Staff Blog

Today was fun at the shelter.  Twin babies arrived!

The little boy and girl were born at Glory Reborn maternity clinic.  So many loving hands and hearts have already cradled these precious children in their few short days.  CSC is excited to continue the loving care which Glory Reborn started.

As the twins came in the gates of CSC, aunties from all the houses were buzzing, “Are those the new twin babies?”  Hundreds of babies have received loving care at CSC and still the arrival of two more babies is an exciting event.

The little twins are settling into the Eicher nursery.  The other toddlers are peeking into their crib.  In the evening, the older children in Cherne home crowded around a camera to see a picture of the two new children.

The love and care for the new twins will come from everyone—toddlers to adults.

School opening is one of the most exciting events of the school year after weeks of summer vacation. Teachers and students have been waiting for this day to come.

For the teachers, this day marks the new adventure they will have with their students. On day one the teachers try to present the new school year with enthusiasm and anticipation that the students will learn their lessons in school.

For the students this day will be the confirmation of who they think their teachers are and their classmates in the morning and afternoon sessions. For the younger students it’s time to remember where they are going and figure out what comes next.

Here is an experience of one of our students:

At 9:30 the bell rang when it was snack time. All of the students were in the snack room to eat their snack. A new student asked for more snacks, but the teacher explained to him that one helping of snack was enough.  So the student went to math class.  The next time the bell rang for the start of math class,  the new student asked, “Are we eating snack again?”  He'll get the hang of it and figure out there is only one snack time in the morning. 

A cool thing happened the other day.  I was unpacking a box of math workbooks Tammy Vosika had brought over to Cebu.  I had actually packed the box of books myself in Minnesota and taped it up, ready to go, and dropped it off at Tammy’s house.  In Cebu as I unzipped the travel bag around the box, I noticed the tape was gone from the box.  That was not surprising as boxes are often inspected at some point during the travel route.  As I was taking the books out of the box, there was a five dollar bill taped to one of the books!  I was a bit surprised and wondered out loud if Tammy had taped the money in between the books just to see if the inspection guys were honest.  Tammy came around a bit later and I asked her about the money.  She said she had not put any money in the box!  So that meant an inspector at one of the airports, most likely Minneapolis or Chicago, had taped the five dollars to the box, contributing to the shelter and school.  Maybe that person read the name of the orphanage on the outside of the travel bag. Maybe he had a connection to the Philippines.  We’ll never know, but what a sweet and powerful reminder of God’s work.  Thank you to that anonymous donor! 

Marlys, Jenny and I are in MN for one year. When I see people for the first time (on this stay) they will invariably ask,
"When do you go back?" Sometimes before saying "hi" or asking how I'm doing, they will inquire as to our return date. I think the reason is that we have been living in Cebu for so long that people just imagine us being there. And for some, we are their link to the Philippines and CSC. Seeing us in Minnestoa seems out of place.

Sometimes I do feel out of place in the U.S. In getting situated here we have so much learning to do about technology: phones, internet, new forms of information and communication. It hit us the other night when some of our former CSC residents came over for a visit. They had to show us how our new phones worked. It was a little embarassing, but when we reflected on it we thought it was pretty  cool. Kids we helped to rescue from poverty and homelessness several years ago are now our  mentors for life in the States!

“I’m overdoing this song.” That was my inner voice the other day. I had fallen for a song and ran the risk of ruining it if I didn’t stop pressing repeat. I ended up restricting myself to one listen per day. Ever had to do that?

The song is by Digital Age, and it’s called “Break Every Chain.”

The truth is, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first. The chorus repeats a simple refrain: “There is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain.” That sounds wonderful to me. It rings of freedom, joy and hands raised high, and I believe it to be true.

But something about the words kept bugging me. I kept thinking about my friend, Jacob, who lives at CSC. How would Jacob feel listening to this song?

Jacob is quite a guy. There is life dancing in his eyes. It can make your heart soar to get him laughing. He brings joy into a room with him and you can see how much he cares for people.

Jacob also deals with limits. If he wanted, he could focus on what he can’t do all day. Jacob can’t walk. He can’t feed or bathe himself. He can’t speak clearly. Every day is full of reminders to Jacob of the things others can do that he can’t.

Would a song about Jesus breaking every chain bother Jacob? Maybe it would for a time. Perhaps it would cause him to remind Jesus about all the chains he feels, and how much he wishes to be free of them. Maybe he would list the other kids in his home and wonder why he can’t be free like them.

We all feel like that some days, and, let’s be honest, it usually happens when we are comparing ourselves to others. We have those moments of wondering why we can’t be more than we are.

Thanks be to God, one day Jacob will be free of his chains. So will we. What is to come will be a freedom we can’t yet fathom. There will be no more hurt, despair or need to compare ourselves to others. Those broken chains will feel incredible. Maybe even a little extra incredible to my friend Jacob.

When I play that song today I won’t feel guilty about what Jacob would feel listening to it. Instead I think I’ll blast it for him.