2011 Summary Report

To all our Dear Good Friends,

Our Happy New Year Greetings to all.

May the start of the year be merry and full of hope to all of us giving praise and glory to God for His year-long guidance, healing and our eternal providence.

2012 will be our 4^th year, Maia Outreach Programs (MOP) and 2011 was another good year for all of us with so many blessings in spite of our own family concerns.

We want to give thanks and praise to our God for continuously providing us, protecting us and healing us again in the year 2011 that we may be able to share in His ministry. In spite of the financial crisis to everyone last year we were able to continue to love others in many opportunities that God is giving to us.

In May, it was our 3^rd year of joining BBBS (Big Brothers Big Sisters) project with 2 of our MOP volunteers sending the 18 pieces school bags we sponsor. http://maiaoutreachprogram.i.ph/blogs/maiaoutreachprogram/2011/05/13/three-schools-and-a-storm/ They went hiking to Marinduque, providing school bags to the students in one of the rural area in our country. http://maiaoutreachprogram.i.ph/blogs/maiaoutreachprogram/?p=48

In July, we were able to contribute a 500 pieces of bricks into the “Donate-A-Brick” campaign for the construction of 4-storey bulding to house the street children of He Cares Foundation. http://www.hecaresfoundation.com/

On December 2011, our small community Brgy China’s Christmas Party was not just full of fun with lots of good food to share but we were able to generate through kind donations and fund-raising raffle. As a result, we were able to transfer donations amounting to 12,250php to the Cancer Warrior Foundation (http://www.c-warriors.org) to support a cancer-stricken child with his/her expensive medical treatment. We were also able to provide Php 25,000 via Caritas Manila (http://www.caritasmanila.org.ph) to the casualties of Sendong Typhoon last month in our country which have taken away so many lives and their properties (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/113585/catholic-bishops-join-calls-for-more-aid-to-storm-victims). Let us all pray that this tragedy may not happen again in our country or any part of the world. These include also the “Noche Buena” yearly community service of Chua Family in Pasig City wherein our least brothers and sisters received a grocery gift bags. Distribution reached to about 97 families using a total amount of about 29,100php.

And the primary beneficiary of MOP is the Bethany Orphanage House in Guiguinto Bulacan accommodating abandoned children under the care of Sister Shirley together with all her volunteered assistants providing them a sack of rice regularly.

In addition, we also support other ministries of Kerygma Family as a member.

Thank you again for your unending kindness and generosity, our prayers for you all.

May we continue to love God by loving other and share our blessings to them.

26 Pages

In our present age of internet and electronic banking, more and more people are into paper money as growth instrument of their personal riches and treasure.

Some people have a portfolio list of their blue-chip stocks purchases.

Some people hold onto their investments in mutual or hedge fund management.

Some people safe-keeps a folder of land title certificates of properties they own.

For me and my wife, however, our most prized possession of paper record consists 26-page deposit of “wealth” that we are keeping and which we traditionally review once in every year for the past three years. Each passing year, it is becoming clearer to us how we can still consider ourselves to be one of the richest family despite losing one of our priceless treasures. Tears still run across my face every time I re-read each and every single page, while the pain and deep longing surfaces up from their very long slumber.

Yes, three years ago, we lost our daughter Maia.

But that devastating moment also made us realized how enormously loved we are by God, by our families, our relatives and our friends.

Matthew 5:4 says “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Yes, our greatest paper treasure is the 26 pages of double-columned compilation of all loving assurances, spirit-filling empathies and advices, strength-renewing anecdotes and faith-building messages that we received from a lot of close people and even from people we never personally met before. Actually, this compilation did not even include those who personally embraced us, condole with us and cried with us, but this is enough testament for us on how God can send and use willing people to be sources of comfort in times of distress.

So to all our dear friends who allowed yourselves to be God’s instrument of comfort during our desperate time of grief, once again, our sincerest gratitude.

We may not be able to thank you enough but we will do pay it forward to others who are in need.

