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!
Visitors and Volunteers
One thing I've been able to witness this year is how often visitors are able to use their skills and abilities to help give back to CSC. So many times people don't just visit CSC, they also volunteer at CSC.
Here are some photos from the past year of family and friends that have visited and volunteered at CSC.
1. Gordie, one of CSC's board members, recently came to see CSC in action. This is a picture of when he led a Bible study for the older boys and girls at CSC about having a positive self image.
2. My family visited CSC in February. My mom taught the kids origami and led a workshop for the teachers. My dad did a pottery demonstration and then led an art activity where the kids made clay fish (or sharks or piranhas).
3. When Lindsay's family came to visit her dad, Allen (or Dr. Mork, in this picture), helped out by seeing some of the kids that were sick.
4. Our friend Angie recently came to visit Lindsay and I. She's an elementary school teacher back in Minnesota. She volunteered to help the preschoolers who had a lesson on clowns. She jumped right in. I love this pictures!
What an honor it is to have such incredible people visit and volunteer at CSC!
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A True Calling
Last week I had a friend visiting here in Cebu. Marlys Healy, the co-founder of CSC, took us on her standard "city tour" so my friend could experience Cebu a little bit more. It doesn't matter how many times I've been on that city tour with Marlys - I love driving around and seeing this city through the perspective of CSC.
There was one moment that will always stick with me from this particular city tour. Marlys stopped outside of a building to tell us a story of some kids who had come to CSC from that side of town, and she was mid-story when she happened to turn around and see these three kids on the other side of the car. Immediately she stopped telling the story and brought our attention to the kids sleeping on the concrete.
What will always stick with me from this moment seeing her get big tears in her eyes looking at these three through the car window. We all just sat there for a minute taking in this sobering reality. She even had to stop telling her story for a minute, which, if you know Marlys, is pretty significant. :) But what is so astounding about this is that Marlys has lived in Cebu and worked with kids in these very difficult situations for 35 years. And the fact that she still feels so much compassion that it moves her to tears after so many years is simply incredible.
I praise the Lord for Marlys and her true calling and deeply compassionate heart for ministering to children in need.
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Fried chicken & festivities!
We had some visitors here recently. An adoptive family had returned to show their son where he came from so many years ago. Those visitors are such a blessing! Our childcare workers are always touched to see the children they once fed and bathed return happy and healthy and grown. This family went above and beyond, however. Their son decided that he wanted to celebrate his birthday with all of the kids at CSC. He and his family arranged to have the Jollibee birthday brigade come with balloons, food (SO much food!), games and prizes! Check out how much fun was had!
THE FEAST!!!! There was fried chicken, spaghetti, Yum burgers, peach mango pie and Coke!
THE GAMES!
This game was particularly hilarious to watch. The kids started in a circle and then had to be the quickest to get into groupings of various sizes! There was plenty of scrambling and frantic behaviors! Other games involved singing a song, being the first to bring up a requested object (I gave my phone, a hair clip and a 1 peso coin for the cause) or saying "Jollibee," holding out the "bee" for the longest amount of time. Let's just say some of our kids can hold a lot of air inside their little bodies! ;)
Eagerly awaiting the arrival of THE Jollibee!
EXCITED SMILES ABOUND!!
And he's HERE!!!!!!
You would never know these two are archrivals---Joemar with his McDonald's hat! :)
Cool dudes!
Clearly my camera was one of many, but you get the idea!!! :)
Thanks to all visitors everywhere! Your presence here is a blessing to the kids, to our workers and to the staff.
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Happy Resurrection Day!
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" -1 Peter 1:3
There have many different activities at CSC over the last few days to remember and celebrate Jesus' resurrection! He is RISEN! Praise the Lord!
On Wednesday, we had an Easter program at school! We sang praise songs to the Lord, watched several performances, and played some games related to Easter and Jesus' resurrection. It ended with announcing the winner's of the coloring contest! Here are the winners!
On Sunday, many of our kids performed in the morning church service. Below is a picture of them up on stage. It was hard to get a good picture because they were so far away. Almost all of the kids in white are our kids!
After the church service, each of the houses had their own Easter egg hunt. The kids had so much fun searching through the bushes and around the yard for the eggs! Here are a few of my favorite pictures from that event!
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Carts, Carts, Carts
Carts are a popular and useful means of transporting cargo in the Philippines. In Cebu City they are used for hauling just about anything, from fruits, vegetables and meat, to hardware, wood and household items. Some families live on their carts. Carts can be seen on streets and sidewalks - everywhere that people need to transport goods at a reasonable price. Of course, the toddler cart at CSC transports the most precious cargo!
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