MANILA, Philippines — SINCE I’m not a sports enthusiast, I didn’t recognize the name of football star Tim Tebow and was unaware of his strong ties to the Philippines, until I read an article by Seth Mydans in the International Herald Tribune.
Born in Mindanao, where his father served as a missionary, Tim was only three years old when the family returned to the United States, but he has kept up his ties to the Philippines and helps his father, Bob Tebow, fund an orphanage in Davao, called “Uncle Dick’s Home” after a loyal contributor. The orphanage currently provides a home for around 40 children, who attend a nearby elementary school and high school. On a visit to the orphanage three years ago, Tim Tebow showed the children how to handle a football, although football is not a popular sport in the Philippines, and left them a ball to play with. Recently, his father, who visits the orphanage several times, showed the children a video of Tim playing a game. The orphans, coached by the NFL star himself, are among the few Filipinos who know how to throw a football.
A college football player at the University of Florida, who won the Heisman trophy as the top player in college football in the United States, Tim Tebow shares his father’s missionary spirit and founded the Tim Tebow Foundation devoted to evangelical work.
In his autobiography, “Through My Eyes,” Tim Tebow wrote: “I truly believe that the God who loves me also looks at orphans as extremely special. Over and over, my parents showed me how the Bible talks about taking care of women and orphans.”
On his last visit to the Philippines, Tebow announced that he plans to build a 30-bed children’s hospital in Davao, to serve the children of Mindanao.
source: mb.com.ph
