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?
First Tears
Level A class has one girl
and six boys and that lone girl is a sweety. She always wears a beautiful smile every day.
But one day during the first week of school, her smile turned to a frown and she
eventually shed some tears. The reason she was crying was because she got tired
of writing her name! The class kept on encouraging her to do it, but it didn’t
help. She was then brought outside the room to calm down. After a few minutes,
she was back with her beautiful smile again.
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Basketball!
The kids like games, sports, activities and visitors. Right before school started, a visitor shared his love of basketball with the kids.
Every morning for a week, the driveway was full of bouncing balls and kids learning new skills in basketball. Dribbling, passing, shooting, and rebounding were the focus, of course.
Basketball is not a new game at all in the Philippines, but all kids need to start learning at some point. This past week was the time for some of the CSC kids to learn a bit.
Some terms that are used in basketball vary from one side of the Pacific Ocean to the other. In the US, a made shot which hits only the net, not touching the rim or backboard, is called a “swish.” In the Philippines, that shot is called “ringless.”
Different cultures’ coming together always opens doors to learning new things, from new terms to different approaches to a game.
Check out the video of the basketball fun.
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Twin Babies Arrive
Today was fun at the shelter. Twin babies arrived!
The little boy and girl were born at Glory Reborn maternity clinic. So many loving hands and hearts have already cradled these precious children in their few short days. CSC is excited to continue the loving care which Glory Reborn started.
As the twins came in the gates of CSC, aunties from all the houses were buzzing, “Are those the new twin babies?” Hundreds of babies have received loving care at CSC and still the arrival of two more babies is an exciting event.
The little twins are settling into the Eicher nursery. The other toddlers are peeking into their crib. In the evening, the older children in Cherne home crowded around a camera to see a picture of the two new children.
The love and care for the new twins will come from everyone—toddlers to adults.
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When is snack time?
School opening is one of the most exciting events of the school year after weeks of summer vacation. Teachers and students have been waiting for this day to come.
For the teachers, this day marks the new adventure they will have with their students. On day one the teachers try to present the new school year with enthusiasm and anticipation that the students will learn their lessons in school.
For the students this day will be the confirmation of who they think their teachers are and their classmates in the morning and afternoon sessions. For the younger students it’s time to remember where they are going and figure out what comes next.
Here is an experience of one of our students:
At 9:30 the bell rang when it was snack time. All of the students were in the snack room to eat their snack. A new student asked for more snacks, but the teacher explained to him that one helping of snack was enough. So the student went to math class. The next time the bell rang for the start of math class, the new student asked, “Are we eating snack again?” He'll get the hang of it and figure out there is only one snack time in the morning.
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The Five Dollar Bill
A cool thing happened the other day. I was unpacking a box of math workbooks Tammy Vosika had brought over to Cebu. I had actually packed the box of books myself in Minnesota and taped it up, ready to go, and dropped it off at Tammy’s house. In Cebu as I unzipped the travel bag around the box, I noticed the tape was gone from the box. That was not surprising as boxes are often inspected at some point during the travel route. As I was taking the books out of the box, there was a five dollar bill taped to one of the books! I was a bit surprised and wondered out loud if Tammy had taped the money in between the books just to see if the inspection guys were honest. Tammy came around a bit later and I asked her about the money. She said she had not put any money in the box! So that meant an inspector at one of the airports, most likely Minneapolis or Chicago, had taped the five dollars to the box, contributing to the shelter and school. Maybe that person read the name of the orphanage on the outside of the travel bag. Maybe he had a connection to the Philippines. We’ll never know, but what a sweet and powerful reminder of God’s work. Thank you to that anonymous donor!
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