Staff Blog
Dear Wilmar,
Today, you will be marching as a graduate of Cebu Children of Hope School. Congratulations! What an accomplishment! I also congratulate all your teachers, past and present, for all of this would not be possible without their unconditional teaching hearts.
I also want to congratulate your house parents, Auntie Lourdes and Uncle Patrick, and the rest of the aunties at the shelter who have been a great help in your growth. A special thanks to Auntie Teoping for her amazing love; I know she will always have a special place in your heart. A game of basketball and badminton would not be the same without her.
Let me take you back nine years ago when we first met. You were such a cute peanut. You were very eager to learn, be at school and at therapy. It was never a pain working with you because you made it fun and interesting for me. Remember our games of basketball in the therapy room using the back of the ceiling fan as a basketball hoop? (Of course we used a beach ball and a not a regular ball because we didn’t want to get in trouble!) And dips in the Jacuzzi in the therapy room—why we never turned the air conditioner off is still a mystery to me! You always kept me on my toes. I was “Tin-Tin” to you then, years later I was “Checher Jinks” and then finally became “Teacher Jinkee;” one of the many examples of the progress you have made.
You have always been a performer. Not a day passes by when we do not hear you sing. I am still in awe of how easily you pick up a song after hearing it only once. You have always shared your silly antics at parties and programs at school and the shelter. I will never forget your dance moves. And you never fail to make us laugh.
You have made good friends over the years. Friends who are also classmates, helpers and buddies. Although they sometimes complain about the “noise” you make, there is always a hand holding and guiding you in school activities and programs. That to me is an amazing bond of friendship.
As you march today, let every step you take up to the stage be a representation of your progress and growth, your teachers and therapists, your aunties and uncles, and the staff and friends who have supported you all these years.
I might not be able to hold back my tears—which by the way is very hard to do while writing this—but know that I am very proud of you. I, together with the rest of the people at CSC, will be here to support you in the next stage of your life.
Remember what our friend Dory said? Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim, swim.
Your Friend,
Teacher Jinkee
Teacher Amanda
Yesterday we celebrated Teacher Amanda's
22nd birthday. Amanda graduated from college this May and arrived in Cebu the
beginning of June. Just in time to start the school year at Cebu Children
of Hope School. Amanda has adjusted well to life in Cebu and is a great
addition to our school. She has a contagious positive attitude about everything
and is a wonderful teacher and team member. We are thankful to have
her at our school this year.
As we were celebrating her birthday last night, I couldn't help but think about how our stories are some in the same. Seventeen years ago I arrived in Cebu after graduating from college the month before. The school was opening for the first time and teachers were coming together from the U.S. and Cebu to start Children of Hope School. I was young and excited to be in Cebu.
What was a one year commitment for me has turned into 16 additional years and counting. Days full of blessings and learning and growing experiences. Daily seeing God's hand at work in my life and the ministry of CSC. Not to mention marrying my husband from Cebu and the joy of having our first child together. God has blessed me in ways I never could have imagined at the age of 22.
Thank God for Amanda today as you think of her in your prayers. Pray God would give her wisdom and strength for the year ahead of her. Pray He would guide her steps for the future He has for her.
Thanks Amanda for sharing this year of your life with us at CSC. You are a wonderful addition to our team!
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Thanks Grace!
Last August, Grace arrived at CSC having committed to giving a year of her life to this ministry---whatever that might entail! And she did just that! Grace has spent the last year creating and implementing a daily educational experience for our toddlers, she has spent time teaching and encouraging our children's musical interests by facilitating individual voice and piano lessons. Grace also built relationships with our kids by just being on the playground with them having fun. Additionally, she has been a great help to the Child Development department in keeping good records on the infants and toddlers she oversaw.
Below you will find some pictures of how Grace spent her time at CSC.
To you, Grace, CSC thanks you for your service. You have left a mark on this ministry in more ways than one. You have a place in the kids' hearts because of your investment in their interests and your time spent helping them hone their talent. And for our youngest residents, you have helped them learn and have taught them that learning is fun!
Please keep Grace in your prayers as she embarks on her next journey!
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Meet the HR team
I'm Marcel, the guy on the right! I am happy to be back in Cebu after spending the past year in the States with my wife and her family. It was great to meet so many of you while we were there. Upon returning to Cebu I have joined the Human Resource Team at CSC. We are working together to make improvements for all of the workers and processes for the organization. I am excited to be a part of CSC and work alongside Joel and Peter!
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Friendship Knows No Boundary
Friend. Pal. Buddy. Comrade. Everyone has one or maybe more. It is a need in human life. As the old saying goes, “No man is an island.” One can’t go through life alone.
The recent CSC banquet’s theme was: Friends. CSC, in its entirety, has many friends all over the world. Different connections, but connected nonetheless. CSC is standing because of its many friends supporting, loving, and praying.
Inside the four walls of CSC, friendship starts. The kids come from different backgrounds, but it is amazing how quickly they form a bond; a bond they keep forever. Distance is never an issue between friends. Whether it is 10,000 miles or a couple of staircases away, they find a way to exchange a few words and be in touch in each other’s lives.
At CSC, when you get sick and if it is contagious, you are put in isolation. Now, the word isolation seems scary because you are separated from your friends. However, most of the kids like to be in “iso” because they get to watch movies all day long, which is the only entertaining thing you can do when you get sick.
Being sick and being in “iso”
did not stop these two friends from having a little chat. The girl on top is sick while the girl on the
bottom is well. There are no visiting
hours in the infirmary, but that did not mean she could not visit her friend. They found a way. And to top it all, she was not scared that she
might get sore eyes from the friend she was visiting.
That’s how friends are.
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Erna!
Erna is helping out at Cebu Children
of Hope School for a couple of months. She is assisting in preschool
while Teacher Junelyn is on maternity leave and helping out in a number of
classes in the afternoons.
Erna lived at CSC years ago. She and her sister were adopted by a family in the United States in 1999.
It's great to have Erna back with us at CSC for a couple of months. Thanks for sharing your gifts and talents with the kids at CSC Erna!
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