Staff Blog
I spent a few days last week in Manila hanging out with some pretty neat kiddos. We spent most of our trip waiting for the next thing to happen. The primary reason was to process some of their paperwork, but for them it was the trip they could never imagine.
The adventure started on a Sunday afternoon as three kids, another social worker, a few houseparents and I left from CSC and journeyed to the airport. We made it through security and check-in just fine, found some seats and proceeded to wait…and wait…and wait some more as our flight was delayed.
I felt really bad for the kiddos as they expressed a great deal of eagerness and enthusiasm to fly on an airplane for the first time, and instead they were met with some sort of cruel form of delay gratification. However, once we were on board and headed up, I was met with some smiles, nervous glances and many questions.
It was really fun to be a part of this journey with them, even though it was a bit challenging to answer some of their questions. We talked about when they needed to wear their seat belts, what causes the plane to shake in the air, how the pilot knew where to go, what landing on the ground would feel like, and many more things. The added challenge to this was that their primary language is Cebuano…mine…not so much. So I had to be a little creative with my answers and think of ways to describe things in basic English for them to understand. I would say I mainly succeeded with this, but felt extremely grateful when on the airplane ride home, a nice Cebuano-speaking woman helped me out.
Anyway, it was pretty memorable to go through this really new thing with this sibling group and to see the airplane ride and the hotel stay through their eyes. It was humbling to think about the privilege I’ve had to travel many places and to not even need to think twice about turbulence, runways, hotel beds, taxi rides or passports. Coming from a life of poverty really doesn’t allow one to think about what a hotel would be like. The kids’ minds were blown when they saw 2 televisions in the one hotel room and all of the pillows on one bed. They really were living the life of luxury. And I think they enjoyed the airplane ride home a little bit more than the ride to Manila as they knew more of what to expect, and as that flight back was in the daylight where they could see the city, and the water surrounding the various islands. We all (yes, I left with 3 children and returned with the same number!) were a bit exhausted on the drive back to CSC, but they have enjoyed telling their friends about the journey and the many things they saw. And I returned grateful for having the opportunity to venture with them…and to have another adult with me!
An early morning hike with Uncle Marv and Auntie Marlys
7:00 am is early for some folks on a Saturday morning, but for the CSC kids its a great time for a morning hike. Recently Auntie Marlys invited a visitor, Marv Hadenfeldt, to join her and 20 of the kids for a hike up the mountain to see the sights and enjoy the beauty of nature. Marv is a regular visitor to CSC and loves to hang out with the gang. And the feeling is mutual.
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Science Fun!
Friction, motion, and static electricity are just a few of the topics we've been learning about lately in science! It is EXTREMELY difficult to teach about static electricity in Cebu's very humid climate. There are no flannel sheets to show off sparks, rubbing your feet on the carpet doesn't do anything, and even rubbing balloons in your hair doesn't always produce the desired effect. But along with the help of the air conditioned library, we have been attempting to see or feel a little bit of static electricity. The kids were extremely excited on Friday when the balloons finally "worked".
Friction and motion are easier topics to tackle! After discussing them for a week, we had some fun with the "tablecloth" pull. We started simple with just a small piece of paper and a marker. Soon we moved up to using a large piece of paper and several dishes, bowls of water, pencil boxes, and other things. The kids loved it, but I had to make sure to tell them NOT to try it at home!!
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Satisfaction
Ruth, Anthony, Andrew, and I traveled to the West Coast this past week to visit family and friends, giving us the opportunity to spend the afternoon with several "kids" who were adopted from CSC 15-20 years ago. We were hosted by Neil and Nelia (Healy) Collins for a delicious lunch of Filipino fare.
Joining us from the greater Washington and Oregon area were Jennifer, Nolly, and Aida, along with their families and friends. It was a great joy to be "cared for" by these wonderful "kids" whom we ourselves had cared for so many years ago. We all got to wow over each other's families and share stories from the past. Often the discussions drifted to the topic of how tall some at the gathering had grown and how vertically challenged others had remained. Puzzling.
But an even greater joy was to see how these now young adults have grown in their personal lives, established loving marriages, had beautiful children of their own, and gone on to find success in life despite some challenges along the way.
It gave Ruth and me a great deal of satisfaction to see a few of the successes of CSC's ministry and the ongoing benefits children are having from adoption. God has continued to bless so many who received the gift of a new family so many years ago!
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Elesio and the Workshop
I'd like to introduce you to Elesio Ewayan, or as he's known as around here, Sho.
Sho has worked at CSC for 13 years.
Sho is one of the reasons why, as a visitor recently told me; "the Children's Shelter of Cebu has the best kept facilities in all of Cebu."
If you're looking for Sho the first place to check is the workshop. The kids know that this is a place they can't play, but they will often times stand at the invisible fence in front of the shop doors as Sho works to patch the sole of a shoe, repair a desk drawer, or mix a batch of paint.
The workshop isn't state of the art, but it's amazing what he can accomplish with a basic set of tools.
When CSC's president Matt Buley came to Cebu earlier this year he met with the staff and handed out bracelets. The braclets had CSC's logo on them and the phrase "These hands change lives." As I watched Sho work I looked down and saw that he was wearing his bracelet.
What an incredible example of someone using their hands to change lives.
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Student Interviews
The Group 4 kids recently finished a video interview project for one of their afternoon classes. Everything about this was done by the students! The questions, the recording, and the video production. I hope you enjoy getting to know three of our very smart, creative kids in this video! :)
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