Staff Blog
Here are a couple of tributes from Auntie Sandy's retirement party in Minnesota on September 11.
Paul’s Speech
Why are we here tonight? That is my assigned topic as we get the program going tonight.
I want to paint two pictures for you tonight. Both represent endearing images for me for the ministry of CSC.
One is a cross stitch with a group of owls on a tree branch with these words stitched above them: “There’s always room for one more.” We have made that kind of a motto at CSC over the years. Although we have limits of space, manpower and budget, we always try to be open to making room for another child who needs us badly. This might be a malnourished child found in the street who might not survive another day without the lifegiving care of CSC, or an abused child badly needing the protection of a shelter. There is room for one more. Sandy’s heart is like that. It has an almost unlimited capacity to love more children. And when she loves you, that means that she remembers you, your personal information, your eventual adoptive parents, your accomplishments, everything. We are here tonight because of Sandy’s amazing heart, which has always inspired us at CSC to scoot over a little and let another child in.
Another image that I have in my mind is a staircase. It is the staircase that leads up to Sandy’s office above the garage near the Cherne Home in Banawa. The stairs go up the side of the building and constitute a pretty good climb, especially for little ones. Hundreds and hundreds of children have made that fairly steep climb up to see Auntie Sandy. For some it was to have regularly scheduled counseling, or just to say hi and see if there might be a treat. It was worth the climb. But for many, climbing those stairs meant that the climber was in big trouble. If the house parents sent a child or children to see Sandy in her office, it was usually because of something fairly major that needed her attention. None of these kids hurried up the stairs. They knew that Auntie Sandy would be disappointed in them, that there would be repercussions for their behavior. Being in “big trouble” was never fun, and the stair leading up to her office certainly seemed long and steep.
The person waiting at the top of the stairs was always loving and fair, and, when necessary, firm. She was and is a symbol for what CSC is about. We not only have room on our branch for many kids, but we strive to do our best to provide loving, compassionate care for all of them. That involves meeting their emotional and spiritual needs, but also, it means having rules and expectations. It means that we love them enough to discipline them, even when that is far from being fun. It means that, sometimes, they need to walk up that seemingly long flight of steps to see Auntie Sandy. Away from the other kids. Away from any other distractions. Just one on one with Sandy, and her loving heart. We are here tonight because for the past years Auntie Sandy was at the top of those stairs, doing her very best to encourage, instruct, love, correct, inspire, befriend and, yes, discipline and introduce them to the One who would enter their hearts and change their lives for eternity.
Cebu City is very much a Roman Catholic city.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus are two of the most popular parishes in our city. In Banawa there is a parish that sort of combines these two, and is known as the The Alliance of Two Hearts Parish. If you have ever visited Cebu and CSC you have almost certainly driven by that church on your way between the CSC office and the Shelter in Banawa. With no disrespect to that parish, and without ascribing divinity where it is not merited, I would respectfully submit that CSC has, for the past 35 years, been the Alliance of Two Hearts: The heart of our Lord Jesus, whose perfect love is at the center of everything we do at CSC, and that finite, fallible but unfailing heart of Auntie Sandy that beats in such an inspiring way for the kids of CSC.
Bless you Auntie Sandy.
Marlys’s Speech
In 1962 Sandy and her family moved to this community, and started attending this church. My father was the pastor at the time so that is how we met and became close friends immediately. At that time Constance Evangelical Free was a small country church, located on the corner across the street.
Sandy and I were extremely active and often whispered and giggled during the service. My dad would stop right in the middle of the sermon to tell us to be quiet or move to the front pew. Our naughty behavior helped us to understand some of the rambunctious children that we would eventually care for at CSC.
We went to everything at church; Sunday school, Vacation Bible school, the youth group, and Camp Shamineau for retreats and summer camp. We went to some of the same schools and graduated from Anoka High school in the early 70’s. Sandy and I took several trips around the US and to the Canary Islands. We never dreamed in those days that we would be called by the Lord to be missionaries on the other side of the world.
