Staff Blog
This week, Heather and I had a Skype meeting with two missionaries from Menomonie, WI. We had never met before, so we took the time get to know one another, talk about our respective ministries, and pray for each other. Before praying, they asked me, "what are some of your needs that we can be praying for at this time?"
It's not an uncommon question, and it certainly wasn't unexpected, but it's been rattling around in my heart ever since.
There are a lot of visible needs at the Shelter during this pandemic. There's the need for health and safety. The need for hand sanitizer and personal protective equipment. There's the need for food, clean water, school curriculum, clothing, and medicine. For those of us going around town, there's the need for documentation and preparation to ensure safe passage through checkpoints. By the grace of God, through the generosity of our supporters, all these things have been provided. The children can play games, enjoy full meals, and receive all the love, support, and care that we can muster.
Then there are those needs that aren't as visible. There's the need for strength and calm; for endurance, patience, diligence, and faithfulness. There's the need for friendships and encouragement. There's the need for prayer and time spent with the One who ultimately provides for all our needs. Thank you for praying with us. I can tell you firsthand that they are being felt as we navigate this pandemic together.
There is a need I fear may go unnoticed, forgotten, or neglected by the world at large ...
But the one need that's been rattling around in my heart is one that I fear may go unnoticed, forgotten, or neglected by the world at large. This pandemic has strained governments and the systems that we have in place to help the vulnerable; to help the widow and the orphan—to help the least of these (Matt 25:40). Since the start of this pandemic, we have not had any children placed with adoptive families, and only a handful of our children have been presented for regional, national, or international matching (that is to say, the processes that governments use to match children with prospective adoptive families, both locally and internationally, has been severely hindered due to the coronavirus pandemic). What makes this reality even more difficult to face is the fact that quite a few of our children will be aging out of adoption in the coming months; meaning, they will reach an age where adoption is no longer allowed.
This is a video of an extremely long line that formed in Guadalupe, Cebu City when the local government announced it would be disbursing aid to impoverished families during the quarantine. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which we work with for referrals and placements, is also tasked with handing out this aid.
We knew this day could potentially come for our older children, and we've been doing our best to prepare all our kids for whatever life has in store for them, including independent adult life in the Philippines. We will prayerfully continue to do so, hoping to launch our older children into a healthy and beautiful adulthood.
But I would like to ask all of you to please take some extra time to pray. Pray for these kids who will be aging out in the coming months. Pray that they will be able to cope emotionally, and pray that all of us at CSC are able to provide them with the love and support that they need to be launched into a beautiful future without an adoptive family.
And pray for a miracle. Some of our kids have less than a few months before aging out. Pray that domestic and international government agencies will be able to process the needed paperwork, and that the right families will be searching at just the right time. Thank you for praying with us.
40 Years of Fun
CSC will be celebrating 40 years of ministry on June 28 and 29 here in Cebu City. Plan to be with us for this exciting and meaningful look at how this ministry has grown and thrived since our inception in 1979. We will be celebrating the goodness of God and the contributions of the many people who have given of themselves to make many good things happen here. Check out our videos that give a taste of the celebration.
Video Trailer 40 Years of Performances
40 Years of Great Kids 40 Years of Twins
40 Years of Adoptions 40 Years of Fun
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Math and Science Day at CCHS
What an exciting event last Friday! CCHS hosted our annual Math and Science Day where students individually competed to show their skill and knowledge as well as worked together in small teams. CCHS students had a chance to participate in the following events: Math-Science Scholastic Bowl, Math-Science Dance contest, Games, Science Experiments, and Awarding.
CCHS is very grateful to the teachers who made this activity fun for our students, to the students who gave their best effort in all of the activities, to our judges on the dance contest, and our visitors. We give God the glory and honor for a successful event.
Here are some pictures showing this great event!
Math-Science Dance Contest
Math Science Scholastic Bowl – It was a great opportunity for our students to showcase what they have learned in the classroom. The students answered questions from easy to challenging.
Preschool Counting Activity – Match that Number
Go Preschoolers!
Level A Measuring Activity - Jumping Frog
Keep that frog jumping!
Level B Gravity - Cotton Blowing
Blow more! Keep blowing! Don't let it drop!
Level C Balancing – Bicycle Racing
The ultimate winner of this event was the contestant who had the longest time consumed to reach the finish line.
Volcano: Watch carefully for the volcano's eruption! Don't blink your eyes on this one.
Balloon: Shake, shake, shake until it inflates!
Egg: Wrap the egg well so that it does not break when it falls from a high elevation.
Rubik's Cube: This was the most mind boggling event. We all waited for the first one to finish and hit the bell. Cherry Mae (in the green shirt) solved the cube in 48 seconds!
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The Underground River
This week, my Level A2 students finished the topic about the natural sceneries of the Philippines. One of the natural sceneries talked about really amazed everyone: the Underground River in Palawan. During the discussion the students asked many great questions.
Here are some of them:
1.) Is it scary inside?
2.) Are there lights around?
3.) What animals can be found inside?
4.) What if an earthquake happens, will the cave collapse?
5.) Is there a ghost inside?
6.) How did the water enter the cave?
7.) Can we go inside the cave just by swimming?
8.) How many bats are there in the cave?
9.) If the boat we are riding in turns upside down, what will happen?
10.) Is it okay to make noise inside the cave?
After the questions were answered, I asked them to raise their hand if they wanted to visit the underground river soon. Out of five, four raised their hands and one was undecided. The other students tried to convince her to raise her hand but she didn't. I then asked her why. This was her reply: I'm scared to go in the river!
The class was then given a culminating activity which was to draw a picture of an underground river. At first I thought the students would find it hard to do but I was wrong. All of them couldn't wait to start drawing their picture!
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Green CSC
Check out the changing look of CSC. Solar panels have been installed on the roofs of the Cherne and Eicher Homes and at the school. This will save us thousands of dollars in electric bills every month. It has changed the look of the houses, especilly the Cherne Home. But the savings will soften the blow a little. At CSC we want to be good stewards of the money that God has entrusted to us and that comes from friends like you. Money saved here will be available for food, medicine and the education of our children.
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Tools!
It is really nice to dream about something big. It gives you strength to achieve your desired goals in life. One goal our preschoolers have is to live in a loving home surrounded by their family. But, if you look closely at a home, it takes a lot of work to build, just like our dreams.
During a recent art class in preschool, we introduced the students to different tools we use to build things. It started from reading a story (which they really loved!) to a coloring activity and our last activity for them was to have a first-hand experience on how to use the different tools. We went to the shelter and, through the help of Uncle Cio, the students were able to saw, hammer, and measure. We let our students try each tool one at a time to avoid chaos and to ensure safety. Clearly, their eagerness overflowed as they patiently waited for their turn and the whole activity was filled with so much fun!
As teachers, our ultimate goal is to help our students build a strong foundation so they can achieve their dreams and aspirations in life. At Cebu Children of Hope School we have a huge supportive team around the world who support the ministry so us teachers can help our students dream dreams of what their lives could look like. We, together, are all building a fantastic future for these kids!
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