Staff Blog
We hear quite a bit about the front liners who are among the heroes of the pandemic. They care for people who are sick with the virus, do testing and put themselves at risk for the sake of the public. They will get the first round of the vaccine and that's how it should be. It seems to me that there are some other heroes who have come through for us during the past year. I'm thinking of companies like Amazon who have delivered millions of packages during the pandemic, allowing people to stay home and still get the things they need. Just in household alone we have bought masks, medical equipment, medicine, software, hardware, books, Christmas decorations, kitchenwares and tools on-line. These companies have helped slow the spread of the virus buy allowing people to stay home and avoid contact at stores.
In Cebu we also have different kinds of heroes who have made major contributions towards keeping our children well. First there are the CSC front liners, the child care workers, social workers, teachers and house parents who have been locked in at CSC for nine months. They have shown amazing perseverance, personal sacrifice and dedication to the kids. We owe them a big debt of gratitude and we will always remember their contributions to CSC during our most difficult days.
Next in line for appreciation are our leaders, who have been working hard in difficult situations to insure that food, medicine and personpower are there for the children. You wouldn't believe the planning, foresight and flexibility needed and the number of Zoom meetings required to keep things running smoothly.
But there are other, more unsung heroes, people whose names we don't even know but who have helped, in their own ways, to keep our kids healthy and happy. I'm thinking of the drivers and delivery people who have brought food and medicine up to CSC throughout this pandemic. Some bring sacks of rice, fish, dry goods, meat and milk from our various suppliers around Cebu City. And our CSC drivers had to bring children to the hospital emergency room late at night or get workers home or to work, dealing with changing government policies on quarantine passes, and unpredictable road closings and police checkpoints.
Through this whole time our new Field Director, Roberto Atienza, has been at the helm, navagating CSC's ship through the choppy waters of this time of crisis, monitoring government policies, leading twice weekly staff meetings, seeing that lines of communication are open and functioning well, helping keep morale as high as possible, attending to the spiritual needs of the CSC community and keeping in touch with our stateside leaders.
The contributions of all these people have resulted in our kids never missing a meal, having all the medicine and medical care they needed and being able to continue with their schooling. But most of all, these efforts have helped keep our kids safe. Not a single case of covid has touched our kids or workers! Thank you Lord, and all the people who have given their time, talent and sweat for the sake of these precious kids.
Pray for Rovelito
Hi from Cebu. Rovelito is having surgery tomorrow (8:00 am Cebu time - 7:00 pm MN time. He is nine years old and suffered severe burns before coming to live at CSC. They will release contractures and do a skin graft. He will be hospitalized for five days and will have to wear splints for several weeks in our infirmary. Please pray for him!
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Sonia
Please pray for one of our employees, Sonia "Suzette", who had a mild stroke last night and is currently at a local hospital. Thank you.
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Lena keeps on washing
Next year we will be celebrating the 40th year of CSC's ministry in Cebu. The actual anniversary date would be May 4 as that was the day in 1979 that three of us stepped off that plane at the Cebu airport. But in March of next year there will be another important anniversary at CSC. March 1 will mark 30 years of faithful service for one of our most stalwart employees, Elena (Lena) Gomera. Lena has been washing clothes at CSC for all of those 30 years.
Through good times and bad, in good and bad weather, during times of political unrest and financial difficulty, Elena has washed clothes. No matter what else our kids need, they need clean clothes to wear. The babies need clean diapers. School kids need clean uniforms. Beds need clean sheets and pillow cases. Lena has provided that. It's by no means a glamorous job. She might be the most "taken for granted" worker at CSC. Most of her time she is in the washroom, unseen by the kids, staff and visitors. But she is washing, load after load, eight hours a day, six days a week. We are fortunate to have an employee like Lena who is faithful, dependable and solid. Thanks Lena for a job well done for almost 30 years!
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Calling All Mathematicians and Scientists!
There was A LOT of excitement at Cebu Children of Hope School this past Friday as the children participated in math and science culminating activities. In the morning were the math activities. The children were divided up into four teams (Levels A1 through C3) and they did a "math relay." The first station was the puzzle station where the children had to work together as a team to put together a puzzle showing a famous mathematician (Euclid, Descartes, Newton, and Pascal). After they completed the puzzle each person on the team had to answer an "easy" math question in order to then proceed to station two. At this station the students had to grab different random objects that, combined, would measure exactly one meter. A math question concluded this station as well but this time it was a "medium" math question. At the third station the team leader had to guide each team member as he/she walked on a line blindfolded. This was followed by every child having to answer a "difficult" math question in order to proceed to the last station called Across the River.
The afternoon was equally exciting as the children competed in science activities. My favorite one was the Ping Pong Hop. Each student had to blow a ping pong ball from one cup to the next, with the successive cups being further away from each other. The other science-themed activities were building a paper tower that could withstand the weight of 5 heavy books, making water rise using a cup and a candle, and a version of cup stacking that tested the children's quickness.
I am surrounded by a great team of teachers who work together to make CCHS a remarkable school, giving kids the skills they need so God can use them in great ways. If you are reading this and you have never visited CSC, please contact our Minnesota office. It is a trip you will never regret!
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Carnival fun with CBC
Although the Central Baptist team that was here recently came primarily to do a camp for our kids, they also helped us put on a spectacular carnival. Our kids were joined by the younger children of our workers, and were treated to booths prepared by our Child Development team, led by CD Director Eunice. There was face painting, a lollipop tree, bowling, a toilet paper toss, a fun bouncing space ship, a clothespin drop and build-a-crafts. Food booths included cotton candy, popcorn and ice cream. There was even a horse drawn carriage ride for the younger kids. It was a great day with amazing weather, and lots of energy from the Central team.
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