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.
Feeding the Chickens
Being a teacher is somewhat like feeding chickens. When you’re feeding chickens, you have to make sure they eat the food given to them to get the right nutrients. It’s disappointing if one of your chickens gets sick or dies. You may get frustrated if the feed spoils or spills out of the container, wasting time, money, and effort. To avoid this you should have the correct container and supplies for the chickens’ needs. From time to time you might have to change the type of chicken feed to ensure the chickens will keep on eating.
Like raising temperamental chickens, teachers also encounter various types of behaviors in students and this needs to be considered before implementing the lesson you are going to teach. The lesson needs to be prepared properly so the students enjoy and understand the lesson. Assessments need to be given to make sure the kids really understand the topic you have discussed.
In my experience while teaching the kids at CCHS, I have undergone different emotions. Sometimes I feel happy and sometimes I feel mad or even guilty, but I try to not let that be a hindrance. I pray to the Lord that He will always guide me with the exact words and actions needed for the lesson I am going to share with my students.
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Can we do an experiment?!
It has been a joy for me to teach science for the older students at the Children of Hope School. Having recently graduated college specializing in science education, it has been an exciting adventure to be able to teach what I love. The students' love for science only makes me love my job even more! Everyday, they ask me, "Teacher Amanda, can we do an experiment?!" Whenever I say "Yes", their eyes widen with an eagerness to learn.
One of our latest experiments was making "oobleck" to explore the properties of matter. Oobleck is made of just corn starch and water, but when the ingredients are mixed together, it carries the properties of both solids and liquids! The students had a chance to get messy, have fun, and engage in scientific inquiry at the same time. With oobleck dripping from their hands, smiles stretched across their faces, and lightbulbs lighting up as their minds participated in active learning, I would say that our experiment was a success! By the end of the lesson, the students asked me a new question, "Teacher Amanda, can we do an experiment again tomorrow?!" What a delight it is to share my love of science with these young, bright, eager minds!
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Reading Challenge: A First Experience
Well, this was the day I had been waiting for, the first all-school activity I was in charge of (along with Teacher Cora) in my new job as a teacher at CCHS. Teacher Cora and I were the facilitators of the Reading Challenge Kick-off, a contest that runs for six weeks to see how much everyone can read. The activity started with a prayer followed by a video presentation. Next was a short skit that really made me nervous. It was not easy to talk in front of the students since it was my first time to be in charge.
As the skit started,
the students were wondering where I was going because I was carrying a
bag. 
I pretended I had come from the
library after borrowing books. Teacher
Cora asked questions about the books I had “borrowed.” Some of the kids were laughing and
cheering. I was still pretty
nervous. Then all the teachers started
singing a rehearsed song, “I Love Reading.”
The students joined in dancing and singing the song.
Following the skit, each reading teacher announced the reading goals for the different classes. The students were mostly excited and a bit nervous themselves about meeting the goals. Games of “What’s the Word?” and “What’s Missing?” topped off the activities. The kids had to think hard and work together.
The event ended with lots of smiles on the kids’ faces. They showed their willingness to learn, read, discover and broaden their imagination through reading. They were ready to dive into reading good books! Reading more will help in shaping their futures.
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Therapy Room Gets Dolled Up!
If you read Peter Arneson’s past blog about the Therapy Department, you will remember that we were in the process of taking out the Jacuzzi inside the therapy room. Uncle Jerry was taking a warm dip in the picture in the blog.
Well, we have removed the Jacuzzi and replaced it with more shelves. We also have new carpeting! During the process of remodeling, I contemplated putting in a sensory wall and a climbing wall for the benefit of most of the kids we service. With the help of Uncle Jerry’s team, we were able to put up a climbing wall and a sensory wall. The sensory wall consists of four panels: textures, gadgets, magnets and falling objects.
Some of the kids are already
enjoying the new digs! Take a look at our new therapy room.
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Do you have a birthmark?
Kind of a weird title for a blog I know, but it is something that I have been thinking about lately.
We had one of our CSC KIDS return for a visit last week. He is now 19 years old; he left CSC when he was about 19 months old. When we told his house parents and his caretakers that he was coming back to visit they all were excited to see him of course…no one is forgotten at CSC. One of the first things they talked about was his birthmark; he had a birthmark on one of his legs below the knee. They remembered him of course, but his birthmark was something that was special to him.
When he arrived we were all excited to see him, we recognized his smile and could see that little baby face that we remembered in the face of the young man with a mustache before us. We all glanced at his leg and did not see the birthmark we remembered so well…was this really our little guy? Finally, someone could not hold it in any longer; they asked him where his birthmark was. I wondered how he would handle that question; but he stood up, put his foot up on the chair, and pointed out a barely discernible scar right where we knew his birth mark should be. He explained that he had his birthmark removed when he was young because he did not like that people always noticed it. He thought it was wonderful that we remembered though, it brought a big smile to his face that we remembered something that was specific and individual to him. It gave him something positive out of something that he thought was negative. He almost seemed proud to show us the scar, he knew it was part of his identity, and the fact that we remembered proved to him that we DID remember him as an individual.
This little event made me think about the” birthmark” that many of us have, one that should be obvious for one and all to see. Do we let people see the “birthmark” that we have from our second birth; our birth into God’s family? This “birthmark” would be visible in our actions, our words, even our thoughts. I wonder if some of us would like to hide it and remove it. I wonder if some of us are embarrassed about it. I am sure that I have thought of doing all those things at different points in my life. Nevertheless, in the end, we know that this “birthmark” is the best thing we have ever been given. We can be proud of it and we need to show it to the world. I love birthmarks.
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