Sirach 6:14-17

Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter; whoever finds one finds a treasure.

Faithful friends are beyond price, no amount can balance their worth.

United in Faith

Joel, an OFW band artist in Shenzhen suddenly felt intense chest pain on August 5 so his friend rushed him to the nearest hospital where he was confined in ICU for several days and subsequently diagnosed with a heart problem that needed immediate surgery. However, being relatively new in his job, he is without any financial capability to support his astronomically-high two-part surgery to literally extend his life. His kind employer offered to shoulder a large part of the cost but the balance is still beyond his means. And so, his kind-hearted friend, who has been taking care of him ever since, make the desperate yet humble move to reach out for help to one of the Pinoy she met before in the Philippine Consulate.

Before everyone knew it, the prayer and donation campaign has started. Small groups, and friends of friend of friends of this small group started to give their individual support in whatever simple way they can. Some are campaigning persistently and liaised with consulate officials who promised to extend assistance in the coming days, some people donated outright, and most have offered prayers.

During these few days, I can’t help but recall the biblical story of the paralytic man who was bodily-lifted by his friends to be healed by Jesus.

Matthew 9:2 reads, “And behold they brought to him one sick of the palsy lying in a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man sick of the palsy, “Be of good heart, son, your sins are forgiven.”

Seeing their faith.

It’s a humbling revelation that when humanity unites for a Godly purpose, God who sees this collective faith, in addition to the faith of the ailing individual, hears and answers their prayers.

Joel’s first-part operation last Friday was a success and his second operation will be this coming Wednesday, Aug. 24. You too can be a part of this unity in faith.

Please offer a short prayer for Joel Oliva.

PS.

Another former OFW in China is also battling his stage 3 cancer in Philippines. His name is Ben Ducusin.

Please include him and his family in your prayers, too.

God bless us all.

Three Schools and A Storm

For this year, Remir and Bles Cueto, our MOP volunteers for the BBBS Project in Marinduque, were in for marathon treks together with the other volunteers.

On the morning of May 7, they went to BOI Elementary School to give the school bags to the student beneficiaries. After a simple program by the teachers, then huffed to another school, the Tambunan Elementary School where due to time constraints, they only made a brief stop to hand-over the 144 sets of school bags to the schools. And off they went for another 2-hour hike under the rain that seems to announce the landfall of typhoon Bebeng into the country.  They took the jeepney ride to Poctoy Beach where they spent their night camp. Early at 4:00 am, they woke up and prepared to go to their final destination – Sihi Elementary School where they met Ate Gina (Marinduque governor’s daughter) who also contributed 300 school bags for this cause. After the program and lunch, all the volunteers found themselves the need to be stuck for another day in Marinduque because signal storm no. 1 was already hoisted up and no RoRo boats are allowed to travel anymore. But thanks to the kind-heart of Ate Gina, they were accommodated in a private resort in Boac with free dinner and breakfast whereby the weather is already clear for them to travel back to Lucena Pier an into the waiting arms of their family and loved ones.

For this year, MOP has contributed 18 school bags which were all donated by our generous and humble friends (they want to remain anonymous in their kind donations).

To all our friends, our sincere thanks in behalf of those children who will have another exciting and learning year in their school this coming June.

Congratulations to BBBS also for another worthwhile annual project.

God bless us all.

Easter is About Kindness

Springtime is nearly over in China.

The cool breeze of air can now only be felt during the early morning.

And it’s the perfect time to do my  morning jogs.

A few days ago, I came across an old man who was staring straight at something on a stone wall fencing with metal grills. He was alone and with a rather untidy clothes though I doubt it if he is a street beggar looking for scraps on the other side of the fence. Curious at what he would do next, I walked slowly as I came near him. And there he was, with his frail hands he reached out for a dangling vine whose tiny green rootlets has lost their grasp of the wall. The old man simply wanted to help the poor vine get back on its comfort zone to continue its growth. A very simple gesture that spoke a volume of kindness.

