What a blessing it was to host Sarah Rahardja from the Compassion office in Manado on Sunday 11 October. It is normally Sarah who hosts and welcomes Insight Trip visitors from Manly to Manado, but this time it was our honour and privilege to host her in our home town of Manly.

Sarah spoke at two services at Seaforth Baptist Church with members from Balgowlah Uniting, St Pauls, St Matts, St Pauls and Ruach churches also attending.  Sarah talked about some of the issues the families of Manado face as well as the Compassion Child Sponsorship Program in Manado (there are now 20 projects in Manado and Manly-Manado has sponsored 215 children from these projects!).  Many of the people attending the services were Compassion sponsors who learnt more about the daily activities of the Compassion children at the projects.  It was inspiring to hear about the transformation of the lives of children who have been sponsored, especially little Rivaldy and the hope he now provides to his family.

Sarah also provided an update on the Child Survival Program that Manly-Manado supports and how the program has impacted the lives of mothers and babies in Manado, including Revalina and baby Iwene who now receive regular health support, nutritious food and medicines and vitamins as well as spiritual growth in their lives.

Thank you Sarah for your visit - we look forward to the next time!  May God continue to bless you and the Compassion team in Manado as you continue to bless the poor of Manado.

Something fishy was stirring in St Matts on Saturday night, 10th October. The Cinema4Life team again offered their community-building evening as a fundraiser for Manly-Manado and this time the film was truely eye-opening for all who watched!

Sharkwater is filmaker Rob Stewart's underwater adventure to explore the infamous fish - the shark. Driven by a lifelong fascination with sharks, Steward uses this film to show sharks in a light very different to the usual, negative 'man-eater' wrap they normally recieve. Filmed in stunning locations, with breathtaking cinemtography, this film proclaims a valuble lesson that applies not just to sharks, but to everything - that the first impression isnt always true.

It was great to see the Manly community come together again and share a night of choc-tops, lollies, hot chocolate, good converstion and sharks - all in all raising over $200 for Manly-Manado's development partner in Manado, Bridge of Hope!

Great effort everyone!

In the chic and intimate surrounds of Henry Afrikas on the beachfront at Manly, on Sunday 27 September people gathered to view and bid for the top ten photos in the Our Manly Light and Water Photography competition with money raised going to Bridge Of Hope's Sumompo Rubbish Dump project in Manado.  On the night people were transported into world after world. The ten finalist photographs captured the natural beauty of Manly in both a very familiar yet very different, unique way.

Local resident Will Wrathall shared his experience of working with the people of the Sumompo Rubbish Dump community in Manado.  His powerful words took everyone on a journey imagining they were in Manado scooting in and out of the busy traffic on the back of a motor bike, past lush green palm trees and the huge mounds of rubbish, the dump, that is Sumompo. Local musician, Zoe Elliot,  with her beautiful song 'A Life Well Spent', caused everyone to reflect on the importance of the bond being built between the people of Manly and the people of Manado and the lessons we can both learn from this partnership. Then Andrew from Cunninghams Property did a great job at auctioning all ten photographs with just over $5,500 being raised for the Sumompo Rubbish Dump Project in Manado. 

Thanks to Our Manly for organising the event, to Henry Afrikas for hosting and Cunninghams Property for cracking the auctioneers whip so well!  Thanks also to all the supporting businesses who helped to make the evening such a success!