Matt and Ellie Heywood News March 2026

March has been an encouraging month for us, and we’re so pleased to share some of the wonderful things that have been happening. Thank you for following our journey and being part of our community

Elementary School Feeding

City Gates was recently blessed with a generous donation of spaghetti from a company here in Coron. This allowed us to provide food for families connected to the school, as well as those in our outreach programs like Kids’ Club and Youth Café.

One especially meaningful moment was being able to cook and serve the spaghetti at the Elementary School next door. It was wonderful to see the children during their school day; many familiar faces from our Wednesday after-school club, along with some new ones too.

It was a great opportunity to serve the local community, and we were also able to bless the teachers with a meal. Moments like these remind us how simple acts of generosity can bring people together and make a real difference.

Stay & Play

We’ve been running a number of weekly stay-and-play session for parents and young children in the community, which has been a space to connect, build relationships, and for the children to play together. This has been a great way to meet families in the local area and get to know them more personally.

It has also been a valuable opportunity to share the gospel, giving both parents and children access to biblical teaching in a relaxed and welcoming environment.

This month, we invited these children attending to City Gates Academy for a taster session, as well as the opportunity to sign up children interested in enrolling for the new school year in June. This is a new initiative for us, and we’ve been really encouraged by the response so far. Please pray this would be fruitful and that we would see many new families involved in City Gates Academy.

Bike Fund

We’re so grateful to everyone who has already given towards our bike fund—thank you so much! We’re now so close to reaching our goal.

Living around 20 minutes from town, having a motorbike is essential for us. It allows us to access food, connect with people we’re building relationships with, and be more present and involved in the community.

If you would like to partner with us in this practical need, we would really appreciate any support towards helping us purchase a bike. It will make a huge difference in enabling us to live and serve more effectively here.

Prayer Request

• We’re excited to be preparing for our Bible Summer School this April! During this time, we’ll be exploring the story of Moses and the Israelites from the book of Exodus, engaging children through fun activities, songs, and games.
• We’re also looking forward to welcoming a team of youth and young adults from City Gates in Antipolo, who will be helping us run the programme. We’re expecting over 100 children to attend and are excited for this opportunity to share from the Bible.
• Please pray for us as we continue to prepare that God would guide every detail, bring the right children along, and work in their hearts throughout the week.