Staff Blog

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!

I was going through some pictures the other day and I found these shots that were taken at the CCHS graduation last week. Although this is not the first blog post about graduation, I thought these pictures of our little ones at the graduation ceremony were still share-worthy. :) What a fun day!

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. :)

Whenever we're on duty, we help with putting the kids to bed. One of the things I love about putting the kids to bed is sharing bedtime prayers with them. The children are so surrounded by strong people of faith here at CSC - their house parents, staff, teachers, aunties, and counselors. Their prayers reflect what they've seen and heard modeled for them. They are thoughtful, sincere, and even eloquent.

Last night when we were on duty, there were prayers for lots of different things. Here are a few of my favorites:

• giving thanks for CSC
• giving thanks for the aunties and house parents
• giving thanks for hot dogs
• asking for a mommy and daddy
• asking for strength and wisdom on upcoming on final tests
• asking for healing for kids in "iso"

And the most touching prayer of all was a heartfelt request from one of the 12-year old girls in the house. She asked God to please comfort a family whose oldest sibling had recently turned 18 and could no longer be adopted. This was particularly moving to me because those siblings that she was praying for don't even live in her house at CSC. In that moment I realized what a supportive place CSC is - that all the kids and house parents and staff are praying across houses, across siblings, across ages, for God's presence in each of their lives.  What a cool thing to be a part of.

Last week I had a friend visiting here in Cebu. Marlys Healy, the co-founder of CSC, took us on her standard "city tour" so my friend could experience Cebu a little bit more. It doesn't matter how many times I've been on that city tour with Marlys - I love driving around and seeing this city through the perspective of CSC.

There was one moment that will always stick with me from this particular city tour. Marlys stopped outside of a building to tell us a story of some kids who had come to CSC from that side of town, and she was mid-story when she happened to turn around and see these three kids on the other side of the car. Immediately she stopped telling the story and brought our attention to the kids sleeping on the concrete.

What will always stick with me from this moment seeing her get big tears in her eyes looking at these three through the car window. We all just sat there for a minute taking in this sobering reality. She even had to stop telling her story for a minute, which, if you know Marlys, is pretty significant. :) But what is so astounding about this is that Marlys has lived in Cebu and worked with kids in these very difficult situations for 35 years. And the fact that she still feels so much compassion that it moves her to tears after so many years is simply incredible. 

I praise the Lord for Marlys and her true calling and deeply compassionate heart for ministering to children in need.