When we were children playing together in Constance years ago who would have thought that we would spend 36 years side by side taking care of precious children in the Philippines?
Working with Sandy has been a tremendous blessing, even in difficult times. We have had the privilege of working with many wonderful Filipinos that the Lord has called to be partners with us. Sandy was the Child Care Director and worked closely with all of our house parents and counselors, and trained our child care workers. Hundreds of children have been touched by her efforts and her dedication, and will never forget her unconditional love for them, including our daughters.
Sandy has always gone the extra mile to do what needed to be done, even if she worked 12 to 18 hour days, or more. It was a joy to travel around the island of Cebu with Sandy to visit children who were referred to CSC, and we spent countless hours taking care of sick children in the hospital or in our infirmary. In addition to being Auntie Sandy to all of the kids at CSC she also fulfills that role to adopted children here in the United States.
What a blessing that the Swanson family moved to Constance more than 50 years ago, and I’m so thankful that our friendship has lasted all these years. I can’t believe that the time has come for Sandy to retire, and I simply cannot imagine being in Cebu without her. One thing that will never change is our love and respect for her, and all of the wonderful memories will be in our hearts and minds for the rest of our lives. We give God all the praise and glory for using Sandy for the many years that she served at CSC.
We love you, dear friend.
Thanks for the Trust
On Friday, September 29, CSC held a luncheon for people who have referred children to us. It was a good time of giving our thanks to them and presenting an update on the ministry. We called the event Thanks for the Trust, because we know that those who refer children to us do so because they trust CSC to provide excellent care for them. Those attending were government social workers, representatives from non-government child caring agencies, community leaders, pastors and CSC workers who have referred children from their communities. As part of our presentation I made the following promises to those who would consider CSC for the referral of a child or children.
1. We will give each referral our careful attention.
2. We will provide quality care for the children we admit.
3. We will strive to keep siblings together. 60% of our children are siblings.
4. When appropriate, we will work for the adoption of our children.
5. We will advocate strongly for the best interests of our children.
6. We will provide a high quality education for our children.
7. We will do our best to keep our children safe.
8. We will hire the best staff available and will invest in their development.
9. We will strive to honor God in all we do at CSC.
10. We will not admit children for whom we cannot provide excellent care. 11. We value your partnership through referrals.
As I was thinking about the Thanks for the Trust event, I thought about how trust is involved in all aspects of our work. People trust us enough to refer children. We trust our workers to do a good job of caring for them. The children come to trust us and, eventually, to share their life experiences and feelings with our counselors and house parents. And our supporters trust CSC enough to give of their financial resources to the ministry. That trust is crucial and we strive to keep it with honest and timely reporting on the work we do and the needs we face and meet. Thanks for the trust, everybody. We are humbled and encouraged by it.
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Incomparable Joy
Here is a poem I wrote as I reflect on my experience teaching at CCHS.
"Incomparable Joy"
In God's own image we're created
By His hands perfectly molded
Our life which He has favored and blessed
In this ministry where He led.
Wide smile painted on the face from a far
Shimmering glowing eyes you love to stare
Giggling and laughter you will hear
Hugs and love you can't resist to share.
Children are always a blessing from above
Showing understanding is one form of love
Teaching them with patience and kindness
Making them learn with happiness.
I never thought my life would be as lovely as this
Memories worth treasured, I couldn't miss
Surrounded by people who has one goal and desire
Incomparable joy is the feeling I felt inside.
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Learning and Getting Inspired
Our kids at the Children of Hope School love to read. During the first few weeks they spent some of their time reading the bulletin boards prepared by the teachers. This quotation is posted in one of the classrooms. One student happened to read this quote and responded:
Student: Teacher, why is education the most powerful weapon for changing the world?
Teacher: Of course, education is the most powerful weapon for changing the world because through education we can alleviate poverty, easily find jobs, and create a better society.
As I was trying to think about what other things I could say to help explain this concept the student, still looking intently at the quote, then said:
Student: Teacher, why don't we put Jesus as the most powerful weapon for changing the world?
