Staff Blog
Christmas is a pretty big deal in the Philippines, yes, you might argue that it is a big deal to many other places as well, but it is only in this country where you start hearing Christmas music in September!! :)
Similarly, Christmas at CSC is a big deal. There are many events and traditions held. It is an important value at CSC that this very significant holiday is celebrated well and that it's true meaning is highlighted, amongst the glitz and glamour of the presents and beautifully lighted Christmas trees.
Of course there is quite a bit of planning that happens even before December, but the break-neck pace of non-stop Christmas parties, dinners, programs, and other such events begins around the middle of the month.
Below you will see pictures taken during the hair/make-up/all other kind of prep done before Cebu Children of Hope School's annual Christmas program. This year, the main feature was a play called Hotel Bethlehem, a modern spin put on the Christmas story. It was a huge success! The children put their hearts into it. And the countless hours invested by the teachers (rehearsing lines, making the set, working on the sound equipment and many other tasks) could be seen in that night's polished production!
A beloved tradition at CSC is the annual Progressive Dinner. The children travel to the homes of the missionary staff to enjoy some food and to hear and see different parts of the Christmas story acted out. After the groups have made it to each home and are quite busog (full) they head back home and the missionary staff follow and everyone enjoys eating cinnamon rolls in the shape of a Christmas tree! It is a great night of fun and food, but the true meaning of Christmas---Jesus' birth is shared in a memorable way as well!
Another really special event during this time of year is called Junel's Box. It is a great opportunity for our kids, who once had nothing, to give to others. Every year, our social workers find a family in the community in need of assistance. We share information about this family to our kids and give them the opportunity to give money from their bank (they receive an allowance each week for completing their chores). That money is then used to buy the things the family needs, such as food, house needs, building equipment, clothes, etc. And their generosity astounds---it happens frequently that a child will give all of the money in their bank, without hesitation. Below you will see pictures from the day we delivered all of those goods. The family was so grateful and our kids were able to help others, to give to others, when so many of them had once been on the other side of need.
People that know about CSC often want to bless our kids around the holidays and this year was no different! Marriott Hotel contacted CSC to say that they wanted to throw a Christmas party for our 7-10 year olds. We were so excited! Marriott came and picked up 28 of our kids and a handful of our adults and treated them to an afternoon of storytelling, Christmas cookie decorating (and eating!), balloon popping, snacks, present opening and eating (I say it so many times because it was a frequent activity!)
And on Christmas Eve night, Santa came to the Philippines! There are many new children at CSC at this time and for them, this was the first Christmas experience they had ever had. Several were a bit wary of Santa, but with gift in hand he seemed to be an okay guy. It was such a blessing to see the ecstatic smiles of those getting their first Christmas gift---but for those not new to CSC---well, they were still extremely excited as well. A Christmas like this is only made possible by those of you who give, so I just want to say a special thank you for your generosity!
Christmas day is not complete at CSC without the formal Christmas dinner. The missionary staff, the house parents and all of the children enjoy a nice meal outside together! The food is good, the tables are decorated beautifully, the children get all dressed up and the meal is finished with Christmas cookies for dessert! This year, after the meal, everyone went to the school to participate in a unique telling of the Christmas story, interspersed with the singing of hymns. After that came a time of prayer. As you will see in the pictures, not all of the little ones made it through the whole event!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! CSC has been blessed this year and we trust that God will continue to provide for this ministry and these children. Thank you for reading about the many Christmas traditions at CSC. What is your favorite Christmas tradition in your family?
40 Years of Fun
CSC will be celebrating 40 years of ministry on June 28 and 29 here in Cebu City. Plan to be with us for this exciting and meaningful look at how this ministry has grown and thrived since our inception in 1979. We will be celebrating the goodness of God and the contributions of the many people who have given of themselves to make many good things happen here. Check out our videos that give a taste of the celebration.
