Blessed to be a Blessing
Another year is upon us. Already! Someone once said, "The days are long, but the years are short." I'm not so sure any more. It seems that time is moving faster and faster, at lease for me it is. So, what do we do?! We LOOK FORWARD with anticipation for all that God will do with the time He gives us and consider ourselves BLESSED—and blessed to be a blessing.
Henri Nouwen writes, "It is remarkable how easy it is to bless others, to speak good things to and about them, to call forth their beauty and truth, when you yourself are in touch with your own blessedness. The blessed one always blesses. And people want to be blessed! The voice that calls us the Beloved will give us words to bless others and reveal to them that they are no less blessed than we."
For CSC, the new year holds countless opportunities. There will be birthdays to celebrate. There will be comings and goings of children who enter our homes and those who are placed with families. There will be many milestones to celebrate, both for the children in our care AND for the employees who care for them. Not to mention there is a massive construction project going on currently that, Lord willing, will be ready for move-in at the end of the year—but such much to do before then for that to happen!
We at CSC commit the year to upholding our Mission as a way of being blessed to be a blessing. We know first and foremost that we exist to glorify God and demonstrate His love to those around us—being a blessing. We look forward to all that comes our way and we hope that, just maybe, you will cross our path at some point in the year, too.
Blessings,
CSC Hiring Teachers
We can't tell you it would be easy, but we can tell you you'd be changing lives...including maybe yours.
Children's Shelter of Cebu is looking to hire two new teachers for our Cebu Children of Hope School, an elementary school, in the 2013-2014 school year. These positions begin in June. Teachers are hired for a one-year contract. They must be licensed and have experience in a school with an English-based curriculum. We have a strong staff of Filipino teachers, but also like to have teachers who have taught in the US as most of our school-aged children are adopted there.
We expect a lot of our teachers, excellence in the classroom and more. You would raise funds prior to going to Cebu for the majority of your salary. You'd take part in activities at the shelter and school beyond school hours. You'd be asked to help host frequent visitors to Cebu. Most importantly, you'd be asked to be part of a loving family to children who have lost theirs.
We offer health insurance and travel, and an experience you'd remember for a lifetime.
Think you might have what it takes? Application instructions follow the position description here.
Three Generations of CSC Lovers!
Back in the '80s, Warren and Marie Hagfors were in Cebu as volunteers with the Evangelical Free Church. While there they got to know the CSC staff and were frequent visitors to the shelter. Warren helped as a computer instructor to the staff. Within a few years, they were back in Cebu, this time as CSC short-term staff. Upon returning to the U.S., Warren served on the CSC Board and Marie cross-stitched over 40 designs for the houses in Cebu.
Pat Hoeft learned about CSC from Warren and Marie, her parents. She became a loyal CSC supporter and friend to the staff. She is a medical doctor, and the hospital that she works in donated lab equipment to CSC several years ago. She went to Cebu to help get the equipment set up and running. Just this week she went to Cebu to visit her daughter, Lindsay, who is working on the CSC staff as Director of Counseling as a part of our childcare team. Lindsay is a third generation CSC lover from the Hagfors line! We were recently overjoyed to learn that Lindsay has committed to a third year with CSC in Cebu!
CSC 2012 Highlights
Children's Shelter of Cebu has come through another amazing year with the Lord's guidance. Fifteen children joined their adoptive families while twenty-nine new children came to CSC in 2012!
Continue to pray for the adopted children, newly admitted children, and all those at the shelter as we enter this new year. Please pray for the Lord's continued protection and love for all in our care.
Morning Presentation Features Students' Creativity
At a recent school presentation, Level B students presented art, drama, and dance numbers that showcased their creativity. The dance number was choreographed by Sarah and featured moves and formations that celebrated Jesus' death and resurrection. Eugene narrated an original script for a stick puppet show. "The Monkey and the Squirrel" was the name of Eugene's masterpiece, which talked about respect and cooperation. Epifanio drew a picture of people around the world, all accomplished during the playing of the song, "Imagine." It was a great presentation all around, and showed what our kids can accomplish when their creativity and imagination are encouraged.
Science Group Looks at Emotional Health
Tammy Vosika's science group has been learning about what it means to be an emotionally healthy person and how that includes having a positive view of oneself and others. She gave the kids an assignment to come up with at least one positive thing about each person in the class. Click here to see what they came up with!