Last week Laura came to visit us at school. Laura taught at our school for six years as an instructional assistant, working mainly with preschoolers and individual students in one-on-one tutoring sessions. Laura is a lady with a story to tell, a powerful story of transformation.
When Laura first started at CCHS, she was shy and new to the world of teaching. She gained confidence with experience and the encouragement of her colleagues. Laura was a also a seeker, intrigued by the message of God as her personal saviour. She asked a lot of questions and eventually sought to have Christ as the guiding force in her life. This desire transformed Laura giving her new purpose and a confidence she had not had before.
Serious trouble arose in February of 2012 when Laura was diagnosed with cancer. She had surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possble, but she was also frightened of chemotherapy, so she chose to try alternative therapies in an attempt to arrest the spread of the disease. When these therapies were not successful and she was again faced with the decision to try chemotherapy, Laura realized her fear of chemotherapy had been the driving force of her decisions rather than her faith in God's promises.
Laura decided to have chemotherapy and she is feeling better, but she is not cancer free. However, Laura is the first to tell others the promises of God are true and right. She is firm in her belief God will give her the strength she needs each day. She is bold and confident. She loves to tell her story of God's transforming power in her life, come what may.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!