In the book of Esther in the Bible, Haman wanted to bring destruction to the Jewish people. The account was able to outline his motives and plans to harm them.
Her thoughts must have been racing, considering each option of salvation for her people and consequences of each one. I imagine that she looked back at her experiences to find insight and answers that could be useful. Esther saw where she hit dead ends and made mistakes; and yet, she also saw how she was able to overcome her challenges and thrive by using her God-given gifts, skills, and abilities. Esther was able to see situations where she was celebrated and favored by both God and man.
From being a humble commoner, she had risen to become a queen. I can imagine Esther struggling with the knowledge that this evil was attempting to annihilate her tribe from the face of the earth. "Lord, thank You for Your love. Please give me clarity of purpose for this season," she must have prayed. "How do I use what You have placed in my hands?" All of these life events and God, her HOPE, prepared her for such a time as this (Esther 4:14) to advocate for salvation even at the cost of losing her life.
In the same way, this pandemic, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), threatens our families, relationships, peace of mind, way of living--our very existence. Some of us are called to be at the frontlines. Others of us are asked to cooperate by staying at home. Either way, we can take this time to worship Him and ask for clarity of purpose for this season. I believe that God has given to each of us gifts, skills, and abilities that were created for His glory for us to steward for such a time as this.
This blog post is dedicated to all the frontliners here in the Philippines who work for vulnerable children and families. Thank you for your courage and embracing your purpose today, working for our benefit and welfare. You are a blessing. Thank you for the good work you are doing.
Lord, into your hands we commit the frontliners. Please keep them safe and provide supernatural strength and wisdom for them to carry out their tasks. I also pray for their household that You bless and hold them in Your hands. Amen.
Cooks Return to the Kitchen
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!
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.
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
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!
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!
He is risen, He is risen indeed!
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.
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.
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.
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!