Staff Blog
I would like
say thank you, not only that Children of Hope School has given me a remarkable
honor, but also for the weeks of fear and
anxiety that I have endured at the thought of this big responsibility.
The sleepless nights finally convinced me that I can be a speaker once in my
lifetime. Since I had been here for five
years as a school teacher, it is a great advantage because I can
think that this is a simple reunion.
I have finally set my heart and mind about what I am going to talk about today. To the graduates, particularly Eugene, Epifanio, Analiza, and Wilmar, today is a day of celebration and thanksgiving. You have all worked hard to make it to this day. It has been a long journey and you have reached this far.
The staff, the teachers and therapists in the school, the house parents, and the uncles and aunties in the shelter, were all there and have witnessed when you started practicing on holding a pencil, when you were singing loudly the ABC song, when you were learning to write the letters of the alphabet, when you were trying to read the words with care, and when you were tirelessly counting the numbers from 1 to 100 until you have grown up and have improved your abilities like writing your stories and autobiography, performing an experiment in science, solving problems in math, and showcasing your talent in theater, music and arts, and even sports! Above all these, you have grown up with a personal relationship with the Lord. It’s been a long journey to have finished your elementary years in school, to have developed skills and values, and to grow up rich in spirit. Congratulations, graduates!
Going back to my own elementary commencement, just like you sitting in the front row, my heart was filled with thanksgiving. At 12 years old, I had already been planning on becoming a teacher and had dreamed of landing a job because, primarily, I wanted to elevate my family's situation. My parents were poor and , thus, I am poor. Then, when I was in the 5th grade, my father passed away. But I am blessed that my family stayed strong and had faith in the Lord. Since then, every day is a miracle. Although I am very much acquainted with the hardships in life, I did not use being poor as an excuse not to finish my education. As a matter of fact, with the support of my family, teachers and friends, I had all the motivation to work harder, to do well in my studies, and to give the best version of myself. I am very determined to learn more and even willing to run an extra mile for education.
In the midst of the challenges and hardships in life, I was successful in my academic journey. So, after college, I looked for a job. In June 2009, I was accepted here in Children of Hope School as a shadow teacher of Wilmar and an I.I. instructor for the kids in the afternoon. After a year, I was promoted to a regular teaching job and was assigned in Level B2. Some of you here were once my students then.
So why am I telling you all of this? That day on my elementary graduation, I was young like you, but was very determined to reach my dreams. And now with the blessings of the Lord, I have made some of them come true, like being a teacher and to have done the things that I love to do. Therefore, I want you to be reminded of not giving up on your dreams and to have faith that you will reach your goals. More than that, I am humbled that I was a part of this ministry and learned that life is more meaningful when it is shared with a cause. My five year stay in this school was one of the memorable times in my life and it was way greater than what I have dreamed of.
To the graduates, be grateful to the people that have supported you along the way. The CSC staff and supporters, the childcare staff which includes the uncles and aunties in the shelter, the medical staff, the teachers and therapists in school, and the maintenance staff, they were the set of people who DARED to choose you, serving and molding you to become what you are right now. They are the set of people who CARED not about your past, but on where you’re heading in the future. They are the set of people who SHARED their time, effort, love, and prayers so you won’t be left behind. They dared, cared, and shared because you are special. So dear graduates, we need you to make the most of the wonderful opportunities that have been given to you.
You may not remember everything I’ve said today, but my message to you is that: Do not give up on your dreams and make them all come true. My hope is that you will have the passion, the courage, the faith, and the sense of responsibility it takes so that you’ll be successful in high school and in the next years of your education. Again, congratulations and God bless you graduates. Thank you very much.
Graduation Miracles
I was rummaging through old files the other day and came across a file titled "CSC Kids' Work." Inside I found a set of poems written by four CSC "kids" from the school year 2006-2007. The four guys had each written a poem using the same format of a poem they had read in their reading material. The title of their poems was the same, If You're Not From CSC..., but the content was original for each of the guys. At the time the poems were written, the boys were actually young teenagers. Since that time, three of the guys have been adopted and they have graduated from high school. Julieto was one of the poem writers and the last of them to graduate from high school just last Friday in Cebu. Jules, as he is affectionately called, has gotten other press time recently, but after coming across those poems, I could not pass up the opportunity to share his education story with you. His story illustrates the miracle that takes place when some of the CSC kids graduate from high school.
Julieto came to CSC when he was 10 years old. He had never been to school, so he started off at the beginning of the learning continuum with letter recognition. He attended Children of Hope School through the 2006-2007 school year and he was in fifth grade by that time. He was also in his mid-teens and a bit tired of being in elementary school as a teenager. He felt he needed to move on. We cautioned him about not finishing elementary education, but he wanted to try something else. So with help from some people at CSC, Jules got a job on the construction crew building the new Duterte home. He loved the job and worked for a year and a half on the project. By that time, Julieto had thought long and hard about his future and he decided he wanted to go to high school. Well, he needed to finish elementary school first, so he returned to our school as an older teenager! That in itself took a lot of courage. After his final year at CCHS, Julieto started high school. Four years later, he is a new high school graduate with plans for his future!
