Staff Blog
I recently came across this letter that I wrote 16 years ago. I was amazed how much it applies to our current situation. I made a few small changes to "bring it up to date," but mostly it can stand alone, reflecting the similarity of our situations both then and now.
Dear Friends,
A few years ago my brother Dave sent me an advertisement from the St. Paul paper announcing a B.J. Thomas concert coming to a casino in Minnesota. It was meant as a joke, but it brought back a flood of memories, some of them pretty grim ones.
In 1978 a small group of us were trying to raise money to start a ministry in the Philippines. We were concerned about the needs of homeless and hungry Filipino children. But none of us had experience in fund raising! We tried everything, from donut and candy sales to supermarket collection cans and marathons. Finally, after having raised almost nothing for our efforts, we got the idea to have a benefit concert. We decided to have B.J. Thomas come to the Minneapolis Auditorium, and one of our group members put up the money to book him and his group and to pay for the initial promotion of the concert.
The concert was a disaster. The auditorium held about 10,000 people;
less than 3,000 showed up. I'll never forget the feeling of standing in the lobby waiting for the crowds that never came. We couldn't pay the orchestra, the ticket office, the printer, the radio stations or the newspapers. There we were, a group of youngsters with a desire for a ministry in Cebu, surrounded by angry, threatening creditors. It seemed like our organization and our dream for an orphanage were dead. But for some reason we didn't give up. We still felt called to the Philippines and a ministry to homeless children. Somehow we managed to placate the creditors, make small but consistent payments, and pull ourselves out of the hole that the B.J. Thomas concert had put us in. Within a few short weeks we received a donation of $40,000 from a Bethel College student and we were on our way to Cebu to begin the ministry. All our plans and efforts to raise funds had netted us a pile of debts and a load of frustration. But God's miraculous work in the heart of a young man resulted in enough money to purchase property in Cebu and begin the work.
That has been a lesson we have learned so many times over the years. God reminds us that this is his ministry and that He will provide the resources. He is continually touching the hearts of people, who respond with gifts of prayer, money and time. We know that it is not just the words that we write or the quality of our visual presentations that bring in the funds. It is how God uses those efforts to bring people into the CSC family. Our efforts are inadequate, even pathetic at times. But God takes our faith and commitment (although sometimes found lacking) and makes something great out of them, in the work of the ministry in Cebu and in the promotional efforts in Minnesota.
This fact has kept us going through difficult times over the past 37 years. In recent weeks we have been discouraged over the behavior of some of our children. Some have been unruly, others disrespectful. Some have been unloading some of the emotional baggage that they brought with them to CSC. And, at the same time, we have been concerned with the financial situation of CSC as we approach the year-end needing a miracle to meet our income goals for 2016. But our discouragement is tempered by the knowledge that God directs this work, that He gives compassion and perseverance, not only on that night in 1978 when we limped home from the Minneapolis Auditorium, but every day since.
Thank you for your part in helping us with this ministry for the past 37 years. When the raindrops were falling on our heads, you were there to put up an umbrella of love and solidarity. We need your prayers and your gifts to be able to move ahead with this God-inspired ministry.
Sincerely,
Paul Healy
Cebu City
Party Party Party
There are many parties at CSC in December. December 5 was the CSC workers party. A fun evning of games, prizes, a short meditation, food and fun was had by everyone.
Saturday December 11, was the CSC Outreach party. Many former CSC residents came for an afternoon of games, a gift from Santa Claus, singing of Christmas carols, hearing the Christmas story and a meal from Jollibee. It's always fun to see some of our former CSC kids and their families.
There are still many upcoming CSC parties! The individual department parties, the school program, progressive dinnner, Christmas Eve and Christmas day activities.
Thank you to everyone who helps make the Christmas Season so special for all of the CSC kids and workers.
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Haircuts
With a house full of kids, what to do about haircuts? The solution is simple. Bring the barbershop to the house.
