VIOLENCE PREVENTION IN THE PHILIPPINES
One Woman's Journey to Bring Hope and Healing to Victims of Violence in the Philippines
When Rev. Paul Barner of Barner Christian Academy in Davao City, Philippines, urged Barbara Joy Hansen, daughter of C&MA pastor Charles Droppa, to address violence prevention and share her story in Alliance churches throughout the Philippines, she was amazed at how many other doors opened.
The author of Listen to the Cry of the Child cooked fish and vegetables over a primitive fire pit in the heart of the jungle at The Father’s House Orphanage with missionary Paul’s wife, Elvie. ISIS was watching their every move, but Paul told the humanitarian aid workers not to be afraid because the drug lords knew them well. He said that ISIS would run when they saw their Guardian Angels surrounding them, swords drawn and ready to slay them.
Barbara shared her testimony at The Father’s House Orphanage with the children, including one boy who was as young as seven. His exact age was uncertain because he did not have a birth certificate. The children were encouraged to participate in a skit called Janet’s Story, about a young girl who was a victim of violence. A few of the children shyly shared their own stories of being sexually trafficked or being thrown out of alcoholic homes by relatives.
They traveled by jeepney—a run-down bus with open windows—to remote churches and A-Ha Jail, where both women and men were incarcerated. They also visited the largest government hospital, where Barbara gave her PowerPoint presentation, “Rescuing the Prisoner When the Prisoner Is You,” to hundreds of doctors, nurses, police officers, and teachers.
Barbara also shared with the teachers, students, and parents of Barner Christian Academy, as well as students at Alliance Theological School. She participated in Bible studies where a luncheon was held in her honor and shared her story wherever people gathered—including in the streets, where people stopped to listen.
Through each of these encounters, Barbara discovered that one open door often led to another, allowing her message of violence prevention, healing, restoration, and hope to reach people in places she never expected.
