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?
Precious Water
What do you do when there’s no water?
It was a very fine cold (relatively speaking, of course, because the temperature rarely gets below about 70 degrees) Tuesday morning at Cebu Children of Hope School. Everyone was ready for their classes. Later during our first morning class, one of the Level B2 students asked to go to the bathroom. I said, “Can you wait until 9:25 at snack time?” The student replied, “Yes teacher.” So at 9:25 everyone left to use the bathroom and wash their hands before heading to the snack room. Unfortunately, when they turned on the faucets, there wasn’t any water because one of the float switches wasn’t working.
Instead of getting upset, the kids found other
ways to wash their hands so they could eat their snacks. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait very long
for the water problem to be fixed.
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Let's Eat!
Food is made up of nutrients that are very essential for our bodies. It is good to teach kids the importance of eating nutritious foods.
Every July is Nutrition Month for all schools in the Philippines. On July 28 we had our culminating program for Nutrition Month. Lots of activities were prepared and the kids were very excited. There were coloring activities, preparing and cooking food and classifying pictures of different foods. The kids enjoyed the coloring activities. They also liked being involved in preparing and cooking food. The kids were divided into groups and each group was assigned a food to prepare and cook. The different groups made garlic bread, chicken nuggets, fruit cocktail and calamansi juice.
During the classifying foods activity, the groups cut out pictures of different foods and classified them into three categories: Go, Grow and Glow foods. Then they glued the pictures on a poster explained their work.
One of the students who was reporting for his group kept practicing his lines and asked, “Teacher, sakto ba ko? (Teacher, am I right?) Go foods give us energy, Grow foods give us protein and Glow foods give us vitamins and minerals.” I answered him with a nod of my head and a thumbs up.
At the end of the program, the kids enjoyed eating the food they had prepared and cooked. Yum!
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Kids helping kids
It is always fun when kids reach out to help other kids who are in need.
And it is especially gratifying when in involved kids who were adopted from CSC but want to help those who are left behind. There is power in their prayers and so much love in their giving!
Recently we heard from a family that adopted some of our kids last year. Their oldest son announced that he wants to raise funds to buy hearing aids for his best friend who still lives at CSC. He hasn't forgotten his buddy and his special needs! I don't know if those who are reading this blog can know just how good that makes us feel here in Cebu. This boy has not forgotten where he came from or the needs of his friends who are still waiting for adoption. It is a testament not only to his big heart, but to his parents who have kept kept the ministry in front of him and encouraged him to think beyond his own needs and desires. It warms my heart and brings a tear to my eye.
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Memorial Gifts
I have always appreciated the memorial gifts that come in to
CSC. It is a real honor for us when families designate CSC as the recipient of
memorials given at the funeral or memorial service. It is humbling to receive
those gifts, and challenging to use them in a way that honors the life of the
deceased, and his or her love for our ministry.
Recently I have seen this whole thing from another perspective - from the side of the family designating the memorials for CSC. My dad, Jer, passed in June, and it was his desire that any memorial gifts go to CSC. I know some families have disagreements over such decisions. For us it was easy. Jer loved CSC. Up to his dying day he was proud of the ministry and talked it up with people he would meet or who would visit him. He visited Cebu several times, served on our Board and volunteered as our banquet emcee and narrator on many of our media presentations He and my mom have always been generous supporters of CSC. In the early days of the ministry, when supporters were hard to come by, Jer's colleagues at Bethel College rallied around us out of respect for him. They knew how much he believed in the ministry of CSC. And Jer sacrificed a lot for my decision to leave home to serve on the other side of the world, not having me or my family around much for the past 37 years.
I can tell you that, as a family, we appreciated being able to honor Jer by designating his memorial gifts to a ministry that he and so many people loved. Many of those who gave memorials are regular CSC supporters. Some have visited Cebu. It was a natural thing to do for us. And I believe that the same can be said for lots of families. We can honor the deceased with the gift of life for the childen in Cebu.
Thanks to all who give memorial gifts for friends of CSC.
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Exploring the World Through Reading
Reading is the complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning. Through reading, you expose yourself to new things, new information, new ways to solve problems, and new ways to achieve things. Who knows – you might find a new hobby. Who knows – you might explore something you really like and it may end up becoming your career. Exploration begins with reading and understanding. Reading exposes you to a world of imagination, showing you nothing is impossible. By reading, you can explore different ways to look at things and how different actions lead to different results. Books expand your imagination. It’s like a huge spider web, where you link together things you know. You also learn new things creating new solutions and answers.
Last week we had our Reading Challenge Kick-off, a six week reading contest, at Children of Hope School. During this activity we encouraged the students to become broader readers and to appreciate how wonderful and amazing books are.
What struck me the most during the kick-off was the excitement on the faces of the students. Everybody wanted “in.” No complaining here. Instead the kids said, “Teacher, when can we check out books?” “I will not play anymore, instead I’ll keep on reading to earn points.” “I want to earn the highest points!” “I want to read as many books as I can.” These words amazed me because our children were really motivated to read.
Read, read, and read more to learn and explore the world around you. Reading is fun!
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