Staff Blog
We all take turns being on duty on the evenings when the House Parents in each home have their day off. It makes our already long day even longer but I have learned that I usually leave the home more refreshed and certainly more blessed than when I walked in a few hours earlier.
It was my night to be on duty at the Duterte Home. All the little kids had gone upstairs to bed. I gathered the older kids together to ask for prayer requests and to talk about things that they wanted to talk about. The conversation quickly became about the recent typhoon. The kids had heard stories from our workers and from friends at school regarding the death and/or destruction that the typhoon brought, some of it not very far away. The kids were unsure about their birth families experience in the typhoon as well. Everyone just seemed to have a sad story to tell. Jacob, who is 27 years old, wheel chair bound and unable to speak was in our group. Jacob has Cerebral Palsy. It was obvious that these stories were hard for Jacob to hear, he was making sounds indicating distress and was getting more spastic as time went on. I was afraid he was either going to break the bindings holding him in his wheel chair or break a bone! I asked one of the workers to take Jacob to another room. I explained that we would ask Jacob to come back for our prayer time. Jacob agreed.
For our prayer time I asked for volunteers for each of the people, families or circumstances that we had put on our prayer list. When we got to one family that the kids had told about who had lost their home in the tsunami like storm surge that came with the arrival of the typhoon in a nearby town Jacob shouted and raised his hand in the air, he wanted to pray for that family. His name went on the list. We spent time in prayer, it got quiet and Jacob had not prayed yet. I looked up at Jacob and he was looking at me, I just nodded, indicating that it was his time to pray. He shut his eyes and he prayed. A more beautiful prayer I have never heard. As I watched and listened to Jacob pray I looked around at the other kids, many of them were looking at Jacob too. I was not the only one with tears in my eyes. We could not understand one word that Jacob prayed, we did did understand his emotion and we did understand "amen!"
Later, when all the kids were in their bedrooms I went to Jacob's room. I thanked him for his prayer for the family and told him that I knew that God heard and understood every word he said. I told Jacob that I thought that God was comforting the family right then because of Jacob's prayer. Jacob got his big "Jacob smile" that takes up his whole face and even tends to make his body spastic...but he worked hard and brought his arm up in the air, got his pointer finger extended and with joy pointed straight up. Yes Jacob, God in Heaven heard and understood every word of your prayer! I knew that is what he was telling me, and I agreed. I left for home with a smile on my face and an extra blessing in my heart.
I didn't have my camera with me that night. This photo is a re-enactment of Jacob telling me exactly where his prayers go!
Hands that Serve
We have about 76 child care workers who do day-to-day stuff at the shelter. Most of you who have been to CSC might be aware of this. But for everyone else’s information, we have laundry washers, cooks, cleaners and, of course, the rest of the Aunties—as we call them—who watch over the children at the shelter.
Most of them don’t have a college degree, some never got the chance to finish grade school; but they take pride and joy in working at CSC. They teach the kids household chores, sometimes you see them in the playground playing with the kids and often times, they teach the little ones how to pray. They treat the kids at the shelter like their own.
For some of the aunties, being an educator is a gift. Singing nursery rhymes, dancing and learning how to count are some of their tasks that just come out naturally. Below is a short video of two aunties and some toddlers reading the story of Jonah and the Big Fish.
Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness in providing CSC with very willing hands. Please pray for all of our workers at the shelter as they continue caring for and teaching the kids.
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Stacks of Books
The Reading Challenge is finishing up tomorrow! The children have been reading, a lot. Many of them leave school will a stack of books in their hands. The total number of pages read is staggering. Keep reading!
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Sore Eyes
Sore eyes has hit CSC! As this blog is being written, seven babies and toddlers and one school age child have sore eyes. Sore eyes is very common in the Philippines. In the US, it is called pink eye. It affects all ages and usually spreads from one eye to the other very quickly. One’s eyes become swollen, turn pink, and are very itchy and painful. It can be miserable for anyone who has it, especially the babies and toddlers. Please pray for all the kids who currently have sore eyes and that it would not spread to others throughout the houses.
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Friendships
Everybody needs friends.
For our CSC children, making a new friend is often the most important part of their adjusting to life at the Shelter.
Someone to run with……. Play with…..talk to…….laugh .……study .…..eat… and pray with.
CSC friends teach new kids the ropes, are partners in mischief and sources of understanding, comfort and encouragement. And not only that, they are a lot of fun to hang out with.
Our children come from backgrounds of poverty, neglect and loss. Who better to understand them than a friend who has experienced the same things before coming to live at CSC.
The memories of these friendships could last for a lifetime.
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Mabuhay ang Wikang Filipino!
Last Friday, August 28, was a happy day for everyone at CCHS. It was the Buwan ng Wika Celebration, an all-day event focusing on Filipino language. All the students as well as the teachers really had fun.
The Filipino games played in the morning gave every student a chance to participate and every team showed good teamwork. The older kids helped the preschoolers even by carrying the little kids to get the tasks accomplished. It was an amazing sight to see all members of each team working as one.
The afternoon activity was short, but sweet. All the students’ presentations were really great! Each presentation displayed the children’s and teachers’ great efforts.
Mabuhay ang Wikang Filipino!
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