Staff Blog

Today was a special day.  Today one of CSC's children was dedicated.  CSC does not have the privilege of bearing witness to such ceremonies for all of its children, so when it does happen it is a treasured time.  Of course, CSC staff and supporters, from all around the world (and around the clock) are constantly praying for our children.  And in those prayers, God is given the authority to guide caregivers in how they care for each child, to draw His children closer to Him and to be under His protective care.  And while those prayers are no doubt honored by God, there is something powerful and sacred in the ceremony of a dedication that is God-honoring. 

In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter six, verses five to seven, we can read the commandment: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Please pray for our houseparents and the very important job they have in raising each of CSC's children in the ways of the Lord.  And enjoy the pictures from today's dedication ceremony!

You might be wondering what this picture is all about! 

Each morning I have the privilege of meeting with this boy for 30 minutes of speech therapy exercises.  Because of his cleft palate, he needs additional help with pronunciation and confidence with his speaking skills.

There are many activities that we do each day, but Jeepers Peepers is the last activity (and the funnest)!  The rules of the game are as follows: one player at a time wears the “magic” glasses with a picture of an unknown object attached.  The one wearing the glasses can ask as many questions as needed to identify the object, but they can only be “yes” or “no” questions.

Most of the time, this game involves quite a few giggles!  At times, he asks for clues to help him guess.  For instance, for this particular object, he asked if it was something his caregivers would use.  When told that they would, he asked if the picture was of an umbrella.  He is quite observant because umbrellas are a daily accessory for his caregivers; they of course use umbrellas when it’s raining but they also use umbrellas to protect them from the heat of the sun. 

It’s amazing how good he is now at asking questions.  He usually correctly guesses half of the pictures given to him, and the questions he asks are much more appropriate and on the right track.  Also, this kid has such an upbeat personality---even if he doesn’t get it right, he still enjoys the game!

We recently had our annual board retreat. In a historical home on the edge of downtown Minneapolis, the board gathered to plan for the future of our ministry.

(Thank you World Mission Prayer League for the donated space)

These meetings don’t hold the emotional appeal that the kids in Cebu do. There are new residents finding their place at the shelter, and down-to-the-wire adoption dreams being worked on. Even the daily activity in the homes and at school trumps the appeal of a group of professionals gathering to pray, discuss and discern big-picture decisions. But, we also know how important that work is. As people who care about CSC you and I both want to know the ministry is charting a course towards the future that is hopeful and wise. I can see that we are.

Had you sat in on those board meetings, I trust you would have been impressed. Our members ask good, hard questions and wrestle with the direction they provide. We count on their wisdom, trust their collective savvy and lean on their prayers.

If you give to CSC to actively participate in providing a home to children, you give to a place that takes its leadership seriously. Everything that happens at CSC happens under a board that views themselves as stewards of God’s work. This is the best perspective we could ask for!

Teachers put in years of hard work learning in college to prepare themselves to step into the classroom to teach.  There are many attributes which can characterize a good teacher—knowledge, preparation, enthusiasm, connecting with the students, patience, and on and on.

The ability to learn is one of the attributes that can benefit any teacher.  There are new curriculums, methods, approaches, and theories.  And every year there are new students.

All students are different.  Some are similar in the ways they learn and how fast they understand and absorb knowledge.  Others have a different pace and others need alternate explanations.  A teacher’s ability to learn the best learning style, process, and pace for each student in the class is instrumental in helping the student understand the lesson.

The Children of Hope School teachers are impressive.  There is a range of learning styles represented in the student body and the teachers have been working hard at understanding each student.

Here is one example.  Wilmar is an active teenager who is still learning the sounds of each letter.  His focus is easily broken and he sometimes has a hard time sitting still. However, he is enthusiastic about most things and is great at memorizing melodies and lyrics of songs.   His confidence in front of a group of people has helped the adults around Wilmar to realize his learning capabilities and potential.

Wilmar’s class needed to put on a presentation for Buwan ng Wika, just like all the other classes.  They chose to do a dance.  Wilmar has trouble following set choreography and usually makes up his own moves.  How does a teacher handle a student who struggles to follow set steps of dance, but is great in musical settings?  Watch to see Teacher Alfie’s solution to help Wilmar’s class put on a good presentation with the participation of all students.

From big performances to basic classroom instructions, the teachers of Children of Hope School are meeting the students each and every day, learning how to guide them. 

Individualized Instruction (II) at CCHS is an intervention that helps students improve their academic skills, especially in reading.  But teaching II with Group 1 has been a bit different since it is a group of lively little girls rather than a one-on-one session.  They practice their beginning reading skills by reviewing their story selections and high frequency words.  After that they choose a book from the classroom mini-library and I read it to them.  The girls take turns choosing the book for the day.  Recently one of the girls chose the book Why? by Miriam Frost.  This book is full of “why” questions, so it’s perfect for building reading comprehension skills.  

The conversation while reading the book with the girls went something like this:

Question:  Why is the snow cold and not warm?

Answer:  Because it’s ice.

Question:  Why do we fall down but not up?

Answer:  Because we slide.

Question:  Why do bats sleep upside down but not right side up?

Answer:  Because the bats don’t have hands to hold. That’s why he sleeps that way.

Question:  Why do we stand on our feet but not on our hands?

Answer:  Alangan! matumba manta if mag tindog sa atong kamot. (English translation:  We will fall down if we use our hands.)  This was said in a tone of voice implying, oh come on teacher, you know the answer!

The girls are very cute!  My prayer is that they will continue to love and value books as they grow up.