Staff Blog

Growing up, I learned several little games that could be played with two people anywhere, games like thumb wrestling.  I do not claim to be an expert in thumb wrestling, but I have learned a lot from the kids are the shelter.  They have taught me tricks and techniques to give the littler kids a fighting chance. 

My mind was blown one night a birthday party while the kids around me and I were waiting for our turn to get food.  One kid challenged me to a game of thumb wrestling.  I accepted the challenge.  Soon another kid and another kid wanted to challenge me.  Of course I told them to wait their turn.  The first boy said something like, “They don’t have to wait.  We can all play.”  I was confused and before I could correct him, he started arranging all four hands.  All of a sudden, he said, “Okay, we are ready.  GO!”  It was magic.  I looked down at our hands and we were playing four way thumb wrestling! 

I do not even remember who came out on top of this mass of hands.  All I could think of was, “What else did I miss out on in my childhood.”  This ingenuous inclusion of others had never occurred to my friends or I.  The rest of the night, a smile came to my face whenever I thought of the four way thumb wrestling and brilliance of the kids who surrounded me.   

Children of Hope School recently celebrated its graduation.

Three students graduated preschool and are ready to move on to kindergarten.

Five students graduated sixth grade and are ready to make the transition from elementary to high school.

It was a fun day to think back on all the hard work the students had put in over the past year.  Each student received an award from their teacher, highlighting their individual accomplishments.   Recognizing the hard work means a lot to each child.  The graduates enjoyed their big day and are excited for next school year. 

Over the past three months, the afternoon cooks in both Cherne and Duterte homes have been recovering from surgery.  Auntie Mayflor and Auntie Sonia each had an operation which required lots of rest and recovery.  In their absence, other child care workers jumped in to cover the afternoon cook duties.   Of course no meals were missed and tasty food was always on the tables.

Last week Auntie Sonia returned to work!  

This week Auntie Mayflor also returned to work! It is good to have them back in their respective kitchens.

As Auntie Mayflor enter the shelter gate the children from the Cherne home were walking up to school.  When they saw Auntie Mayflor, the line they were walking in suddenly morphed into a mob.  The children ran shouting “Auntie Mayflor!” racing to hug her. 

The aunties’ impact in the lives was on full display in the moment of Auntie Mayflor’s welcome back from the children.

Keep the all CSC employees in your prayers.  They do everything for the children and their good health is essential. 

Typhoon Hagiput (Ruby) is heading out of the Philippines.  It closely followed the path Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) took last year, passing north of Cebu City.  Children’s Shelter of Cebu braced for the worst over the weekend.  Fortunately, Typhoon Hagupit continued to weaken as it traveled across the Philippines. The wind and rain were minimal in Cebu City.

Thank you for all your prayers of safety for CSC and Cebu City.  Continue to pray for all the people affected by the storm. 

CSC is full of great people caring for the children.  Child care workers, house parents, counselors, teachers, social workers, office workers, therapists, management, nurses, and guards come together each day for the children.  I am one of these workers, and, as a man, I realize that the men are outnumbered.  For every man working at the shelter, there are five women.

Over the years, the men have started a Bible study just for the men.  It usually takes some creativity to find a good time to meet since each person’s schedule varies.  At times it has been a weekly meeting.  Holidays that land on a weekday are also good days to do something a little different than a Bible study.  When we are lucky to get this, the men usually join together for basketball and food.  These mornings are a lot of fun.  It is always good to spend time with co-workers outside of work hours.

When Matt Buley was in Cebu a while ago, the men were able to organize a morning of playing basketball.  It was fun to see a part-time guard on the same basketball team as the president.  No one in this group is a PBA (Philippines Basketball Association) star.  We just enjoyed ourselves.  Good plays were acknowledged by both teams.  Mistakes were laughed off by both sides.

After several hours of grown men with mediocre basketball skills playing all out, it was time for food.  The morning feast was spread out on banana leaves.  This is a called a boodle fight.  No utensils or plates.  Hands were all you needed to get the food from the banana leaf to your mouth.  It was a fitting way for a group of men to culminate a morning of fellowship.