Mateo (9 years old) and Lucas (6 years old) Dela Junta are siblings. They are a product of a broken home and they lived with their father. But their father was very cruel to them. A police officer in Olongapo City, Zambales witnessed their father’s maltreatment to Mateo and Lucas – He saw the father hurting, spanking and beating mercilessly these helpless Aeta kids. So the police officer reported the incident and brought the kids to the Philippines’ Department of Social Welfare and Development Office right away. These children were then brought by the DSWD staff to the Aeta Children’s Home because they knew that the ministry caters to the Aeta children, providing not only their physical needs but also their mental, emotional and most especially their Spiritual needs. They know that Mateo and Lucas would be well-taken care of here.

Both of the boys were malnourished and sickly when they first entered the ministry. They were also very aggressive, ill-mannered, and hard-headed. Despite the difficult personalities of Mateo and Lucas, the hard-working staff of the Aeta Children’s Home dealt with them in love and patience. It took several months of gentle guidance and counseling from ACH to finally get them adjusted to their new environment. They were taught good manners, proper hygiene practices, and socialization. Their physical needs were attended to by feeding them nutritious meals and given vitamins. They both also underwent medication to heal their illnesses. Most importantly, Mateo and Lucas were taught about Jesus Christ and the Gospel. They were taught how to pray and worship God.

We saw a huge improvement on these kids. They have improved their nutritional status and they have learned to respect and love not only other people but more importantly, they have learned to value and to love themselves. They also have realized that Jesus loves them very much.