Staff Blog

I like to eat.

I nibble on my feet.

I pray before I eat.

I don’t know how to feed myself yet,

So I depend on my auntie’s hand.

I open my mouth wide

And welcome my tasty food.

Blended, pureed, squashed,

Smashed and crushed.

The way I like it.

The way I want it.

I don’t usually look like this,

I know.

There’s something on my face.

I know food goes to my mouth,

Not on my cheeks or forehead or ears.

What’s the use of a bib

If I eat like this?

At the end of my meal time,

Burp says this tummy of mine.

Aah…

What a treat!

When I was a kid, my family did not have the luxury of buying me books.  I only received a book for my birthday or as a Christmas present—and even that was not every year.

The kids at the shelter are very blessed to have books within reach. From toddlers to teenagers, these kids are exposed to the beauty of what books have to offer. It is amazing to see how engrossed they are when they start looking at and reading books.

One of the kids I work with in therapy enjoys books.  A lot.  It is easy to tell how much he enjoys books just by looking at his facial expressions. Some of the physical therapy stuff I introduce when working with him is not received well.  He thinks it is hard, uncomfortable or boring.  But when we get to floor time and I incorporate books into the therapy, he does not care what he is asked to do.  He will go on all fours, kneel, or sit cross-legged as long as he gets to touch, look at the books, and flip the pages.

Yes, this toddler’s day looks like this—Read. Eat. Play. Sleep.

Typical day in the therapy room: student having his speech therapy session with the therapist.

Conversation:

The therapist asks, “Where do French fries come from?”

Without any pause or hesitation, the student answers, “McDonald’s!”

My co-therapist and I burst out laughing. I know we are not supposed to laugh when a student makes a mistake, but we couldn’t help ourselves. It was so cute! The answer does make sense though, if you are a kid. The student just looked between me and my co-therapist with a look that said, “Okay, so what’s funny?”

It was, in fact, a true and genuine answer coming from a seven-year-old boy. McDonald’s and its counterpart, Jollibee, are a hit here in the Philippines, especially for the young kids at the shelter. It is a big deal for them when they are able to go to one of these establishments. (My blog is not about advertising for these businesses, by the way.)

Sometimes as adults we are so caught up with our adult stuff that we forget how to live life like a child, worry free. The kids at the shelter remind us that, in spite of the difficulties they have already faced at a young age, we have a God who is bigger than our worries.

I sat in the therapy room with the speech therapy session still going on thinking how blessed I am to be in this environment. I teach and treat kids with special needs and in turn, they too, teach me even more. As an English proverb says, “The soul is healed by being with children.”

The past few months we, the therapists at CSC, have been grooming Jacob into an inspirational speaker. Our main goal is to spread disability awareness to people around the city of Cebu and, through Jacob, inspire them to try to approach life positively, praising and worshiping God.

A great way to kick-off Jacob’s speaking career was within the walls of CSC at Children of Hope School on June 19. We invited the kids, CSC workers, staff and visitors. Everybody was excited for the day to arrive.

Our speaker, Jacob, got more and more excited as the day approached. He was nicely dressed in a polo shirt and tie, and was probably not expecting a huge number of people in the audience. Joemar, Jacob’s trusted roommate, opened up in prayer.  Auntie Sandy introduced our inspirational speaker, and what an introduction it was!

In his speech, Jacob talked about his home, CSC, the people around him and how they influence him. He also shared about living with cerebral palsy and how he has dealt with his disability every single day. He reminded the audience to be happy and content in whatever state and condition we are in; God made us perfect and will use us to bless others. Jacob showed a video of what a typical day for him is like from sun up to sun down and he gave a video tour of his room and home.

Last week was Jacob’s first speaking engagement outside CSC. Evangelical Theological College of the Philippines or ETCP, with its dean Pastor Lowell Tallo, was very generous to have Jacob speak to their students. They all gave Jacob a warm welcome and asked a lot of questions.

Jacob left ETCP, happy, inspired and blessed, looking forward to his next opportunity to meet and share with others.

Check out the videos below: A Day in the Life of Jacob and Jacob's Speech

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.