Last night Marlys and I had the chance to attend a capital campaign kickoff for Habitat for Humanity here in Cebu. We attended with Paul and Shari Reasoner. Paul has been working with HFH, with the intention of getting homes built for some of our workers. He has been raising funds in Minnesota, and coordinating with the Habitat leadership, both in Manila and here in Cebu. Habitat is very interested in working with our employees to build homes. It is exciting to see this developing and to imagine what a huge difference it will make to them and their families to have quality housing.
Watching the videos and listening to the speakers last night, I was struck, once again, with just what a quality organization Habitat for Humanity is. They have a great reputation for financial integrity and are meeting basic needs around the world. They are successful because they maintain their high standards, they keep their focus on what it is they are called to do, and they combine compassion with hard and practical work.
I think that CSC has similar strengths to Habitat, though we function on a much smaller scale. I think that our success over the years has been that we have kept our focus on what God has called us to do: to take care of homeless children in the Philippines. While the needs of children in the Philippines are great, and seemingly insurmountable, we are involved in practical ministry, caring for some of these kids, offering hope and a better future.
I think that, like HFH, people have come to trust CSC for the way we go about our work and the way that we manage our people and our funds. I hope that we will always be an organization of integrity. We certainly are committed to that, from our staff to our board of directors. I hope that when people hear CSC mentioned, they will know easily know what it is we do, why we do it, and how we do it.
Cooks Return to the Kitchen
Over the past three months, the afternoon cooks in both Cherne and Duterte homes have been recovering from surgery. Auntie Mayflor and Auntie Sonia each had an operation which required lots of rest and recovery. In their absence, other child care workers jumped in to cover the afternoon cook duties. Of course no meals were missed and tasty food was always on the tables.
Last week Auntie Sonia returned to work!
This week Auntie Mayflor also returned to work! It is good to have them back in their respective kitchens.
As Auntie Mayflor enter the shelter gate the children from the Cherne home were walking up to school. When they saw Auntie Mayflor, the line they were walking in suddenly morphed into a mob. The children ran shouting “Auntie Mayflor!” racing to hug her.
The aunties’ impact in the lives was on full display in the moment of Auntie Mayflor’s welcome back from the children.
Keep the all CSC employees in your prayers. They do everything for the children and their good health is essential.
Confessions of a Messy Eater
I like to eat.
I nibble on my feet.
I pray before I eat.
I don’t know how to feed myself yet,
So I depend on my auntie’s hand.
I open my mouth wide
And welcome my tasty food.
Blended, pureed, squashed,
Smashed and crushed.
The way I like it.
The way I want it.
I don’t usually look like this,
I know.
There’s something on my face.
I know food goes to my mouth,
Not on my cheeks or forehead or ears.
What’s the use of a bib
If I eat like this?
At the end of my meal time,
Burp says this tummy of mine.
Aah…
What a treat!
Volcanoes, Mountains, and Valleys
For the past few weeks, the preschool class has been learning about landforms. They now know how to identify mountains, valleys, hills, volcanoes, isthmuses, and islands.
They even sang a song during their morning meeting about landforms!
They topped off the unit by making their own models using play dough. Fun stuff!
He is risen, He is risen indeed!
It is Holy Week. This week is a meaningful time for Christians everywhere. In the Philippines, most stores and restaurants are closed on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and schools are not in session on those days either. Therefore, our school, Cebu Children of Hope, held it's Easter celebration on Wednesday. The event started with a reading of Scripture - recounting the events of Jesus' last days on Earth. Then there were games, crafts and praise and worship.
I was moved during the praise and worship, and as you can see below, I was not the only one! How blessed are we to be children of the Most High God! That He, being without blemish, laid His life down for ours when we needed it most, but were also the most undeserving.
May you and your families be blessed this Easter and remember God's goodness and Jesus' sacrifice.
Praise the Lord! He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Have Fun with Math and Science!
Science and Math Day is always fun for everyone at CCHS. It is a whole day affair full of interesting activities.
Recently, everyone had a lot of fun during the science and math culminating activity. In the morning, there was a math quiz bowl with the students grouped into teams. The students took turns answering math questions categorized by levels of difficulty: easy, average, and difficult. It was so cool to see the students think and analyze.
The afternoon events focused on topics the students had been learning about in their science classes. Different presentations were given by each of the science classes. The highlight was the demonstration from the Group 4 class about static electricity. Examples of static electricity were shown using balloons. The students were amazed with what they saw and discovered. It was super fun for everyone!