Staff Blog
How do you know if what you're doing really matters? Does the same effort always produce the same results? How do you quantify the investment you make in someone's life? These are all questions that never seem to have a concrete answer, but nevertheless they consume our thoughts on a daily basis.
In reading a devotional recently, I was reminded that the culture and society we live in today is focused on success. We're constantly being asked what we've accomplished, how many "wins" we have, ... as if the evidence of success is measured by how much we have or have done.
Those of us who have a relationship with Jesus should have a different perspective. From the beginning, God had a plan for us:
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Genesis 1:28 (NIV)
Being fruitful is different from being successful. Jesus said it this way:
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." John 15:1-4 (NIV)
At CSC, our investment in the lives of the children in our care cannot always be measured. Physical growth, academic achievement and emotional maturity are all markers of growth, but we won't likely see the fruit until much later. In fact, many of those in our care now may experience many years of struggle and hardship before years of joy and contentment.
We're in the process of building a new home on a familiar site to many in Cebu. The new home and office complex is where CSC has done ministry for the past 30 of our last 45 years. The home will be a combination of apartment- and dorm-style housing and will be geared toward our young and emerging adult residents. The location is ideal and will offer our older residents better access to the city, for schooling and employment. The program we are offering these residents will be custom-tailored to strengthen their life skills and set them up to pursue their personal hopes and dreams and strive to be the people God had designed them to be. We appreciate your prayer and support. We're excited to share more with you in the coming weeks!
Who knows what the future holds for those CSC who make a life for themselves in the Philippines. God does. And we will be there for them every step of the way.
Grace and Peace,
Kirby Stoll
President/CEO
The Sun
Every day at Cebu Children of Hope School (CCHS) we start our day with something called Morning Meeting. This is a "soft landing" time for our children which enables them to calm their bodies, practice social skills, and prepare for a great day of learning. Part of every Morning Meeting is a time for kids to share. Sometimes the question is about what they did over the weekend, sometimes the question is related to the day's lessons.
Teacher Chery and Teacher Mae lead the Morning Meeting for Level A1, our four energetic kindergarteners. Here is a conversation they recently had in their classroom, with the question relating to the day's science lesson.
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Teacher Mae asked, "Where do you think the sun will go during the night?"
Student 1: The sun goes under the sea at night because it goes under the line (he means the horizon).
Student 2: The sun is on the ground teacher.
Student 3: Hmmmmmm... the sun will go to bed and sleep.
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Even with their young minds, these children have great ideas that even surprise us adults at times. Each child at CCHS is surrounded by great teachers who have dedicated their lives to help enlighten and empower their students so they can understand everything from where the sun goes at night to understanding how the God who made the sun loves them unconditionally. Thank you for supporting the work that is happening every day at CCHS!
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Pag Ibig Award
Recently CSC received an award from the Pag-IBIG Fund, the Philippine government financial agency that is handling the mortgages for our 60 employees who are receiving Habitat for Humanity homes. The award recognizes the role of CSC in this project on behalf of our employees, who are all automatically members of Pag-Ibig.
This award is a testimony to the work of Paul Reasoner, who raised funds to help alieviate the financial burden for our workers and make their mortgages more affordable for them. We are an organization that values our employees and we have been concerned that they have decent housing. Many have lived in sub-standard houses prior to this project, and would not have had even the hope of having their own house and lot without the cooperative efforts of CSC, Pag-IBIG Fund and Habitat for Humanity. This award reflects that concern of CSC, and the partnership of the agencies who are all dedicated to getting deserving people into safe and affordable housing.
Pastor Fred Verdeflor, who is the husband of our CSC nurse Arlyn and President of the CSC Happy Homes homeowners association, went to Manila to accept the award on behalf of CSC.
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Life Cycles
All living things undergo different stages during their life. Some living things start as a seed, pollen, or spore. Other organisms such as animals start as a live young or an egg that sometimes needs to undergo the process of metamorphosis which completely changes their appearance.
In my Level B2 science class the students were able to witness the process of metamorphosis. We started in the caterpillar stage where the students saw how many leaves the caterpillar consumed. After several weeks it became a pupa. The students were very eager to look at the changes every day though it stunk when they opened the lid of the box. The day finally arrived when the caterpillar became a moth! We all went outside and set the moth free. The students were so excited to be a part of this process!
The whole activity took a lot of time and dedication but the result was very fulfilling. The students were able to learn not just how metamorphosis works but also about patience, perseverance, and having a love for nature.
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2018 Highlights
CSC Higlights of 2018
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Christmas 2018
Click to see pics of the different activities at CSC this Christmas. Our generous donors allow us to give lots of fun times to the children. God bless you all.
Junel's Box 2018 - Inayawan, Cebu City
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