Video Trailer 40 Years of Performances
40 Years of Great Kids 40 Years of Twins
40 Years of Adoptions 40 Years of Fun
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Math and Science Day at CCHS
What an exciting event last Friday! CCHS hosted our annual Math and Science Day where students individually competed to show their skill and knowledge as well as worked together in small teams. CCHS students had a chance to participate in the following events: Math-Science Scholastic Bowl, Math-Science Dance contest, Games, Science Experiments, and Awarding.
CCHS is very grateful to the teachers who made this activity fun for our students, to the students who gave their best effort in all of the activities, to our judges on the dance contest, and our visitors. We give God the glory and honor for a successful event.
Here are some pictures showing this great event!
Math-Science Dance Contest
Math Science Scholastic Bowl – It was a great opportunity for our students to showcase what they have learned in the classroom. The students answered questions from easy to challenging.
Preschool Counting Activity – Match that Number
Go Preschoolers!
Level A Measuring Activity - Jumping Frog
Keep that frog jumping!
Level B Gravity - Cotton Blowing
Blow more! Keep blowing! Don't let it drop!
Level C Balancing – Bicycle Racing
The ultimate winner of this event was the contestant who had the longest time consumed to reach the finish line.
Volcano: Watch carefully for the volcano's eruption! Don't blink your eyes on this one.
Balloon: Shake, shake, shake until it inflates!
Egg: Wrap the egg well so that it does not break when it falls from a high elevation.
Rubik's Cube: This was the most mind boggling event. We all waited for the first one to finish and hit the bell. Cherry Mae (in the green shirt) solved the cube in 48 seconds!
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The Underground River
This week, my Level A2 students finished the topic about the natural sceneries of the Philippines. One of the natural sceneries talked about really amazed everyone: the Underground River in Palawan. During the discussion the students asked many great questions.
Here are some of them:
1.) Is it scary inside?
2.) Are there lights around?
3.) What animals can be found inside?
4.) What if an earthquake happens, will the cave collapse?
5.) Is there a ghost inside?
6.) How did the water enter the cave?
7.) Can we go inside the cave just by swimming?
8.) How many bats are there in the cave?
9.) If the boat we are riding in turns upside down, what will happen?
10.) Is it okay to make noise inside the cave?
After the questions were answered, I asked them to raise their hand if they wanted to visit the underground river soon. Out of five, four raised their hands and one was undecided. The other students tried to convince her to raise her hand but she didn't. I then asked her why. This was her reply: I'm scared to go in the river!
The class was then given a culminating activity which was to draw a picture of an underground river. At first I thought the students would find it hard to do but I was wrong. All of them couldn't wait to start drawing their picture!
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Green CSC
Check out the changing look of CSC. Solar panels have been installed on the roofs of the Cherne and Eicher Homes and at the school. This will save us thousands of dollars in electric bills every month. It has changed the look of the houses, especilly the Cherne Home. But the savings will soften the blow a little. At CSC we want to be good stewards of the money that God has entrusted to us and that comes from friends like you. Money saved here will be available for food, medicine and the education of our children.
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Tools!
It is really nice to dream about something big. It gives you strength to achieve your desired goals in life. One goal our preschoolers have is to live in a loving home surrounded by their family. But, if you look closely at a home, it takes a lot of work to build, just like our dreams.
During a recent art class in preschool, we introduced the students to different tools we use to build things. It started from reading a story (which they really loved!) to a coloring activity and our last activity for them was to have a first-hand experience on how to use the different tools. We went to the shelter and, through the help of Uncle Cio, the students were able to saw, hammer, and measure. We let our students try each tool one at a time to avoid chaos and to ensure safety. Clearly, their eagerness overflowed as they patiently waited for their turn and the whole activity was filled with so much fun!
As teachers, our ultimate goal is to help our students build a strong foundation so they can achieve their dreams and aspirations in life. At Cebu Children of Hope School we have a huge supportive team around the world who support the ministry so us teachers can help our students dream dreams of what their lives could look like. We, together, are all building a fantastic future for these kids!
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