Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Mindanao Massacre
The other day 46 people were murdered in Mindanao. I'm not sure exactly what to say. It is beyond comprehension. 46 people were slaughtered just because they were going to file the election eligibility papers for a candidate for governor of a province in Mindanao, an island in the southern Philippines. The number included many women and some journalists. Some were beheaded. Many were shot and thrown in a mass grave. This was something that was planned and carried out with military precision, seemingly to help some politicians keep power in the region. This evil is beyond my ability to comprehend. Sorry I can not add a single meaningful insight. I'm numb.While we are used to ramdom violence during election seasons here, this was even beyond the wildest nightmares of even the most seasoned observers here.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The Life Changing Impact of CSC
Recently a wedding and a funeral wake reminded me of some of the ways that CSC has impacted individuals and families here in Cebu. We won't know the full significance of this impact this side of heaven, but I know that lives have been changed for the better and families given opportunities that they would never have otherwise had. Oh yeah, the wedding and the funeral.
E-Boy's wedding was a great even for the Martinez family. He is an employee of CSC, and has many family members who also work for us. In fact, three of his brothers, one of his sisters, two sisters in law and one brother in law all are on our payroll. His dad and another sister were formally working for CSC. Years ago, when we first arrived in Cebu, one of our neighbors in Bulacao told us of a baby boy who was dying in the government hospital. We went there to see him and learned that he needed some medicine and blood. One of our staff gave blood while others went and bought some antibiotics. From death's door little Jessie started to come around, and eventually he got better. Now he is 32 years old, and he is the brother of the aforementioned groom. Though assistance like this, and through the employment of many of their family members, CSC has had a huge impact on the Martinez family. They have risen up from destitute poverty to owning a small business in Bulacao. Family members have their own houses and families.
The other day we learned that our friend Erning Ochea had died. Ernie was formerly the caretaker of our land in CarCar and has been a friend of CSC for 30 years. One night in 1979 when we were making our rounds in the government hospital (before CSC had taken in any kids), we saw a lady crying at the side of a crib. He little girl was dying of pneumonia. She needed medicine that would have cost about $5. The family didn't have a penny to their names so she was standing there watching her daughter die. We bought the medicine needed, and found out that she had three more kids, just as sick, back in their little shack in a squatter village in Mandaue. Without thinking too much about what we were doing, another staff member and I comandeered a jeepney and went to their shack. We brought the kids and their father, Erning, to the hospital for treatment. Later, when the kids got well and the family went back home, we decided to move them out of that filthy slum to Bulacao, near where we lived at the time. Later, we gave them a job taking care of our property. When we eventually sold that land the new owners took them on, and we haven't seen too much of them for the past 15 years. When we heard that Erning died the staff went to their home in CarCar to see the family. It was an overwhelming time for us in remembering how God had brought us to this family, and to see how their lives have developed over the years. Rescued from sickness and despair they were given a chance to work and prosper.
There are big differences in the emotions of funerals and weddings, but both of these events provided an opportunity for me to see the ways that CSC has impacted people, quite apart from what we do with the children under our care.
E-Boy's wedding was a great even for the Martinez family. He is an employee of CSC, and has many family members who also work for us. In fact, three of his brothers, one of his sisters, two sisters in law and one brother in law all are on our payroll. His dad and another sister were formally working for CSC. Years ago, when we first arrived in Cebu, one of our neighbors in Bulacao told us of a baby boy who was dying in the government hospital. We went there to see him and learned that he needed some medicine and blood. One of our staff gave blood while others went and bought some antibiotics. From death's door little Jessie started to come around, and eventually he got better. Now he is 32 years old, and he is the brother of the aforementioned groom. Though assistance like this, and through the employment of many of their family members, CSC has had a huge impact on the Martinez family. They have risen up from destitute poverty to owning a small business in Bulacao. Family members have their own houses and families.
The other day we learned that our friend Erning Ochea had died. Ernie was formerly the caretaker of our land in CarCar and has been a friend of CSC for 30 years. One night in 1979 when we were making our rounds in the government hospital (before CSC had taken in any kids), we saw a lady crying at the side of a crib. He little girl was dying of pneumonia. She needed medicine that would have cost about $5. The family didn't have a penny to their names so she was standing there watching her daughter die. We bought the medicine needed, and found out that she had three more kids, just as sick, back in their little shack in a squatter village in Mandaue. Without thinking too much about what we were doing, another staff member and I comandeered a jeepney and went to their shack. We brought the kids and their father, Erning, to the hospital for treatment. Later, when the kids got well and the family went back home, we decided to move them out of that filthy slum to Bulacao, near where we lived at the time. Later, we gave them a job taking care of our property. When we eventually sold that land the new owners took them on, and we haven't seen too much of them for the past 15 years. When we heard that Erning died the staff went to their home in CarCar to see the family. It was an overwhelming time for us in remembering how God had brought us to this family, and to see how their lives have developed over the years. Rescued from sickness and despair they were given a chance to work and prosper.
