Staff Blog

Nothing in the world is as much fun as Christmas at CSC. Thanks to all who help make this possible. Your gifts put smiles on many faces.

The Christmas decorations are up and holiday tunes can be heard wherever you go!  It is almost Christmas, only 15 days away!  One of my absolute favorite CSC Christmas events is Junel's box.  Maybe you have already heard the story, but for those of you who haven't...

Junel used to live at CSC.  His generous spirit was his legacy and it inspired a wonderful CSC tradition.  Before coming to CSC, Junel was not treated very well in his previous home.  He was not allowed to eat with the rest of the members of his household and he was only able to eat if there was food left over.  When he came to CSC, he expected it to be much the same.  When it was mealtime, he went and sat in a corner instead of in a chair at the table, where all of the other children were.  He needed reminders that he was just as special and loved just as much as the other CSC children.

Junel's most prized possession seemed to be a small film canister with a few coins in it.  He loved to shake the canister to hear the coins jingle and he did so frequently!  That noise signaled his caregivers of his presence and it became part of the background noise in the home.  It was so much a part of the din that one day when it was not heard, the caregivers became concerned.  "Where is Junel?!  He should be upstairs!  Everyone is home from school!"  The caregivers rushed upstairs and sure enough he was there, and so was his canister, but it no longer made any noise.  It was empty.  

In school that day, Junel's teacher had told the story of children on another island not having any slippers to wear on their feet.  He was so moved and compelled to help them that he gave all of his money, every last coin, each "noise-maker" he had.

Sacrifice.  Giving everything you have.  Giving what you cherish the most.  That is truly what this season is all about.  

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him."   John 3:16-17

Every year at this time, all of CSC's children hear the story of Junel.  For some of them they have heard it before, but for many, it is a story they are hearing for the first time.  For children new to CSC, they are not so far away from the life they lived before.  They can still remember begging on the street, or when their stomach hurt so much because it had been so long since they had eaten.  They have vivid memories of being in need.  The kids hear the story of Junel and then they hear of a family in their community that needs help.  They see pictures of the family and the home.  Maybe they see themselves.  The kids are then told they have the opportunity to give money from their allowance to help that family this Christmas.  The contributions will be used to buy food, and other household items to meet the needs of the family.  The family this year needs a home so if enough funds are raised, building materials could be purchased.

Every year, I am astounded at the generosity of our children.  So many of them, when told how much money is in their bank and asked how much they would like to give say, "Tanan."  Meaning everything.  They will give it all.  And they do so with big smiles on their face.

For they were once in need and now they can help others.  'Tis the season, indeed.  Merry Christmas! 

      Our Thanksgiving celebration has come and gone, but giving thanks at CSC is not done.  We have so much to be thankful for every day.  We give thanks for the opportunities we have to be a part of each child’s life that comes through our doors.  We give thanks that we can be God’s hands and feet to do the things we do each day for the children.  And most of all, we give thanks for the families who make our children a part of their own family through adoption. 

        A week ago, Mitch and I had the opportunity to host Thanksgiving dinner at our home for the staff and some of the children from the shelter.  Before we ate, Mitch asked everyone to share one or two things we were grateful for.  One child said she was thankful for life.  One can just imagine what her life would be like if her parents had not entrusted her and her siblings to CSC’s care.  Another child, one of the winners in the turkey coloring contest, was shy to say what she was thankful for.  But everybody knew she was thankful for her adoptive family whose pictures she had just received a few days before. 

        Yesterday we said goodbye to a handsome two-year-old boy.  He came to CSC when he was just six days old.  Everyone, especially the aunties and uncle in his home, will surely miss his laughter, screams of joy, and affectionate hugs.  We will miss him calling us, using the last syllables of our names.  But the joy of knowing he is now a part of a family that loves and trusts God beats the sadness of saying and waving goodbye.

        Thank you, Lord, for the miracles of families You are blessing our children with!      

Heart, a new girl, came to the shelter the other day and I was immediately struck by her name.  It’s different.  And it seems like there might be a story behind the name.  I wonder what it is. 

There is often a reason behind why a name is chosen for a child.  Maybe you know the story behind your name.  Sometimes parents just liked the name.  Sometimes it was chosen to remember a family member or carry on a tradition.  Other times a name is picked for its meaning. 

Of course, most of the kids at CSC have names already when they arrive at the shelter.  The variety of the names is kind of fascinating.  There are plenty of “normal” names like Grace, Cris, Mark, Carlo, Hannah, Raphael, and Juliet.  There are also names that are a bit more unusual or less common like Chosar, Trexie, Jemarie, and Lerma.  Many families in the Philippines seem to like to name children using alliteration, so there have been lots of sibling groups with names all starting with the same first letter like seven kids with all “M” names, six kids with all “J” names. Then there is the fairly common practice of naming twins with the same or very similar first names and different second names like Nina Kylie and Nina Kaye or Marky and Marty with the accent on the second syllable.  

Some of the babies are named after arriving at the shelter because they do not have a name yet. Sometimes, if a child has been abandoned, we do not know the full name and are unsuccessful in finding out the child’s name.  Princess Apple got her name because she was found on a boat bearing that name.  One little boy knew his first name, but not his last name and efforts to find out proved unsuccessful, so he was given the last name of Maxilom for the street where he was found.  One girl told me she liked her name a lot because it was a combination of her birth parents’ first names. 

Names have stories behind them, reasons why a name was chosen for a child.  Our names make us unique.  I wonder what the story is behind Heart’s name. 

Like every kid, the kids at CSC have their Christmas wish lists. Each year, the kids receive their gifts on Christmas Eve. Imagine a room full of kids with huge smiles, giggles, laughter, anticipation, and eagerness waiting for their gifts.

So, how do we, the appointed present shoppers, have the kids share their requests without making it too obvious we are the ones buying and wrapping their gifts?

For the little ones, the conversation might go something like:

“Hey, I talked to Santa last night and he asked me what you want for Christmas.”

OR

For those who want shoes: “Can you trace your feet for me so we can see if they are the same size?”

OR

“What do you want for Christmas? I could tell Santa for you.”

For the ones who know THE TRUTH, the question is pretty straight forward:

“So, what do you want for Christmas?”

Like kids everywhere, our kids have no trouble telling us what they want. Even though we can’t always accommodate their requests, it’s fun for them to dream and imagine. They have lists in their heads. One little girl specifically told me that she does not want perfume because she already smells good. Others get influenced by what other kids want. And some want things a bit more difficult to fulfill like a horse!

The day after some of the kids had told what they want for Christmas, they asked me if I had already given their lists to Santa. My response was, “I will email it to him tonight.” One kid then said in surprise, “Email?! Really?!” I did email their lists, just not to Santa, but to the specific person who is in charge of getting their gifts.

Thank you for helping CSC in every way. You make it all possible for us to give the best care for the kids even at Christmas!