Staff Blog

Continuing on with the theme of kites!  Recently, I spent an afternoon hanging out with the kids at the shelter.  Almost immediately, Jhaycob ran up to me with a tangled-up pile of string.  He wanted me to untangle it so he could use it to fly his kite.  I began looking around the yard and it was incredible how many kids were playing with kites.  Some were making them, and others were busy untangling strings.  Some of the kids were the "holders" and others were the "runners".  Toddlers dragged plastic bags across the yard, and the older kids and houseparents had huge, fancy kites flying high in the sky!  Some of the kites even had writing on them: "Fly CSC", "Cherne WOW", and "WOW CSC"!  Enjoy a video of some of the different activities that were going on that day!

Everybody gets to join in on the kite fun at CSC.  Friday was the preschooler's last full day of school.  Uncle Marcel came into their class and taught them all how to make kites!  They were so proud to each have on of their own!  Enjoy the pictures of the kids making and attempting to fly their kites!  

Whenever we're on duty, we help with putting the kids to bed. One of the things I love about putting the kids to bed is sharing bedtime prayers with them. The children are so surrounded by strong people of faith here at CSC - their house parents, staff, teachers, aunties, and counselors. Their prayers reflect what they've seen and heard modeled for them. They are thoughtful, sincere, and even eloquent.

Last night when we were on duty, there were prayers for lots of different things. Here are a few of my favorites:

• giving thanks for CSC
• giving thanks for the aunties and house parents
• giving thanks for hot dogs
• asking for a mommy and daddy
• asking for strength and wisdom on upcoming on final tests
• asking for healing for kids in "iso"

And the most touching prayer of all was a heartfelt request from one of the 12-year old girls in the house. She asked God to please comfort a family whose oldest sibling had recently turned 18 and could no longer be adopted. This was particularly moving to me because those siblings that she was praying for don't even live in her house at CSC. In that moment I realized what a supportive place CSC is - that all the kids and house parents and staff are praying across houses, across siblings, across ages, for God's presence in each of their lives.  What a cool thing to be a part of.

Summer is here!  What does that mean to an island that remains tropical all year round?  Good question!  It really only means that it is hotter-a LOT hotter!  And there is less rain.  And its hot.  And your umbrella is your most prized possession because it protects you from the fierce sun.  And then there's the heat.  But really, I'm not all that grumpy about it...just a little grumpy about it...   :)

The kids, however, are unfazed by the heat.  They still run and play without abandon.  I, however, sit in the shade and look on with amazement---my mouth hanging open.

The summer brings with it new activities.  KITE SEASON is here once again!  It is almost as if a switch turns on inside of them and they all decide today is the day for kite-flying.  And they MAKE them!  Watching them making them is a favorite pasttime of mine---again, I do so in the shade, in case you were wondering!  :)

They are making these kites from twigs from brooms, plastic grocery bags, and string.  Permission to be amazed granted!

In flight!

Other summer activities...

CHALK!!!

FUN IN THE SHADE---These wise girls are making crafts with flower blossoms!

What pure happiness looks like! 

He is our newest kid, but it already seems like he has been with us for quite some time.  God has blessed us and him with a smooth transition and we are happy to have him here with us!

 Its hard to be grumpy about the heat when you have this smile to look at!

Thank the Lord for these children that bless me every day and remind me of God's endless provision and goodness!

Glory be to Him always!

Imagine what it would be like to wake up knowing today is the last day you will see your child. I wonder how carefully you would choose their clothes or the last words to share with them. I wonder how hollow it would feel to stand on the sidewalk as they are driven away. 

Imagine returning home without your children in tow. They were with you when you walked out of the neighborhood, but now you walk alone. Your world is upended. You’ve lost the title “mom” or “dad.” To make matters worse everyone is watching you from their front step or window. Secrets don’t keep long where you live—especially secrets like this.

People know what you’ve done and they don’t restrain themselves from staring. This is a lonely walk back to an empty home.

You can’t believe it got to this point. How could it? You didn’t have children to abandon them. But then he left, and there were no jobs to be found. The life you dreamed of isn’t visible anymore, and you don’t have anywhere to turn. Somehow the best option became giving them away.

Sometimes when I’m speaking to a group a person will ask how our kids end up in the care of the Children's Shelter of Cebu. I’ll confess that for most of the children a parent is still alive. “How could their parents just abandon them,” they wonder. It’s hard to explain. In our good-Christian mentality, you just don’t ever give up on your kids.

It’s hard to describe the straight jacket that is total poverty and utter hopelessness. It’s hard to explain not being able to protect or provide for your child. I can’t pretend to understand, but I know it’s easier to demonize the mom who couldn’t care for her baby than to put myself in her shoes. She doesn’t deserve to be understood because of what she’s done. Right?

I don’t know. High horses are easy to climb on when you’re propped up in a world of options. Judgment comes easy on this, but judgment has always been easier than understanding, including when a mom concludes her child is better off without her.  Judgment isn't our job at CSC. Our job is to love that child the best we can. It's the least we can do for those moms whose seperation is not the mark of selfishness, but of sacrifice.