With this I remember some of my shameful and unkind acts that I committed as a young boy. I know I like hitting tree branches with a sturdy stick until all their leaves have fallen. I would kick our banana trees on our backyard just to mimic fighting scenes I have watched in cartoon shows. Oh and about those dragonflies that we caught, we would remove one of its wing and tie a string on its tail so we can still easily catch it back after it desperately tries to fly away. Well, in my lame defense, I would say those actions of mine were ignorant acts borne from curiosity and an equally ignorant peer crowd (we were all neighborhood kids then free to play in vast fishpond grounds without adult supervision). My bad.

But now that I am a grown-up, I have no more excuse to be unkind. Well, that seems to be the norm but the reality is I actually noticed myself finding more lame excuses for my bouts of unkindness. Safe to say, that a lot of us are guilty as we have the following  often-used excuses as well.

“I have no time.”

 I got deadlines and meetings to attend to. I got products to check and projects to manage. I must bring my son to the barbershop. I got to buy groceries. I must repair some broken house fixture. I need to read my emails. I am so busy that I simply have no time to pause and think of anyone who might need my attention in a particular moment.

“I don’t have enough.”

I once heard somebody said that if he wins the lottery he will give half of his winnings to charity. And so everyday, he places his bet in the hope that he finally gets his wish as a pre-condition for his kindness. Surely, all of us got bills to pay, mouths to feed, children to send to school, families to support and some vices (e.g. chain-smoking etc) and fads (e.g. IPhone4 upgrades etc) to indulge to and that leaves us with a few clanking coins to put into our piggy bank for the next IPhone release.

“It’s not worth it.”

To re-phrase that – “they are not worth my effort.”. Beggars will continue to beg even if they have chance to improve themselves. Worst, some begging are already a part of a syndicate that actually victimizes human kindness. Almsgiving nowadays is just the lazy way to earn money to support their own vices as well. Mendicancy is a lazy man’s career.

Which brings us back to the old man helping the vine get back to its clinging position. Time for him is important as he too old to walk fast enough to get back to his home. And yet he stopped. He didn’t have any special tool to fix the vine.  He used his only available tool – his frail hand. The vine, for what its worth, is just an ordinary looking vine which would be easily cut and discarded by the gardener at his next cleaning round. And yet he did not mind at all.

More than two thousand years ago, God showed and fulfilled His ultimate selfless kindness we will ever see. God made the time to plan and perpetuate our salvation by sending His only begotten Son. He gave his all for the ransom of all. And he did this despite our perceived unworthiness of His mercy and love.

The greatest act of kindness to each and every one of us was consummated on Easter Day.

Hopefully, we all learn to show some semblance of this kindness to those around us.

Happy Easter to all.

Bethany House Celebrated 20th Year

Greetings to All!

Bethany House Orphanage in Guiguinto Bulacan celebrated their 20th Year Anniversary last March 30,2011 with Bishop Oliveros officiating the 10am Holy Mass with all the children, benefactors, sponsors and care-takers.

They also sent us their appreciation for MOP’s (Maia Outreach Program) continous support, details to follow.          

Please check their website at http://www.bethanyorphanage.org/ for more information.

In behalf of MOP, we would like to thank you also for your generosity and kind support always.

God Bless us all!

MOP with BBBS

The Peace of the Lord be with us all!

Thanks and God bless po.

BBBS - A Sheet of Paper

BIG BROTHER BIG SISTER

Teacher Aida announced, “Get out a half-sheet of paper, we’re going to have a quiz.”  Students of the class were alarmed, terrified of the impending quiz.  Carlito was as frightened as everyone, cold sweat breaking out of his forehead, hands cold and pale.  He couldn’t move, frightened, but for a different reason.  He had no sheet of paper to take out, in fact, he had no pencil nor anything to write with.  His parents sent him to a public school with free tuition, but what’s free ends there.  He was sent to school without a bag, without school supplies, without shoes.

