UPlift – October 2026 Newsletter
There are so many ways to begin an endeavor. There are false starts, delayed starts, and even good starts. Starting is usually the easy part; it’s the finish that often proves difficult. Sometimes we don’t get to choose how we start. The country of our birth, or the financial situation we were born into, was chosen for us. Some start things that they believed were right even when they were 100% wrong. Here is the Good News though – if we follow Jesus and surrender to Him, no matter the good or bad start, He can help us finish well for His glory. Meet three amazing people from LCP who had a rough start.
Dana Mae Baybay, Loreto Gaso and Kenneth Ozoa
Dana Mae was raised by a single mother who worked hard to provide for their family. Growing up, Dana learned the value of hard work, determination, and perseverance. She dreamed of finishing her studies.
When Dana was in Grade 3, she became part of LCP. Through the support and opportunities provided by the sponsorship program, she was able to pursue her education and work toward her dreams. She successfully completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture and passed the Board Examination in 2010.
Dana is now happily married and blessed with two children. Her journey from being raised by a single mother to becoming a successful professional and mother is a wonderful example of how God can turn a bad start into an amazing story.
Loreto is from the Smokey Mountain Community. He started his journey with LCP when he was still in elementary school. At the age of 10, he became a sponsored child. Coming from a humble background, Loreto and his mother would walk from the market to LCP to save money on transportation until he was given a bicycle from his sponsor making his commute a little easier.
As he continued his education, Loreto became an active participant in the LCP program. In college, he shared his God-given skills in guitar playing and carpentry. Through hard work, determination, and the support he received along the way, Loreto successfully completed his studies in Electrical Engineering.
Today, Loreto has a good job. He is happily married to a teacher and blessed with 2 children. His story is a beautiful reminder that God always has the final word.
Kenneth became part of LCP in 2016. At a young age, he experienced the pain of being separated from his mother when she left him at the LCP shelter to find work in Manila. The separation brought Kenneth deep loneliness and sadness, as he longed to be with his mother.
The welcome Kenneth received at the LCP dormitory gave him the opportunity to pursue his dreams. He remained determined and focused on his studies despite the challenges he faced.
Kenneth successfully completed his degree in Secondary Education and passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers. He later pursued another career opportunity and successfully passed the examination for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
Today, Dana has been serving at the Provincial Agriculture Office for 13 years.
Today, Loreto works at Negros Oriental Electric Cooperative as a licensed Electrical Engineer
Today, Kenneth serves as a Jail Officer in the province of Negros Oriental.
The Apostle Paul had a rough start
We have an amazing example of someone in the Bible who had a bad start, but his finish was vastly different. There was a young man named Saul of Tarsus. His beginning was quite literally, brutal. He enters the Bible’s narrative holding coats and giving his enthusiastic approval for the men who are hurling stones to murder Stephen, the servant of God. A couple of chapters later we see that Saul was “uttering threats with every breath.” I suppose if it was one man making a lot of noise, no one would care, but a great wave of persecution had broken out against the church, and Saul had petitioned the religious courts for letters of authority to drag Christians to prison in chains.
If YouTube were a thing back then, his videos would have gone viral with people, liking, sharing, and subscribing to his channel. He was applauded, given legal backing and the approval of the masses. Yet, he was 100% wrong. Not a great start. So, on the way to carry out these murderous threats against the Lord, he had an encounter that left him blind, shaken, newly monikered, and completely changed from that day forward. Jesus met him on that self-righteous, homicidal path and set him on a completely different course, which was not rosy or adorned with a picket fence, but it was in the Apostle Paul’s own words, “…considered worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Phil. 3:8.
Do you know how many lives the Apostle Paul has touched in the last 2,000 years through the Scriptures? Only heaven knows. But that same gospel was spread to Dana, Loreto and Kenneth and is being spread to the children who you sponsor. How many lives will they impact as a result of LCW/LCP & your sponsorship? Only heaven knows. Thank you for doing the Lord’s work. Your own story is still being written, and new chapters await those with humble hearts. FINISH STRONG! We love you, and we pray your faith has been UPlifted!
