1. Do not pick up or hug children besides our own. It is friendly, fine, and healthy to gently avoid a hug, smile, and let the child from a different family know, 'It is so good to see you! Give me a high-five and save your hugs for mom and dad.'
2. Do not offer food or drink or any type of gift or trinket to any child but your own.
3. If a child needs help with anything direct the child or teenager back to mom or dad saying something like, 'Your mom can help dish up your lunch (or has your lunch ticket)' or, 'Let’s go find your dad so he can put a band-aid on that for you'.  'I think your mom has the towels for your family.'
4. If you want the child to participate in any activity, turn back to the parent to ask permission (for any age child). 'Can Sue go into the deep end of the pool with us for a little while?' or 'You will need to ask your mom if you want to make a phone call.'

I wigged out on the kids a few days ago.  Yea, wigged.  Usually I'm the more laid back of the parents in the house, but when I get on a kick it can get pretty serious.  I came home Monday into the entry room off our garage, the one the people who live here use every day, and decided that I was not okay with our house looking like a pig-sty.  I herded my lovely children in and spoke very clearly about my expectation that shoes and boots would be put together properly (in pairs the way the good Lord intended when he gave us two feet).  Also, since I went to some work making cubbies for everyone before they came home I highlighted that them looking like garbage receptacles was also a problem.  So, after my speech I left them to clean up.  5 minutes later I went back in the entry room and it looked almost exactly the same as when I left them to clean it.

Maybe you've seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off.  Remember when Ferris looks at the camera and says: "Here's where Cameron goes berserk?"  Well, this is where dad goes berserk.  I took all the shoes and boots that didn't fit my definition of properly put away and really put them away for the remainder of the week.  I also threatened to begin taking blankets off beds that weren't folded and clothes left on the floor.  I've accumulated quite a variety of blankets and clothing items since that time.  I'm not sure if we're getting anywhere or not.  They might just be going to school in clothes a size small and obscure shoes from the back of the closet soon.  I'm not sure this will work.  I told Mitch what was going on (in fact, to highlight how blessed we are that we have such minor things to deal with with our kids) and he thought it made sense given the fact that someone has the duty of picking up shoes as a job at CSC each night.  Not here.  In fact, my 9, 11, 12 and 15 year-old already know what self-sufficiency means.  I talk about this concept (believe me we're still in the concept phase) with them regularly...hopefully we'll get closer to it before graduation.

That's the news from home.  As far as your favorite ministry in Cebu goes, I’m all about the cold hard cash lately.  At our fourth quarter CSC board meeting in mid-November I gave our members the harsh financial reality we're facing.  They're used to this report at the Q4 meeting, but these numbers were a new high.  We needed $360,000 before year-end to make budget and make all our commitments for 2008.  This is how my annual ulcer starts.  This is how my predecessors' annual ulcers started.  Roger, our Office Manager, has been sending me new numbers regularly and today the report said that we need just over $224,000 before the end of the year.  At lot left, but we're actually making progress.  Paul feels good about our chances, citing the fact that CSC donors have proven an awfully committed bunch during every other economic downturn in the past.  If we make it I'll go berserk in a much more positive way.  I'm praying we do.  Anyway, I'll start posting updates as to where we are through the end of the year.  This will go through early January as we get the last of the 2008 post-dated envelopes.  Enjoy the 12 days of Christmas in the meantime...I'll write more later.

Last week we got the news that one of our faithful volunteers passed away.  His name was Gordy, and he and his wife have long been committed to getting our monthly mailings out.  These volunteers save us thousands of dollars every year through their efforts.  Although my experience with Gordy was limited to the mailings I saw him at (don't get me wrong, he was much more consistent than me) he made an awfully good impression.  I was struck at the funeral by how little was said about his degrees or positions.  (I need regular reminders that these are not the things that matter here!)  What did matter about Gordy was what people talked about: how much he prayed, how gentle his demeanor was, his strong commitment to the church and how he was someone who you listened to when he gave advice.  What little I knew of Gordy I could tell these things were true of him.

One of the speakers at the funeral made an important statement: "Gordy undoubtedly prayed for everyone in this room many times."  The sanctuary was packed, but he was probably right.  It made me wonder how many times Gordy prayed for the kids in Cebu.  He never visited CSC, but what was spared or provided because Gordy stopped to pray for our children and our staff?  No way of knowing that this side of heaven, but I look forward to finding out one day.  I believe these prayers were significant, and made a difference in Cebu.

Every workday I get a report of the gifts that came in that day.  To my discredit, I love to be wowed by big checks.  These always catch my attention most.  We need them, but we also need the faithful checks of those who simply can't afford to put a string of zeros in front of the decimal point.  We need the people who are committed to Cebu in their prayers.  We need so many, and God has been faithful to provide them for our work in Cebu.  Thanks for being here, and God bless your Thanksgiving.