Danny and Joyce are part of Eastgate Christian Centre, a Baptist church in east Auckland. They both grew up in different parts of the Philippines and were sponsor children. Read about their stories and how they eventually met, married, and moved to Auckland.
They will be sharing their stories in more depth at Windsor Park Baptist Church on 7 August at 9:30am.
Joyceu2019s story
u201cGrowing up, I didnu2019t know what soap was or what brushing your teeth looked like, or what it was like to eat three meals a day,u201d says Joyce Paculaba. She grew up in extreme poverty until the age of seven, in Manila, Philippines.
u201cMy father was a security guard but he died when I was just two years old. He was the victim of a shootout,u201d says Joyce.
Her mother was put into a mental institution, so from a very young age, she was fostered. u201cI moved from one aunt to another, staying with whoever would take me,u201d she says.
She eventually found u201chomeu201d when she went to live with her motheru2019s eldest sister. She was married to a pastor who was the Compassion Project Director at the time.
u201cMy uncle and aunty, four cousins and I lived in a house at the back of the church. All of my cousins were younger. I played games with them and taught them how to play chess and shoot hoops. They took me in as their ownu2014I had finally found a family that loved and cared for me.u201d
When Joyce was seven, her aunty and uncle enrolled her in the local Compassion Programme, not long after a student decided to sponsor her.
u201cMy first sponsor got a cleaning job, just so she could afford to pay for my sponsorship. That gave me the motivation to study harder at school.u201d
Through her sponsorship, she received a uniform, school supplies and books. She was also able to eat three times a day.
Growing up Joyce had no idea what a birthday was u2013 it was such a foreign concept to her.
u201cMy favourite memory as a sponsored child was getting these beautiful birthday clothes and toys and seeing a cake for the first time! This was a massive deal to me. I also now had security and a sense of direction through my sponsorship.u201d
u201cWhen I went to Sunday school at the Compassion Centre, I came to know the Lord as my saviour. Thatu2019s when everything changed.u201d
Her last sponsors were an older couple. u201cTheir grandkids drew pictures and sent them to me, and they said they were praying for me. It is beyond words the impact that had on me as a child. They had never met me, but they loved me as if I was a part of their family.u201d
They sponsored Joyce until she was able to finish her Bachelor of Business Administration.
u201cAfter I graduated, I wanted to minister to other children and bless my sponsors, so I volunteered at a Compassion Centre. I would help translate letters from Filipino to English, help facilitate programmes as an emcee, organise summer camps, teach in Sunday school and organise a Kidu2019s Praise Musical.u201d
Dannyu2019s story
u201cI grew up receiving the benefits of my sister Miriamu2019s sponsorship. I was born in Cebu, Phillipines, about 800km away from Manilla. It was a busy neighbourhood, we didnu2019t have a lot, but we were happy,u201d says Danny.
Danny lived with his two parents and his three siblings. His mother was the project director of the local Compassion Centre at the time.
His younger sister Miriam was sponsored through Compassion from primary school right up until high school. Her sponsor also helped her go on to study physical therapy at university.
u201cWhen you sponsor a child you sponsor a whole family,u201d says Danny.
After Miriam studied physical therapy for two years she got into a freak accident.
u201cShe was sadly hit by a vehicle, it was a very hard time for the family. After the accident, her sponsor still wanted to help, so he decided to move her sponsorship onto me.u201d
u201cAt 18-years-old I was one of the eldest enrolled with the Compassion Programme. Sponsorship gave me school materials, a uniform, food, school supplies, birthday clothes and meant I could go to a good doctor. Sponsorship also allowed me to grow up with happy memories and have a fulfilling childhood,u201d says Danny.
From a tragic turn of events, came something beautiful.
u201cI wanted to study hard and make the most out of the sponsorship after my sister died. Because of her sponsor, I was able to complete a computer engineering degree.u201d
u201cI am so grateful to God for the way he always came through for me and took care of me,u201d says Danny.
When Joyceu2019s and Dannyu2019s path collided
In 2005, Danny and Joyce met at a Compassion Alumni homecoming.
u201cI liked Dannyu2019s sense of humour. He was shy, but when he spoke he made me laugh. We became good friends,u201d says Joyce.
Later that year Danny had to move to Singapore for a job as a liason officer in a construction project.
u201cWe had a long-distance friendship for seven years, and in the eighth year, when I went to visit Danny, he asked me to be his girlfriend. The following year we were married, if neither of us were sponsored we would have never met,u201d says Joyce.
After another three years of long-distance marriage, Joyce and Danny decided to settle in New Zealand together.
u201cJoyce works for Auckland Transport as a transport controls administrator and I work in construction,u201d says Danny.
A few months ago Tearfund came to Joyceu2019s and Dannyu2019s church (Eastgate Christian Centre) and spoke about sponsorship.
u201cDanny and I decided to take a leap of faith and sponsor little 7-year-old Kefi from Indonesia. We hope to be as much of a blessing to Kefi, as our sponsors were to us,u201d says Joyce.
Danny and Joyce are speaking at churches throughout Auckland as part of Tearfund New Zealandu2019s My Life Was Changed tour. They will be sharing their stories in more depth at Windsor Park Baptist Church on 7 August at 9:30am.
Story: Grace Ellis, Communications Specialist at Tearfund, adapted from its first publication in Tearfundu2019s Correspondent magazine.
Photo credits: supplied by Tearfund.
