Staff Blog
Life at CSC is not all roses. Just like other ministries, we have our ups and downs but we rise above all our challenges and rest in peace that our God is bigger than those challenges.
For those of you who do not know my background, I am a licensed Physical Therapist and have been doing the job of a PT until recently when the need of a staff in the Child Development department was urgent. I was moved in this department in July of last year and started my missionary role at the same time.
I tell you, the 9 months in this department was not easy. It is an everyday challenge. I was trained to deal with people who come to me in search of healing for physical ailments and challenges they might have. I am trained and experienced in giving that healing and seeing progress in the every rehabilitation I have with my patient.
But Child Development department is more than healing physical ailments. It is mentoring the children, attending to the behavioral problems our children have, making sure the houses run smoothly, guiding and supporting our child care workers and houseparents and lots and lots of meeting with the other departments. Though I am not trained and well experienced in this department, I am in awe everyday of God's grace and provision to me and to CSC.
Managing people is a hard task. We are created with different personalities, temperaments and ideals. It is amazing though that in all of that, we find a best friend, a match, a partner that would understand our weakness and strength. Here are at CSC, we have a hundred and plus employee; local and foreign.
The other day I was wondering, even with the differences of our views and culture, why are we effective? Why has CSC grown into a much larger orphanage? Why are we great at what we are doing?
The three houses at the shelter recently had each of their house meetings. The houses do this four times a year to discuss concerns, updates and give reminders. While I was sitting in one, the answers to my questions were right in front of me. Our workers are very passionate in what they do. They have a heart for the children and for the ministry. They love their jobs. And CSC has become their ministry.
In the era of technologies, gadgets and social media people are becoming more and more discontented; wanting what they don't have that others have. CSC is very blessed with committed and loyal workers. We have workers who have been at CSC even before I was born and still doing what they have been doing in the past 30 years. Our workers are content, not because they don't want change or progress but because they fill each other's weaknesses and strengths. They are the hands and feet of CSC.
A rainy day...
Yesterday was a glorious day! It was overcast, breezy and there were intermittent bursts of rain. It was welcome relief from the unrelenting heat of this summer, but also, I just love a good storm! Because of the rain though, outside activities were at a minimum. Normally at 3:35pm, any available space in the yard, on the driveway or on the playground equipment is being utilized. I decided to document this rather rare occurrence...
It was definitely a riding kind of day...
Even for our Aunties! :)
And a coloring kind of day....
And a looking at books kind of day...
And a taking silly pictures kind of day...
Pretty much my favorite part of ANY day! :)
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Thank You
In a few days, Bjork and I will head back to Minnesota. There are so many mixed emotions that we have as we get ready to see family and friends as well as saying goodbye to the kids, staff, and CSC family.
I have been so thankful for the opportunity to work with such wonderful people this year. Here is a little glimpse at the American staff and some of the things that we appreciate about them.
Amy: Inviting, Relational, Adaptable
Lindsay: Thoughtful, Trustworthy, Insightful
Tammy: Fun-loving, Reliable, Optimistic
Sandy: Nurturing, Dedicated, Positive
Marlys: Dedicated, Compassionate, Inspiring
Paul: Dedicated, Hard Working, Loving
Thank you to all the American and Filipino staff and workers who have helped us and inspired us this year. Thank you to the kids for being cooler than we could ever put words around.
THANK YOU supporters from all over the world for making it possible for these amazing people to do such life-changing work.
And thank you to our God for working miracles through this place!
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Ew...
A new craze has hit the shelter. And it is one I cannot understand in the least. The current trend on the playground involves beetles.
Step 1: Catch the beetle that you fancy most.
Step 2: Attach string to the leg of your choosing.
Step 3: Run!
There is NOTHING about that that is in any way appealing to me.
Okay, okay, if I could get past touching the beetle for the length of time it would take to tie a string around its leg, it MIGHT be kind of cool to have a pet on a leash that would fly alongside me. Operative word being might.
And yet, it is an activity that currently captivates the attention of many of our children!
Check out the pure joy on the face of one of our newest kids!
The beetles (yes, more than one) are on his finger here...
In flight...
Mind-boggling happiness...
Happy Summer all! May yours be filled with joy...and bugs, if that is what it takes!
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Expression
Our kids are incredibly gifted in many forms of expression. They dance with a fluidity that astounds, and tumble and flip in a way that looks effortless. They pick up song lyrics crazy fast and belt out those lyrics without abandon. They smile readily and are prone to giggles.
We have some talented artists among us as well. Recently the kids were having fun decorating our driveway. Many were content with just autographing the cement, others were more focused in their artistry.
My favorite decoration, however, was the one you see below. "Marty love Jesus." That was written, not entirely grammatically correct, but quite neatly, by a 5-year-old. You can see his proud little feet at the top! :) I was taken aback when I spotted this message among the flowers, butterflies and names that surrounded it.
The message was so simple, so sweet...so perfect.
As adults we worry about raising the children around us in the right way, being a good witness and teaching them about Jesus. This message was fulfilling for me---this little boy gets it, if he does not get anything else in the world, he knows the most important thing.
And to tell you the truth, I was humbled in that moment as well. I was brought back to the heart of why we do what we do here at CSC. We do this work because we love Jesus.
Lindsay love Jesus too! :)
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"Juggling"
Our kids go in waves with their favorite activities. For quite a while, everyone was into waveboarding. Sometimes it's playing marbles and sometimes it's rubber bands. The current craze is a game called "Juggling". The kids take turns kicking a ball in the air. The first person has to kick the ball once, the second person kicks it twice, and so on. They have up to 3 tries to get the desired number of kicks in. Sometimes they also have contests to see who can get the most number of kicks in one try. I haven't asked everyone, but the highest number I've heard is from Maricris. She kept the ball in the air for 60 kicks in a row! Amazing!
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