Staff Blog

I sat in a referral meeting the other day.  We have these meetings to discuss children for potential admittance.  Often in these meetings the list of children in need is greater than what our homes can house.  The list is long because poverty is destructive; it untangles families when there are more mouths to feed than there is food to give.  The list is long because of poverty, violence, abuse, neglect, drugs, sickness, and death.  All of our children come to CSC for one or several of these reasons.

Our top priority was to discuss a 6-week-old baby boy very much in need of loving care and proper nourishment, some things he had not had much of yet.  He was so tiny, not even four pounds yet.  He had spent these first weeks of his life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit fighting off sepsis and trying his best to grow but not receiving enough nourishment to do so.  His young mother had her own struggles, battling mental health issues and cognitive delays; she was also doing her best to be a good mom but was unable to do what was needed.

Here he is.  He is such a small little guy, barely able to keep his eyes open most of the time.

Our decision to admit this child or not might seem like a no-brainer.  He needs good care; he needs the kind of care that can be provided at CSC.  But he is so young, only six weeks old.  Doctors have met him, observed him, and run tests to try to figure out what is keeping him from growing and developing.  Because of his age, there is little they can know for sure.  The unknowns regarding his future are many. 

Of course, the same could be said about every child admitted to CSC and that would be true.  But with a child who has had such a rough start to life, permanent damage could have already been done.  The type of permanent damage that could prevent him from being adopted.  And that is what it inevitably comes down to.  CSC is a temporary place for children to come to for stability, healing and growth before continuing all of that in their forever family.  We need to admit children that will be adopted so there is space for others to come after.

Big decisions.  And they are not made lightly.  We seek and pray for God’s wisdom regarding which children we admit.  We take all of the information given to us by the social workers, our medical team, physical therapists and doctors in the community and cover it in prayer.  Individually and collectively.  These decisions are made easier when we spend time in the referral meetings talking about how so many times before, staff members have had these same conversations, sharing valid concerns about taking in a certain child with unknown needs.  And we have been blessed to see God's hand at work, healing children in miraculous ways.  

One such story stands out to me.  A little 7-month-old girl was referred to us, weak and malnourished and her limbs were so floppy.  They lacked muscle tone for such a while that doctors suspected she might never walk.   Fast forward 2.5 years and we have a rambunctious and mischevious little girl on our hands.  And oh how she RUNS!  And next week a family is arriving to take her home!  She is a testament to God sitting with us in those meetings and honoring CSC's commitment to venture into the unknown.  She is a living and breathing example that God heaps blessings on those who walk in faith!

I am so happy to report that the little guy above recently had a major test, the results of which we were expecting to be poor, but which were normal.  We are already seeing God's hand at work in his life.  We felt confident and happy to make him the newest member of the Eicher Home!  :)

boo·mer·ang

/ˈbo͞oməˌraNG/

 noun

• 1. a curved flat piece of wood that can be thrown so as to return to the thrower, traditionally used by Australian Aborigines as a hunting weapon

verb

• 1. (of a plan or action) return to the originator

Over the last few years, former CSC children have been returning for visits with increasing frequency.  Some families have brought their children back to the country of their birth, and to see one of their first homes, for a heritage tour.  Other children---actually young adults now---have made the journey on their own, for a more independent experience.

One former child, who was the youngest ever to leave for adoption (at age 9 months) requested to celebrate his 10th birthday with the kids of CSC; it was his birthday wish!  Another young lady, who was adopted as a toddler, was here this past October.  She is now a senior in college, studying Early Childhood Development, and wanted to return to CSC to see firsthand how the children of CSC are cared for and loved on, since she was one of them too!  Last month, CSC was happy to have one of its very first children return for her 3rd visit back to CSC; this time she and her husband were excited to show their little girl where her mom came from.  And most recently, about 2 days ago, CSC welcomed back a young boy who left as a toddler exactly 4 years ago.  His family brought him back to once again play on the playground with some of the same kids he used to play with (though he made plenty of new friends too!) and to spend time with his former houseparents.

For each returning child, their story is of course uniquely theirs.  They all have different circumstances that bring them to CSC and they all have different life experiences once they leave CSC.  However, there is a pull, like that of a boomerang, for many kids to return to CSC.  To see a place that they might only have pictures of but for which they have no vivid memories.  They want to see first-hand former caregivers that put band-aids on their skinned knee, read stories to them or rocked them to sleep at night. 

CSC is happy to welcome back former kids because really, once you are in the CSC family, you are always in the CSC family!

Enjoy some smiles as the kids use their new Christmas gifts!

Have you guys wrapped your Christmas presents yet?  Already stocked those stockings?  If you haven’t, it is still two days before Christmas so you still have time.

Right now, there are 84 kids at CSC which includes our Teen Home residents.  That means, we wrapped 84 gifts and stocked 84 stockings.  Whew!  Honestly, it is a lot of work!  And I have not even mentioned shopping for these gifts yet.  But when you see the beaming faces of the kids when opening their presents, it is worth all the work.

I know you are all eager to see new pictures of cute little faces at CSC—whether at Facebook or in the website.  But, for this blog, let me show you cute ADULT faces.  Here is a glimpse of the behind the scene of the Christmas wrapping party—we call it a party just because!

Thank you all for your generosity this past year and continued generosity even for the next year.  You may not be here with us during Christmas, but know that you are one of the reasons why we see cute little beaming faces at CSC everyday!  Merry Christmas!

Homework can be such a drag....even for the kids at CSC.  And can I please get a refresher on genotypes?  I mean really, who needs that in social work?  I recently was asked, "Auntie Megan, do you know how to do this one?"  A worksheet gets shoved in my face and I'm staring at a grid of four boxes with a few capitalized "A's" and a few lowercase "a's."  Umm...no.  I barely made it with a passing grade when I had to learn that years ago!

One night recently, when I was on duty, multiplication was a prominent feature in the homework department.  I was helping one girl who was struggling with 2-digit multiplication.  I actually don't think she was having that difficult of a time, but was more annoyed that she had makeup work due to missing class the day before.  So 2x the homework (see what I did there?) in one evening.  But together we worked through it...even after about 30 minutes of her splayed out on the floor, crying, pushing herself and her chair outside, or hiding under the table.  Perseverance friends.  When it was bedtime, I had to convince her to stop, put the assignment away, and that she would need to finish in the morning since she wasted time whining about her homework.  I think this was just a ploy to try staying up later.

The next time I was in that house as bantay?  Division here we are!  This was much easier and definitely faster.  Other kids occasionally have it easy and don't have homework.  They tend to spend their evening hanging out, reading, or playing games.  Most of the kids are pretty good about focusing, but there are still bouts of distraction and avoidance.  Gotta take the good with the bad and just try to make the most of it!  So here's to brushing up on my math skills and renewing my ability to find patience and negotiate!