Reflections From Visitors

This past January I had the privilege to visit the Children’s Shelter of Cebu in the Philippines. Visiting orphanages in foreign lands was never really my thing, but I had just graduated from college and my family was in the process of adopting two girls from CSC. At the time I was planning on enlisting in the army, so I decided to visit CSC while I still had the chance. Little did I know what it would do to me.

My trip to Cebu started off on a memorable note. I remember a simple conversation with a woman in Tokyo that I can now see was very important to me. To simplify it, she asked me what my deal was, and I told her that I was going to visit an orphanage in the Philippines and then planned on joining the army. I told her I sought the adventure of life in the military. Then, she said with a smirk, “The mission field can be an adventurous place, too.” I didn’t know what exactly to say to that. This conversation alone got me thinking about my future more than I wanted to.

My 11 days in Cebu were filled with basketball with the boys, jamming with the praise band, getting to know the staff, and a lot of hanging out with the kids. When I say kids I mean residents of the shelter, because some of them aren’t “kids” anymore. But no matter what we call them, getting to know this group of young people compelled me in a significant way. I knew (or at least hoped) that I wasn’t through with CSC.

On one of the final days of my visit, Paul Healy, the Field Director of the ministry, called me into the office and offered me the opportunity to come back to CSC to serve in a short-term role working on a technical project to digitally back-up all of the kids’ and former residents’ files. I was excited at the offer; but what he didn’t know was that I was already trying to figure out how I could ask him for a job at the shelter.

What impressed me the most about CSC was how every decision and aspect of the ministry revolves completely around the kids and their well-being. It truly is all for the kids. So why am I now sitting in an office scanning files instead of getting yelled at by a drill instructor at Fort Knox? I can honestly say that it is completely because of the kids that I am here in Cebu. And life here really is an adventure because getting to see God shape the lives of 70 of the coolest kids in the world is very exciting. I consider myself blessed to have been introduced to CSC and to have the opportunity to spend time here, first as a visitor, and now as a short-term missionary.