Staff Blog

The story of Thomas has been widely publicized on our website, he is mentioned in multiple blogs (including this one!), he has been named in countless e-mails and he is the subject of thousands of prayers around the world.

And well he should be.

As one doctor stated, this little one has been struggling each day of his life.  He struggled to breathe before his nasal surgery in December and though that has improved, now he is experiencing immense pressure on his brain and he needs major cranial surgery!

All of that is very scary.  However, when I look at him and I see his big, beautiful, soulful eyes, I can't help but feel hopeful.  He is amazingly alert, attentive (his caregivers are quite positive he is practically reading books already!) and he smiles readily.  

His story is a story of strength---his body has gone through tremendous stress and yet he is growing and is healthy, determination---our nursing staff have continuously fought for Thomas to receive the best care, love---his caregivers love him so thoroughly and God's protection---God has brought him through so much already!

Tomorrow Thomas will undergo surgery; 6 hours of taking apart his prematurely fused skull and putting it back together so that his brain can grow without constant constriction.  Since so much of this is out of our control, we met today to do the only thing within our power: pray.

After lunch, the staff, house parents, Aunties, nurses and the children all met in the Duterte Home, where Thomas lives, to pray for tomorrow's big event.

We prayed for wisdom for the doctors, that the Lord would guide their hands, renew their strength as the procedure goes on, that Thomas' body would be strong enough to endure the surgery, that he would be strong enough for the recovery, that the medicine, the facilities and the nurses at the hospital would meet his needs perfectly, completely.  We prayed thanksgiving for God's provision thus far in Thomas' life and we acknowledged that Thomas is indeed in the palm of His hand.

We will continue to pray for Thomas----for these things and more.

Will you join with us?

I am pretty much amazed on a daily basis about the creative works made by our kids here.  They have a knack for drawing, creating, writing, coloring and cutting---even folding letters into intricate patterns.  I, myself, do not have such a creative gene so I admire them even more I suppose.

But, truth be told, not all of the kids are able to make such effortless works.  Some struggle with the basics of writing and cutting longer than they should.  These kids often receive therapy from our resident PTs to improve their fine motor skills.  In class, they often work one-on-one with a teacher on projects and they also have Individualized Instruction, which is more one-on-one time with a teacher in addition to their regular classes to improve on the skills they are having difficulty mastering.  It is a HUGE blessing that our school and shelter can offer all of these specialized services because these kids, our kids, would be lost in a public or even private school where class sizes are 30 or 35 to 1 teacher.

Below is a picture I took of a very special gift given to me.  It was a class project, given to me on the day it was completed.  It is, as the teacher described, "a labor of love."  The child who gave this to me will be 7 in August, but he cannot yet write his name without hand-over-hand assistance from his teacher.  He is a child who received therapy to learn how to put on his socks and shoes for several months before he had mastered it.  He is a child who is still receiving therapy for cutting skills and other fine motor activities.  He worked really hard on this for a long time.  Cutting on the lines is a difficult task for him, following a curve or cutting irregular shapes, nearly impossible.  But he did it.  

He had ran up to me and excitedly given it before his class was about to start.  The kids love to give letters, flowers and things like that so I accepted it with a smile.  Later I realized it must have been a class project and I figured he needed it still.  I approached his teacher to ask if he would need it to complete assignments.  She said no, but she shared that it was a very hard work for him to complete.  What a treasure it is to me!  

I consider my work here to be a significant blessing to ME.  Visitors often come here and thank me for what I do, but really, no thanks is needed.  Every day I receive so many gifts that it is almost not right to call this work.  God’s hand is on this place and I am blessed to be here, in His palm. 

Thank you for supporting this ministry, for praying for all of us.  When I look at this child’s work, I am humbled by his gift.  I can see how hard he worked to make it, the painstaking care he took as he cut.  But I also see his progress, how far he’s come and it is because of CSC.  And it is because of all of you, who care, who get on your knees to pray, for these kids, for this work, so we can give them what they need.

