Staff Blog
How can people be so heartless?
How can people be so cruel?
Easy to be hard, easy to be cold
How can people have no feelings?
How can they ignore their friends?
Easy to be proud, easy to say no.
Songwriters: Ragni, Gerome / Rado, James / Mac Dermot, Galt
The words of this song from the late 60s were brought to mind recently when a 12 year-old boy was referred to us. His story reveals the heartlessness and cruelty of people, and the ways that some children have to suffer at their hands. We'll call this boy Roberto and his younger brother, Michael.
Roberto and Michael were brought to an orphanage in Cebu City when they were babies. The orphanage, which was connected to a Protestant church, was not a good place. When the boys were older they were abused. Punishment was severe, sometimes cruel. The lady who was in charge of the place was the one dealing out the beatings. Luckily, the place was closed down and the children were parceled out to other child caring institutions. CSC got three girls from that place, but we did not have room for boys at the time, so Roberto and his brother, then nine and 10, went to live at a home for children on a neighboring island. Shortly after there arrival there, one of the boys threatened Roberto. (The home catered to older kids, and their residents included some who had lived on the streets and were used to fighting and intimidation.) On the second night they were there, Roberto decided to run away. Michael was afraid to go out into the dark night, but Roberto was able to find a young boy, just five years old, to go with him. The gate was always left open so they had no trouble getting away.
Roberto only knew one place to go, back to the church where he had lived. He didn't know that it was 18 miles from where they were starting out. And they had to cross a long bridge that led to Cebu island. But he knew he wanted to leave that place, so off they went into the night.
It took two days and nights to get to the church. They slept
along the road, wherever they could find a spot that looked safe. On the second
morning Roberto woke up and discovered that his little companion was gone.
Without a trace. All he could do was keep going. When he finally got to the
church he found that it was closed up. The gate was locked. One of the former
orphanage workers said that he could be their family's houseboy, but that didn't
last for long. One day that family packed up and left, and Roberto had no place
to go.
Out of desperation, he found a big piece of cardboard which
became his bed for the 
next months. He slept just outside the locked gate of
the former church/orphanage. He would look for food wherever
he could find it, in garbage cans or occasional handouts from neighbors. Other
times he would steal food to feed his hungry stomach, which enraged people in
the community. He was often beaten by neighborhood boys. One family took pity
on him and would stop the boys from beating him, and would give him food. Life
was hard for Roberto. No place to live. Nobody to take him in. He missed his
brother and worried about the boy who had disappeared along the way. How can
people be so heartless? How can they be so cruel?
One of the compassionate neighbors knew about CSC and informed us about the situation of Roberto. We get lots of referrals and can not respond immediately to all of them. Eventually our social worker and counselor went to visit Roberto and hear his story. They were overwhelmed by the things that had happened to him. In the next few days we made contact with the place where Michael was staying and arranged a meeting with their social worker. Two of our social workers, Chris and our new Social Worker Director, Klaris, and our counselor, Eldie, made the trip to the neighboring island to discuss the boys' case. Michael was relieved to hear that Roberto was okay. He hadn't heard anything about him for a year and a half. Both boys wanted to be reunited and it was determined that this should happen the next day at CSC.
The reunion was so sweet for the boys. They were more than a
little amazed at the facilities of CSC and the course of events that had
brought them back together. After more counseling and some medical
tests, and a talk with a representative of the place where Michael was living,
our staff made the decision to admit Michael and Roberto. The boys would no
longer be separated and Roberto's days of homelessness would end. It was an
exciting day for all of us. They boys needed to go back to their respective
places, get the few things they owned, and say goodbye before becoming official
CSC kids. But first we brought them to Jollibee, a fast food restaurant near
CSC. It was so much fun to watch the boys eat and laugh. It must have seemed a
little surreal to them to be together at that place with a group of adults who
were concerned about them and wanted them to be together in a nice and safe place.
Roberto was not able to finish his chicken and we were surprised when he asked
if he could have a bag for "take-home."
When they got to the place where Roberto had been staying, he ran to one of the houses near the church, the place where one of the people who had protected him from the cruel boys lived. This was the first person who had shown concern for him, maybe in his whole life. Roberto wanted to give this guy the leftover chicken from Jollibee! It was one of the most touching things that we have known about in our many years of working with kids. A few acts of kindness had made a huge difference in Roberto's life and he wanted to say "thank you" in the only way he knew how.
Later that day the boys were
officially admitted, and spent the night in the infirmary while 
we waited for
their lab results. The next morning they moved into the Cherne Home, where
house parents Tarex and Pureza and the children welcomed them. It was the
biggest day in their lives, so far. And there are many big days ahead. They
will be making a lot of new friends and will soon be enrolled in our Children
of Hope School. They won't be apart. They won't be hungry. If they are sick
they will be provided with the best medical care available in the Philippines.
If they are sad they'll be comforted. And they will get the chance to learn
about a loving Heavenly Father and a friend and Savior who will never abandon
them.
Yes, its easy to be heartless. Easy to be cruel. But its also easy to be kind. Easy to be a needed friend. Kids need a friend. Thanks to all who make it possible for us to say yes to kids like these two and the many others who need the love and care of our Shelter.
