By Cyrus A. Natividad

Joan Rasberry with husband Dr. Charles Rasberry.

As we welcome the month of December, we shall remember the real gift of Christmas, the story of the advent of the child Jesus, the true giver of all. The Christmas season has always been a time of giving especially to the poor, the needy, and the destitute — victims of calamity and crisis. We can see generous agents of compassion come together to share blessings and deliver the good news of salvation.

One notable giving ministry is the Oasis for Life. A Centralian spearheads a project called “Love in a Basket” through this ministry.

Last December 7, 2019, Centralian Joan Junsan Rasberry and her husband Dr. Charles came home to Iloilo City to re-launch the project. It is a charity program where the Rasberry couple actively participates in distributing food packs to the children in the barangay. Last year, five hundred children delightfully received food packs at Brgy. Bolilao Multi-Purpose Gym in Manduriao, Iloilo City.

The partnership of love and service was inspired by the dreams of the Rasberry couple. The Oasis for Life was founded by Dr. Rasberry in 1985. He also founded the Calvary Bible College in 1988. Dr. Rasberry is a Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Counseling. He has been a professionally licensed counselor since 2004 with the National Christian Counselor Association. He started counseling as a pastor in 1985.

On December 19, 2020 the staff of Oasis for Life will again administer the distribution of food packs to the children at Barangay Bolilao. “It is not only a physical nourishment for the children in Bolilao that food distribution is done every year, but also the nourishment of their faith”, according to Mrs. Rasberry. She explains that they cannot come to the annual distribution this year because of the pandemic. The Rasberrys are based in the U.S.

Their ministry envisions the empowering of individuals, families, and small groups to fulfill their God-given purpose resulting in the peaceful abundant life promised by the Word of God. Its mission is to extend the heart and hands of God to a hurting world by providing Bible-based wisdom in order to create mental, emotional, and spiritual stability bringing healing to His creation through a holistic approach.

Joan is now a Licensed Pastoral Counselor with the National Christian Counselor Association. As a Board Certified Temperament Counselor, she brings an effective blend of experience, wisdom, care, and action to the counseling process in order to maximize outcomes and provide genuine healing and wholeness to individuals. But children and teenagers have a special place in her heart. She has a broad and unique base of experience in counseling children and adolescents as she has several years of practice in ministering to children and troubled young people in the Philippines. Among her beneficial programs are Child Sponsorship, and Youth Mentorship Program which are geared toward building the youth and helping them discover and fulfill their calling in life.

Joan Junsan Rasberry is a dedicated Sunday school and Charity events facilitator. While working with CPU Office of Communications before she got married, she used her free time in counseling and organizing prayer meetings with co-workers and friends. Joan is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at Central Philippine University.