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!
Sportsfest is Coming!
A week from today Cebu Children of Hope School will be having their annual Sportsfest. The kids have signed up for their events and are anxiously awaiting. They are excited to participate in track and field events. The teacher are busy preparing the ribbons and getting the equipment ready for the big event. The Kids along with the teachers are preparing a banner and cheer for each team. Everyone is excited!
Here are some photo of the teachers getting ready. Check back next Friday to see pictures of the kids in their events and to hear more about Sportsfest 2016! 
The Teacher's of CCHS are very busy making awards!
The venue is ready for the Sportsfest
Uncle Edwin is preparing the hurdles. 
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The "business" of CSC
CSC is in the "business" of loving kids. Of course our ministry has a much longer mission statement, and any of our business-type documents would describe what we do in a more complex manner. However, when it comes down to what CSC does, it really and truly is, plain and simple: we love our kids.
And because we love them, we want what is best for them. And what is best for them usually means leaving CSC and becoming part of their own forever family.
In the last few weeks of 2015 and in the first several days of 2016, CSC has welcomed a handful of loving adoptive families, and said goodbye to many precious children. This is the nature of our work and every goodbye is an answered prayer. Though the tears may fall as we wave at departing vehicles, we are all truly happy to witness God's handiwork.
It is such a pleasure to meet and get to know adoptive families. How they arrive to the shelter so excited and already in love with a child that they have usually only seen in pictures and read about in a few reports amazes me every time. I love when they share their stories of how God gave them this particular child or how He let them know they needed to adopt those siblings. And how understanding these families are about what their child(ren) are going through: the fears they have, the uncertainty. One family that adopted a young boy last year always spoke about how brave he was to be leaving everything he had ever known. And I am again in awe of how God works and how He brings families to CSC to take children that have been loved powerfully here so that they will be loved powerfully elsewhere.
A new year has started and I know that in this coming year there will be more kids to leave CSC, and more families to come. Business as usual. And what a blessed "business" it is!
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Back to School!
After two weeks of Christmas break, the students are back to school! Freshly sharpened pencils and new units are all a part of getting back into the routine of school. In our class, we began a new reading unit: “Survival”. The students were very excited to see new books in our classroom library that were about our reading theme. When the students have free time after completing their work, they are encouraged to read books from the classroom library. As a teacher, I like to set goals for what I want to see my students achieve. In this unit, I wanted them to have the opportunity to read more chapter books. I intentionally placed more chapter books in our classroom library with the hope that they would challenge themselves. Well, after a week of being back in the classroom, several students were up to the challenge! Two students have already successfully finished one chapter book and are planning on starting a new one next week! Other students are working on finishing the books they have started. These students are bringing these books to read during snack time and are often reading interesting passages out loud to each other. The best part? They are discovering that they actually enjoy reading and finding out what kinds of stories most interest them. I would say that after a long break, we have had success in coming back to school.
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Reflections
Children's Shelter of Cebu started with young and inexperienced, but faithful and Godly, people from MN in 1979. At that time, those five Americans shared a home with just one bathroom with three Filipinos as they began the ministry by taking care of a seven-year-old girl and a few babies. All of the adults took care of babies in their rooms or by their beds. They took turns washing dirty diapers, making bottles, and cooking food for everyone. They also made disheartening discoveries that some of the clothes they had hung out to dry were stolen from the yard by the neighbors. Learning language was challenging and sometimes humorous. One story I heard was that one of the missionary staff had mistakenly ordered mosquito in a restaurant instead of chicken because of a misspoken Cebuano word. Another story involved the use of a staff member’s shoe to retrieve his last one peso coin that had rolled into some gunk in the gutter. Otherwise, he would have had to walk home from the city all the way to Bulacao, which was five miles away. Another memory was the staff needing to talk to the employees because the ministry needed to tighten its belt when funds were low. Other organizations here in Cebu City assisted CSC with donations during that time so that the kids never missed out on a meal.
In 36 years as a ministry, CSC has gotten bigger with three homes at the shelter and a teen home, serving 85 children by the end of the year 2015. In 1979, the CSC staff relied on God and what He could do through the first few supporters of the ministry. In 2015, that same faith and reliance on God continued to be as strong as before. God continues to prove to us He is true and faithful! Once again, He has done this through the financial giving of CSC’s supporters and CSC finished the year 2015 in the black.
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:4-6
"Praise the Lord, all you nations; For great is His love towards us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord." Psalm 117
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It all comes down to this!
We stand with humble awe at all the people who love our children. You're amazing. At the beginning of December, we needed $530,000 to reach our 2015 income goal. When the week started it was $239,000. These numbers have been daunting to look at!
At each stage, people have stepped up to care for orphaned children. One by one, we have seen gifts come in for $25, $50, $500, even $40,000. Each gift makes a difference. What matters is people pitch in however they can...and people have! As of this blog post, with 35 hours to go, we need $73,034. It is still a big number, but with your help we can do it. Your donation, regardless of amount, will make an impact.
Thank you for considering the Children's Shelter of Cebu as a place you would give to.
You might be wondering, "what exactly does CSC do?" Many things, but it all boils down to just five words. We have a simple motto: Every child deserves a family.
We are home to children who have lost their parents. They come to us from hospitals, from government officials who have found them in need and from caregivers dropping them off at our door. They are hurting, and almost always ill--sometimes gravely. We have four homes in Cebu City, Philippines, where today 89 children are being given loving care. Our goal is to love them as much like a family would as possible. Here are some of the ways we do that:
- As nurses. We have our own infirmary and a small medical team who work with 26 doctors in Cebu (many of whom donate their services). Our kids have a lot of needs in this area and we meet them.
- As teachers. We have our own school, and it is top notch. We have low student-teacher ratios and a wonderful faculty who love the students they teach.
- As advocates. We seek adoption for our children through various government systems. CSC children have been placed for adoption in 15 countries.
- As caregivers. Our houseparents love our children like family. The childcare staff are there for them consistently. We understand the importance of relational bonds and foster them.
- As counselors. We have two full-time counselors on staff to guide the children towards healing.
- As stewards. We have received Charity Navigator's highest rating, 4 stars, for the fourth consecutive year. Just 9% of nonprofits can say the same.
CSC is a Christian, interdenominational ministry. We serve children regardless of their faith standing, but the priority of our care is to show them the love of God. The truth of God and his love for children is at the heart of who we are, and has been since we started in 1979.
We would be honored if you would join us in this important work. If you decide to give, know we are deeply grateful. Thank you!
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