This is a common tale in many Philippine community schools.  How can a child be encouraged to attend school this way?

Through the Big Brother Big Sister (BBBS) Community Outreach Program, children in poor families get a chance to go to school without the embarrassment of having to borrow a pencil or beg for a piece of paper.  BBBS sponsors and volunteers carry school supplies on their backs and give them to the children in person.  On May 7 - 8 this year, BBBS will benefit children in the communities of Marinduque Island Province.

SIX HUNDRED children need big brothers and big sisters like YOU! 

Here’s how you can be a big brother or sister:

1. Pledge to sponsor  one child for P300 (or USD 7.00) - Email to helpbbbs@gmail.com or contact Tina Palestina +639298502790 / Marilet de Guzman +639285032075.

1. Come and meet the kids yourself, sign up as a BBBS volunteer

1. Send this message to your friends, relatives or colleagues who might wish to help

Visit:  http://bbbs2005.multiply.com or  http://www.bbbsoutreach.com for more information.

Give Carlito that sheet of paper … give him hope

BIG BROTHER BIG SISTER

Big dreams begin with small steps!

MOP Report

We are now entering the 3^rd year of our Maia Outreach Programs (MOP) and 2010 has been another productive year for all of us.

We give thanks to our God for continuously providing us, protecting us and healing us in our daily lives that we may be able to share in His works. In spite of being far away from our country, we’re given every opportunity to let God’s blessings and love to our families must go on by providing for others.

From 2008, we started our first project with a Christmas celebration for 20 kids and which has now become our yearly yuletide event for them. We prepare home cook food for them and small gift giving.  http://maiaoutreachprogram.i.ph/blogs/maiaoutreachprogram/2008/12/25/munting-regalo-2008/

May 2009 was our summer program, distributing 300 pieces of slippers from ages 1-7 years old from the beneficiaries of NFA rice and providing them snacks on the same day.   http://maiaoutreachprogram.i.ph/blogs/maiaoutreachprogram/2009/05/15/tsinelas-100500/

This is our second year also of sending mountaineer volunteers and sponsoring 5 students of BBBS (Big Brothers Big Sisters) whose goal is to provide students with school supplies in selected remote areas in our country.

http://maiaoutreachprogram.i.ph/blogs/maiaoutreachprogram/2009/06/05/mf-volunteers-for-bbbs/ http://maiaoutreachprogram.i.ph/blogs/maiaoutreachprogram/2010/06/07/big-dreams-begin-with-small-steps-bbbs-may-2010/

From our donation pooling and in cooperation with www.kerygmafamily.com  we were able to provide financial support to victims of the 2009 Ondoy calamity. http://maiaoutreachprogram.i.ph/blogs/maiaoutreachprogram/2009/10/05/donation-pooling/

We are now supplying quarterly sack of rice to Bethany Orphanage http://www.bethanyorphanage.org/ currently housing 40 plus children in Guiguinto Bulacan and we aim to provide for them monthly. http://maiaoutreachprogram.i.ph/blogs/maiaoutreachprogram/2010/06/02/bethany-house/ http://people-places-praises.blogspot.com/2008/05/bethany-re-visited.html

Inspired by the BBBS project, we now have our own 6 MOP elementary scholars whom we provided with a bagful of basic school supplies. http://maiaoutreachprogram.i.ph/blogs/maiaoutreachprogram/2010/06/13/students-with-dreams/

Admittedly, none of these would have been possible also without your support. Therefore, please accept our sincere gratitude to all of you for your prayers and financial support to these projects. And for those who volunteer their time and talent in these projects, we salute you with appreciation.

We wish you all a Blessed and Prosperous New Year that we may continue to provide support to our least, lost and lonely children in our country and loving God by loving others.

God bless.

