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!
Mothers to the motherless
Mothers' Day is a time to focus on our moms, their love and the great contributions they have made to our lives. Let's take some time to think about the aunties at CSC who take on the role of substitute mothers for our children. Most of these women have children of their own, so their work with the CSC kids is a testimony to the depth of their reservoir of love. CSC relies so heavily on the contributions of these workers, women to mother the motherless children of CSC. God bless them, especially on this Mother's Day.
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Places unseen
Last week I was walking into the Duterte House and was struck with what an incredibly beautiful building it is. It made me realize that you, the blog reader (or Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube follower), have probably never seen some of the "nooks and crannies" of CSC. So I decided to do a photo walk yesterday to try and capture some of these "places unseen." Hopefully these pictures help to communicate (1) how well CSC takes care of their facalities (2) how safe, secure, and protected these kids are and (3) that the only way these buildings and walls could have been built was with the generous donations from CSC supporters all around the world.
The Duterte House
The Cherne House
The Eicher House
Trees in the yard (the colored specks are kites).
The walkway that connects the infirmary with the Duterte House (and three boys flying kites).
The view from the infirmary.
The infirmary.
Iso, short for isolation - This is the place kids stay when the are first admitted to CSC (or are sick). As you can see, it sounds worse than it actually is. :)
The water tower in the back yard of the infirmary.
All of the walls around CSC have barbed wire to keep intruders out.
The main gate to CSC.
The hallway into the Children of Hope School. Daniel, one of the CCHS guards, is writing my name down in the "log book." Every person that comes and leaves CCHS is recorded in this book.
The main area in CCHS. This area is partitioned into classrooms during the school year.
The guard house and motorcycle parking at CCHS.
An interesting side note - It's rare to see a motorcycle bigger than 125cc here. Lindsay and I have a Honda XRM. It doesn't go very fast, but on an average week we spend around $2 on gas. :)
While these buildings and structures are incredible, it's what they hold that is truly beautiful:
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H-U-G-S
hug - [pronounciation: hugh]
verb; used with object
1. To clasp tightly in the arms, especially with affection; embrace.
2. To cling firmly or fondly to; cherish.
Synonyms:
verb : embrace - clasp - cuddle - enfold - inarm
noun : embrace - cuddle - clasp - squeeze - grip
And there ends the English lesson on parts of speech and definitions. It was really just a refresher course... :)
I'm writing about hugs because they are an everyday occurence for me and have been since I arrived August 2011. They were an unanticipated perk of the job and are a daily blessing! How love and care is communicated through their hugs is so touching to me for many reasons. Firstly, I am away from the friends and family who would normally hug me. It is honestly hard to feel lonely when you have 5 children waiting in line for a hug from you! :) Secondly, they mean it. We have some of the sweetest kids here. Despite the things they have seen or the things that have been done to them, they have learned to trust and love others. That is the third reason. And they want it too--the fourth reason. When I am able to comfort a hurting or sad child by my presence or with a hug, I am so humbled. I am so grateful that God has allowed me to serve in this way, to love on these kids, and for some it is the first time they have been treated this way. Check out the pictures below of some of our most stellar huggers! :)
This lil' dear hugs me whenever she sees me and rubs my back---can you say heart-melter?
One of our newest tikes---he is a cuddler! And I am just fine with that...
This sweet girl, everyday, yells out a greeting to me from wherever she may be and then runs with arms open wide!!!
If I am sitting anywhere, this one is likely to be in my lap! :)
Legs count, don't they?! :)
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
1 Corinthians 13:13
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A Day Not Forgotten
Today is a day that has significance for only a few people. May 4 
was the day in 1979 when three young Minnesotans stepped off the plane in Cebu City, to a blast of incredibly hot air on perhaps the hottest day of that year, to begin their plan of starting a ministry for homeless children. There was nobody to welcome us, no brass band or flower leis. But it was an exciting day for Kathy, Marlys and me. We had been thinking, dreaming and praying for this day. May 4, 1979.
Or was it May 5? Sometimes we debate that. We are at the age
now where we sometimes get a little fuzzy on details. It was one of those two days, I'm almost certain. I guess it doesn't matter. I've never been a slave to details. There we were, three young people without much in the way of experience or training about how to live in a tropical country, how to fix up a house or, more significantly, how to take care of children. I've got a feeling that there were a few people back home and here in Cebu who thought that we were destined for failure. In fact, I know its true because some of those folks have admitted it to me. I guess I can't really blame them. But we had one thing going for us. We were convinced that God had called us to go to Cebu and that, having done that, He would be with us. Through thick and thin.
T
here has been some thin over the last 34 years, but its mostly been thick. The excitement of stepping out in faith as we climbed down those airplane steps is still there for our staff. Much has changed in terms of facilities, staff, the number of children we care for, and the size of our annual budget. (Our first year we got by on about $6,000!) But mostly its the same. We get up in the morning, we do the work of taking care of children who do not have families, and we go to bed again. There is no drudgery in this work, and it is as fun and exciting as it was when we took in our first child in 1979.
May 4th or 5th or whatever day it was doesn't seem to matter much in terms of the big picture, and the challenges we face today in caring for 90 children in Banawa Hills. But it will always be important to those of us old timers who stepped out of that plane and into a life that has meant so much to us and to many other people, including almost 900 children.
Thanks to all who have had a part in it!
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The week that was.....
Every week has it's own excitement, and it's own joys and problems to deal with. This week was no exception. We have had a fun week with the kids. Summer vacation is on, summer school and summer fan classes have started. We have recently admitted seven new kids ages three to nine; so we have lots of behavior to observe and respond to with them. One of our little guys had the experience of having his very excited adoptive family emerge from the van....a family was made. We have had birthday parties to celebrate and spent one afternnoon cooling off with the little swimming pools. We were concerned about our Jacob, he had to be hospitalized, but as of a few minutes ago Jacob's very happy room mate (that would be Joemar) came running to my office to report that Jacob was home! Kites are still the afternoon activity of choice for the boys. Sidewalk chalk art was one days project. Roselyn found a way to keep her newly claimed kitten close to home.... We do admit to complaining about how hot is it about every 13 seconds, but, over all it was a good week!
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