Staff Blog
We've got a great history of wishing at CSC. Even before web sites, Amazon.com and e-mail announcements, we had lots of things that we wanted for the ministry. It was just that we didn't have a way to make those wishes known to lots of people - certainly not in a timely way. We usually just put an occasional blurb in our quarterly newsletter or mentioned these things in personal letters to our families and friends.
It has been fun watching how people have responded to our special projects list on our CSC website. But this isn't just a recent phenomenon. Since the very beginning of the ministry we have seen people respond in amazing ways to the things that we have needed and wanted:
- Way back in 1980 Sandy mentioned in a letter to her family that we really could use a vehicle to get around in. We were starting to take in kids with medical and mobility needs, and public transportion was not working well for us. Sandy's brothers responded by providing the money for us to buy a brand new Ford Fiera jeep. It lasted us for more than 20 years!
- Shortly thereafter, one of our board members was visiting Cebu and he noticed how badly we needed another bathroom. Perhaps he had to stand in line with the kids and staff to use the one bathroom that we had in our only home. We figured that we would need $1,000 to build a new one, and when he got back to Minnesota the money had already been donated!
- As our ministry grew, our list of supporters also grew. Our stateside office was in need of some software to help us manage our address list and keep track of donations. Software was very expensive in those days, but a dear friend of CSC gave $6,000 so we could get the very best software available at the time.
- Another time, a generous supporter asked us to make a wish list of items that were not on our budget, but that we felt would really help the ministry. We made a pretty long list of things, including recreational equipment, a computer, a vehicle, books and bunch of other items. After receiving the list he told us that he would buy everything on the list!
- We had a visit several years ago from a supporter who lives in Manila. He asked us to name a current need for the school. Shari Reasoner thought for a few minutes and mentioned some curriculum needs at the school. When pressed for an amount, she made a educated guess of $11,000. Our friend said he'd double that amount!
- We were invited to join a baseball league in the city but we didn't have any gloves, bats, or other equipment. A supporter who loved our kids and baseball saw to that need, and donated everything we needed to outfit a team. And a generous lady in Cebu had fancy Twins uniforms made for us for free! We were the best looking team in the league.
- The mere mention of the need for things like a televisions/VCR, growth hormone medications and wheelchairs resulted in donations of each of these items. One lady heard that we needed a wringer washing machine and she gave us hers and had it shipped to Cebu! One short-term missionary had come out with two computers, huge portable units that were the most streamlined models available back in that day. When he went back to the States he left one of them for us. Need any musical instruments? Well, a xylophone would be great. Ok, I'll send you one!
Each step of the way, for 34 years, God has given us the basic needs of the ministry, and the desires of our hearts for special things that have enabled us to offer our children the very best care possible. We have had a long history of wishing, and seeing those wishes fulfilled by generous friends who hear and respond.
First Day of School
Everybody is excited when the schoolyear is about to begin. CSC kids love school!
On the fifteenth day of this month, school was officially opened to all the students of CCHS. The students walked to school with big smiles that told everyone how happy they were to be back at school and how ready they were to learn new things. They were accompanied by their house parents, aunties, and some members of the staff. The adults, too, were so glad to see all of the students march to school with cheer.
Upon arriving at school, the students were welcomed with wide open arms by their loving teachers. The teachers had thoughtfully prepared everything to give the students a great kick off for the schoolyear 2019-2020. True enough, the first day went really well. The teachers and students worked together to begin creating a positive community in which to learn.
At the end of the day the students went home feeling loved and excited again for the next day of school.
The Cebu Children of Hope School is an important part of the larger CSC ministry. Students not only gain academic skills but, with the help of their dedicated teachers, also learn equally valuable lessons like responsibility, problem-solving, cooperation, and self-control.
Thank you supporters for enabling us to impact these great kids to be the people God made them to be!
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What's New @ CCHS?
Today is the first day of school at Cebu Children of Hope School!
With the start of the new school year, we wanted to let you know about some great new parts of our school.
New Students
We are excited to have five new students join us this school year, four in preschool and one in second grade. We can't wait to have them in school!
New Teacher
We are happy to welcome Teacher Kristine to our team. She will be an Instructional Assistant for this school year. She is a fresh graduate from Cebu Normal University, one of the top universities in Cebu. She has her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and Special Education.
New Curriculum
We are extremely grateful for our supporters for their generosity! Because of YOU we were able to purchase a new reading and writing curriculum to replace our 15 year old curriculum. Special thanks to Shari Reasoner who helped us research different curricula to find the best one for our students. It was purchased in the States and, with the help of many visitors, the materials were brought to Cebu, suitcase by suitcase. We are thankful for everyone who made it possible!
New Technology
Starting this school year every teacher will have the opportunity to use the newly installed overhead projectors and document cameras in their classrooms. This equipment was donated by a longtime supporter of CSC and we are incredibly grateful for his contribution! This upgrade will greatly help our teachers present their lessons in a very systematic and creative way, bringing the lessons to life!
These are just a few glimpses of the new things that we have at CCHS. We encourage you to rejoice with us as we experience God's abundant blessings through our faithful supporters. Join us in welcoming the new school year and journey with us this school year 2019-2020!
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Anniversary Bash in Cebu this June 28 - 29
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All Our Days
This video kind of sums up the feelings of Marlys and me about the history of CSC. For 14,600 days, He has been with us. He is the God of all our days!
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Summer At CSC
As a school administrator I get a little excited for summer break. It's a time to reflect on the past school year, celebrate the great things God did, and dream about "what could be" for the next school year.
Class at CCHS is out for the summer, I'm sitting at my desk planning for the upcoming school year, and I still hear kids. What's going on?
I peek my head out of my office and I smell a wonderful aroma. Auntie Lourdes, a longtime house mom, is leading a cooking class in the school kitchen. She is teaching our older kids how to cook a delicious Filipino meal.
After sitting and eating with them (I just had to have a few bites) I walk into the Big Room. Our Program Director's husband, John, is facilitating guitar lessons with an excited group of girls. He is leading several different guitar groups during the week. Everytime I see Rovilito at the Shelter he talks about learning the guitar. This morning he ran up to me and said he knows how to play two songs already!
In another classroom violin lessons are taking place. Cris has been super excited to learn how to play violin and a CSC volunteer is making it happen.
I have the pleasure of leading a small group of budding marathoners in our Summer Run Club. We meet twice a week and have fun running and playing games together. They love running up the road from the school though they quickly learned downhill is much more fun!
If you walked into the new Banawa McDonald's recently you would have been greeted by some CSC kids who were part of McDo's Kiddie Crew. Many of our kids took part in this yummy summer "job" and they did everything from take people's orders to make cheeseburgers to tell departing customers, "Thanks for coming to McDonald's. See you again soon!"
Summers at CSC look different from year to year but they are always well-planned and filled with lots of fun! Just ask the kids!
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