As they do most mornings, Libby

resident Annette Fosgate and her Filipina helper and interpreter,

Alma Asares, wake up before sunrise, prepare an oversized pot of

food and ride by motor scooter from their shared apartment to the

other side of the small island of Panglao, Philippines.

They settle down the 100-plus children

in tattered clothes waiting for them on the beach, teach a Bible

lesson under a grass-roof shelter and then serve breakfast and

vitamins before the children head off to school.

Simple Faith Ministries, founded by

Fosgate in 2008, continues to serve the malnourished children and

families of Panglao through programs supported by donations from

Libby and Troy churches and individuals.

This month locals are trying to raise

approximately $4,000 to purchase a minivan for Simple Faith

Ministries. Currently, Fosgate, Asares and their helpers must take

multiple trips between apartment and squatter village, over-packing

the scooter with people, groceries and supplies for Bible studies,

schoolwork and art projects.

A vehicle, Annette’s father Lonnie

Fosgate said, would tremendously cut down the amount of time that

the Simple Faith Ministries team must take and number of miles they

must travel to serve the families of Panglao. The scooter is worn

and has become unreliable, he added.

A handmade queen-sized log cabin quilt,

which has been on display at various local businesses, will be

raffled off on Dec. 31 to go toward purchasing a used minivan. The

winner of a second drawing that day will receive a Scentsy gift

basket, valued at $45.

Raffle tickets can be purchased at

various local businesses, including The Western News, for $1 per

ticket or six for $5.

To make a contribution to the

fundraiser, checks can be made out to Annette Fosgate or Simple

Faith Ministries and dropped off or mailed to her parents: Lonnie

and Joan Fosgate, 42245 Hwy 2, Libby, MT 59923. To receive a tax

deductable receipt, make checks out to UNKF (University of the

Nations Kona Foundation), the organization that Simple Faith

Ministries works through.