What an incredible journey it has been. Lots of people have been in on Jules' journey, encouraging, tutoring, advocating for him, but he is the one who has stuck with it. Pretty miraculous! Congratulations to Julieto and the other current and former CSC "kids" who are graduating from high schol this year.
If you're Not from CSC...
By Julieto Sido
If you're not from CSC
You don't know Christmas
You just can't know Christmas.
Christmas is the best time for me.
I can dance, sing, and be happy as can be
With lots of gifts from foster friends and Santa Claus
And many parties in the house.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know Christmas.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know discipline
You just can't know discipline.
In CSC we have rules to obey.
They are made to help us grow OKEY.
If we don't obey the staff will get sad
Because they don't want us to be bad.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know discipline.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know sports
You just can't know sports.
Sports is our way to have fun
We jump, we throw, and run.
Basketball, baseball, and soccer.
We play with one another.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know sports.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know kindness.
You just can't know kindness.
Kindness for me is to share and care.
That's what we do here.
Children share with each other
And the staff and house parents care for one another.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know kindness.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know ME.
You just can't know ME.
You have not experienced what I had
The fun, the laughter, the good, and the bad.
The kindness, the love, and the discipline I had here
Will stay with me even when I go somewhere.
If you're not from CSC
You don't know ME.
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Precious moments...
The other day I hung around the playground in the late afternoon. That is our playground's most hectic and entertaining time! It was such a pleasure to watch the kids in play. Tumbling from our monkey bars, swinging as high as they can, whizzing by on the scooters, flying kites, kicking balls and playing tag.
While I watched, I caught many precious moments with my camera. Thankfully, a camera's memory cannot be faulty---it caught every smile, every flip---and in greater detail than my memory ever could.
So, here they are---these precious moments!
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Let it snow!
I just happened to be walking down the driveway of our compound earlier this week when I noticed small white bits floating through the air in front of me and they were blowing by my feet as well. I, being a born and bred Minnesotan, first thought of snow (just for a split second, mind you). I know this Winter has been hard for most and I feel for all of you who have struggled through the bitter cold and the seemingly endless snow. I pray that Spring makes a glorious reveal in the NEAR future and that Summer and Fall are so wonderful that someday soon this past Winter is nothing but a faint memory.
But back to the white things---they, of course, were not snow! It is the Philippines after all. :) After looking at the white things and hearing many giggles to my left, I decided to examine what that giggling group of small boys were doing. They were making snow! They had bits of styrofoam that they were rubbing against the bark of a tree and it was flying around like snow.
And they were SO happy about it---giddy even! I couldn't help but smile. If you ask any of our kids here---hands down the thing they are most interested in experiencing is SNOW!!! It is a puzzling thing to them. They can't understand frozen water and just how cold a place can be to have piles of it just lying around and not melting. Within minutes of a drink sitting out here, the ice is gone and the liquid is already starting to warm. And a cold day here is 75 and cloudy (long sleeves are needed). And that is all they have ever known.
I continued on my way, but I couldn't help but hum, "Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!" :)
God bless you all and stay warm!
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That Thomas Itch
I have great news from our founder and Medical Director, Marlys Healy. Little Thomas, who had major surgery on his skull in early February, got the last of his stiches removed! This means no more bandages, too. Whew!
We have watched this boy endure so much since he arrived at CSC. He has found a soft spot in many hearts. I'll never forget watching him leave pre-op on the day of the surgery and trying not to wonder if he would make it. As we tried to work in Cebu that day there were many pauses when one of us would say, "I hope he's doing okay."
The love for Thomas didn't stop in Cebu. It was amazing to hear word of people praying all over the world for him. You will be glad to know Thomas can finally itch his head. Marlys said he looked ecstatic to finally be able to do so! They have him in mittens to make sure he doesn't get overzealous or pull at his nose shunts, but Thomas is doing well. Look at that cute hairdo his bandages were covering. What a guy, our Thomas. Thanks for loving him with us.
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Danneil faces surgery
Danneil is one year and eight months old, and has been sick for much of his life. He has a problem called vesicoureteral reflux, which is an abnormal flow of urine from the bladder to the upper urinary tract. In VUR, urine may flow back—reflux—into one or both ureters and, in some cases, to one or both kidneys. VUR that affects only one ureter and kidney is called unilateral reflux, and VUR that affects both ureters and kidneys is called bilateral reflux. Danneil's VUR is unilateral. Danneil has been sick much of the time since he came to CSC on 8-16-12, so it has been difficult to pursue having surgery that he needs to correct this problem. He was discharged from the hospital on 3-18-14 where he was confined for a week for diarrhea and fever. The other day we spoke to the urologist and he ordered another test called a VCUG. It is a technique for watching a person's urethra and urinary bladder while the person urinates (voids). The technique consists of catheterizing the person in order to fill the bladder with a radiocontrast agent. The results showed that he does need the surgery as soon as possible. We are scrambling to get this done before he gets sick again. Usually he has pneumonia, but he also has occasional urinary tract infections. The surgery is tentatively planned for Thursday morning, March 27. Please pray for our little guy as he faces this surgery, and for Marlys and our medical team as they work with the doctor and make the arrangements for his aftercare.
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