Staff Blog

• I will keep my promises.
• I will not make excuses.
• I will do all my work to the best of my ability.
• I will make things right when I do wrong.
• I will know my duty and do my duty.

(Character First! Education Series 2, booklet 1)

The statements mentioned above are not early New Year resolutions.  They are some helpful tips students have been learning in order to form responsible habits.

The question is: what is responsibility?  Responsibility means knowing and doing what is expected of me. (Character First! Education Series 2, booklet 1)

Wow! Sounds simple and easy, right?  That’s what the Group 4 Bible Class students thought at first, but they soon realized the words “easier said than done” are quite true.  Amazing!  As their teacher, I never expected those words would come from my young students.

Great realization kids!  Keep it up!

Friends are great!  It is wonderful to know that someone is excited to see you and spend time with you.  You can share stories, ideas, laughter, and so much more.

Within the past two weeks, six new children of arrived at shelter.   They are excited to be here, but also a little apprehensive about the who will be their friends.  Luckily for them, all the other children know exactly what it is like to be the new kid. 

The older girls in Cherne home were having a hard time waiting for their new housemate to come out of isolation.  She had a cough and needed to wait a couple days.  The girls would sit on the stairs to the infirmary and get to know the new girl. 

When she finally was given the all clear to join the home, she was accompanied by her new friends to her new home.

Sometime adults worry about how younger children will get along with each other.  One of the new boys has an older sister.  She is in school all day and he is preschool so he is only in school for a couple hours.  Will he be all right without his sister by his side all afternoon?

With the help of his new friend on the left, there are no worries.

The adults of CSC show love to the children and teach them trust.  Sometimes the adults forget just how much the children can do for each other.  The love and care for fellow children just as important.

Pray the children will continue to share love with their fellow children.  Pray the new children will settle in and make friends.  Pray all the children will be able to feel God’s love for them—whether it is from an auntie or uncle or fellow child.

Most Cebuanos my age grew up with a saying that goes “Bisan saging, basta loving.”  This saying means that even when the family is eating bananas all the time, as long as they love each other, the family is okay.

The passage, Proverbs 15:17, “Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred” reminds me of that old saying.  It also reflects on the situations CSC’s children came from.  Not the whole, but the part about bananas and hatred.  The kids at CSC have come from different situations of poverty, neglect, abuse, and abandonment.  Some of the kids came from loving situations that deteriorated because one parent died suddenly. The one parent left behind could not cope up with trying to earn a living while taking care of the children at the same time.  Some of the kids came from broken families.  Most of them were abused before being cast aside when a parent got involved in a new relationship.

Bisan saging basta loving.  Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.  Some of these children did not have anything at all, no bananas, no vegetables, no fattened calf, no one to turn to, and most of all, no love, but had an abundance of hatred at times.  

Kindness, understanding, patience, hope, faith, joy, grace, and most of all, love.  This brings to mind that this is what CSC is all about.  It is not because of the beautifully maintained houses, medical building, and school, nor the playground and other things, though all of these have helped.  But, it is the people that made the shelter what it is.  Feelings of warmth and welcome are created by people who are kind, generous, patient, hopeful, understanding, even-tempered, and most of all, loving. Different backgrounds, educated to the less educated, Americans and Filipinos, people who answered God’s call to pray, give generously, volunteer their time during mailings, and serve on the CSC Boards both here in Cebu and in the US.  They came together to serve in a ministry that not only provided a roof over the heads of these children, but the loving-kindness and the grace of God that the children had not experienced before.

At CSC, there is no “bisan saging basta loving,” and  “no better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.” CSC is a big home, a big family that God has blessed with His love and grace.  Thank you Lord for the people who answered Your call to serve in this ministry.         

Teacher conferences about the students are different at the shelter.  The teachers meet with the house parents and child development team to talk about the academic progress of the children.  I like hearing about the progress and growth of all the children.  The teachers have great insights into the children.  And of course they also have some funny and heartwarming stories to share.  Here are a few for you. 

This girl asks the teacher each morning, “What are the things we need to do this morning?”

She is a little teacher, helping explain the lessons to her other classmates.

The teacher says this boy “brings happiness into the class.”  His house father gave him a math word problem on day, “I give you one banana and one mango.  How many fruits to you have now?”  He answers without missing a beat, “Fruit salad!” 

Five students are in the pre-kindergarten class, getting ready to move into kindergarten next year.  They are learning about animals and their babies.  Dogs have puppies.  Cats have kittens.  Pigs babies are piglets.  One of the kids asked the teacher, “What are baby fish called?”  This boy answered the other student, “Fishlets!” 

This student remembers previous topics and connects them to current topics, sometimes interrupting the teacher.  He tries spelling out new words to himself as the teacher is explaining the meaning.  He is enthusiastic about learning and knowing things. 

She does not like holidays because she likes school.

The teacher says, “Her presence makes class enjoyable and challenges other students.”

He is kind-hearted and caring toward his classmates.

She is eager to share her ideas and answers, sometimes before the question is read.  It is hard to answer correctly when the question is not known. 

Many days he can be heard offering help to a classmate, “Let me help you.”

“Her interest in everything in school helps her tackle difficulties.”

The reading challenge just finished and this girl did not win.  Her teacher overheard her say, “The winner, she reads so fast.  I will win next year.”  She is striving to improve.

Science class started learning about natural resources.  This student raised her hand concerned, “What are we going to do when they run out?”  She knows the right question to ask from the beginning.

Here is some of the students' work from the first quarter.  Enjoy!

There have been lots of exciting things happening at Cebu Children of Hope School lately. 

Reading challenge finished recently and the winners took a trip to a local used bookstore and each got to choose a cool book.  All of the kids who participated in reading challenge are on a field trip today to the local library.

We have completed our first quarter of school and conferences finished up last week.  The teachers shared about each of the students in their class with the houseparents and select staff for three afternoons. It was great to hear so many fun stories and positive things that are happening in each classroom.  We have a wonderful group of dedicated teachers and it was exciting to spend time discussing the kids progress with them.

Three new students started this second quarter already and three more will be starting tomorrow.  This is an unique and awesome thing about Cebu Children of Hope School.  Kids can start school as soon as they are admitted to CSC.  Exciting!  Pray for our new kids and teachers as they adjust to their new school and classroom.

Keep checking back at our blogs to hear more stories and see more pictures of all the exciting happenings at CCHS!  United Nations Day is fast approaching in October!