I'll have my 54th birthday in a couple days. I've been thinking back to when I was 24 and we were heading out to Cebu to start this ministry. "Greenhorn" doesn't begin to explain just how naive and inexperienced I was, stepping off that plane in 1979. I hadn't studied linguistics, missiology, theology, management, languages or organizational administration in college. I didn't have a master plan, core values or a mission statement. I hadn't thought of affiliations, networks or development plans. I can imagine that there were some people who wondered about my ability to lead this ministry back in the day. I wondered.
Just about everything that I have learned about running a child caring ministry and managing an organization I have learned on the job. In order to lead CSC I have had to learn about public speaking, organizational life, Board management, fund raising, promotional writing, event planning, newsletter production, video and music editing, administration, government relations, adoption work, human resource management, capital campaigning, budgeting and a bunch of other stuff. Some of this I have learned pretty well - some not so well. The CSC Board, my fellow staff members, our Filipino workers and our CSC supporters have been patient with me, and the other "greenhorns" over the years as we have learned by our mistakes as we have worked to build a quality ministry and an organization to fund it.
One of the things about this kind of work is that it is humbling. Just when you think you've got everything figured out, something happens to deflate your bubble. And when you think you have developed a good system, things change. People change. Values change. The economy changes. Kids needs change. Laws and government policies change. Technology changes.
But God doesn't change. The same God that put us on that airplane almost 30 years ago, the One who gave us the resolve and the strength to start the ministry against pretty significant odds, and the God who has provided vision and endurance and tons of joy over the years is still in control. He's here at CSC. He still cares. And He still believes in me and the others who help me lead CSC.
And He will be with me at 54 and all the other ages of my life. What a great life He has given me and Marlys here in Cebu City! Thanks for being a part of it with your gifts and prayers and friendship.
2 comments:
Wishing you a very happy birthday Paul. We are thankful God brought you and Marlys to Cebu so many years ago. Nearly 4 years ago we were united with our son Matthew at CSC, who was just shy of 17 months old at the time, that little one has turned 5 this summer and has begun kindergarten. We will always be so grateful to all of you at CSC for caring for him in the ways you did. We continue to hope one day when he is much older that we can return there as a family to share with him the joy of CSC and his early beginnings.
Again happy birthday and God bless,
The Millers
Greg, Geneva, Matthew, and Marli
Maybe no experience, but you were from St. Paul.
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