A Letter to Angel

Alone But Not Alone

Do you miss a loved one who had gone ahead? Below is a poem I read somewhere titled, “Alone But Not Alone”:

Alone yet never quite alone. I have an empty chair but sometimes in the silence, I imagine you are there. The good companion of the past, no longer here with me; and yet in some mysterious ways, you keep me company. Thought or spirit? Does it matter? Words are meaningless, as I feel that you are somewhere near. Though nothing’s seen or said, the bitter moment passes and my heart is comforted. I receive the strength I need, am rescued from despair. Maybe that’s the way God works—the answer to a prayer. Though the pain is never lost and the future is unknown, I face the years that lie ahead, alone, yet not alone…

From: Moments-Going Home by Fr. Jerry Orbos, Nov. 7, 2010

A Different October

October is here.

Nostalgia is once again in the air for us as we usher in the month when we lost our little daughter. I agree that the incident happened nearly two years ago but for those who have lost their loved ones, I am sure they will understand it when we claim that the heartbreak and the pain will never really go away. We can only find comfort in knowing that we have our own angel in heaven who looks after us and intercedes on our behalf.

Two nights ago, I had an early trip down bitter-sweet memory lane when, until the wee hours of the night, I browsed through the photos of our beloved Maia while she was still with us. And as usual, I had a lot of tearful moments as I stared at her lovely eyes and cherubim face. I smiled at her funny pictures as well and could only sighed over the photos of her enjoying her moments with Zek. I terribly missed her.

A few days ago, our son Zek saw a black with yellow-striped butterfly which he vainly tried to play with as it instantly flies away whenever he tries to reach for it. Our Maia loved butterflies as well and she also ran incessantly at it whenever she saw one. And when it has flown away beyond her reach, she would bid it farewell,”bye-bye butterfly”.

Today our angel Maia has given us her irrefutable presence in our lives.

My wife tested positive for our new baby.

Effective today, October will not just be the “good-bye” month for us but a renewed celebration in welcoming a new life. I am sure our Maia worked this out with the Lord ever since she came home. (Indeed, our loss was heaven’s gain)

Thank you, our dear angel.

All praises and honor we give to you Lord.

Amen and God bless.

Posted By Rowin and Family to People, Places and Praises at 10/05/2010 01:00:00 AM

The Rosary was my Lifeline

It’s the month of Rosary again, I have this very inspiring article to share to everyone. I hope this true to life story I’ve got online will give us more reason to to do meditation with our holy rosary through the Intercession of our Mother Mary that we may all received the every healing and blessings we need in our llife time too. 

And as I write this sharing, we received another answered prayer. I just got a positive result from my pregnancy test this morning.

God Bless us all!

__________________________________
 

http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Jul1998/feature2.asp#F7

The Rosary Was My Lifeline
By Leah McCarter

IN MAY 1993 I WAS HAPPY. I was 26 years old and a full-time volunteer in campus ministry at a small state college. My boyfriend and I were discussing marriage. I had good friends and lived in a beautiful part of Pennsylvania. I am a convert and my ministry encouraged me to grow in knowledge of the Church. My spirituality was growing by leaps and bounds. Every part of me was certain that I was fulfilling a plan that God had for my life.

One morning in late May I woke up to experience a “blue spot” in my left eye. I assumed that I had scratched it. Because I couldn’t see through the blue spot, I went to the doctor—who sent me to other doctors. The bottom line was a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS).

I had to leave my campus ministry job to get needed health insurance and a living wage. I returned to a job I had formerly held—defeated, disappointed and terribly, terribly afraid.

I was afraid of my own body. The body that I had long trusted to stand, sit and walk on command no longer seemed to be under my control. I was afraid of the future. MS is an unpredictable, progressive disease. Would I be unable to walk in five years? One year? Next week? What was I to become?

And my boyfriend? I was not, as you might think, afraid that he would leave me. No, I was afraid that he would stay with me out of pity, not out of love. I was ashamed of myself—ashamed of my sudden physical deficiencies, ashamed of my failure to be a healthy young adult, ashamed of my inability to handle all of this gracefully, ashamed of my fear.

