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.
The Sun
Every day at Cebu Children of Hope School (CCHS) we start our day with something called Morning Meeting. This is a "soft landing" time for our children which enables them to calm their bodies, practice social skills, and prepare for a great day of learning. Part of every Morning Meeting is a time for kids to share. Sometimes the question is about what they did over the weekend, sometimes the question is related to the day's lessons.
Teacher Chery and Teacher Mae lead the Morning Meeting for Level A1, our four energetic kindergarteners. Here is a conversation they recently had in their classroom, with the question relating to the day's science lesson.
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Teacher Mae asked, "Where do you think the sun will go during the night?"
Student 1: The sun goes under the sea at night because it goes under the line (he means the horizon).
Student 2: The sun is on the ground teacher.
Student 3: Hmmmmmm... the sun will go to bed and sleep.
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Even with their young minds, these children have great ideas that even surprise us adults at times. Each child at CCHS is surrounded by great teachers who have dedicated their lives to help enlighten and empower their students so they can understand everything from where the sun goes at night to understanding how the God who made the sun loves them unconditionally. Thank you for supporting the work that is happening every day at CCHS!
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Pag Ibig Award
Recently CSC received an award from the Pag-IBIG Fund, the Philippine government financial agency that is handling the mortgages for our 60 employees who are receiving Habitat for Humanity homes. The award recognizes the role of CSC in this project on behalf of our employees, who are all automatically members of Pag-Ibig.
This award is a testimony to the work of Paul Reasoner, who raised funds to help alieviate the financial burden for our workers and make their mortgages more affordable for them. We are an organization that values our employees and we have been concerned that they have decent housing. Many have lived in sub-standard houses prior to this project, and would not have had even the hope of having their own house and lot without the cooperative efforts of CSC, Pag-IBIG Fund and Habitat for Humanity. This award reflects that concern of CSC, and the partnership of the agencies who are all dedicated to getting deserving people into safe and affordable housing.
Pastor Fred Verdeflor, who is the husband of our CSC nurse Arlyn and President of the CSC Happy Homes homeowners association, went to Manila to accept the award on behalf of CSC.
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Life Cycles
All living things undergo different stages during their life. Some living things start as a seed, pollen, or spore. Other organisms such as animals start as a live young or an egg that sometimes needs to undergo the process of metamorphosis which completely changes their appearance.
In my Level B2 science class the students were able to witness the process of metamorphosis. We started in the caterpillar stage where the students saw how many leaves the caterpillar consumed. After several weeks it became a pupa. The students were very eager to look at the changes every day though it stunk when they opened the lid of the box. The day finally arrived when the caterpillar became a moth! We all went outside and set the moth free. The students were so excited to be a part of this process!
The whole activity took a lot of time and dedication but the result was very fulfilling. The students were able to learn not just how metamorphosis works but also about patience, perseverance, and having a love for nature.
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2018 Highlights
CSC Higlights of 2018
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Christmas 2018
Click to see pics of the different activities at CSC this Christmas. Our generous donors allow us to give lots of fun times to the children. God bless you all.
Junel's Box 2018 - Inayawan, Cebu City
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