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On Wednesday, February 5 Mitch and I flew to Tacloban, Leyte, to see Paul Varberg. Paul is a missionary with Converge BGC, and he has been doing relief work in that beleagured city for the past three months. It was three months ago that super typhoon Haiyan ravaged Tacloban, killing thousands and destroying or damaging many, if not most, of the houses.

After three months, much of the city is still in ruins. Most homes still have no electricity, as the power poles and lines are still down. Many businesses have not re-opened. Tents given by the United Nations have been set up all over the city for the homeless. Some families are trying to repair their roofs, but others don't have the money to buy the materials. In some cases, the needed materials are not available to buy. Whole communities were wiped out by the typhoon, swept away by the storm surge that noone saw coming. For Mitch and me, the destruction in Tacloban is hard to comprehend. Mitch commented to Paul Varberg that, if the storm had been just a few miles south, Cebu City would be like this.

It was encouraging to see Paul Varberg in action, and witness his concern for the people in his church who lost so much. CSC decided to partner with him in helping rebuild homes, from the donations that came to us for relief work. Our generous and faithful supporters have been able to contribute more than $15,000 to help Paul reach out to these families with wood, nails, roofing materials, cement blocks and cement. He is a man of integrity and it is a privilege to partner with him.

Here are some pictures from Tacloban.

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Hands that Serve

Sep. 14, 2015By: Jinkee Reasoner

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.

Stacks of Books

Sep. 10, 2015By: Joel Reasoner

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

Sep. 9, 2015By: Marcel Pacada

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.

Friendships

Sep. 8, 2015By: Paul Healy

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.

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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!