Staff Blog

Today is a day that has significance for only a few people. May 4 was the day in 1979 when three young Minnesotans stepped off the plane in Cebu City, to a blast of incredibly hot air on perhaps the hottest day of that year, to begin their plan of starting a ministry for homeless children. There was nobody to welcome us, no brass band or flower leis. But it was an exciting day for Kathy, Marlys and me. We had been thinking, dreaming and praying for this day. May 4, 1979.

Or was it May 5?   Sometimes we debate that. We are at the age now where we sometimes get a little fuzzy on details. It was one of those two days, I'm almost certain. I guess it doesn't matter. I've never been a slave to details. There we were, three young people without much in the way of experience or training about how to live in a tropical country, how to fix up a house or, more significantly, how to take care of children. I've got a feeling that there were a few people back home and here in Cebu who thought that we were destined for failure. In fact, I know its true because some of those folks have admitted it to me. I guess I can't really blame them.  But we had one thing going for us. We were convinced that God had called us to go to Cebu and that, having done that, He would be with us. Through thick and thin.

There has been some thin over the last 34 years, but its mostly been thick. The excitement of stepping out in faith as we climbed down those airplane steps is still there for our staff. Much has changed in terms of facilities, staff, the number of children we care for, and the size of our annual budget. (Our first year we got by on about $6,000!) But mostly its the same. We get up in the morning, we do the work of taking care of children who do not have families, and we go to bed again. There is no drudgery in this work, and it is as fun and exciting as it was when we took in our first child in 1979.

May 4th or 5th or whatever day it was doesn't seem to matter much in terms of the big picture, and the challenges we face today in caring for 90 children in Banawa Hills. But it will always be important to those of us old timers who stepped out of that plane and into a life that has meant so much to us and to many other people, including almost 900 children.

Thanks to all who have had a part in it!

McDonald's, a cup of coffee, and a plastic chair.

Those are a few of the things that you would have seen if you were watching the CSC banquet on the other side of the world.

Some staff here in Cebu got up early on Sunday morning to watch the banquet via Skype. We all met at 7:30AM in the school library (hence the plastic chair), Tammy was kind enough to order McDonald's (yes, McDonald's delivers in the Philippines), and I had brought with a fresh mug of coffee from home. Needless to say, it was a really different experience compared to the CSC banquets that I attended while in Minnesota.

After the videos were played, the speeches made, and the donations collected, Lindsay and I headed down to the shelter to play with the kids for a little bit.

I was incredibly moved by experiencing these two things back-to-back. On one side of the world there were people learning about, praying for, and sacrificially supporting these precious children. On the other side of the world, these same children played with kites, laughed with their friends, and slept safely in their cribs.

Today, in a way that I've never been able to before, I saw how incredible connected these two places are.

Tonight Bjork and I had the honor of taking my student and her two siblings on an outing. I had promised each of my students that I would take them on an individual date, and this student wanted to share her date with her siblings. So off the mall we went!

We walked around, ate hamburgers and French fries, and played arcade games. There was so much laughter you wouldn't even believe it. These kids all have such a great sense of humor!

When we headed into the arcade, the girls immediately gravitated towards the game where you try to hit the jackpot as the light circles around on the board. They tried and tried, and tried, and tried some more. But they could not get that jackpot. I was starting to silently pray that they wouldn't be too disappointed if we had to leave without them ever getting the jackpot.

Finally, with the jackpot number well above 100 tickets (big time), she did it! She hit the jackpot! There was screaming, high fiving, jumping, and squealing. I tried to capture a little bit of the excitement as the tickets started pouring out of the machine.

As we drove home tonight, I couldn't help but feel like it was me who won the jackpot. To be able to spend time with such happy, fun-loving, and smart kids on a daily basis is such a privilege and a joy. Tonight it's hard to think of anything that could be more jackpot than that. :)

Over Easter weekend my husband and I drove from Minnesota to Louisiana to visit our daughter.  Before starting on the trip, I was unable to contact one of our former Children of Hope School teachers whom I knew lived in the Baton Rouge area.  Instead, Grace got hold of me and said she was more than willing to drive the 170 miles (one way) in order for us to see each other.  Later that night, Grace and her husband, Noel, sat in our hotel room reminiscing about former CSC kids and colleagues and sharing what we are doing now.  I had not seen Grace in about seven years.  It was a great time! 

As Grace and Noel were pulling away to drive home, I was struck by the incredible connections there are all over the world through the common thread of CSC.  Grace's life is forever woven into mine because we worked at CSC together.  We share common interests in the children we taught at Children of Hope and the people we worked with.  It was encouraging to hear how Grace is being used by God in a very different educational setting in the United States.  Seeing Grace again reminded me the CSC family is strong and I am richer for it. 

One thing I've been able to witness this year is how often visitors are able to use their skills and abilities to help give back to CSC. So many times people don't just visit CSC, they also volunteer at CSC.

Here are some photos from the past year of family and friends that have visited and volunteered at CSC.

1. Gordie, one of CSC's board members, recently came to see CSC in action. This is a picture of when he led a Bible study for the older boys and girls at CSC about having a positive self image.

2. My family visited CSC in February. My mom taught the kids origami and led a workshop for the teachers. My dad did a pottery demonstration and then led an art activity where the kids made clay fish (or sharks or piranhas).

3. When Lindsay's family came to visit her dad, Allen (or Dr. Mork, in this picture), helped out by seeing some of the kids that were sick.

4. Our friend Angie recently came to visit Lindsay and I. She's an elementary school teacher back in Minnesota. She volunteered to help the preschoolers who had a lesson on clowns. She jumped right in. I love this pictures!

What an honor it is to have such incredible people visit and volunteer at CSC!