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I have a paper snowflake under the plastic blotter on my desk.  It doesn't mean anything to anyone else except me and one other person.  That other person made the snowflake and many others for me just for fun.  I keep the snowflake there as a reminder.  A reminder of a special young lady who is thoughtful (hence, the snowflake), sensitive, eager, positive, hard-working, and loving.  She is also a bit shy and unsure of herself.  She needs reassurance at times.  And she's twin and so am I, so she is cool because twins are cool.  The snowflake is also a reminder of God's power and hope. 

snowflakebb9563954fThis young lady came to the shelter a number of years ago scared, broken and naive.  She needed a lot of love.  During her years at CSC, she felt more safe and loved.  She soaked up learning at school even though some things were very difficult.  She learned English faster than most other children who live at the shelter.  And she gradually became more confident in herself, eventually being able to get up in front of her peers and teachers to sing and perform.  We thought it was nothing short of miraculous. 

This lovely young lady left the shelter with her new, loving family awhile ago.  I hadn't seen her since until last night at the annual banquet.  We talked for a few minutes before the banquet started.  Then during a light-hearted part of the program when some of the adopted kids got up and did a little dance routine to a song, there she was dancing along with her siblings and the other kids.  In front of 650+ people!  Of course, nobody noticed anything unusual about that girl at the end of the line.  But, I knew.  Here was that scared, little girl transformed into a beautiful, blossoming young woman in front of a crowd of many people.  Now, that was even more miraculous.  God's hand at work among us. 

 

Cooks Return to the Kitchen

Apr. 11, 2015By: Joel Reasoner

Over the past three months, the afternoon cooks in both Cherne and Duterte homes have been recovering from surgery.  Auntie Mayflor and Auntie Sonia each had an operation which required lots of rest and recovery.  In their absence, other child care workers jumped in to cover the afternoon cook duties.   Of course no meals were missed and tasty food was always on the tables.

Last week Auntie Sonia returned to work!  

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This week Auntie Mayflor also returned to work! It is good to have them back in their respective kitchens.

As Auntie Mayflor enter the shelter gate the children from the Cherne home were walking up to school.  When they saw Auntie Mayflor, the line they were walking in suddenly morphed into a mob.  The children ran shouting “Auntie Mayflor!” racing to hug her. 

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The aunties’ impact in the lives was on full display in the moment of Auntie Mayflor’s welcome back from the children.

Keep the all CSC employees in your prayers.  They do everything for the children and their good health is essential. 

Confessions of a Messy Eater

Apr. 10, 2015By: Jinkee Reasoner

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I like to eat.

I nibble on my feet.

I pray before I eat.

 

I don’t know how to feed myself yet,

So I depend on my auntie’s hand.

I open my mouth wide

And welcome my tasty food.

 

Blended, pureed, squashed,

Smashed and crushed.

The way I like it.

The way I want it.

 

I don’t usually look like this,

I know.

There’s something on my face.

 

I know food goes to my mouth,

Not on my cheeks or forehead or ears.

What’s the use of a bib

If I eat like this?

 

At the end of my meal time,

Burp says this tummy of mine.

Aah…

What a treat!

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Volcanoes, Mountains, and Valleys

For the past few weeks, the preschool class has been learning about landforms.  They now know how to identify mountains, valleys, hills, volcanoes, isthmuses, and islands. 

They even sang a song during their morning meeting about landforms!

They topped off the unit by making their own models using play dough.  Fun stuff! 

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He is risen, He is risen indeed!

Apr. 3, 2015By: Lindsay Hoeft

It is Holy Week.  This week is a meaningful time for Christians everywhere.  In the Philippines, most stores and restaurants are closed on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and schools are not in session on those days either.  Therefore, our school, Cebu Children of Hope, held it's Easter celebration on Wednesday.  The event started with a reading of Scripture - recounting the events of Jesus' last days on Earth.  Then there were games, crafts and praise and worship.  

I was moved during the praise and worship, and as you can see below, I was not the only one!  How blessed are we to be children of the Most High God!  That He, being without blemish, laid His life down for ours when we needed it most, but were also the most undeserving.  

May you and your families be blessed this Easter and remember God's goodness and Jesus' sacrifice.

 

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Praise the Lord!  He is risen!  He is risen indeed!

Have Fun with Math and Science!

Science and Math Day is always fun for everyone at CCHS.  It is a whole day affair full of interesting activities.

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Recently, everyone had a lot of fun during the science and math culminating activity.  In the morning, there was a math quiz bowl with the students grouped into teams.  The students took turns answering math questions categorized by levels of difficulty:  easy, average, and difficult.  It was so cool to see the students think and analyze. 

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The afternoon events focused on topics the students had been learning about in their science classes.  Different presentations were given by each of the science classes.  The highlight was the demonstration from the Group 4 class about static electricity.   Examples of static electricity were shown using balloons.  The students were amazed with what they saw and discovered.  It was super fun for everyone!

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