I like to hear songs and see pictures about snowy Christmas times. I remember such times from my youth. Those memories are almost all good ones. But deep inside my mind are a few memories that my Norman Rockwell filter failed to delete, like gifts of socks, brown Christmases, ruined choirs, oyster stew, tone deaf carolers, fruitcake, etc.
Here in Cebu it is hot. No sleigh bells ringing or Jack Frost nipping at your nose. It is 86 degrees at 9:30 am. And its raining! But Christmas at CSC in Cebu has a charm and an attraction that cannot be replicated elsewhere. We are right in the middle of it. Thursday will be the Children of Hope School Christmas program. The kids will dance and sing and recite. The dressed rehearsal was this morning. Next week we'll have a progressive dinner for the kids at the homes of our staff: Schulzes - appetizer; Reasoners - salad; Teen Home - soup, and Healys - main course. Dessert is served back at the Shelter. The aunties will make cinnamon roll Christmas trees. Then comes our Junel's Box activity. The kids have given money from their allowances to buy building materials and food supplies for a poor family that lives in the dumpsite. We will take a jeep full of the kids to present these gifts to the family and sing a few carols. It is a great experience of learning and giving for the children. Though they live lives of safety and relative comfort now, most of them came from backgrounds similar to what this family faces. Christmas Eve will an exciting night of gift giving from Santa with lots of surprises and hijinks. Many of our new kids have never received a gift before and the excitement level is already getting high. Christmas Day will start early with the kids getting up to check out their Christas stockings. The staff will serve them a Christmas dinner of ham, mashed potatoes, rice, green been casserole and Christmas cookies. Then there will be a pageant with live animals at the Teen Home with the staff acting out the Christmas drama. Poor acting, botched lines and off key singing will be the rule but all will be forgiven as the kids marvel at the live manger scene.
So, although there won't be tobogganing, hot cider or a winter wonderland, Christmas will be a great time, and will produce memories that will, for some of the kids, last a lifetime.
Workers' Christmas Party
Check out these pictures from our workers' Christmas party on December 1. It was a great night of fun, gifts, prizes and recognition of the great contributions of our workers.
Trust His Heart
God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His Heart
-From a song called "Trust His Heart" by Babbie Mason
The view out of my classroom window on a recent rainy day.
Human as we are, we have lots of worries in life. As we worry, some questions come up in our minds. What will my future be like? Will I be able to sustain the needs of my family? What kind of life will my children have? How do I meet the needs of my students, especially those who are struggling? How will I deal with the difficult situations I will be facing in the future? Do the things that I strive to do matter? Am I making a difference in my workplace? Am I on the right track? Is this the will of God for me? I don't understand God's plan for me, what should I do?
Upon worrying and doubting, we sometimes forget that there's someone up there who is bigger than our worries. When our mind is clouded with worries instead of trusting the One who is sovereign over everything, we see the uncertainties. May the message of the song above encourage both you and me to put our full trust in Him who is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient amidst uncertainties.
May we hold onto His promise and command from Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV that says, "
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
40 Years of Hope and Blessings at CSC
CSC will celebrate 40 years of ministry in Cebu City in June of 2019. Our friends and supporters are warmly invited to attend the festivities in Cebu on June 28 and 29. Everyone is invited to see historical videos, pictures and accounts from the past 40 years here on this website and on our Facebook page.
This is from Christmas 2007:
One Great Afternoon at CCHS!
The United Nations Day celebration is one of the exciting activities at CCHS. It is always fun and informative. Children and teachers look forward to this event every year.
The day before the event, all the teachers put in great effort to prepare lots of things for the kids. Everyone stayed late that night just to make their country booth really captivating. There was the sharing of minds on what to display and how to arrange things in the booth.
The celebration started with the singing of the Philippine national anthem at the shelter followed by a parade heading to school. After the parade the children visited the the different countries: Belgium, Norway, Italy, and the Netherlands. Each group was given twenty-five minutes to stay at each booth and learn about the country. There was important information shared by the teachers, crafts to do, and food to eat.
After the country tour was the jeopardy game. Questions were asked to each group to test how well they remembered the things that were shared earlier. It was really fun to hear the students help each other think of the correct answers.
The event ended with a surprise thank you program for the teachers prepared by Teacher Eunice. It was indeed one great afternoon at CCHS!
Habitat Turnover
Habitat Turnover 60 homes for our workers were turned over to the homeowners on October 2 7 in an emotional ceremony in Talisay, Cebu. After many delays this project was completed and our workers will soon be moving into their new homes. All of these workers will be owning a home for the first time, a dreams that would have gone unfulfilled if not for Habitat for Humanity and Paul Reasoner, who led the fundraising.