Staff Blog

Isn't there a saying...siblings who play together...

No, there probably isn't, but there should be.  I love watching how our sibling groups interact with each other, love on each other and even keep after each other!  :)

I happened to catch some beautiful sibling footage earlier this week.  Check out the video below!

This older sister is letting her youngest brother push her on the swing.  I love that she is letting him feel "big" and she is caring for him at the same time.  You will hear her laughter throughout the video, but you will also hear her kind of shout every time she thinks she is about to run into him!  She keeps a watchful eye and you can see her trying to slow herself down often!  I love that this little boy wants to play with his sister---I'm sure he would have kept pushing her except he was called to take a bath.  Duty calls, you know! 

No surprise that I would get a kick out of such family dynamics, being a marriage and family therapist after all; however, who wouldn't consider that moment in time precious?! 

Old Blue was sold today. Jerry Salgo, our Transportation Director, showed it to a guy this morning and he agreed to buy it, with all its flaws and limitations. It is the end of an era. Amy Luck, who has driven Old Blue a lot in the past several years, called me up this afternoon, delighted that the guy bought it primarily to bring his dad to kidney dialysis. It seemed fitting that this old clunker still had some good work to do in its final days.

The guy's going to pay for it on Monday morning. So right now Old Blue is in our car park at the Teen Home, waiting for its new home. Considering all the repairs she has needed in recent years and the times that she failed us along the way, I was expecting to be happy to see her go. But when I pulled into the Teen Home today and saw her there, I reacted in a different way. I won't say I got weepy, or even misty-eyed, but I did reflect on the many kilometers that Old Blue gave us over the years, since we purchased it from missionary friends Howard and Marilynn Plucar. I thought about the number of staff members, kids, short termers, visitors and friends who have piled into that car over the past years. The car failed us many times, but it came through more times than that. It gave all it had for CSC, and we need to remember her for that, not for her failings in old age.

Maybe one of the reasons that I got a little bit melancholy is that one of our child care workers is planning to retire. She has worked for us for something like 27 years and she is tired out. She has held, fed, bathed and cuddled hundreds of our kids. She provided one on one care to Luke for years in his upstairs room. Now she's ready to move on, kind of like Old Blue.

Old blue has dents, engine flaws and makes some very strange noises. The turns and hill climbs that used to be simple now require a strain. I guess the truth of the matter is that I feel like Old Blue sometimes these days. Old, faded, cranky. I don't want to be that way, but after 34 years on the job I sometimes feel like I need an overhaul. I'm a lot more tired at the end of the day. Sometimes I forget things that people tell me. Running after kids is something that the old joints just don't allow. The day will come when it will be time to retire. I am a grandparental figure for the kids now instead of a parental figure. One of kids, known for her rather brutal honesty said to me the other day, "Uncle Paul, your hair is white and your teeth are yellow." Yikes. I'm Old Blue.

I hope that, like Old Blue, when my days of service to CSC are done, I can know that, in spite of some failings along the way and limitations of age at the end, I gave all I had for the ministry. That's all any of us can aspire to. It was great that, in the last month of Old Blue's service, she was used a lot, to bring kids and staff to and from summer activities. She performed well. She finished strong. Hope I can do the same!

Farewell, Old Blue. Bring that old man to his dialysis safely, like you've done for our kids and staff over the years!

In a few days, Bjork and I will head back to Minnesota. There are so many mixed emotions that we have as we get ready to see family and friends as well as saying goodbye to the kids, staff, and CSC family.

I have been so thankful for the opportunity to work with such wonderful people this year. Here is a little glimpse at the American staff and some of the things that we appreciate about them.

Amy: Inviting, Relational, Adaptable

Lindsay: Thoughtful, Trustworthy, Insightful

Tammy: Fun-loving, Reliable, Optimistic

Sandy: Nurturing, Dedicated, Positive

Marlys: Dedicated, Compassionate, Inspiring

Paul: Dedicated, Hard Working, Loving

Thank you to all the American and Filipino staff and workers who have helped us and inspired us this year. Thank you to the kids for being cooler than we could ever put words around.

THANK YOU supporters from all over the world for making it possible for these amazing people to do such life-changing work.

And thank you to our God for working miracles through this place!

Last week I was walking into the Duterte House and was struck with what an incredibly beautiful building it is. It made me realize that you, the blog reader (or Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube follower), have probably never seen some of the "nooks and crannies" of CSC. So I decided to do a photo walk yesterday to try and capture some of these "places unseen." Hopefully these pictures help to communicate (1) how well CSC takes care of their facalities (2) how safe, secure, and protected these kids are and (3) that the only way these buildings and walls could have been built was with the generous donations from CSC supporters all around the world.

The Duterte House

The Cherne House

The Eicher House

Trees in the yard (the colored specks are kites).

The walkway that connects the infirmary with the Duterte House (and three boys flying kites).

The view from the infirmary.

The infirmary.

Iso, short for isolation - This is the place kids stay when the are first admitted to CSC (or are sick). As you can see, it sounds worse than it actually is. :)

The water tower in the back yard of the infirmary.

All of the walls around CSC have barbed wire to keep intruders out.

The main gate to CSC.

The hallway into the Children of Hope School. Daniel, one of the CCHS guards, is writing my name down in the "log book." Every person that comes and leaves CCHS is recorded in this book.

The main area in CCHS. This area is partitioned into classrooms during the school year.

The guard house and motorcycle parking at CCHS.

An interesting side note - It's rare to see a motorcycle bigger than 125cc here. Lindsay and I have a Honda XRM. It doesn't go very fast, but on an average week we spend around $2 on gas. :)

While these buildings and structures are incredible, it's what they hold that is truly beautiful:

hug - [pronounciation: hugh]

verb; used with object

1. To clasp tightly in the arms, especially with affection; embrace.

2. To cling firmly or fondly to; cherish.

Synonyms:

verb : embrace - clasp - cuddle - enfold - inarm

noun : embrace - cuddle - clasp - squeeze - grip

And there ends the English lesson on parts of speech and definitions.  It was really just a refresher course...  :)

I'm writing about hugs because they are an everyday occurence for me and have been since I arrived August 2011.  They were an unanticipated perk of the job and are a daily blessing!  How love and care is communicated through their hugs is so touching to me for many reasons.  Firstly, I am away from the friends and family who would normally hug me.  It is honestly hard to feel lonely when you have 5 children waiting in line for a hug from you!  :)  Secondly, they mean it.  We have some of the sweetest kids here.  Despite the things they have seen or the things that have been done to them, they have learned to trust and love others.  That is the third reason.  And they want it too--the fourth reason.  When I am able to comfort a hurting or sad child by my presence or with a hug, I am so humbled.  I am so grateful that God has allowed me to serve in this way, to love on these kids, and for some it is the first time they have been treated this way.  Check out the pictures below of some of our most stellar huggers!  :)

 This lil' dear hugs me whenever she sees me and rubs my back---can you say heart-melter?

 One of our newest tikes---he is a cuddler!  And I am just fine with that...

 This sweet girl, everyday, yells out a greeting to me from wherever she may be and then runs with arms open wide!!!

If I am sitting anywhere, this one is likely to be in my lap!  :)

 Legs count, don't they?!  :)

 "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love." 

1 Corinthians 13:13