But I remember most vividly my fear of God. I asked the eternal question, “Why me?” and God was silent. Underneath my fear, I became angry at God and jealous of everyone else who loved and trusted God and was well.

Mass, which I had once enjoyed, became an act of obedience in an attempt to ward off any more unwanted divine attention. I didn’t dare stay home because God might notice and become angry at me. I didn’t want to pray because I didn’t want to draw any of heaven’s attention to myself. I thought if I could just hide I could somehow recover my strength myself.

In my loneliness, pain and attempts to hide, I turned to Mary. Somehow I felt that Mary, being a woman, could understand me. Didn’t I want the same things that she had wanted at one time—to be loved, to have a family of her own? She could understand my fear. (Would an angel have to tell her, “Do not be afraid,” if she wasn’t?) She experienced firsthand the inexorable will of God, and somehow, she could say, “May it be done to me according to your word,” and mean it. And she could still love and trust him in spite of (because of?) it all. The rosary became a thin strand of faith to which I clung.

Stay-Home-Mom by Lisa

From Dr.Laura Schlesinger’s Book - http//:www.drlaura.com

Dr. Laura,

As I sit to write this letter, my hope is that if just one mother can hear what I have to say and holds her child just a little tighter today, I will have fulfilled my reason for writing.

By the time I was 29 our family was complete. I had three beautiful children, a loving husband, and although never money to spare, we found ways to get by. Although I had my mother and mother-in-law to babysit whenever I needed, by the time my middle son was born, I knew I could not work anymore. Something inside of me told me that I had to spend as much time with my children as I could.

There were many days where I was pulling out my hair, found myself screaming at them, and was totally exhausted by the end of the day, thinking to myself, “Any other work would be a pleasant relief.” But there were also many moments I would never trade in for any job, no matter what the pay. Those moments when your child gives you a smile or a look you never forget, moments when they would give you a kiss, a hug, or just hold your hand for no reason. Those are the moments a mother treasures in her heart forever…

Two years ago my middle son was killed in an auto accident. He was 22 years old. He was away at college when he decided to get in a car where the driver had been drinking; ten minutes later he was dead.

Our lives will never be the same again; the world as we knew it had been destroyed. We miss our son terribly. My husband, surviving two children, and I will never be the same, but we are trying to hold on to each other and pick up the pieces, one piece at a time.

Dr. Laura, there is only one thing I can say. I am so grateful for those moments I had with my son. Those moments, the good as well as the crazy ones, I will forever hold close to my heart. All those precious years I spent with my son now are what help me get through the day.

So please, Dr. Laura, never stop reaching to all the young moms who feel they can’t handle it, are struggling with making it through the day, who believe they “need” to work instead of being with their child, just how much it might someday mean to them to have spent those precious moments with their children. Hopefully other moms can just take my word for it: Don’t let anyone or anything prevent you from holding them, hugging them, playing with them, memorizing their smile, their laughter, their heart.

God’s Plan

I have been an OFW for more than ten years now. And so from time to time, especially the last year or so, I will admit getting the zealous desire to return to our home country. Now this is initially set to be sometime within next year. As a result of these thoughts for the past few months, my wife and I have been making concrete and definitive plans and steps for alternative means to earning money through entrepreneurship while trying to secure our long-term goal of providing a modest retirement nest for both of us as well.

We recently reactivated our government social security system memberships in order to complete the mandatory twelve year contributions to qualify for future pensions and other benefits. We started investing in stock markets (I just earned a few thousand pesos with the recent upward trend in Philippine stock market!) to add opportunities into our passive-income generating portfolio. We put up our very first owned land property in the south area for sale in the hopes of funding up one of the small business options we are planning to invest into. We plan to (and hopefully be able) to keep our existing health-care insurance to keep us relatively worry-free amidst the sky-rocketing medical expenses. Other possibilities and conditions are on the table for our careful study and consideration.

As for the humble beginnings of our small family ministry, Maia Outreach Programs, we will maintain our vow and commitment to bring and give any possible assistance to the needy children the Lord will sent our way. But for this to be doable, we also must set aside our time, talent and tithes consistently, in addition to good friends who support MOP financially and spiritually.

