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Change is inevitable in life.  Some changes are good---they are pleasant and easy to go along with.  Others are hard to come to terms with--they are a challenge and they sometimes bring pain.  I want to tell you about some recent changes in my life...

Many of you already know that Teacher Tammy's 8 year run at CSC and Children of Hope School has ended.  She has been gone for 2 weeks--and kids and adults alike are mourning the loss. 

Tammy is missed for many reasons: 

Tammy was a good co-worker.  She was helpful, reliable, and thorough.  She was quick to jump in if something technological was going haywire---an asset on days of school programs.  :)  Tammy was true to her word.  She promised the kids that she would take each of them out for something special before she left and SHE DID!  If she had a job or a task assigned to her, you never had to worry about it getting done in an organized and timely fashion!  She was hard-working and did whatever was in front of her---and did so with a smile.   

But Tammy is also a good friend.  She is someone I OFTEN laughed with, went on adventures with, confided in, celebrated holidays with...and the list goes on.  She is a good listener and a Godly woman.  She has become family to me and you can't help but miss family when they are gone!

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Tammy, myself and Amy were quite the terrific trio, however, at this time, Amy and I are down to just a dynamic duo....

The upside of change:

We recently admitted a new child.  She was afraid of the change, of me, of our counselor and our social worker.  She was hesitant, quiet and reserved.  And who wouldn't be?  She knew something big was happening in her life but she had no idea what it meant.

But oh to see her now!  How happy and animated and secure and playful she is!  She is grateful for the life-changing experience she has had and WE are so happy to have her with us where she is safe and provided for.

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God is the god of everything in our life and everything happens for His purpose and good.  And that includes changes.  I am happy for Tammy and all that God has in store for her back in MN.  I miss her, but am grateful for her continued friendship---thank goodness for Skype!  :) I am also happy about our new arrival and for her safety and health and the fact that she FINALLY gets to be a kid.

Please join with me in praying for Tammy as she transitions back to living in the US and for our newest one and all of those that will come through our doors in the future. because no matter your age or the type of change you are facing, its always easier with God.

 

 

Morning Meeting: Risk and Consequence and Astronomy

Sep. 30, 2014By: Joel Reasoner

The Level C1 students have been reading about risk and consequence while C2 class has been reading about astronomy.  They came together to lead morning meeting. Each class helped the other to show the other students what they have been learning.

The highlights of the morning included reciting Bible verses which dealt with promises and consequences from God, reenacting the moon landing of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and preforming the song “Outer Space” live—complete with guitars and puppets.

Check out the “Outer Space” song here.

Future Leaders

Sep. 19, 2014By: Featured Guest

“Train up a child in the way he should go

and when he is old he will not depart from them.”  

Proverbs 22:6

Meet the future leaders and community helpers. Every day they come to school with fully charged energy, unstoppable curiosity, richly given ability, and a hungry desire to be trained.

Because they were blessed to have a chance to come to school and be given attention, with a big smile and with confidence, they say that in due time and with the Lord’s help they will be prepared to face life independently and be equipped to serve the community.

“When I grow up I want to be a teacher.” – Jennifer

“When I grow up I want to be a firefighter.” – Danilo

“When I grow up I want to be a police officer.” – Andrew

“When I grow up I want to be an army.” – Carlo

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-Charis Adlawan, Level A Teacher

Reading Challenge

Sep. 16, 2014By: Joel Reasoner

Words and words, pages and pages, books and books!  The Reading Challenge brought out the inner readers in all the students.  They stepped up and buried their noses in books.

Classmates competed against each other.  They worked hard, reading pages and pages.  At the end of August the class winners were announced.

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Each class was rewarded for their hard work with a new book.  Teacher Cris’ class was so excited for the new book that they read it as soon as they got into their room.

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The students learned a lot.  Most of all, many students found joy in books.  The number of pages will be forgotten, but the love of reading and learning will lead these students through life. 

Baking with Jules!

Sep. 15, 2014By: Lindsay Hoeft

The other day, I had the great pleasure of learning how to make pan de munay, a Filipino baked delicacy.  Jules, one of our Teen Home residents, recently completed a Bread and Pastry course.  He is a certified baker now!  Jules has long been interested in the Culinary Arts, but high school was long and difficult for him.  Even so, he never gave up on himself or his dream!  He graduated from high school this past April and he has been eager to pursue his desired field.  Since becoming certified, he is baking up a storm.  Each day trying something new!  Those at the Teen Home are blessed to eat his daily creations and I know, I am excited whenever I visit for the chance to taste one of his products.  For those of you interested in learning how pan de munay is made, check out Jules' step by step instructions in the pictures below.  He was a great teacher for me and he even let me roll a few of them!  :) 

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1. Cut the dough

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2. Roll it

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3. Stretch it

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4. Oil the pan

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5. Cut the dough

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6. Fill with sugar.  Yum!

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7. Let rise

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8. Bake, then let cool!

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9. Enjoy!  (Truthfully, I had intended to take pictures after each bite, but I was overtaken by the warm, buttery, sugary goodness and instead just focused on eating it!)

 

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Thanks for tuning in to baking with Jules!  Please keep him in your prayers as he continues to practice his skills and eventually looks for work as a baker.  He is a great guy and we are proud of him!

Toddler Day Program Kick-Off

Sep. 7, 2014By: Grace Anderson

September brings new excitement for the youngest in the CSC family. Since arriving in Cebu a month ago I (Grace) have been hard at work creating a new toddler curriculum. The toddler program occurs each weekday and lasts for about an hour. This past week we officially had our kick-off and boy, did the kids have fun! 

The new toddler program is structured in a way that will be developmentally appropriate for the toddlers at CSC and will also help prepare them for preschool. Each week of the program is structured around a theme that will not only provide learning experiences, but fun as well! This week the toddlers had a blast learning about circles through activities and songs about bubbles and balls. 

Right now we have a group of about 11 toddlers who are full of energy, laughter and curiosity. Each morning we gather together in one of the three homes and start with a morning meeting. The toddlers are learning recognition and routine through their personalized seat mats (mats with pictures of their faces on them). The first day the kids were so excited about the pictures that they could hardly sit on them. By the end of the first week the children were starting to understand the routine and would either sit on their mats or hold them in their laps. During the meeting we do things like working on name recognition, reading books and singing songs. So far, the favorite part of morning meeting is the singing. Thanks to our wonderful aunties the children of CSC start to appreciate and love music at an early age. 

Other activities we have been doing this week are bubble blowing, bubble snakes, a ball pit and soccer. It has been such a joy to see the toddlers already making discoveries and having fun exploring the materials provided for them. To get a better idea of what the toddler program is like, take a look at these photos I took as well as a video created by Joel Reasoner!

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Video: Toddler Time with Auntie Grace