Staff Blog
It is no secret that there was an earthquake in the Philippines on Tuesday. There has been a lot of information shared over facebook, some of it an hour by hour update on our experience. Many people have spoken about the fear, the pain and the sadness they, or others they know, experienced.
I did not comment much about it then, but would like to say more now.
It is a very unnerving feeling to have every surface you are touching rumble and move beneath and around you. There is nothing to grab onto, there is nothing that can steady you. Also, the power shut off at the exact time the quaking began, so there is that shock to the senses. And then there is the noise. There is the rumble of the movement of the earth, some have described it like if a construction site were right outside your home. Then there is the noise of your fragile possessions crashing to the ground and breaking or the stones of your house falling from above. Scary. And it seems to go on for so long. Maybe because from the moment the shaking starts to when it stops you are unceasingly praying for it to end. And then after the shaking stops, you begin to hear the shouts and cries of the people and the dogs. In my neighborhood, the dogs had much to say.
You are really shaky yourself and you feel kind of weak, it takes a while to get your bearings. I had heard from Sandy---she, Marlys and Jenny were okay. I tried to reach Mitch, but there was no answer. I then went outside to check on some of my neighbors---everyone in my compound was safe, Shari and Marcel too, which was wonderful!
I returned home to some disarray and with the strong desire to get up to the shelter. My television had fallen from its stand and laid in pieces, a vase had met a similar demise. I left them as is, moved any other breakable items to a safer place and headed out, unsure what state I would find things in as I drove.
People were everywhere in the streets, there was an accident at the base of the road the shelter is on, so people and vehicles filled the space. I actually saw one of our house fathers there on his motorcycle. He couldn't hear my shouting over the din of everything else. I found out later that his wife, one of our house mothers, was out shopping with some of our older girls when the earthquake happened and he was going to locate them. Terrifying.
I made it up the road easily and quickly. The construction site next to our land even seemed to have made it through the quake alright. I honked once outside our gate, the door opened and I pulled into safety. I immediately saw Mitch's van and saw him walking around---all of us were safe and accounted for.
I was anxious to see how all of the kids were doing, so my heart was racing, but there was also just an overwhelming peace. I could see the kids outside on the grounds, gathered together, many of them crying. They ran and hugged me tightly. I didn't have enough body to go around. I moved around through the groups, checking them, checking for injuries, checking for tears, checking that they were okay. All of our house parents were also safe and accounted for. The house mother and the three girls who had been shopping during the quake had made it back safely---the girls were crying and one of them had lost her slippers in the panic---but they were back!
I stood in the middle of the yard and looked around and the buildings, the windows, the plants, the ground---everything looked as it had the day before---seemingly untouched by the 7.2 magnitude quake that had struck 20 minutes earlier. Praise the Lord!
I have said this many times in my 2+ years at CSC, but since I first stepped foot inside the gate I have felt God's hand on this land, on this ministry, on these kids, on these workers, on us. He always provides, He always protects, He always sustains.
The aftershocks continued the rest of the day, some feeling almost as strong as the earthquake, though they lasted less time. We kept the kids outside for the morning until everything could be checked, but they napped inside in the afternoon. For quite some time that day, every time an aftershock was felt the kids would run to the middle of the playground.
We had no power, so the generator ran all day, a noisy machine, but something we were grateful for. We lost water for a period of time in the afternoon as the continuous running of the generator overwhelmed the water pump. But that problem was solved quickly once it was understood. The nurseries were moved to the living rooms in the homes and all of the children slept downstairs for that night. The aftershocks continued through the night, the next day and the next and I am pretty sure I have felt some yet this morning.
While it remains a bit unnerving and you feel somewhat on edge---yesterday when I heard a loud rumbling noise, I looked for the nearest sturdy object to dive under should the shaking start, and it was really just a low-flying plane---there is no need to fear. God is good, ALL THE TIME! All the time, GOD IS GOOD!
Hanging Out Time!
Eight years ago today I arrived in the Philippines to begin my work at CSC. It's amazing how it seems like such a short and long time ago at the same time! I can still remember that trip so clearly, but yet it seems as if I've always been with CSC.
Recently I did a count, and, if my count is correct, 241 kids have been a part of CSC during my eight years here. Some for just a short while and others for the entire time I've been here. What a blessing it has been for me to have each of them as a part of my life!
Now my time at CSC is ending. In three short weeks, I'll be moving back to Minnesota. While I'm excited to see what God has in store for my future, I'm going to miss everyone at CSC so much! My goal this summer was to spend time with all of our 7-year-old and above kids outside of the shelter. I made a list and very slowly I've been working my way through it. Often, when the kids see me, they ask, "Is it my turn?!" It's been so much fun to hang out with them! Here are some pictures of our outings!
1. Lunch at McDonald's
2. Lunch at Jollibee! This guy was so excited to "eat outside" that he hopped, danced, and cartwheeled his way across the yard as he yelled, "Yeah!!! Jollibee!!!" I love his enthusiasm!
