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!
Fearless boarders!
Christmas has come and gone, and at CSC, after that holiday season comes "Waveboard Season!" Okay, okay, it is not a real season, but after this particular Christmas, it certainly seems like it is. Santa delivered 18 waveboards to us this year and most days there are that many riders out at one time! It is amazing to watch the abilities that our kids have with this toy. Within minutes of getting one, some kids are able to get on, master the balancing, and with a little shake to get them going, they are cruising down our driveway. They make it look so easy, so easy in fact that over the Christmas break, I was motivated to give it a try.
I put one foot on, looked for a handhold and tried to convince myself to put my other foot on it. AGES later, I put my other foot on and with a little scream, quickly put my foot back on the ground. The kids, of course, found it very amusing. They were very encouraging and patient with me, despite their immense excitement at the possibility of seeing Auntie Lindsay waveboarding! Sadly, I didn't go anywhere, but the sight seemed to be enough to satisfy their curiousity!
Check out the talent we have in our midst!
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Relief Work Continues With Second Leyte Trip
CSC continued its forray into relief work with a second trip to typhoon ravaged Leyte. Carmelita Baya, CSC's Senior Social Worker, and our skilled driver Edwin, together with two volunteers, brought construction materials and food boxes to ten families in Western Leyte on January 4-6. All of these families had experienced significant damage, even total destruction of their houses as a result of the super typhoon that hit Leyte and Northern Cebu in December.
This relief effort was the result of the concern and generosity of CSC's supporters who donated money for the alleviation of the suffering of typhoon victims. CSC did not solicit funds for this, but our great people gave anyway, having heard about the destruction and the many people suffering. We chose to help families that we already knew, mostly the birth families of former residents and the families of our workers. The first Leyte trip was in December, when food boxes were distributed. On that trip Carmelita gathered information on the housing situation of the families we know and that data was the basis of our planning and budgeting for helping with const
ruction materials.
Through the negotiations of Jerry Salgo, CSC's Maintenance and Transportation Director, whose mom lives in Leyte, we were able to rent a large truck in Cebu City for a fair price. This truck was loaded on Friday, January 3, with wood, corrogated roofing sheets, cement, plywood sheets, nails and tools. On Saturday, the truck and one CSC vehicle, were driven onto a ship and at 9:00 p.m. they set off for Hilongos, Leyte. The next two days were spent in driving and delivering the goods. Each family received a box with food, a half sack of rice (50 pounds), and an assortment of building supplies. The building materials were enough to build a small home, or repair their h
ouse if it wasn't totally destroyed.
Carmelita reported that the families were thrilled to receive these goods. Several were incredulous that CSC remembered them and came through with badly needed supplies. It was a shipment of hope as much as anything else, and Carmelita wants to be sure that I pass along thanks to all who gave. Our workers whose families were included in the distribution are also very thankful to CSC and our generous supporters for responding to this need in a practical way.
(All photos taken by Carmelita Baya and Edwin Martinez.)
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Christmas 2013
Another busy and exciting Christmas season has passed at CSC. There were many programs and activities to entertain the children and teach them about the meaning of Christmas. Click on the activity below to see some photos of the event.
Christmas at Church
Christmas Play at Children of Hope School
Christmas Outreach Party for Former Residents
Christmas Eve Party
Christmas Day
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Update on Thomas
Thomas is back in Cebu! He returned after having successful surgery on
his nasal passage on November 13 at the Philippine General Hospital, a huge government facility in Manila. Many people contributed to this success, including doctors, nurses, child care workers, a ministry in Manila, and lots of CSC prayer and financial supporters. So many people have expressed love and concern for our little guy! A Christian ministry in Manila, the Nehemiah Project, helped us greatly by bringing money to the hospital and pharmacy to pay bills, so our women didn't need to bring lots of cash with them. (The hospital does not accept checks or credit card payments.) Many thanks to Dan and Carla Chalmers and Darrah for this favor, and for underwriting many of Thomas' expenses at PGH.
CSC's care team in Manila was led by Warlita Manlon,
our head nurse. Also along were two of our child care workers who alternated duty at the hospital every 12 hours. (In the Philippines, hospital patients are required to have "watchers" to provide some of the basic nursing type care, buy medicines and pay other bills. Our two workers jnow Thomas very well and he was comfortable with them. They all combined to provide him with excellent, loving care, and he made a great recovery. The doctor removed a significan nasal obstruction, and almost right away.
Shortly after his surgery he was examined by a neuro surgeon, as he needs additional surgery on his hydrocephalus (water on the brain). Marlys Healy was in Manila with Thomas during that consultation, and the doctor agreed to go to Cebu to do the surgery. What a blessing that will be as the logistics of caring for a child in Manila are very complicated.
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They flew!!!
They flew! That was the great news that Marlys gave us early this morning. Thomas, our little four month-old boy and his caregivers were able to board a plane for Manila where he will be having two major surgeries in the coming days.
Getting permission to fly was not easy. Marlys and our head nurse, Warlita, had to bring him to the airport on Friday to see a doctor. Thomas has choanal atresia, which is causing a complete blockage of th eleft nostril. The right nostril has a very small opening, which is why he is alive. He also has craniosynostosis. His skyll bones fused together prematurely. Surgeons will need to remove bone from his skull to make space for his brain. Because these surgeries cannot be done in Cebu, and because the cranial problem is very critical as the brain is being constricted, alternate plans were needed. Cebu doctors were very helpful in referring him to some Manila surgeons, a hospital was found where they could do the surgery, and a host of other plans and preparations were initiated by Marlys and her medical team. It is a very daunting tasks to arrange for something this critical in a city other than where we live. We needed to find workers able and willing to go to Manila for an extended time, nurses we could hire during the long recovery period, a way to get money up there for deposits and payments to doctors, pharmacies and the hospital. So many things had to be considered, and there isn't time to waste.
To be sure, our taking on something like this required the cooperation, kindness and generosity of many people. Some dear folks volunteered to give money towards the surgery. Friends in Metro Manila offered to be the "bag men," helping us channel cash to those we will need to pay, so we don't have to bring large amounts of cash up to Manila. (The hospital does not accept checks or credit cards. Cash only.) Our doctors in Cebu were there to give us advise and to make the recommendation to the airline that he was okay to travel. CSC workers volunteered to go to provide loving care to Thomas before and after the operations. Child caring agencies in Manila offered lodging for our workers and for Thomas during his recovery period. CSC supporters have been praying.
We know that in the coming days lots more efforts, prayers, contributions and advise will be needed. We have been taking this whole thing on a day to day basis, handling the hurdles needed for that day. But nothing would matter if he wasn't able to get to Manila. But God helped us clear that hurdle. Two separate doctors' approvals were needed. On Friday, Marlys and Warlita had to bring Thomas out to the airport (about an hour's drive) to be seen by Dr.#1. When they walked into his office Warlita recognized him. It turns out that they come from the same town in northern Cebu. The were neighbors when Warlita was growing up. So that helped a lot in getting the first clearance. They were able to purchase tickets for an early morning flight today. But Dr. #2 stood between them and the airplane. He gave Thomas a brief examination and pronounced him okay for travel. So they were off this morning to meet with the doctors and schedule the needed surgeries. (Warlita reported that Thomas slept for most of the flight and did very well.) The first will be on Monday. And its possible they might do them at the same time. The caregivers who went to minister to Thomas are Delia and Rhea.
Then the next phase in this Christmas adventure will begin. Thanks for your caring heart which helps sustain our ministry and extend the best care possible to our children, especially Thomas.
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