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Website updated: 1/21/10
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Progress Reports and Information:
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Want to Help?
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Resources and Links:
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Click HERE for an update on Current Projects and Needs for 2009.
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Click the button below to check out our latest video on YouTube!!!
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We’re having a . . .
   
For a limited time,
the price on all of our
Training Manuals
is
CUT IN HALF!!!
People across the globe are experiencing unprecedented economic difficulties. And as we have seen before, the Lord often uses pressure points like these to reinvigorate our commitment and passion for Jesus and His Salvation.
If you are experiencing that re-commitment to His priorities, and want to reach out with a strong message of Salvation to those around you, we want to help.
These Training Manuals, designed for use with young and old, provide time-tested and proven strategies and tools to share the glorious message of the Bible.
Please use this blessing to share the Gospel with young and old everywhere you can.
For the King and His Kids,
Darrell and Sandy Blatchley
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Fall 2009
From the November newsletter:
Hello again, friends.
Sandy returned home to Davao City, Philippines on October 29th. We had been in the States for about 14 weeks. She’s been back for two weeks and has discovered that the regular attendance at Family Circus is now off about 2000 a week…
Instead of the 5,000 weekly we were seeing, we are now having about 7,000 at Family Circus each week. Interesting what happens when we step out of town. Loving it… ;-)
At the end of October, our missions leadership asked if I would consider staying through November to prayerfully raise additional funds to pay off the remaining five lots where the circus tent is. I agreed to do so, while Sandy returned home to prepare for Christmas.
Meanwhile, we’ve paid off two lots, and the $91,500 we owed three months ago is now down to about $79,125. (Your prayers are appreciated! Thanks.)
I’m looking forward to getting home the 26th of November.
Wishing you all a Great Thanksgiving & a Merry Christmas!!
For the King & His kids,
Darrell & Sandy Blatchley
PS If interested in the prices remaining on the last three lots click HERE . . .
Summer 2009
Report - 7/1/2009
Recently we became aware through the immigration department of about 7 other foreigners who have been using Family Circus and a friend’s orphanage to obtain missionary visas apparently to obtain donations.
They took pictures of the kids and yet were not involved in the ministry, nor did they give any funds they may have raised for the children to the ministry.
It’s too bad there are people who would do that and we all need to watch out and be aware there are wolves out there in sheep’s clothing.
For the King & His kids,
Darrell & Sandy Blatchley
Report - 6/22/2009
Notes from a letter to a Friend:
Thank you for (your) help both past and present with feeding the kids. What a tremendous blessing to so many.
We’d like ask that if (you folks) are able to help us again, that with your permission we could also use some of the funds to help purchase much needed food preparation items, such as electrical soup warmers, and other implements for the cafeteria. In the past our numbers of children coming to know the Lord were much smaller and as you can imagine as the children find their way to us the logistics of feeding a greater number of kids is a wonderful challenge.
This past week we received a container from BGMC/COH that had eight 50 gallon drums of dried soup and many other food items. This is wonderful, and now, as is our dream, we will be preparing the meals in the cafeteria and serving the kids. We are prayerfully only days away from being able to get our city transformer in order to start operations. If (new) funds are able to arrive with the next dsb we will be able to start the cafeteria with nearly full functional ability. (Still lack a water tower, water tanks, gas tanks and gas plumbing for the ovens, in addition to lights. Est. $4,500)
 Of the 3 – 4,000 kids attending each week, two thousand plus of the children are significantly malnourished. That’s the number of children who regularly attend and have been registered at (approximately) 20 plus lbs under the weight to qualify as malnourished on the national charts for their age.
The lives God is enabling us to impact both now and for eternity is beyond our ability to know. But we do know that if we were filling some of the largest passenger planes it would take a good number to contain the numbers of children and their families that are coming to the Lord.
Blessings my friend,
Darrell & Sandy Blatchley
Family Circus Children’s ministry—Davao City PHILIPPINES
P.S. The reason I attached the young man’s picture is because he looked far older than his size. I had to kneel way down to be on his level. With so many kids attending we try hard to not let any fall between the cracks. We believe in the value of the “one.” 99 in the fold…
Report - 4/14/2009
Hi friends,
The following was also mentioned in the update sent (previously).
The following is a current need. The Joaquin family, owners of the property being purchased for the Family Circus Children’s ministry center, in the Muslim Friendship Village – Davao City, contacted us a few days ago. Their request is that we make a $27,000 payment ASAP (the month of April) due to dire needs in their family. Even if only a partial as early as next week, with the remainder later in the month.
We gave them $1,000 yesterday, not because we had extra funds, but because we know their need and believe God will provide. The families daughter (a Muslim) said, “We were sent by God.” (So true…)
These dear people have been very generous to us knowing that we love the poor and their children. We know they would not ask if it were not a valid need. Please pray and if you can help us, in advance we say, “Thank you so very much.”
For the King & His kids,
Darrell & Sandy Blatchley
See Map of property purchases below.
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Family Circus Children’s Ministries
Urgent Needs - Summer 2009
(Figures updated 6/26/2009)
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Summer 2009 . . .
Hello, friends.
We endeavor to keep you updated on a regular basis, and as your extended hands on the field, we are grateful for your participation in the Great Commission and your enabling us to “feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and to care for the widows and orphans in their time of distress.” If anything were to describe the Family Circus Children’s ministry, those words would prayerfully be most appropriate.
God is doing a wonderful work, and we are requesting to return to the states for a mini-furlough in Mid July – Mid October 2009. Upon approval, if these dates would fit in your calendar, we’d love to schedule services with as many as possible. Due to the short duration, we are open to creative opportunities outside of the regular time slots, including coffee around the table on other than normal church service times.
