Staff Blog
The other day we celebrated graduation at Children of Hope School. In addition to the 10 graduates who received their diplomas from the elementary and pre-school departments, every student got a special award. It was such a great day and lots of tears were shed, many of them by 
the woman sitting next to me - Marlys. Knowing the stories of each child, it is very emotional to think of the circumstances that brought them to CSC and the many things that they had to overcome to be walking across that stage to accept an award. One little boy has only been with us for a couple months. His twin brother died just before he came to live with us. The smile on his face walking across the stage told us that he is on the way to emotional recovery. Another boy had recently been abandoned. He woke up alone one morning. Now, just a few weeks later he was getting an award for doing good work in school. Another had been living in an orphanage where the director was abusive and had ended up living alone on the streets for a year. Now he was getting a medal from his teacher for being Best in Writing and Most Attentive! An 11 year-old girl who had been badly burned in a tragic fire in her home was also being awarded. Her smile lit up the whole stage! Children who had never been able to attend school before coming to live at CSC were being recognized for their achievement, hard work and positive behavior in school.
Children of Hope School is a place where every student is honored, encouraged and given a chance. For some it is a first chance at school. For others it is a place of second chances. And last week it was a place for getting an award and the satisfaction that comes from being appreciated. Every student has something they are best at. And, like the plaque near the door says, "We don't care where you come from, but we care about where you are going."
Making Banana Que!
One of the things the kids love to do is cook! Here are a few pictures (taken by the kids!) from our recent cooking adventure with the Group 3 EPP class. Thank you Auntie Puriza and Auntie Jenalyn for all your help making this yummy snack! :)
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A Few Favorite Pictures from the Week
This preschooler came to school sporting a hair style just like his older brother's!
I'm not sure what was happening with this next photo, but I found him lining up to go home for lunch wearing a swimming cap and goggles. I still have no idea why, but it was a fun photo!
This little boy is our newest addition to CSC. It took a while for me to get a smile out of him, but he's starting to warm up to me now!! I love this picture!
Just a few of the darlings you can find on our playground!!
And just a really cute moment, I caught on video! God is so good!!
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Individualized Instruction
Individualized Instruction (aka I.I.) is a really cool thing that happens at CCHS. Kids who are identified by their teachers as needing extra support will get subject-specific instruction in a one-on-one setting during the afternoon. I am currently the I.I. reading teacher for a handful of kids, and here's what a typical day looks like with the students that I work with.
Reading...
Thinking...
Writing....
And being awesome!
Thanks for checking in on what's happening here!
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On-site at CSC
My recent trip to Cebu was wonderful, aside from a little sickness and a run-in with some "stink fruit". If you have not tried "stink fruit" before, don't. It really does taste like it smells- awful.
I have known about CSC and worked with the organization for years, but I feel truly blessed to be a part of it as a new staff member. As I walked on the CSC grounds, I kept thinking about how excited I was to connect with what is happening in this little section of Cebu.
One thing I'm already proud of is how seriously we take the spiritual development of our children. One evening during my trip, I was welcomed into the Eicher home to join in on evening devotions. House father DonDon had already started, so I tried to sneak in the back and blend in. It didn't work very well, as I temporarily disrupted the discussion when the kids started waving and saying "hi Auntie Jill!" DonDon, however, quickly got the devotion time back on track. He was leading the children through a lesson about temptation and doubt. He shared that God has a plan for all of their lives and he talked about the need to trust God with the future. All of the children were really engaged and responded by answering the questions with confidence and by reciting scripture. As I sat there and listened, it struck me how much the staff at CSC care for these kids. They strive to meet all of their physical, emotional, educational and spiritual needs. Perhaps that is why you see so many smiling faces.
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Shenanigans...
Truthfully, our kids are pretty special. Yes, you may consider me a biased informant, but I dare you to come here and spend the afternoon playing with any number of them and not draw the same conclusion!
We have some of the sweetest kids I have ever met. They are helpful, considerate, creative, athletic and energetic.
We also have some of the silliest kids I have ever met!!! I decided to highlight that side of our kids for you this week... Enjoy!
That face...
They are off to save the world! Watch out.... ;)
Such an impish smile!
His name is pretty much Mischief----with a capital M!
PEEK!
FYI, He was winding up for an overhand throw---I found that out after the picture was taken! ;)
Yes, he really is wearing the face of a pig!!!
Silly sisters!
And this one needs no caption...
Thanks for reading and caring about our silly, but precious children!
God Bless!
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