A rose by any other name would smell as sweet — especially in the case of Rose Jess Jardin whose friends and family fondly call “Jess.”

In a garden full of social butterflies, Jess would be the sweet and silent rose. She may be shy, but her caring personality draws everyone towards her. Like most children her age, there are times when Jess becomes self-conscious for not having gadgets needed in school. Her father works as a farmer while her mother is a helper to provide for their family of five. Jess could have sulked at her situation but she chooses to look at the brighter side of life and does what she can to help.

At home, Jess helps her parents with the household chores. As the middle child, Jess takes care of her younger sibling when the eldest is busy studying. But it doesn’t stop there. Beyond the home and her own studies, Jess actively participates in activities conducted by Food for the Hungry just like her mother, Rosalinda.

Like mother, like daughter

Jess probably got her caring traits from her mother.

During values formation activities for FH-youth like Jess, Rosalinda would help in preparing snacks despite her busy schedule. Aside from her work as a helper, she also tends to the family’s goats which they received through FH’s Goat Raising Project in Matnog, Camarines Norte back in 2018. Since then, they have sold many goats amounting to at least Php20,000. To keep the investment rolling, Jess’ family sold most of their goats during the pandemic to purchase seedlings, materials to repair their house, and native materials to build bigger houses for their remaining six goats.

From these experiences, Jess learned the value of hard work. From Rosalinda, she also learned that it’s not enough to work hard, but you also have to work smart; and this includes saving for the future. Since 2016, Rosalinda has been a member of one of FH’s Savings Groups. She says this has helped her become wiser when it comes to spending and has taught her to allocate money for emergencies and future expenses. It was through saving that they were able to maximize their income from goat raising.

Importance of prayer

Through the Jesus the New and Living Way Ministries, one of FH’s church partners in the community, the Jardin family receives support from the church. Even if the Jardin home is far from the church, volunteers reach out to them and conduct bible studies. 

“Since I attended Sunday services, I learned about the importance of prayer,” Jess shared. “Every time I pray, I close the door of my room and I pray to the Lord. In the church, I can share my concerns and they pray for me. I have become more confident in communicating with other children through church activities. This helped me overcome my shyness. I am now able to share my insights and make more friends here in Matnog.”     

Rosalinda added that in spite of the struggles and apprehensions during the pandemic, the family got strength from their newfound closeness with God.  Rosalinda shared, “My children and I started to attend church values formation sessions. I am happy that our entire family spends our Sundays together attending Sunday Service and giving time to the Lord.” Rosalinda observed that she also became more optimistic while her husband became more helpful, expressive, and dedicated to church activities.

Blooming with gratitude

Jess also extends her deepest gratitude to her sponsors for their unending support despite the global pandemic. She promises to study hard and finish her studies to become a teacher someday. She knows she is a work in progress but day by day, with the guidance of everyone around her and the Lord, Jess knows that her confidence will fully bloom — and so will she.