Banquet Excitement
As banquet preparations move into full swing in Minnesota, the staff and workers here in Cebu are also getting excited for the big event. We know how much work goes into the evening, and how important it is to CSC. We are involved in some of the planning, in preparing the media and in praying for the banquet. Some of us have been to past banquets and know how much fun it is and how our friends and supporters enjoy getting together and celebrating this ministry. We are there in spirit.
I remember last year we were crowded in the office conference room early on Sunday morning to watch the banquet live via Skype. We knew what was going to happen and had already seen the videos and slide shows. But hearing the spoken words and getting a feel for the energy in the room was moving for all of us. When the banquet total was announced (a record for CSC banquets!) there was a gasp in the room, followed by shouts of joy and many tears. We are together with our stateside staff and all you supporters who make this ministry possible. You won't see us on the 22nd at Bethel, but you still might feel our presence in the Robertson Center.
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Showing appreciation/Giving thanks
One of the values that guides CSC is especially important to me. We need to be thankful people. And we need to express that thanks. It starts with hearts of thanksgiving to God, the Giver of all gifts. Even though we may thank Him regularly in personal or family prayers, it is important to be intentional about group times of thanksgiving, like staff or team meetings or through corporate prayers at church or small groups. At CSC we need to unify our thinking around thankfulness, because, without God's provision, our efforts are just not enough.
But we also need to be thankful to those around us. At CSC, we need to continually express our thanks to those who support us financially and through prayers. In many ways, this kind of thankfulness is an organizational lifestyle. Every gift should be acknowledged and in a timely manner. The personal touch is important; we should send personal notes with receipts. We are even working on sending occasional thank you notes from the staff in Cebu, when possible. Every form of thanks is important and beneficial because, without the provision of our friends, the efforts of the staff are just not enough.
Here in Cebu, we are aware of the need to teach thankfulness to our CSC 
children. Although they have had difficulties in their lives, God has been good to bring them to CSC and to give them a second chance at family. People give sacrificially to help provide for their care. Aunties and staff show them kindness. The food is good and plentiful. Their medical needs are met. They have a great school to attend with loving and talented teachers. And many of them will eventually go to an adoptive family that will open their homes and lives to them. We need to help build a foundation of thankfulness for their lives that will help them understand their debt of gratitude to God, CSC and their adoptive families. I wish you could join our kids for their nightly prayers with their houseparents or a staff member. They almost always remember to thank God for our dear supporters, as they should. The kids know that it takes a lot of money to keep CSC going and to allow them to live in a healthy and comfortable way. And they know where it comes from.
Thank you for visiting our site and for reading this blog. Thanks for your interest in CSC and for the gifts and prayers that you might be willing to offer to help us love and care for these children. Thank you so much!
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First Place
Every year CSC participates in the Adoption Awareness week in Cebu, which is a program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. One of the features this year was a competition between children from various agencies that are involved in adoption or foster care. It was a Draw and Tell contest where the competitors draw a picture depicting the theme of "Spread Unconditional Love Through Legal Adoption," then describe what they drew. CSC was represented by Jerald, a 10 year-old boy who has lived at CSC for eight months. Prior to coming to live with us he had not had much in the way of consistent schooling. But he is a talented boy and, with the encouragement of Teacher Cora, he did a great job. He won the contest! Lots of excitement around Children of Hope School, CSC and the Duterte Home. And Jerald's smile was the highlight of everything.
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HR for CSC
This is certainly a season of change for CSC. We have new staff, new policies, some new job descriptions, a new organizational chart and some refurbished facilities. Although our ministry remains the same - caring for homeless children with the love of Jesus - we have some new ways of doing things.
And we have an entirely new department! We will soon be launching our new Human Resources Department. We have been talking about this for some time. With more than 125 workers, the need for HR is obvious. Finally the pieces are in place and we will soon be hiring an HR Director. We already have the office space created. Soon the department will be fully in place and we are really excited about what this will mean for CSC, our workers and, ultimately, the children we care for. We know that having an HR department will help us do a better job of servicing our employees, seeing to their compensation, training and morale. We want our workers, who are the backbone of the ministry, to feel more connected to each other, and to feel better about their part in the success of the ministry.
Many thanks to those whose hard work helped lay the groundwork for establishing this department, specifically Joel Reasoner, Peter Arneson, Marcel Pacada, Mitch Ohlendorf and Jake Schulz.
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Thanks to everyone!
Once again our faithful supporters rallied around CSC and helped us make our budget at the 11th hour. Actually, it was more like the 12th hour. Matt Buley and Jill Grasley had kept us abreast of the situation and what we needed for income during the last few days of the year. It seemed insurmountable, but somehow the money came in and we reached our income goals for the year! Thank you to everyone who gave at year-end, and throughout the year.
There are lots of changes around here! We have new staff, a refurbished office, some new kids and some new plans and procedures for the coming year. What remains the same is our commitment to providing the best care possible for the kids that come into our homes. That has remained the same for 37 years. And our confidence in moving forward is grounded in the reality that our supporters are faithful and true. And generous. And amazing.
To our supporters, thanks for being a part of this ministry and what CSC means to the children who call this place home. Thanks for caring, for praying and for giving.
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