Staff Blog

I just happened to be walking down the driveway of our compound earlier this week when I noticed small white bits floating through the air in front of me and they were blowing by my feet as well.  I, being a born and bred Minnesotan, first thought of snow (just for a split second, mind you).  I know this Winter has been hard for most and I feel for all of you who have struggled through the bitter cold and the seemingly endless snow.  I pray that Spring makes a glorious reveal in the NEAR future and that Summer and Fall are so wonderful that someday soon this past Winter is nothing but a faint memory.

But back to the white things---they, of course, were not snow!  It is the Philippines after all.  :)  After looking at the white things and hearing many giggles to my left, I decided to examine what that giggling group of small boys were doing.  They were making snow!  They had bits of styrofoam that they were rubbing against the bark of a tree and it was flying around like snow.

And they were SO happy about it---giddy even!  I couldn't help but smile.  If you ask any of our kids here---hands down the thing they are most interested in experiencing is SNOW!!!  It is a puzzling thing to them.  They can't understand frozen water and just how cold a place can be to have piles of it just lying around and not melting. Within minutes of a drink sitting out here, the ice is gone and the liquid is already starting to warm.  And a cold day here is 75 and cloudy (long sleeves are needed).  And that is all they have ever known.

I continued on my way, but I couldn't help but hum, "Let it snow!  Let it snow!  Let it snow!"  :)

God bless you all and stay warm!

I have great news from our founder and Medical Director, Marlys Healy. Little Thomas, who had major surgery on his skull in early February, got the last of his stiches removed! This means no more bandages, too. Whew!

We have watched this boy endure so much since he arrived at CSC. He has found a soft spot in many hearts. I'll never forget watching him leave pre-op on the day of the surgery and trying not to wonder if he would make it. As we tried to work in Cebu that day there were many pauses when one of us would say, "I hope he's doing okay."

The love for Thomas didn't stop in Cebu. It was amazing to hear word of people praying all over the world for him. You will be glad to know Thomas can finally itch his head. Marlys said he looked ecstatic to finally be able to do so! They have him in mittens to make sure he doesn't get overzealous or pull at his nose shunts, but Thomas is doing well. Look at that cute hairdo his bandages were covering. What a guy, our Thomas. Thanks for loving him with us.

Danneil is one year and eight months old, and has been sick for much of his life. He has a problem called vesicoureteral reflux, which is an abnormal flow of urine from the bladder to the upper urinary tract. In VUR, urine may flow back—reflux—into one or both ureters and, in some cases, to one or both kidneys. VUR that affects only one ureter and kidney is called unilateral reflux, and VUR that affects both ureters and kidneys is called bilateral reflux.  Danneil's VUR is unilateral. Danneil has been sick much of the time since he came to CSC on 8-16-12, so it has been difficult to pursue having surgery that he needs to correct this problem.  He was discharged from the hospital on 3-18-14 where he was confined for a week for diarrhea and fever. The other day we spoke to the urologist and he ordered another test called a VCUG.  It is a technique for watching a person's urethra and urinary bladder while the person urinates (voids). The technique consists of catheterizing the person in order to fill the bladder with a radiocontrast agent. The results showed that he does need the surgery as soon as possible. We are  scrambling to get this done before he gets sick again.  Usually he has pneumonia, but he also has occasional urinary tract infections.  The surgery is tentatively planned for Thursday morning, March 27. Please pray for our little guy as he faces this surgery, and for Marlys and our medical team as they work with the doctor and make the arrangements for his aftercare.

One of the things that we haven't been very good at CSC over the years is documentation. Actually, we are pretty good at the documentation needed for our children: birth certificates, medical reports, child study and developmental reports, pictures, etc. But we haven't spent much time putting down on paper the history of CSC. Working with kids in the way that we do, we move from one big thing to the next. Children come and they go and new ones come. Events occur but we don't have time to sit and think about them and their significance.

I've been thinking a lot about this lately. We need to get these things in writing. We need to document the ways that God has worked and blessed us in this ministry. We need to put our memories in written form so others can be edified, and even entertained, by them. CSC is an amazing ministry that has enjoyed God's favor for 35 years. People have made huge contributions with their time, talents and treasures. Children have blessed lives here and in the homes and communities where they have settled through adoption. Hurdles have been overcome. Prayers have been answered in miraculous ways.

So, with some fear and trepidation, I am going to begin work soon on this huge project. I will be assembling written materials, pictures and newsletters. I'm going to interview people who have been on our staff or our board, or who have been close to the ministry in different ways. I'm going to pick their minds, looking for stories and accounts that will help tell the story of CSC's first 35 years. It will be a big job, and I worry that I won 't be able to do justice to the people and events that have been used and shaped by God through our history. For Marlys and me it has been a tremendous ride. I want the book to accurately highlight that ride, and the rides of others who have helped make CSC work so well since 1979.

The end of the school year is only one month away for the students of Children of Hope School.  They have worked hard and learned a ton of great things. 

Recently, they took some time to share some of the things they have learned.  During the math and science day, each level presented things they had studied.  Some of the Level B students have been learning about systems of the human body.  They explained the workings of the skeletal system and the digestive system to all the other students. They did a great job identifying the bones!

There were many highlights during the reading and writing day.  Many students shared stories and poems they had written.  Check out one of the students reciting the poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, “The Wind.”

In between the presentation by students were games.  The tongue twister challenge was a blast.  See if you can do any better than the Children of Hope students!