Staff Blog

A cool thing happened the other day.  I was unpacking a box of math workbooks Tammy Vosika had brought over to Cebu.  I had actually packed the box of books myself in Minnesota and taped it up, ready to go, and dropped it off at Tammy’s house.  In Cebu as I unzipped the travel bag around the box, I noticed the tape was gone from the box.  That was not surprising as boxes are often inspected at some point during the travel route.  As I was taking the books out of the box, there was a five dollar bill taped to one of the books!  I was a bit surprised and wondered out loud if Tammy had taped the money in between the books just to see if the inspection guys were honest.  Tammy came around a bit later and I asked her about the money.  She said she had not put any money in the box!  So that meant an inspector at one of the airports, most likely Minneapolis or Chicago, had taped the five dollars to the box, contributing to the shelter and school.  Maybe that person read the name of the orphanage on the outside of the travel bag. Maybe he had a connection to the Philippines.  We’ll never know, but what a sweet and powerful reminder of God’s work.  Thank you to that anonymous donor! 

Recently, Jacob and Ginda had the privilege to receive new wheelchairs. Their old rides were getting worn out. Thankfully, God is Able International Foundation Inc. took notice of this need and helped us get two wheelchairs for them. Over the years, Jacob and Ginda have been very fortunate in terms of having their needs met. They have received wheelchairs from different people and organizations.

CSC has a few old wheelchairs that past and present kids have outgrown. One of the goals of the Therapy Department at CSC is to get our young adults with special needs engaged in the community. The idea of involving Jacob and Ginda in an outreach event came up, and donating wheelchairs seemed like a perfect event.

The Stimulation and Therapeutic Activity Center (STAC) was the recipient of four wheelchairs that Jacob and Ginda gave. STAC is located in Lapu-Lapu City (Mactan Island). The center is under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). They offer services such as physical, occupational and speech therapy to kids 14 years old and below who are residents of  Lapu Lapy City. They also provide seminars and counseling to the parents of the children under their care.

Jorine, was one of the recipients. Together with her brother and sister, they waited for us to arrive. Jorine, 10, is in 4^th grade. She has a congenital abnormality in her spine. She is currently wearing orthoses and is using crutches to help her walk and get to the places where she wants to go. Upon trying one of the wheelchairs, she immediately started driving it around and even wanted to try it up and down the ramp. It was wonderful to see her excitement. Now that she has a wheelchair, it will be easier for her to move about from one classroom to another.

Help does not end when you are done helping. It loops like a circle that keeps on going around and around. People we help today will sooner or later end up helping others, as well.

The banquet was great, and the $118,000 that was given was a big encouragement to our staff here in Cebu. The banquet is kind of like a pit stop in a NASCAR race. We pull in for a time, get refreshed and rejuvinated, and then we go back to work.

Thomas was part of that work. On the day of the banquet he went to Manila with one of our nurses and a child care worker. We had been hoping and praying that he could get his nose stents taken out. For the past months since his surgery he has had to endure those stents, which made it impossible for him to be on the floor, where he would have otherwise been able to play and start to move around. He had to be held all the time he was awake, or closely watched in his stroller, so he would not disturb the stents. He had to wear gloves on his hands, which meant he couldn't grasp things or play with toys.

The doctor in Manila ordered an endoscopy, to see if there had been sufficient healing of the posterior nares. It turned out that there had! On Monday the stents were removed and on Tuesday evening he headed back home to CSC.

We have seen changes in Tom! He is smiling more, and loves having his mittens off. He can play with toys and loves to swing them around. He just seems overjoyed with his newfound freedom. And we join in that joy because Tom will have a more normal life now. The stents were very important for his healing, but they are not missed one little bit. Especially by Tom.

Thanks for your continued prayers and concern for this brave little boy. We're already spending that banquet offering money!!

We watched the Banquet early on Sunday morning here in Cebu. We had planned to Skype, but that wasn't possible so we went with Face Time. That provided a good visual connection but we had almost no sound. So we tried to read lips and anticipate what people would be saying. It was fun but a little frustrating. Anyway, here is what we saw. We will rely on others who were actually there to provide a full report.

We saw hundreds of friends of CSC, gathered together to celebrate 35 years of ministry in Cebu. And the celebration was grand, with a giant cake, a video featuring the CSC kids and staff dancing and partying, and special gifts for Table 35. We saw a cool looking jazz group that appeared to be playing well.

We saw a brand new emcee (Jared Gustafson) who was entusiastic, and whose love for CSC was evident. And he kept things moving along; the program was over by 8:30!

We saw a huge cake and a fun looking birthday celebration.

We saw our former resident, Erna, standing up so beautiful and confident as she told her story, and helped everyone see CSC through her eyes when she came to live with us.

We saw other speakers delivering what appeared to be heart-felt messages about the ministry.

We saw our people respond, once again, to the offering challenge, giving more than $118,000 for the children in Cebu. (Thanks to the slide that was projected with the offering total!)

We saw people we know and those we don't yet know. We saw and felt God's presense in the room, and we are all grateful to God for bringing all these great people together to celebrate what is happening here in Cebu.

Thanks to all who attended and those who gave so generously.

"CSC is a place where some of us found our first good memories, for we came from broken homes and poverty. We had our first experience of Christmas, celebrating birthdays and the first memories of feeling acceptance and love. Through my eyes and the eyes of others, CSC was a place filled with love and second chances at life." - Erna Ahlmann, 2014 Banquet Keynote Speaker

Wow, what a testimony Erna shared of CSC. The attendees of our 35th birthday celebration were so blessed by her willingness to share her story.

The first thing we did when planning our banquet this year happened some nine months ago. We called our host, Bethel University, and the church where we hold the Adoptive Family Party the night before, to find out what dates were available. This year, only one weekend was open at both places. Imagine our surprise when we realized we were holding our banquet on the evening of May 3 in Minnesota, which, at 13 hours ahead, means it was the morning of May 4 in Cebu. By some miracle we scheduled our banquet on the very day our ministry started 35 years earlier!

It was a wonderful birthday party. We sang together, laughed together, and an awful lot of us cried together. In the end, the people there provided the best birthday gift of all...weeks of ministry through their financial generosity. Any day now we will admit our 900th child, and our banquet attendees--and all our amazing supporters--made that possible.