Staff Blog

"CSC is a place where some of us found our first good memories, for we came from broken homes and poverty. We had our first experience of Christmas, celebrating birthdays and the first memories of feeling acceptance and love. Through my eyes and the eyes of others, CSC was a place filled with love and second chances at life." - Erna Ahlmann, 2014 Banquet Keynote Speaker

Wow, what a testimony Erna shared of CSC. The attendees of our 35th birthday celebration were so blessed by her willingness to share her story.

The first thing we did when planning our banquet this year happened some nine months ago. We called our host, Bethel University, and the church where we hold the Adoptive Family Party the night before, to find out what dates were available. This year, only one weekend was open at both places. Imagine our surprise when we realized we were holding our banquet on the evening of May 3 in Minnesota, which, at 13 hours ahead, means it was the morning of May 4 in Cebu. By some miracle we scheduled our banquet on the very day our ministry started 35 years earlier!

It was a wonderful birthday party. We sang together, laughed together, and an awful lot of us cried together. In the end, the people there provided the best birthday gift of all...weeks of ministry through their financial generosity. Any day now we will admit our 900th child, and our banquet attendees--and all our amazing supporters--made that possible.

I have great news from our founder and Medical Director, Marlys Healy. Little Thomas, who had major surgery on his skull in early February, got the last of his stiches removed! This means no more bandages, too. Whew!

We have watched this boy endure so much since he arrived at CSC. He has found a soft spot in many hearts. I'll never forget watching him leave pre-op on the day of the surgery and trying not to wonder if he would make it. As we tried to work in Cebu that day there were many pauses when one of us would say, "I hope he's doing okay."

The love for Thomas didn't stop in Cebu. It was amazing to hear word of people praying all over the world for him. You will be glad to know Thomas can finally itch his head. Marlys said he looked ecstatic to finally be able to do so! They have him in mittens to make sure he doesn't get overzealous or pull at his nose shunts, but Thomas is doing well. Look at that cute hairdo his bandages were covering. What a guy, our Thomas. Thanks for loving him with us.

Dear Friends,

Over and over again we have been touched by the generosity we've witnessed from around the globe for those families that were impacted by the typhoon. Amidst devastation we have seen the beauty of people showing love for other people--those they will never meet. We are honored to have been a part of getting needed items to those who were hurting.

At CSC, we are to the point where we have done what we can for those we set out to serve after the typhoon: families of staff members and families of former CSC residents who were impacted by the storm. As we have served them we have recognized that we are not in the business of disaster response, and at this point, feel it is wise to direct all our efforts to the care of our 88 children.

For that reason, we will no longer be accepting typhoon gifts. As new gifts arrive we will try to reach those donors to ask if they would prefer the gift be returned or redirected to another organization. In the cases where we don't reach the donor, those gifts will be distributed to other organizations that are doing typhoon relief.

Thank you for caring about the Philippines, and for caring about people that need help. May God bless you.

Matt Buley

Thank you for your concern for CSC and the Philippines as we endured a super typhoon in Cebu today. We are feeling protected. Three trees went down, one on the roof of our small music building, but we are okay. This was a dangerous storm, so serious that several news outlets have reported it may be the most intense storm recorded in world history.

Blessedly, the 87 children in our care don't have a concept of that. They think the typhoon was fun because more staff were in the homes all day and they got to watch movies, do puzzles and play games. We are thankful they are naive to what could have happened.

Our founders, Paul and Marlys Healy, appear to have the worst damage at their home on our staff. They have a wall in the back of their house down and a tree leaning against their house. Please pray for them to be safe from break-ins, and also for their daughter Jenny. Power is out throughout Cebu City, and Jenny, who has special needs, finds that very difficult. I know they would be grateful.

Please pray for the part of the Philippines that was hit more directly. We are concerned for what must have happened in the places where they had wind gusts of 235mph. We can only imagine the destruction and loss of life that might have occurred.

Thank you for all those prayers and your concern for CSC. We couldn't do our work without people like you.

I met someone the other day. Sometimes I go where she works and she had helped me once before, but that time it was just a transaction. This time we started talking and it wasn’t long before we were engaged in rich conversation. Somehow it came out that I am a Christian, and she is too.

She told me how hard it had been to find a church lately, and that she had been hurt by her church years ago. At the time, she was married with school-aged children and tragedy turned her world upside down. Her husband took his own life. It had been years, but her voice revealed how much it still hurt.

Even that painful admission couldn’t prepare me for what she said next.

After navigating the early days of the terrible loss, she sent her children back to school, which was run by the church the family attended. On that first day back one of her children’s teachers taught a lesson on why those who commit suicide go to hell.

I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. I stared at her with my mouth open before finally mustering, “that’s awful.” I had a depth of response that is hard to explain. I felt sad, and angry, and to be honest, ashamed. I felt ashamed that a fellow Christ-follower could do something so outrageous.

I wanted to apologize. In a situation that begged for grace, this teacher had cast judgment and embarrassment on a child who was still reeling from the death of a parent. It’s brutal. I found myself wanting to distance myself from this person who believes in the same cross-bearing, life-giving God that I do. I couldn’t make sense of it (then again, can I make sense of the sins I commit?).

As I drove home and reflected on this long talk I realized something. I was hit by a deep sense of gratitude for CSC that has nothing to do with being its leader or an employee or a donor. I was proud that this is what Christians do. CSC is a group of people who take in children who are hurting and alone and give them a second chance at life and family. There is something about CSC that transmits God’s love in profound, consuming and vivid ways. At the very root of all this is devotion to Christ--to doing what would please him. I love that one response to following Christ is this sacred work at CSC.

What we’re doing here, you and I, and all who care, is something to be proud of…if I dare say so myself.