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.
Conferences: September 2015
Teacher conferences about the students are different at the shelter. The teachers meet with the house parents and child development team to talk about the academic progress of the children. I like hearing about the progress and growth of all the children. The teachers have great insights into the children. And of course they also have some funny and heartwarming stories to share. Here are a few for you.
This
girl asks the teacher each morning, “What are the things we need to do this
morning?”
She
is a little teacher, helping explain the lessons to her other classmates.
The
teacher says this boy “brings happiness into the class.” His house father gave him a math word problem on day, “I give you one banana and one mango.
How many fruits to you have now?”
He answers without missing a beat, “Fruit salad!”
Five
students are in the pre-kindergarten class, getting ready to move into
kindergarten next year. They are
learning about animals and their babies.
Dogs have puppies. Cats have
kittens. Pigs babies are piglets. One of the kids asked the teacher, “What are
baby fish called?” This boy answered the
other student, “Fishlets!”
This
student remembers previous topics and connects them to current topics,
sometimes interrupting the teacher. He
tries spelling out new words to himself as the teacher is explaining the
meaning. He is enthusiastic about
learning and knowing things.
She
does not like holidays because she likes school.
The
teacher says, “Her presence makes class enjoyable and challenges other
students.”
He is
kind-hearted and caring toward his classmates.
She is eager to share her ideas and answers, sometimes before the
question is read. It is hard to answer
correctly when the question is not known.
Many
days he can be heard offering help to a classmate, “Let me help you.”
“Her
interest in everything in school helps her tackle difficulties.”
The
reading challenge just finished and this girl did not win. Her teacher overheard her say, “The winner,
she reads so fast. I will win next year.” She is striving to improve.
Science class started learning about natural resources. This student raised her hand concerned, “What
are we going to do when they run out?”
She knows the right question to ask from the beginning.
Here is some of the students' work from the first quarter. Enjoy!
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Exciting Days at CCHS
There have been lots of exciting things happening at Cebu Children of Hope School lately.
Reading challenge finished recently and the
winners took a trip to a local used bookstore and each got to choose a
cool book. All of the kids who participated in reading challenge are on
a field trip today to the local library.
We
have completed our first quarter of school and conferences finished up
last week. The teachers shared about each of the students in their
class with the houseparents and select staff for three afternoons. It
was great to hear so many fun stories and positive things that
are happening in each classroom. We have a wonderful group of dedicated
teachers and it was exciting to spend time discussing the kids progress
with them.
Three new students started this second quarter already and three more will be starting tomorrow. This is an unique and awesome thing about Cebu Children of Hope School. Kids can start school as soon as they are admitted to CSC. Exciting! Pray for our new kids and teachers as they adjust to their new school and classroom.
Keep checking back at our blogs to hear more stories and see more pictures of all the exciting happenings at CCHS! United Nations Day is fast approaching in October!
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From Auntie Sandy's Retirement Party in Minnesota
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.
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Chores
Everyday the kids do chores. Sometimes this means sweeping the grass, cutting the grass, watering the flowers, cleaning up after meals, laundry, or other random things. If kids are disobedient, unruly, or out of line, they may be assigned additional chores for a consequence. Some things don't change no matter where you are in the world! Another thing that doesn't change is how boring or agonizing chores can be...especially when you'd rather be playing with your friends.
The other day I caught a few girls making their chore of washing dishes after dinner just a little more bearable and perhaps even enjoyable...check it out:
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Heroes
Last Friday was September 11, a pretty regular day at our school. American Studies, a class for the students who are matched with their adoptive families, was a bit pathetic because we were missing some members due to an outbreak of sore eyes, the Filipino version of pink eye. Since the numbers were down and we had a shortened class period for an all-school event in the afternoon, I was trying to decide how to spend the class time with only two students. Continuing with our study of famous Americans didn't seem like the best option. Teacher Amanda suggested maybe we should talk about 9/11 since it was the anniversary of the attack and it is a significant event the kids should at least be aware of. I took Amanda up on her suggestion. I already had material related to the topic and decided to read a realistic fiction story describing the event through the eyes of a young boy whose uncle was a NYC firefighter.
As we read the story I tried to fill in details and put the event in some sort of context for the girls. They barely know where New York is located much less anything that has happened there. I wasn't exactly sure how much they were actually comprehending because they were kind of quiet, but this was understandable considering the topic. I plowed ahead. After we read the story, which concluded with thoughts on heroism, I asked the girls if there was anyone they thought of as their heroes; someone they looked up to or had helped them in a significant way. Without much hesitation one of the girls said,"the aunties and uncles" and the other one said, "my mom and dad."
Well, I guess they got it. It was a bit hard not to cry right there, so I smiled.
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