Obviously, all of these planning can be mostly summed up as financial security for our family which was the main reason for me working in this foreign land. Careful planning is a must before we ever make that final decision to go home. However, my own fear of the uncertainties of what the future holds for my family can still occasionally grip or even cuff me down into delaying our conceived plans. 

In these times, I have only two choices - to continue entertaining the unholy jeer of fear or to be focus on what I feel is God’s calling for my family, the next stage that He prepared for our journey and mission in life.

In these times, I can rely on St. Pauls assurance to the Philippians when he wrote, ” Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (4:6-7)

In these times, I will choose to follow His prodding and live by His promise, “…and behold I am with you always, until the end of age.” (Matthew 28:20)

Afterwards, I feel my fears fading away.

And the better I can see God’s plan conquering my own.

Dear friends, have you been delaying God’s plan for your life because of valid cares and concerns?
Then, pray intensely and intently for these not to go away (they are valid concerns, right?) but to be swept under God’s divine and merciful providence, so you can finally act on His will accordingly.

Because God’s plan is always the best plan for us.

God bless.

Injustices We Commit

I just read a thought-provoking and heart-breaking quote from St Basil the Great. Thought-provoking because it led me to think about my personal things and stuffs which I have not been using for a considerable time now and which I could have given to others who may very well need them more than I do. Some stuffs are even becoming dusty and discolored already from months of un-use. Heart-breaking because, in the depth of my heart, I know that I can still give more to those who have less and yet I am not doing it so. 

Anyway, all of us should ponder daily on what St. Basil said that,”..the bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes that you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot; the money that you keep locked away is the money of the poor; the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.”

Mea culpa.

Lord, please help me in my moments of reluctance or procrastination to be your loving hand to those people around me who are in need.

The Story of Encouragement

Hi Everyone.

I just want to share this very inspiring beautiful story of a child named Sarah to his brother Patrick. 

May you all enjoy reading and get the courage we need to go on our daily life with a grateful heart.

God Bless you all.

1 John 3:14 “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” - 

With This Letter, I Fly My Love to You from: THE STORY OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Dear Patrick,

