Children's Shelter of Cebu started with young and inexperienced, but faithful and Godly, people from MN in 1979.  At that time, those five Americans shared a home with just one bathroom with three Filipinos as they began the ministry by taking care of a seven-year-old girl and a few babies.  All of the adults took care of babies in their rooms or by their beds.  They took turns washing dirty diapers, making bottles, and cooking food for everyone.  They also made disheartening discoveries that some of the clothes they had hung out to dry were stolen from the yard by the neighbors.  Learning language was challenging and sometimes humorous.  One story I heard was that one of the missionary staff had mistakenly ordered mosquito in a restaurant instead of chicken because of a misspoken Cebuano word.  Another story involved the use of a staff member’s shoe to retrieve his last one peso coin that had rolled into some gunk in the gutter.  Otherwise, he would have had to walk home from the city all the way to Bulacao, which was five miles away.  Another memory was the staff needing to talk to the employees because the ministry needed to tighten its belt when funds were low.  Other organizations here in Cebu City assisted CSC with donations during that time so that the kids never missed out on a meal. 

In 36 years as a ministry, CSC has gotten bigger with three homes at the shelter and a teen home, serving 85 children by the end of the year 2015.  In 1979, the CSC staff relied on God and what He could do through the first few supporters of the ministry.  In 2015, that same faith and reliance on God continued to be as strong as before.  God continues to prove to us He is true and faithful!  Once again, He has done this through the financial giving of CSC’s supporters and CSC finished the year 2015 in the black. 

"Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:4-6

"Praise the Lord, all you nations; For great is His love towards us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.  Praise the Lord." Psalm 117