Staff Blog

When a new baby is being cradled lovingly in the arms of the person caring for him, we are given a glimpse of being held in the hands of God.

Two weeks ago, a two day old newborn boy came to CSC. This week, a little baby girl joined CSC at about one week old.  They are both in good health, but still they need constant care, just like any newborn baby.  They are fragile, demanding, beautiful, and completely dependent. 

We are babies to God.  We need constant care even when we are in the best place in our lives and doing the very best we can.  With God’s hands to guide and protect us, we can do amazing things.  Actually, God does amazing things through us. 

It is humbling to care for a newborn baby.  A baby's potential is vast and we can be a part of fulfilling that potential.  God wants to use us to fulfill His plans. 

September brings new excitement for the youngest in the CSC family. Since arriving in Cebu a month ago I (Grace) have been hard at work creating a new toddler curriculum. The toddler program occurs each weekday and lasts for about an hour. This past week we officially had our kick-off and boy, did the kids have fun! 

The new toddler program is structured in a way that will be developmentally appropriate for the toddlers at CSC and will also help prepare them for preschool. Each week of the program is structured around a theme that will not only provide learning experiences, but fun as well! This week the toddlers had a blast learning about circles through activities and songs about bubbles and balls. 

Right now we have a group of about 11 toddlers who are full of energy, laughter and curiosity. Each morning we gather together in one of the three homes and start with a morning meeting. The toddlers are learning recognition and routine through their personalized seat mats (mats with pictures of their faces on them). The first day the kids were so excited about the pictures that they could hardly sit on them. By the end of the first week the children were starting to understand the routine and would either sit on their mats or hold them in their laps. During the meeting we do things like working on name recognition, reading books and singing songs. So far, the favorite part of morning meeting is the singing. Thanks to our wonderful aunties the children of CSC start to appreciate and love music at an early age. 

Other activities we have been doing this week are bubble blowing, bubble snakes, a ball pit and soccer. It has been such a joy to see the toddlers already making discoveries and having fun exploring the materials provided for them. To get a better idea of what the toddler program is like, take a look at these photos I took as well as a video created by Joel Reasoner!

Video: Toddler Time with Auntie Grace

The children have lots of good people around them.  The children look up to the aunties and uncles.

Recently, Auntie Yayang suggested an idea to a few of the girls—a cute, short haircut.  The girls liked the idea, but had one condition.  They wanted Auntie Yayang to join them in cutting their hair.  She liked the idea, and could not say no to their persistent nagging.  Auntie Yayang did the honors of cutting the girls’ hair into a cute new do.  A few days later, she fulfilled her end of the agreement and came to work with a matching short haircut.  She knew better than to leave her hair at the mercy of a bunch of young girls.

It is cute to see how an auntie and children bond over a few snips of a scissors. 

Visitors often ask what a typical day is like for those of us working at the shelter.

"Good question!," I usually respond with as I scramble for the words that can best answer that good, but complex question.  And the truth is, there isn't one!

The beauty of CSC is that it is a vibrant place with a pulse.  No day is the same as one you have had before.  We all have job descriptions, but those go out the window when a need arises that has to be addressed.  And sometimes that need was maybe never anticipated.  So, you respond, you address the need.

There are common tasks for all of us: reports we should be working on, pictures we could be organizing, and blogs we should be writing...  ;)  

But there are other tasks that can become part of your day with little notice: spending time with adoptive families or visitors, meetings (in 1 week, I could attend 15 meetings!), taking children for appointments, being on duty (when a house parent is on their day off), sleeping at the shelter when the house parents will be gone overnight, attending birthday parties, taking notes during school conferences, organizing donations, attending school programs, assessing and admitting children, and the list goes on.

Every one of these tasks is just as important as the next.  Attending a child's birthday party and praying over them as they start a new year in life is just as important as updating a report.  

Assessing children for future admittance is just as significant as meeting with the house parents to discuss the health and behavior of the current children in their home.

During assessment:

Now:

The tasks before us on any given day are largely unknown!  We can think we know what the day will look like, but God's plan for our day is usually different than ours.  And that is okay.  CSC is His ministry, He has made it what it is today and it is our job to just do what He puts before us.  And truth be told, serving at CSC and being a part of these kids' lives is truly a blessing.

Life also seems to be a bit more exciting when living in a tropical country.  Last week, during a house parent meeting, I happened to see an unusual shadow moving along the outside of our office.  It was a snake!  There were screams and excitement as we ran outside to see where it was going.  The house father we were meeting with just so happens to like snakes (Thank you, Lord!), so he was eager to catch it.  In fact, he decided to take that opportunity to practice a snake-catching technique he had seen before on TV!  Amazingly, it worked.  He was able to stop it and with the help of one of our guards they picked it up and put tape on its mouth---since it was actually poisonous!

There is never a dull moment here at CSC!  Thanks for being a part of it all!

After a day of learning in school and fun on the playground, the kids settle down for an evening inside the houses.

Suppertime is a busy time, with lots of kids around the tables refueling for the next day.  After the kids join the “clean plate club” by finishing all the food on their plates—even the vegetables, it is time to help clean up.  Some kids are assigned to sweep the floor, wipe the tables, and wash the dirty dishes.

Homework comes next.  The kids spread out around the house.  The dinner table is transformed into a big desk.  A few aunties take over as tutors.  Some kids like to do their homework in their room.  Some kids grab a chair and sit around the coffee table downstairs.  The school Reading Challenge has taken over homework time.

August has become “Reading Challenge” month.  For several years, the kids have an added incentive to discover the great books on the shelves in the library.  The kids actually do not have a problem taking advantage of the library throughout the year, but it is fun to create excitement for reading.  Each level has a reading goal appropriate for their abilities.  At the end of the month, totals will be tallied and winners will be announced.

After homework is done for the evening, it is time to play.  The preschoolers actually get to play most of the evening since they have less homework.  Crosswords, building blocks, animals, and much more fill the rest of the evening.

Finally it is time to put everything away and go to sleep, to be ready for the next day.