donate or have books picked up, visit www.missionloveseeds.org, call Barbi Carroll, president of MLS, at 850-865-1055 or e-mail missionloveseeds@cox.net. Mission Love Seeds is a recognized 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
“A library is a door to a future, a door that opens the mind of every individual.” — John Hawbaker, vice-president of Mission Love Seeds.
This article first appeared in The Destin Log newspaper on Jan. 16, 2010.
