POCMin

to give moral and spiritual support. POCM became Chrissy's vision when she went to the Philippines on a gap year missionary trip in 1983. As she visited several jails and prisons regularly it became very apparent that the inmates were not the only ones affected by incarceration but some of their children became the innocent victims of crime enduring life behind bars alongside their parents. They would have to share their parent's food ration and lost all hope of an education for the duration of their parent's trial, which could take anything from 3-16 years. Even if their parents were eventually acquitted there would be nothing to compensate for the wasted years and broken lives. Those children who did not live with their parents behind bars were often abandoned and left to fend for themselves. Again there was little hope of an education. They were often used as servants by neighbors in exchange for a little food and so easily fell prey to physical, verbal or sexual abuse. Even though the task was great and the means were small, by faith Chrissy opened the doors of POCM's children's Home in 1988 to meet the needs of these innocent victims, and 5 years later she opened POC Christian Academy. Today the need is still great. POCCH is the only children's home in the region that offers a safe refuge for children of inmates. POCCH is currently home to 85+ children. POCCA offers free education to 160 students, many of whom are indigent children from the local community. Chrissy's husband, Dondie, is the Pastor of POCF Subic and POCF San Fernando. Chrissy and Dondie started the church fellowship because they could see the need for a`place for ex-inmates to worship and be accepted. The church ministry has now grown to 4 churches on the main Island of Luzon. Pastor Jimmy Abarca heads the church in Rosevelt, Bataan, and Pastora Vangie leads POCF Laguna, which is in the Southern part of Manila. Chrissy and her team continue to minister weekly in 4 local jails and once a month they visit inmates in Muntinlupa's Maximum Security Prison.