There are big differences in the emotions of funerals and weddings, but both of these events provided an opportunity for me to see the ways that CSC has impacted people, quite apart from what we do with the children under our care.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Jenny's Work
Jenny continues to enjoy drawing and crafts. She recently made this drawing which she included in a newsletter for some of her friends. She writes many letters to friends and, occasionally, gets one in return. She doesn't really enjoy e-mailing, prefering snail mail. Envelopes from Jenny usually include a number of surprises! She loves to collect Barbies and to watch her two favorite shows: Full House and Little House on the Prairie. Jenny works two days a week at the Children of Hope School, helping out in the library putting books away. I will occasionally post pictures from Jenny on this blog. She is the real talent in the Healy family!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
I am a new and reluctant member of Facebook. I have wavered for some time. I initially signed up, then quit, then got back on board. I am not entirely comfortable with the whole FB culture. Maybe that is partially the result of my not living in the U.S. and not participating in the information/social networking lifestyle for so long. I have a hard time thinking that my circle of friends cares about my status at any given point in time, or what I think about pictures, games, etc. I'm trying, but I feel like I'm slipping away again. Too many friend requests to decide on. Too many former CSC kids to keep up on. Too many needy people. Too little time......
One thing that I've come to realize in my short FB stint is the ways that many former CSC kids rely on each other. I think that it is a good thing, usually. They are friends for life. They share their pictures, information and they interact. Sometimes they show off, brag and try to shock. I confess to finding some of this stuff very annoying and disappointing. I'm not easily shocked about anything, any more. But I'm fairly easily bothered by some of the stuff that FB has brought to my attention about the life choices of some of our former kids.
So I'm still trying to decide whether FB is for me. It is certainly a good place to keep up with my own kids and their families, and I've enjoyed reconnecting with some old friends. Maybe I just need more time to learn how to ignore the stuff that bugs me and enjoy the good things.
Hey, maybe that is a good life principle, in general.
One thing that I've come to realize in my short FB stint is the ways that many former CSC kids rely on each other. I think that it is a good thing, usually. They are friends for life. They share their pictures, information and they interact. Sometimes they show off, brag and try to shock. I confess to finding some of this stuff very annoying and disappointing. I'm not easily shocked about anything, any more. But I'm fairly easily bothered by some of the stuff that FB has brought to my attention about the life choices of some of our former kids.
So I'm still trying to decide whether FB is for me. It is certainly a good place to keep up with my own kids and their families, and I've enjoyed reconnecting with some old friends. Maybe I just need more time to learn how to ignore the stuff that bugs me and enjoy the good things.
Hey, maybe that is a good life principle, in general.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
A Sense of Place
The house that I grew up in was sold by my folks back in the 80s. We were already out here in Cebu at the time, but I remember the news giving me a kind of strange feeling. And when we went back to Minnesota on furlough and I drove by the old homestead, I remember feeling a little bit unsettled. That place had been the only one where we had all lived together as a family (with the exception of a year when we lived in Phoenix while my dad took a sabbatical). That was our home. Who are those people walking in an out as if it is theirs? Every time I'm in St. Paul I drive by the house, sometimes even going down the alley to look at The Hoop, our dillapidated garage that (thankfully) "they" have not felt a need to fix up and the yard where we played countless hours of whiffle ball. I guess I have a pretty strong sense of place when it comes to my childhood. We painted that house. We did pullups on the water pipes in the basement. I can still remember the smell of our sun porch and the dusty fruit cellar in the basement.
I wonder sometimes if our CSC kids have any of that. The other day the kids from our Eicher Home moved into the new Duterte Home. A few days later the Cherne Home kids moved over to the Eicher Home so their place can be repaired. For a couple days the Eicher Home was completely empty, and quiet for the first time in 18 years. Strangely quiet. I remember standing outside and reflecting on all the kids that we have helped raise in that home - the laughter and crying, the sounds of kids eating, singing, running up the stairs, playing, shouting and praying. That house, and the Cherne Home, too, has a lot of significance for me. The memories can be overwhelming at times, when I think of the kids who have been housed there, and have left for adoption or have gone other places. I wonder how they feel about that house, if their memories are as strong as mine.
In a few weeks a woman will be visiting us who spent time at CSC as a child. She is now about 35 years old. The house where she lived has been torn down in Bulacao. I won
der if she has any memories of that place, and if she'll feel sad that it no longer stands. I can remember how badly I felt watching that place go down hill after we sold it and to learn that it was torn down to build a new house. I remember so many of the kids that lived there with us, back in the day when all the kids and staff lived together. I remember pulling kids around in our wagon, and our playground where they would run and play. I wonder if the kids remember that. Or maybe, there is something about their having been uprooted from their birth families that results in their not really developing a sense of place like I seem to have.
Pardon my notalgic rambling on a Sunday afternoon.
I wonder sometimes if our CSC kids have any of that. The other day the kids from our Eicher Home moved into the new Duterte Home. A few days later the Cherne Home kids moved over to the Eicher Home so their place can be repaired. For a couple days the Eicher Home was completely empty, and quiet for the first time in 18 years. Strangely quiet. I remember standing outside and reflecting on all the kids that we have helped raise in that home - the laughter and crying, the sounds of kids eating, singing, running up the stairs, playing, shouting and praying. That house, and the Cherne Home, too, has a lot of significance for me. The memories can be overwhelming at times, when I think of the kids who have been housed there, and have left for adoption or have gone other places. I wonder how they feel about that house, if their memories are as strong as mine.
In a few weeks a woman will be visiting us who spent time at CSC as a child. She is now about 35 years old. The house where she lived has been torn down in Bulacao. I won
der if she has any memories of that place, and if she'll feel sad that it no longer stands. I can remember how badly I felt watching that place go down hill after we sold it and to learn that it was torn down to build a new house. I remember so many of the kids that lived there with us, back in the day when all the kids and staff lived together. I remember pulling kids around in our wagon, and our playground where they would run and play. I wonder if the kids remember that. Or maybe, there is something about their having been uprooted from their birth families that results in their not really developing a sense of place like I seem to have.Pardon my notalgic rambling on a Sunday afternoon.
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