Christmas has come and gone, and at CSC, after that holiday season comes "Waveboard Season!"  Okay, okay, it is not a real season, but after this particular Christmas, it certainly seems like it is.  Santa delivered 18 waveboards to us this year and most days there are that many riders out at one time!  It is amazing to watch the abilities that our kids have with this toy.  Within minutes of getting one, some kids are able to get on, master the balancing, and with a little shake to get them going, they are cruising down our driveway.  They make it look so easy, so easy in fact that over the Christmas break, I was motivated to give it a try.

I put one foot on, looked for a handhold and tried to convince myself to put my other foot on it.  AGES later, I put my other foot on and with a little scream, quickly put my foot back on the ground.  The kids, of course, found it very amusing.  They were very encouraging and patient with me, despite their immense excitement at the possibility of seeing Auntie Lindsay waveboarding!  Sadly, I didn't go anywhere, but the sight seemed to be enough to satisfy their curiousity!

Check out the talent we have in our midst!

I have been back in the Philippines for all of a week and a half.  I was in MN when Typhoon Yolanda tore its path of devastation through this beautiful, but already struggling country.  I should not even talk about my fears as I watched the huge swirling mass of red, orange, blue and green hover over the Visayas from the comfort of my sister's sturdy home, thousands of miles away from it all.  Those that experienced it are still reeling from the trauma of it all I imagine.  Truth be told, I was afraid.  I feared for the safety of our children, for the staff, my friends and loved ones here.  I was grateful that my family and friends in the US did not have to include me in their prayers for the Philippines, but really I was wishing I was here.  To help.  To make sure.  To comfort.  To do something.

Now I am here and I have some observations to share.  The part of Cebu where the shelter is located, and where my home is, was not ripped apart, flattened or caked in mud like Tacloban or Ormoc were.  I have heard stories of the smell of that mud and my heart goes out to those living in that.  You might not even think that the most devastating storm in all of recorded history came through here if you didn't look closely.  But things are different.  

All of the trees in the front yard of our school were either blown over by the force of the winds or cut down to prevent damage to our buildings.  There is no more shade there for our guard and it admittedly looks lonely.  There are trees that are missing from the front of one of our houses also.  Minor, but different.

There are other things that are different.  

The malls are overflowing with people that are homeless, displaced from the areas most damaged.  There are always a lot of people around, but now, everywhere, all the time---there are just more people.  

And brownouts/blackouts---they are more frequent now.  I have heard that areas are going without power to reserve or provide for the areas without.

Traffic is a lot heavier, jeeps are often incredibly full.  Last night I saw a group of people start running toward a jeep that was slowing down, the urgency to get a ride was very apparent.  

The list of waiting children has grown rapidly as families that were once able to make it on their own have lost homes or family members and can no longer care for their own.  CSC's help is in desperate need.

I share these observations for a few reasons.  The Philippines still need your prayers!  The islands that were decimated are still greatly in need.  CSC has created a Relief Committee and as you have read, there have already been two trips to affected areas and CSC will continue to determine how we can reach out.  The need is far greater than something we can manage, but the grateful smiles and sighs of relief of those we are able to give food or clothing to are all the encouragement we need to continue helping in whatever way we can. 

And though Cebu was not damaged, things in Cebu are different.  I cannot begin to explain or understand why we were spared and others not and the effects from the storm for us are nothing to compared to those who lost everything.  But I share these so that others may know that life is not back to normal for the Philippines.  Prayers are still needed and greatly appreciated.  

I know God is at work in this country.  And I thank Him for His protection over CSC.  Because we were spared, we can help others.

This was a heavier blog than I originally intended when I sat down at my computer.  To end things on a lighter note, this is how I spent my morning!  

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

"O give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name: Make known His deeds among the people.  Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him: talk ye of all His wondrous works."  Psalm 105:1-2

Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving here for the kids and the staff!  Much fun was had and the children told of the many things they are grateful for: 

God

the Aunties

CSC

the Staff

Food

Family

We have many things to be grateful for here at CSC.  We are safe, the kids are healthy and happy.  We have food to give them, teachers to teach them, house parents to guide them and so MANY supporters who are praying for them and giving to this ministry.  THANK YOU!  And God's hand is on CSC, on our kids, on our workers and on our lives.  

We are truly blessed!