3. Glow-in-the-Dark Mini-golfing!
4. Nail Polish & Cupcakes Party! I took all of the 7, 8, and 9-year-old girls to my house. For those who wanted, I let them try to put the nail polish on themselves. Let's just say it was a bit messy, but so much fun! (I had to do a few fixes. The girls would come up and ask me to "erase" the messed up nail polish!) Then we headed out to a cupcake store. The blackforest cupcakes were the most popular choice...I think the cherry on top had something to do with it!
5. Dinner at Davinci's Pizza!
6. A Narnia Party! We have a sibling group at CSC that has 2 brothers and 2 sisters. Several months ago, they made the connection that they were the same as the family in the Chronicles of Narnia movie. We decided that someday we would have a "Narnia Party". This last week, we finally got around to it! The kids all created props for their characters (swords, shields, crowns, bow & arrows, etc.) and I was Mrs. Beaver. We watched "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" and acted out different parts of the movie! The evening was filled with laughter and fun!
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Tropical Trees
There is a great variety of trees here in the tropics. Some provide shade, some give us fruit and others have beautiful flowers.
The Kalachuchi trees not only provide fragrant flowers that are used for decorative leis.........
they are among the best climbing trees in the Philippines and CSC kids are the best and most adorable climbers.
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Sibling love...
Isn't there a saying...siblings who play together...
No, there probably isn't, but there should be. I love watching how our sibling groups interact with each other, love on each other and even keep after each other! :)
I happened to catch some beautiful sibling footage earlier this week. Check out the video below!
This older sister is letting her youngest brother push her on the swing. I love that she is letting him feel "big" and she is caring for him at the same time. You will hear her laughter throughout the video, but you will also hear her kind of shout every time she thinks she is about to run into him! She keeps a watchful eye and you can see her trying to slow herself down often! I love that this little boy wants to play with his sister---I'm sure he would have kept pushing her except he was called to take a bath. Duty calls, you know!
No surprise that I would get a kick out of such family dynamics, being a marriage and family therapist after all; however, who wouldn't consider that moment in time precious?!
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Basins
Plastic basins are used for all kinds of things in Cebu City. They are used for flowers, food, fish and bread, or for washing. They are everywhere in the city.
Of course, we have some pretty cool uses for basins at CSC, too. Basins make great bath tubs and swimming pools for our precious children!
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Old Blue and me
Old Blue was sold today. Jerry Salgo, our Transportation Director, showed it to a guy this morning and he agreed to buy it, with all its flaws and limitations. It is the end of an era. Amy Luck, who has driven Old Blue a lot in the past several years, called me up this afternoon, delighted that the guy bought it primarily to bring his dad to kidney dialysis. It seemed fitting that this old clunker still had some good work to do in its final days. 
The guy's going to pay for it on Monday morning. So right now Old Blue is in our car park at the Teen Home, waiting for its new home. Considering all the repairs she has needed in recent years and the times that she failed us along the way, I was expecting to be happy to see her go. But when I pulled into the Teen Home today and saw her there, I reacted in a different way. I won't say I got weepy, or even misty-eyed, but I did reflect on the many kilometers that Old Blue gave us over the years, since we purchased it from missionary friends Howard and Marilynn Plucar. I thought about the number of staff members, kids, short termers, visitors and friends who have piled into that car over the past years. The car failed us many times, but it came through more times than that. It gave all it had for CSC, and we need to remember her for that, not for her failings in old age.
Maybe one of the reasons that I got a little bit melancholy is that one of our child care workers is planning to retire. She has worked for us for something like 27 years and she is tired out. She has held, fed, bathed and cuddled hundreds of our kids. She provided one on one care to Luke for years in his upstairs room. Now she's ready to move on, kind of like Old Blue.
Old blue has dents, engine flaws and makes some very strange noises. The turns and hill climbs that used to be simple now require a strain. I guess the truth of the matter is that I feel like Old Blue sometimes these days. Old, faded, cranky. I don't want to be that way, but after 34 years on the job I sometimes feel like I need an overhaul. I'm a lot more tired at the end of the day. Sometimes I forget things that people tell me. Running after kids is something that the old joints just don't allow. The day will come when it will be time to retire. I am a grandparental figure for the kids now instead of a parental figure. One of kids, known for her rather brutal honesty said to me the other day, "Uncle Paul, your hair is white and your teeth are yellow." Yikes. I'm Old Blue.
I hope that, like Old Blue, when my days of service to CSC are done, I can know that, in spite of some failings along the way and limitations of age at the end, I gave all I had for the ministry. That's all any of us can aspire to. It was great that, in the last month of Old Blue's service, she was used a lot, to bring kids and staff to and from summer activities. She performed well. She finished strong. Hope I can do the same!
Farewell, Old Blue. Bring that old man to his dialysis safely, like you've done for our kids and staff over the years!
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