Overview

School…the word alone brings back so many memories.

By mid-August, I can be found roaming the aisles of my local Target store looking for back-to-school bargains. The shelves are lined with bright colored markers, clean lined paper, and fresh erasers. As I gather supplies, my mind praises the Lord for the mix of schools my children will be attending this year: intermediate school, middle school, high school, colleges and medical school.

But my praises don’t stop there. There is a special prayer of thanksgiving in my heart for a school in a far-off place, a place where five of my children lived before joining our family. While I am shopping for school supplies, the children at Children of Hope School in Cebu City have already started their academic year. CHS is a school that offers an excellent education to children who may not have had any, or at best, limited opportunity to receive even a basic education.

In February of 2003, I had an opportunity to personally see this facility in action. I was greatly impressed by the quality of the teachers and their love and concern for the children under their care. The school has a beautiful building and grounds that make it a special place for children who have known only poverty.

Two years later, we went back to Cebu to adopt our children and, again, I was amazed at the difference CHS was making in the lives of kids. But it was not until we returned home and enrolled our children into public and Christian schools back in the States that I realized how great an impact Children of Hope had made on their lives. All five of them were able to transition immediately into their respective grade levels. We were amazed at how quickly they adapted to their new academic environment.

Since adopted children face many and varied adjustments, it is truly a blessing from God when they are well prepared educationally. Our children still talk and reminisce about their teachers at CHS and the things that they learned while there. It brings a smile to their faces and thanksgiving to our hearts whenever we think of the Children of Hope School.