I couldn't contain my joy as I heard the student utter those words! My heart was delighted as I affirmed what the student said. This student was looking at the much bigger and much brighter picture of this world. Sometimes, as we teachers try to inspire the kids with our lives, we often end up learning and getting inspired by them. As I teach at CHS this year I am excited for more inspiring conversations with the kids.
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Ninoy Aquino Day musings
Ninoy Aquino Day is held every 21 August to commemorate the life and 
death of Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. Senator Aquino and his wife, Corazon, were major contributors to modern Philippine democracy.
In 1972, the Philippines was placed under martial law by President Ferdinand Marcos. During this time, any person who publicly opposed Marcos was imprisoned by the military, and many public institutions were closed down. The military committed human rights abuses and the Philippine economy suffered massive losses.
Senator Aquino was a vocal opponent of Marcos and was consequently imprisoned. In 1980, Aquino suffered a heart attack and was allowed to move to the United States to receive medical treatment. While in the U.S. he continued to advocate for the Philippine people's freedom.
To challenge Marcos in the 1984 elections, Aquino decided to return to the Philippines in August of 1983. He knew that it could lead to his death. On the 21st of the month he landed in Manila where he was assassinated, many believe, under the orders of Marcos. It was this event that led to the eventual downfall of Marcos and the presidency of Aquino's wife, Corazon. Since that time their son, Benigno Jr. served a term as President of the Philippines, continuing the influence of the family in Philippine politics.
Truly, Benigno Aquino came along at the right time in the right place and made a big difference for this country. It is hard to imagine where the Philippines would be today without his contribution to the nation through his dedication and heroism.
I am aware of the role that individuals have made throughout CSC's history that have helped move us along, overcome hurdles and break new ground as a ministry. Some of these folks were like shooting stars, flashing bright for a time and then moving on to something else. Others gave us steady light that lasted for years.
- Harry and Marlene Schmidt came along in 1991 to build our Shelter homes in Banawa. They hadn't known anything about CSC until a friend shared the ministry with them at church one Sunday. The rest is history, and our beautiful facilities are the result of the Schmidt's incredible gift. I also think about the man who told them about us and the huge role he played in our history just by sharing.
- Many people came here for a short term assignment, to help out when we were short staffed. They gave of their time and talent to meet a pressing need for leadership here in Cebu, if even for a few months or a couple years.
- Some were staff members or taught in our school. Some had specific areas of expertise that they shared with our staff or our children like curriculum planning, speech therapy, IT, organizational development, administration or media expertise. These people produced videos, gave seminars and workshops, helped us formulate policies, offered encouragement and brought over materials that made us a better organization.
- Some friends, led by the Holy Spirit, made significant contributions that helped us at just the right time, when CSC was in need of a shot in the arm financially. Others have been steady and faithful, helping provide a bedrock of support on which we have built this ministry.
Like the Philippines, CSC has had many heroes who made us what we are today. People chose to give of their time, talent and treasure to make this a better place for children who need us so badly. Without them we would not be here today.
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Fire
Fire is a destructive force in a city like Cebu. Squatter areas are especial vulnerable as houses are often made of wood, are close together and the roads around them are often too narrow to accomodate fire trucks. Recently a big fire hit the area behind our office and teen home in Sun Valley. Although our house was not affected, several homes of our workers and former employees were destroyed. And houses of current and former residents' birth families were also destroyed. Some of these folks lost everything they had to this fire.
Today our social workers went to survery the damage and talk to the families that we 
know. They are being housed temporarily in a large sports center in the community near where they used to have houses. It is crowded and is a place of despair. The city government is handing out some food supplies, but, like one of the families we know reported, they cannot cook food because all of their cookware, gas tank and utensils were destroyed. We cannot provide for all their needs but we can offer comfort and gifts of clothing and footwear. CSC workers have brought in used clothing as donations for their co-workers. The CSC kids have been praying for the aunties who are affected.
Please pray for these people who, in a matter of minutes, lost everything that they owned. None of it was insured. We thank Him that the people we know from this community escaped with their lives, but are now faced with the incredible challenge of starting over.
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