Current update of ministry:
At present we are completing the construction of a bakery cafeteria. The goal is to provide meals for the thousands of malnourished children who attend our weekly services. The current needs include purchasing a city transformer ($2,500), a generator ($9-10,000) capable of sustaining the electrical needs of the ministry in times of (frequent) power outage, and $4,500 for the wiring and lighting for the cafeteria and the completion of the building proper. *See pictures and the table below.
(Continued below.)
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Family Circus Children's Ministry Projects
and Continuing Needs
(Figures updated 6/26/2009)
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Item
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Amount
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Per Time Unit
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Cafeteria kitchen equipment - to assist in the feeding of malnourished children.
Fryer, Grill, Tables, Compressors for the freezer & refrigerator.
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$2,450
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Once
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City Transformer.
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$1,200
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1
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Food - 1 ton of rice $500 supplies about 2 weeks for the thousand of malnourished children and widows.
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$500
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Every 2 weeks
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10,000 Hot bread rolls.
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$400
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Each week
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10,000 Juice servings.
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$150
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Each week
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Fund needed to supply food for the pantry - Noodles, fruit, vegetables, etc, to supply the kitchen.
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No limit
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Ongoing
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School Supplies - $25 will cover 1 year school supplies and child school uniform, shoes, socks, pencils, erasers sharpeners, glue, paper, etc.
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$25
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Per child
Per year
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Dental supplies - $100 covers 1 week dental care for 200 kids.
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$100
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Per week
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Vitamins $350 = 1 box 25,000 multi-vitamins 5,000 kids for five days.
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$350
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5 days
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Gymnasium - covered basketball court - teen ministry center.
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$85,000
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Once
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Security lights $2,500 - 42 lights.
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$2,500
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Once
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Food carts - Hot Dog, French Fryer, Snow Cone Machine, Cotton Candy, Noodle Cart - $6-$850 each.
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$6-$850
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Initial cost with future growth needed.
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Convoy of Hope Shipping containers loaded with items needed and shipped for the Family Circus Children's Ministry - $40,000 – $50,000 value. Freight/customs costs $8,500 per 40' container.
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$8,500
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Per 40' container.
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First Aid Supplies.
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No Limit
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Continuing expense.
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Tractor - to assist in gardening and construction.
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$16,500
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Once.
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Playground equipment, and marine paint for fence.
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$4,500
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Once.
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Sports Equipment – all kinds: basket balls, badminton, volleyball, table tennis, chess boards, etc.
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$2,750
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?
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2 Generators 139KVA. (Capable of operating entire ministry center.)
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$12,000
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2
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PA system for the Circus Tent.
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$7,500
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1
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Lights for the Circus Castle and Tent.
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$2,500
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3 sets.
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Four Daylight Video Projectors to use in the circus tent and for Public School Assemblies.
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$4,500
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4
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Electric Piano and music instruments.
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$1,250
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3
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Property Purchase Update
06/09
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(Continued from above.)
Also, we have five more lots yet to pay off each with approximately $20k remaining due. This property is in the heart of the Muslim Friendship village of Davao City, Mindanao Island, Philippines, and yes, we are having large numbers of their families and children attending services each week.
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Property Purchase Status
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Updated 11.14.09
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Property
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Status / Remaining
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C-3
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PAID
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C-4
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PAID
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C-5
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PAID
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C-6
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$ 5,000.00
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C-7
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$ 15,375.00
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C-8
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-
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C-9
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-
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C-10
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-
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C-11
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$ 30,000.00
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C-12
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$ 23,750.00
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C-13
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$ 5,000.00
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C-14
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-
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C-15
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-
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C-16
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-
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Total
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$ 79,125.00
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In 2009 . . .
We anticipate building a "castle" beginning in March 2009 that will have a 1,000 seat sanctuary for the adults. Currently everyone attending services (approx. 5,000 weekly) join together in the circus tent during the two services. When the castle and cafeteria are complete, the teens and adults will have their own meeting area. The cafeteria, second floor, is planned to be used as a temporary meeting room for the teens until a basketball gym is constructed as a sanctuary for them. This will create a three-cord approach to ministering to the needs of the entire family. Donations for the ongoing construction are welcome. Project #5499
We welcome short term missions groups and building teams to come and assist us in ongoing projects.
In it for the King & His kids,
Darrell & Sandy Blatchley
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Family Circus Children’s Ministry was created by Assembly of God Church missionaries Darrell and Sandy Blatchley in 1993 to produce high impact and joyful methods of presenting the Gospel (#1) to children and (#2) to their families.
The purpose of the Family Circus is to bring the life and joy of Jesus, combining both discipleship and evangelism, to reach lost children, while ministering to the needs of the child, both spiritual and physical.
Each week five to six thousand people of all ages attend the Family Circus church services held under the ‘Big Top’, a big circus tent pitched in the center of the densely populated “Muslim Friendship Village in Davao City, Mindanao City, PHILIPPINES. Approximately 4,000 of the 6,000 member congregation are children- half of which are malnourished. More than 1,000 are adults.
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Please pray for Darrell & Sandy, and the team. God grant them sufficient:
- Strength,
- Energy,
- Wisdom,
- Knowledge,
- Discernment,
- Peace, and
- Joy - unspeakable and full of Glory!!
Pray for food - spiritual and physical - sufficient to help with the needs of those attending Family Circus.
Pray for supplies, building materials, permits, etc. for current and future needs of Family Circus.
Pray for health and safety for all those involved in the Family Circus mission outreach.
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