Staff Blog
The Philippines is a place of tremendous contrasts. Rich and poor people live in close proximity in every city and town. There is great natural beauty here, and the ugliness of smog, squatter areas and polluted rivers. Large SUVs and antique looking bicycles share the roads. Some people buy food at modern style grocery stores; others prefer the large open air markets. 
CSC is also a place of contrasts. We ride a roller coaster of emotions on an almost daily basis. While we deal with problems and difficult behavioral issues with some children, we celebrate accomplishments in our homes and school. We deal with children like CJ who has been sick for most of his 18 months. He suffers from bilateral vesicoureteral reflux, which affects his kidneys, and has microcephaly. He has developmental delays and gastroesophageal reflux. At the same time we marvel at the growth and health of most of our kids. We watch children running on the playground and those that must be pushed in their wheel chairs. We hear reports of our former residents who are having difficulty in their adoptive families, in school and in relationships, even while we celebrate the accomplishments of others who are exceling in academics and sports, and are growing in their faith.
Someone once said that if you are not experiencing ups and downs it means that you are dead. CSC is alive because we take on the challenges of working with older children, sibling groups, those with difficult pasts and kids with medical challenges.
2013 has provided lots of challenges and blessings for CSC as an organization, even in the financial area. A couple of our supporting churches decided to cut back or stop their support of CSC due to changing priorities or financial difficulties. Our income from the Combined Federal Campaign has gone down considerably. But in the midst of those challenges God has provided in other ways. One of our faithful churches decided to give an "over and above" gift at the end of their fiscal year as they had a surplus in funds. They decided not to put the money in the bank but to help fund meaningful ministry. Some children in St. Paul heard of CSC's financial needs and decided to sell lemonade outside their home, with all the profits going to our kids in Cebu. Lots of ups mixed in with the downs.
Tom Kelly, a former manager of the Minnesota Twins, used to say that one of the keys to success in Major League Baseball was not getting too high after a win or too low after a loss. Keeping things on an even keel emotionally is easier to do in a baseball context than with a ministry to homeless children in a country like the Philippines. But there is some truth for us. As we ride the inevitable roller coaster of emotions, we need to keep our eyes on God, remembering his tremendous provision in the past, and knowing that in the midst of dark and difficult times, his light shines bright on CSC.
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!
| Show Comments | | | Leave a Comment | | | Category: | School News |
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!
| Show Comments | | | Leave a Comment | | | Category: | School News |
Anniversary Bash in Cebu this June 28 - 29
| Show Comments | | | Leave a Comment | | | Category: | General News |
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!
| Show Comments | | | Leave a Comment | | | Category: | General News |
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!
| Show Comments | | | Leave a Comment | | | Category: | Shelter News |
