After being here just over a month I’ve learned a lot! And goodness, I have so much more to learn! I’ve learned and am still learning kids’ names, aunties’ names, rules about the individual houses, routines the kids have, how to ask questions, how to hail a taxi or jeepney, how to grocery shop and cook, how to drive a manual transmission car, what my role is as social work coordinator, the best way to cut and eat a mango, and on and on the list goes. It hasn’t been easy and the learning curve is steep, but I have seen and know God is directing my steps here, even if they’re tiny ones most days.

As I hear about the stories of some of the kiddos who live here, my heart just breaks for them. Here are these precious lives, created in the image of God and yet coming from some situations that may even make your stomach turn. They might never show it on their faces, but some of them have been through rough times. But maybe that’s what one expects when you work at an orphanage in a developing country...maybe it isn’t what you expect. I don’t know. I do know that God has lifted them out of their past, and has placed them at CSC for such a time as this. I get the goosebumps just thinking about that! God saw them through some pretty gruesome backgrounds, but protected them along the way to the point of where they could have a home, clothing, food, proper medical attention, a strategically created school to attend regularly, a safe playground to be silly on, a hug when they’re sad or hurt, a birthday song on their big day, a houseparent to model what it’s like to be a Christ-follower, and overall love.

Wow! What a change for some of these little ones! As I think about how all of these things are possible, I think about the many things that need to happen to make it possible to provide all of this. We need good, faithful caretakers, staff and teachers, as well as many material items to make all of these provisions available to the kids.

Today I was reading on the website about the many special projects CSC has implemented to provide for the kids. I’m not sure why I hadn’t seen this on the website earlier, but it was something I learned today! I learned you can help contribute to something unique, and yet very important to the everyday functioning of this organization. This idea seems pretty genius to me and I love it!

I’d encourage you to go onto the website and see what we have listed. http://www.cscshelter.org/projects It seems there’s something for every interest...from medicine to field trips to birthday party supplies and more. So what about you? What is it that you might be really interested in? If there’s something there that just really leaps off of the page to you, I’d encourage you to stop right now and pray about it. Is God calling YOU to provide for a specific special project? These gifts and donations bless the children here who have come from desperate situations to a life where their needs are met and they are growing in God’s grace and love. And you, as faithful donors and supporters are partnering with us to help provide basic things for the kids. THANK YOU!
I’ll let you know what else I learn along the way! :)