Staff Blog
I wish you could all meet Joemar. Joemar will be 37 years old this year, and has lived at CSC since he was almost 9 years old. There has been a lot of life lived between those two numbers! Joemar interacts with the world at a cognitive age of 5-6 years old. He loves Superman, puzzles, flashlights, his cherished sea shells, his keys and Mr. Bean DVD's. Joemar is proud of his "balay" meaning his room in the Duterte home that he shares with his best buddy Jacob.
Joemar works at two local McDonalds restaurants. He clears tables, mops up spills, carries trays for customers, pours gravy (for the fried chicken that McDonalds is known for here) and overall cheers up McDonalds customers as well as staff. He loves going to work every day! Here at CSC Joemar keeps busy helping the cleaners up at school and visiting the Childcare and Nurses offices. He always bursts in our door with a smile, a loud greeting and usually some things to keep him busy for awhile (puzzles, books, paper...he always has a plan.) We can't help but smile when Joe comes to visit. Joemar simply loves life, and he lives life simply. Joemar's talks a lot, he can be hard to understand, but we have a few people here at CSC who are proficient in "Joemarese." What a joy to have a conversation with this guy.
Joemar has friends all over the world, and he never forgets a friend. But, he has no concept of time. Once he knows that someone is coming back to visit....be it this afternoon or two months from now...he reminds us numerous times a day that we should be going to the airport - NOW. He does not want to leave anyone standing at the airport I guess! So, we spend lots of time telling Joemar, "not today" and trying to explain that we will not forget to go and get his friend. The conversation will start all over again in a few hours though!
On Valentines day Joemar brought in supplies for an art project. He worked for over an hour drawing hearts, coloring them and writing his name at least 10 times on the paper. The whole time he was talking about "hats" -hearts and "baltins" - valentines. When he finally finished it he brought it to me. I asked him who it was for, he always is bringing me things that he makes for me to give to others. I was certain that this creation was for either his Housemother, Auntie Lourdes or the friend that he is thinking will be here any day (even though it is well over a month away) Auntie Lynn. But his answer to my question was a big smile, a finger pointing at me and a loud and clear "YOU!" He was so proud. I know that it came from his heart, and what an amazing heart that is.
I have known Joemar for almost 27 years and I literally could count on one hand how many days Joemar has not been happy. He finds joy in everything. We have all learned much from Joemar. The day God brought him to CSC is the day that CSC was brought just a little closer to understanding God's heart. We are blessed....I wish you could all meet Joemar.
A Special Friend
You guys all know Wilmar. You see him playing basketball, riding a bike, holding a toy lion, crocodile or a dinosaur or you see him just sitting and singing a song or two. Wilmar receives a lot of support at the school and shelter.
At school, Wilmar has three different teachers and one physical therapist. Yup, we make sure these kids get what they need. So yeah, Wilmar has teachers supporting him, but what about a friend? Who plays with him at the shelter? Who helps him line up? Who holds his hand during school programs?
Well, there is one special friend and classmate who assists Wilmar in all of these. This girl sang a duet with Wilmar in the last music recital. She holds Wilmar’s hand when going up and down to the stage; she walks with him to the next class and works on classroom activities with him. Even her classmates know who Wilmar should sit with. And she is very happy to do all of this. No complaints.
This girl is also close to the rest of the special needs kids/adults in her house. She sees them as equal. She has a big heart for them. Now, that’s one special friend!
| Show Comments | | | Leave a Comment | | | Category: | School News |
Sportsfest 2016
Sportsfest 2016 is officially over. A great day of fun, athleticism, and sportsmanship was had by all! The day started off with a parade,cheers from each team, reciting of the sportsmanship pledge and the lighting of the torch. Then the games began!
Enjoy some fun photos of the day! 
The Torch
Getting Ready
Hula Hoop
Sack Race
Hurdles
The Aqua Blue Team
The Green Team
The Royal Blue Team
The Gray Team
| Show Comments | | | Leave a Comment | | | Category: | School News |
Yesterday and today
I have been finishing up my book on the history of CSC. It has been a great experience to look back on the earlier years of the ministry and see how many times God has seen us through difficulties and helped us meet challenges. We have faced financial hardships, political uncertainties, sickness, natural disasters, death and a fire. And one year we faced all of these. Except the fire.
1990 was quite a year for CSC. Our board had approved a budget that was significantly more than the previous year. But income was down significantly and our reserves were being depleted. What's more, CSC's Executive Director had to resign for health reasons. There were lots of political uncertainties in the country. Many of our children were sick and one, little Sonny Boy, died after a 72 hour battle in the ICU. Three of our staff were on furlough during the year, leaving us short-handed in Cebu. And, in November we got hit by super typhoon Ruping which cause lots of damage in Cebu, though nothing major at CSC. We were inconvenienced by power outage and lack of sufficient water.
Not a great year. But one where we learned a lot about God's sustaining power, his heart, and our ability, with his help, to withstand lots of challenges. We also learned a lot about CSC's supporters, and how they rally around us during difficult times. People stepped up, pitched in with the fund raising, gave sacrificially, prayed for us and help pull us through 1990. And every year since.
Some of you have been around CSC since 1990. If so, thanks for then and for now. If you were a part of our stupendous December giving rally in 2015, or have been praying for CSC or our family, BIG thanks. We have needed you so much. We take on the challenges of today and in the future because of what you have meant to us in the past. Bless you all.
| Show Comments | | | Leave a Comment | | | Category: | General News |
Playing with Dominoes in Science Class
If you walked by our science class on any given day, it might resemble play time. In fact, we are having so much fun, things are falling over fast! One of the science classes recently finished a unit on speed. They learned how distance, time, and speed are related. To further illustrate this relationship, they had the opportunity to play with dominoes. The class was divided into two teams. The teams had to line up 25 dominoes that were equally spaced in such a way that their dominoes would fall faster than the other team. This led to a lot of discussion about concepts related to speed, and we had fun in the process!
| Show Comments | | | Leave a Comment |
A Wonderful Surprise!
Happy New Year!
God is GREAT! He has been so faithful to Cebu Children of Hope School during the past year. His protection and provision were so evident in the lives of each one of us at school. A number of kids were given forever families and are now starting new chapters in their lives in new families, homes, and schools.
This year already God has given us a wonderful surprise at school. Seven lovable students joined classes after the Christmas break, three preschoolers and four elementary students. Their coming has made the school merrier because each one of them is a bundle of joy. They are gifts from God that enrich everyone’s lives at school.
New Preschoolers
New Elementary students
| Show Comments | | | Leave a Comment | | | Category: | School News |
