Staff Blog
(names removed for privacy)
As adults, we typically abhor traffic. A commute that takes 3 or 4-times longer than usual would be exhausting, leaving us on the verge of tears or on the verge of calling it quits. There are, however, those rare occasions when traffic jams can be one of the most amazing, uplifting, and life-altering experiences.
Not long ago, I walked into the Eicher home as [John] and [Jane] were preparing their packed lunches. I closed my rain-soaked umbrella, set it by the door, and made my way towards the kitchen where they worked diligently and with purpose. In an hour, they would be leaving for their second day of school.
"Uncle Roberto, you won't believe what happened yesterday," yelled [Jane].
"Yeah, it took us almost two hours to get home," added [John]. "It was amazing!"
Initially, I was confused by their statements. Yesterday was their first day at the University of Cebu. In fact, I had gone to the Eicher Home specifically to ask them about it. How were their teachers? How was the campus? How was the commute? Judging by their words, their first day of school was awful, and yet they seemed overjoyed and anxious to get back.
"What happened? Tell me about it," I asked.
They proceeded to tell me that the rain wreaked havoc on the roads; not a single vehicle was moving when they started their commute home. On top of that, all the Jeepneys were full, but even if they could get onto one it would likely be stuck in the bumper-to-bumper traffic from downtown to Banawa. They told me that they, along with the other CSC residents that attend UC (7 in total) decided to start walking together towards home while keeping an eye out for open seats on a jeepney. They eventually made their way to One Pavilion in Guadalupe when they called a house father to come pick them up and bring them the rest of the way.
I was in shock, but they were overjoyed. As they were sharing their story, it became clear that the source of their excitement was rooted in a deep sense of accomplishment. In their minds and in their hearts, they had finally done it. They had been taught and trusted by their houseparents and all of us at CSC to commute to school on their own, and they were able to accomplish the task on their first try, on their very first day, and in the face of difficult circumstances. In that moment, they had taken a big step towards independence and adulthood. Plus, they were able to experience something that, in many ways, is quintessentially Cebuano and quintessentially Filipino; something that they had heard every adult, every laborer, every taxi and jeepney driver, every Auntie and Uncle at CSC complain about. They were able to experience traffic, and like responsible adults, they didn't give up. They found a way to make it home, finish their schoolwork, and prepare themselves to do it all over again.
As I bid them farewell and opened my umbrella, I couldn't help but wonder what new and amazing things their second day of school would bring.
Books! Books! Books!
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Dr. Seuss
Kind, generous people send all sorts of needed things to the shelter and school. Earlier in the summer a couple of boxes arrived with an assortment of clothes, toiletries, shoes, toys, books and more. BOOKS! We’re always happy to get books at school. We were curious as to who sent the books since we had not been expecting lots of books. We were told that, once again, a wonderful friend who is a media specialist in a school had “secretly” given the books.
The kids noticed the books up high on a shelf right away when they came for library and asked if they could check them out. Since the books needed to be entered into the library system and the usual person who does that work was on maternity leave, the kids have had to wait a bit to check out the new books. Well, the books are ready now! Thank you for giving these beautiful books. We are so blessed to have tons and tons of books.
“There is more treasure in BOOKS than in all the PIRATES’ LOOT on Treasure Island.” Walt Disney
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Saying Goodbye
Hellos and goodbyes are rather routine at CSC. We welcome new kids into our homes, and then serve them in a variety of ways including teaching, playing, sitting, poking at bugs, listening, hugging, healing, caring, and many other things. Eventually, we have to stop and say farewell to these kids. This is one of those bittersweet pieces of serving at CSC. I don't like saying goodbye because these are kids I've grown to know and love. And yet, I am grateful to know God has answered prayers by providing a family, in his perfect timing and way. Sometimes it takes a lot longer than we would hope or expect, but God does a lot in the lives of the kids and families during this time. It's a season of preparation and patience.
But here we are, reaching a time soon when we will say farewell to a sibling group of 3, after years of waiting. These are the same kids I took to Manila back in January. I've also had the opportunity to facilitate their Skype phone calls with their adoptive family, and teach them American Studies. As a result, I've gotten to know them well. In the midst of it all, I know that God has ordained them to continue on their way to the next chapter of their lives. I've been able to witness growth and change in the lives of these 3 young kids and I know they will be a blessing to their adoptive parents and the community where they will live. While they will certainly be missed around CSC, I know they will be loved and cared for by capable and loving parents. I have been able to witness the bond the children have with their adoptive family over Skype and I am eager to see them fit together as a family, in the unique ways God has prepared for them. So while the goodbye may be challenging in the short term, the long term trust and knowledge that God has prepared them for a new life in a different country is what brings comfort and excitement. I know God will continue to work in this family and use both the parents and the children to bring honor and glory to himself.
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Hanging out on the Basketball Court
Most of my day is spent working in the office doing HR
responsibilities. At the end of the day I look forward to going to the
shelter and hanging out with the kids. One of my favorite things to play with them is basketball. Basketball is popular at CSC and you can always find someone playing on the
basketball court. I enjoy getting to know the kids through shooting
baskets, playing one on one, or a team game. Basketball is always fun at CSC. It’s a great way to end my day!
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A Solution
Teacher Cris’ class was working on ordering numbers in math class recently. She had taken her students through the steps of comparing two three-digit numbers to figure out which one was the least and which one was the greatest. They had worked on the skill together using many different number pairs.
Then when it came to independent practice, things got a bit
more confusing. Right away one student
piped up and said, “The numbers are different!”
Teacher Cris reassured the student that the process was the same even if
the numbers had changed. She said, “Look
at the numbers in the hundreds place value and see if they are the same or
different.” And so on.
When Teacher Cris looked up next, the same student was clutching his paper to his chest, walking around the room and singing the worship song 10,000 Reasons:
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I’ll worship His holy name.
He went back to his seat and continued to work on his math as he sang. Teacher Cris was humbled by her student’s response to his problem. What a sweet reminder to call on God when we need help.
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Continuing the Commitment
The past week was a little intense for our inspirational speaker. If you remember, last year Jacob had his launching as an inspirational speaker at Cebu Children of Hope School. He then spoke at one of the local colleges. After a long rest of not giving speeches, Jacob got booked at two different schools last week; Baptist Theological College (BTC) and Southwestern University’s (SWU) Physical and Occupational Therapy Department.
The 3rd and 4th year students and teachers of BTC lingered around after the short program. They told Jacob how blessed they were hearing his testimony. It was an awesome experience not only for Jacob but for Ginda, Joemar and Wilmar who attended the program as well.
Wilmar was asked to give a
sample of his singing voice. Without any hesitation, he stood up, grabbed the
microphone and sang “One Way.” It was amazing to see him singing with so much
confidence. Ginda and Joemar, on the
other hand, were surrounded by students and teachers talking and asking them
questions.
The 4th and 5th year students at SWU also had a lot of good questions to ask. They were interested to know what kind of physical therapy exercises Jacob receives. Some were also interested to hear more about CSC itself. Others recognized Joemar as a server at a fast food chain. Wilmar graciously sang “Let It Go” from the movie Frozen.
The therapy department at CSC continues
to do its best to pursue this endeavor—exposing our special needs kids to the
community and in turn teaching the community through this effort. Keep us in your prayers as we look for new
avenues for these special needs young adults.
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