Many Saturday mornings at the shelter, a barber shop is set up somewhere near one of the homes. A local barber brings his tools of the trade and spends the morning snipping, trimming, cutting, and buzzing. This past Saturday the Duterte boys all got a trim.
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Giving generously and with a cheerful heart
The Christmas decorations are up and holiday tunes can be heard wherever you go! It is almost Christmas, only 15 days away! One of my absolute favorite CSC Christmas events is Junel's box. Maybe you have already heard the story, but for those of you who haven't...
Junel used to live at CSC. His generous spirit was his legacy and it inspired a wonderful CSC tradition. Before coming to CSC, Junel was not treated very well in his previous home. He was not allowed to eat with the rest of the members of his household and he was only able to eat if there was food left over. When he came to CSC, he expected it to be much the same. When it was mealtime, he went and sat in a corner instead of in a chair at the table, where all of the other children were. He needed reminders that he was just as special and loved just as much as the other CSC children.
Junel's most prized possession seemed to be a small film canister with a few coins in it. He loved to shake the canister to hear the coins jingle and he did so frequently! That noise signaled his caregivers of his presence and it became part of the background noise in the home. It was so much a part of the din that one day when it was not heard, the caregivers became concerned. "Where is Junel?! He should be upstairs! Everyone is home from school!" The caregivers rushed upstairs and sure enough he was there, and so was his canister, but it no longer made any noise. It was empty.
In school that day, Junel's teacher had told the story of children on another island not having any slippers to wear on their feet. He was so moved and compelled to help them that he gave all of his money, every last coin, each "noise-maker" he had.
Sacrifice. Giving everything you have. Giving what you cherish the most. That is truly what this season is all about.
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16-17
Every year at this time, all of CSC's children hear the story of Junel. For some of them they have heard it before, but for many, it is a story they are hearing for the first time. For children new to CSC, they are not so far away from the life they lived before. They can still remember begging on the street, or when their stomach hurt so much because it had been so long since they had eaten. They have vivid memories of being in need. The kids hear the story of Junel and then they hear of a family in their community that needs help. They see pictures of the family and the home. Maybe they see themselves. The kids are then told they have the opportunity to give money from their allowance to help that family this Christmas. The contributions will be used to buy food, and other household items to meet the needs of the family. The family this year needs a home so if enough funds are raised, building materials could be purchased.
Every year, I am astounded at the generosity of our children. So many of them, when told how much money is in their bank and asked how much they would like to give say, "Tanan." Meaning everything. They will give it all. And they do so with big smiles on their face.
For they were once in need and now they can help others. 'Tis the season, indeed. Merry Christmas!
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Tree of History
The Christmas tree is up at the school. The kids use their pictures to make star ornaments for the tree. New and old ornaments hang and twist in the breeze.
The many pictures draw in the kids. The kids like to see how they have changed and grown from their ornament pictures of past years.
On this one side of the tree there is a kid who has been at CSC 14 years, the next star ornament is a kid who arrived last month, and so many others in between.
The kids can
see a part of their history on this tree.
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Big Hearts
CSC loves making new friends, and we made a few yesterday. I received an email about two women who were interested in visiting us in Cebu and learning more about shelter work in the Philippines. They feel called by God to explore this and potentially start a shelter. I got to spend some time talking with them.
It was a very exciting conversation! I was asked a lot of questions about how we do our work. Their hearts were big, but I was especially thrilled to learn about the careful consideration with which they are approaching this idea. According to my limited wisdom, Cebu could certainly use more people who are working to benefit the poor but that doesn’t mean it’s what God has in store for these two ladies. Big hearts can sometimes become so excited to give that they begin to serve because of what they get out of it, or because the need seems so great, instead of because God deserves the glory of our service. It’s okay to feel good serving others and the need is HUGE, but the point behind any ministry should be to bring glory to God. A big heart is an amazing first step. Being patient, listening carefully, and working hard in order to learn and grow are next steps.
It was an honor to be part of the next steps with our two visitors yesterday. I hope they will continue to listen to God and follow the path he has for them. Maybe that’s to Cebu!
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