Sister Jilane Llanera lives a life no one would choose for herself.
Jilane, 49, and her son, Edgardo Rosario, 17, share a small house in the Tanza squatter area outside Metero Manila. Their shanty is made of aluminum scraps, scrap lumber and plastic tarps. A grown man can reach and almost touch the opposite walls of their kitchen/dining/living room. The two sleep in the only other room, which is about the same size.
Edgardo's retains the name of his father, who left when Edgardo was 4 and now has a new family.
Divorce is illegal in the Philippines, so Jilane is still married to a man she hasn't seen in years.
She is not officially a widow, but lives the life of one. She suffers from severe tuberculosis, and has no job. She recently saw the doctor because of her TB, and was prescribed two very expensive medications for her heart and lungs to strengthen.
First Love is assisting with the cost of her medicine and giving her some food each month. Jilane tried going to a nearby medical outreach for free food and medicine but was denied because she is not Catholic.
Edgardo is the oldest member of First Love's weekly feeding program at Tanza, where First Love feeds about 150 children and expecting mothers three meals per week.
Because the community of Tanza is so poor, three free meals represents a huge blessing to many families. The program includes a nutritious lunch, basic health and hygiene lessons, and a little Bible lesson with songs (and sometimes crafts).
First Love also uses the outreach as a vehicle to invite parents to attend the host church, Savior's Flock Christian Fellowship.
"Our hope is that we will not only bless these children with good food, but that we are planting seeds that will produce future followers of Jesus Christ," First Love Field Director David Clinton says.
