Staff Blog

Think of a wonderful thought

Any merry little thought
Think of Christmas, think of snow
Think of sleigh bells
Off you go like reindeer in the sky
You can fly! You can fly!
You can fly!

Think of the happiest things
It's the same as having wings
Take the path that moonbeams make
If the moon is still awake
You'll see him wink his eye
You can fly, you can fly!
You can fly!

Up you go with a heigh and ho
To the stars beyond the blue
There's a Never Land waiting for you
Where all your happy dreams come true
Every dream that you dream will come true

When there's a smile in your heart
There's no better time to start
Think of all the joy you'll find
When you leave the world behind
And bid your cares goodbye
You can fly, you can fly!
You can fly, you can fly!
You can fly!

I captured that picture above, and as I pushed the button of my camera, this song was running through my head.  It is one of the songs from the Disney movie, Peter Pan.  It is a classic, from pre-Pixar days.  For those of you unfamiliar with the plot, it is about a boy from the magical land of Never Land.  It is a story of fantasy, magic and imagination.

I remember watching that movie as a child and when that song came on, I felt excitement and joy---like anything was possible!  Peter Pan was able to fly!  With just a little bit of pixie dust after all.

As I watched that boy running across the yard with that plastic bag as if it were a parachute, or a plane or a spaceship, I felt like he felt the same thing.  And I was so happy and grateful that he could feel that.  Despite where he had come from before arriving at CSC, he was feeling like a kid, a carefree, fun-loving, free to imagine kid.  He didn't have to worry about begging for food or tend to an ailing family member.

All too often our kids have had to grow up much sooner than they should have.  And not to say that CSC is like Never Land, but it is not unheard of to see kids regress a little once they come.  When they realize they are no longer responsible for the health and wellness of their siblings or for finding food for their family, they play more and sometimes as if they were younger.

Growing up is a process that can't be avoided; however, it's nice to know that being a kid isn't that far out of reach...

It takes a lot of pictures to  satisfy the needs of keeping our friends up on the latest from CSC. Most of our staff members take pictures. We store them on hard drives, on Dropbox and Picasa. We use them in our newsletters, on our web site, on Facebook and in prayer letters. We keep large numbers of pictures of each CSC child for their records, and to share with adoptive families.

We need pictures to accompany child study reports submitted for local and intercountry adoption. Some of these are used to document the height of the children.  

We take pictures of special days at CSC that involve the children in music, dance, sports or school outings.

 We need pictures of the everyday activities of our children that show our supporters or prospective donors the kinds of facilities, people and programs that constitute this ministry. And we take pictures of highlights in the lives of our kids: graduations, birthdays, or the times when we tell them that they are going to be adopted. These pictures will eventually go with the children when they leave us, and will for an important part of their histories. We never know just how important a picture might be to one of our residents, his adoptive family, or, eventually, her own family. And we never know which picture we shoot might motivate someone to want to get involved in the support of this ministry.

When we lived in the Philippines, I was really surprised to find out how much Filipinos love fried chicken.

Fried chicken is EVERYWHERE - at all restaurants and fast food places and even sold by vendors from little carts on the street. CSC is no exception! Fried chicken is a hit with all the kids.

This picture just cracks me up: it's the big plastic bucket where the aunties marinate the chicken. It's labeled "Monday".

After you marinate the chicken, you put it into a pan of hot oil. Auntie Elvira kept the heat really low to cook the chicken long and slow. I was also really interested to find out that they weren't putting any breading on the chicken. The marinating and the crispy skin are enough to flavor the chicken after it's been fried.

Fried Chicken
Recipe from the Cherne house

2 lb. chicken drumsticks
1-2 teaspoon minced garlic
1-2 teaspoon minced onion
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon seasoning mix*
1 egg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1-2 cups oil for frying

1. Place the raw chicken in a large bowl. Add the garlic, onion, oyster sauce, black pepper, salt, seasoning mix, egg, and cornstarch. Stir until the chicken is evenly coated.
2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, place the chicken in the oil. The oil should cover the chicken pieces almost completely and it will bubble gently as the chicken cooks. Continue to fry the chicken until the skin is golden brown and crispy. The amount of time you’ll need depends on the temperature of the oil. Auntie Elvira keeps the heat low and fries each piece for at least 15 minutes.
3. Remove from the oil and set on paper towels to drain excess oil.

*The seasoning mix that they use is called Magic Sarap and it basically adds a very salty flavor. You could use any kind of seasoning salt you like to give the chicken more flavor.

Cebu City has been our home for more than 34 years. It is the home of our ministry and our families. We have seen tremendous change here in our years as residents. It is a place of great beauty. Tourists flock to the beaches of Mactan Island and other places in droves, coming from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, China, Australia, Europe and North America. Sadly, many of these visitors never cross the bridge to Cebu City, so they do not get an accurate picture of what life is like for the greater percentage of Filipinos living here. They see the beautiful white sand beaches and blue ocean water, but fail to observe the teeming squatter areas, the street children and families, and the desperate poverty that is the way of life for hundreds of thousands here in Cebu City. 

Cebu is a fascinating place to visit. Visitors who make it a point to get the full tour go away with an education in the diverse lifestyles, opportunities and expressions of Philippine culture that make this such an interesting place. It isn't pleasant to view the poverty and difficulties of life, but those things are part of the reality of life here. Often that exposure helps reinforce people's resolve to do something to help those in need, through ministries like CSC.

Although a small part of the city geographically, CSC is a part of the beauty and diversity that makes Cebu such a fascinating place. We have children and adults of all sizes and shapes. We have kids who come from very different situations in life, and who have varied interests and talents. But all are a part of the CSC family, and a part of the city from which many of them came. Visiting CSC has been a blessing for thousands of people over the years, and we have welcomed parties from more than 30 nations to come and see what we are doing. Check out this quick view of Cebu City and CSC.

Several months ago we met with Gauvin and Delphine Guillaume, a French couple who had just arrived in Cebu. They had formerly worked in China where they started an orphanage called Bethel. They were considering ministry opportunities in Cebu with an eye towards doing something for children with special needs. Eventually, they decided to start a therapy center and their first  program is something called Equine Therapy. Their ministry is known as the SPACE Project, or Special People Accessing Creative Education.

Equine Therapy, also known as Hippotherapy,  is a treatment that uses the multidimensional movement of the horse. Specially trained physical, occupational and speech therapists use this medical treatment for clients who have movement dysfunction.

 Equine Therapy uses activities on the horse that are meaningful to the client. Treatment takes place in a controlled environment where graded sensory input can elicit appropriate adaptive responses from the client. Specific riding skills are not taught (as in therapeutic riding), but rather a foundation is established to improve neurological function and sensory processing. This foundation can then be generalized to a wide range of daily activities.

Friday was our introduction to this innovative program which will be available to some of our children and young adults with special needs. Maria, Michael, Wilmar and Jhaycob met the horse, Kose, for the first time. They helped to feed and groom him, and all but Jhaycob had their first ever ride. It was supposed to just be a "meet and greet" with Kose but they all did so well that the therapist felt it was good for them to ride. Jhaycob was a little tentative but pet the horse and helped give him a bath. All in all it was a great day and we are looking forward to weekly therapy for these, and possibly other kids in the very near future.