I was then an only child who had everything I could ever want. But even a pretty, spoiled and rich kid could get lonely once in a while so when Mom told me that she was pregnant, I was ecstatic. I imagined how wonderful you would be and how we’d always be together and how much you would look like me. So, when you were born, I looked at your tiny hands and I showed you proudly to my friends. They would touch you and sometimes pinch you, but you never reacted. When you were five months old, some things began to bother Mom. You seemed so unmoving and numb, and your cry sounded odd, almost like a kitten’s.  So, we brought you to many doctors. The thirteenth doctor who looked at you quietly said you have the “cry du chat” (kree-do-sha) syndrome (cry of the cat in French). When I asked what that meant, he looked at me with pity and softly said, “Your brother will never walk or talk.” The doctor told us that it is a condition that afflicts one in 50,000 babies, rendering victims retarded. Mom was shocked and I was furious. I thought it was unfair. When we went home, Mom took you in her arms and cried. I looked at you and realized that word will get around that you’re not normal. So to hold on to my popularity, I did the unthinkable? I disowned you. Mom and Dad didn’t know but I steeled myself not to love you as you grew. Mom and Dad showered you with love and attention and that made me bitter. And as the years passed, that bitterness turned to anger, and then hate. Mom never gave up on you. She knew she had to do it for your sake. Every time she put your toys down, you would roll instead of crawl. I watched her heart break every time she took away your toys and strapped your tummy with foam so you couldn’t roll. You’d struggle and you’d cry in that pitiful way, the cry of the kitten. But she still didn’t give up. And then one day, you defied what all your doctors said: you crawled. When Mom saw this, she knew that you would eventually walk. So when you were still crawling at age four, she’d put you on the grass with only your diapers on knowing that you hate the feel of the grass on your skin. Then she’d leave you there. I would sometimes watch from the window and smile at your discomfort. You would crawl to the sidewalk and Mom would put you back. Again and again, Mom repeated this on the lawn. Until one day, Mom saw you pull yourself up and toddle off the grass as fast as your little legs could carry you. Laughing and crying, she shouted for Dad and I to come. Dad hugged you crying openly. I watched from my bedroom window this heartbreaking scene. Over the years, Mom taught you to speak, read and write. From then on, I would sometimes see you walk outside, smell the flowers, marvel at the birds, or just smile at no one. I began to see the beauty of the world around me, the simplicity of life and the wonders to this world through your eyes. It was then that I realized that you were my brother and no matter how much I tried to hate you, I couldn’t because I had grown to love you. During the next few days, we again became acquainted with each other. I would buy you toys and give all the love that a sister could ever give to her brother. And you would reward me by smiling and hugging me. But I guess, you were never really meant for us. On your tenth birthday, you felt severe headaches. The doctor’s diagnosis: leukemia. Mom gasped and Dad held her, while I fought hard to keep my tears from falling. At that moment, I loved you all the more. I couldn’t even bear to leave your side. Then the doctors told us that your only hope was to have a bone marrow transplant. You became the subject of a nationwide donor search. When at last we found the right match, you were too sick, and the doctor reluctantly ruled out the operations. Since then, you underwent chemotherapy and radiation. Even at the end, you continued to pursue life. Just a month before you died, you made me draw up a list of things you wanted to do when you got out of the hospital. Two days after the list was completed, you asked the doctors to send you home. There, we ate ice-cream and cake, ran across the grass, flew kites, went fishing, took pictures of one another and let the balloons fly. I remember the last conversation we had. You said that if you die, and if I need help, I could send you a note to heaven by tying the note on the string of a balloon and letting it fly. When you said this, I started crying. Then you hugged me. Then again, for the last time, you got sick. That last night, you asked for water, a back rub, a cuddle. Finally, you went into seizure with tears streaming down your face. Later, at the hospital, you struggled to talk but the words wouldn’t come. I know what you wanted to say. “I hear you.” I whispered. And for the last time, I said, “I’ll always love you and I will never forget you. Don’t be afraid. You’ll soon be with God in heaven.” Then, with my tears flowing freely, I watched the bravest boy I had ever known finally stop breathing. Dad, Mom and I cried until it felt as if there were no more tears left. Patrick was finally gone, leaving us behind. From then on, you were my source of inspiration. You showed me how to love life and live life to the fullest. With your simplicity and honesty, you showed me a world full of love and caring, and you made me realize that the most important thing in this life is to continue loving without asking why or how and without setting any limit. With this letter and this balloon, I fly my love to you. Thank you my little brother for all these.

Sarah

Students With Dreams

 The statistics are alarming.

For every 100 pupils who enter Grade 1, only 86 will go on to Grade 2. For the last 30 years, says the Philippine Development Report, the highest dropout rate in the basic school cycle has occurred this early. By Grade 4, only 76 of the original 100 will still be in school. By Grade 6, only 67 would still be enrolled—and only 65 will graduate from elementary school. Of the 65 who finish grade school, only 58 will move on to high school. And of the 58 who enter high school, only 42 will graduate.

For related article, please click this link http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/component/content/article/86-special-reports/18898-dropouts-our-immense-and-invisible-failure

The main reason for the high-rate of drop-out is due to poverty. Poor families especially those in farming communities tend to pull out their children from school everytime harvest season comes. For some, the upkeep of sending their children to free public school with daily meals, transportations, noteboks and other school related costs are way above their meager incomes.

Juniel, a fifth grader , and Juriel, a third-grader are both sister-students  of Bulihan Elementary School. Their father works in a construction and their mother is a stay-at-home mom who takes care of their daily chores. Notwithstanding that our public school tuitions are free, their father’s meager income is just enough to meet their daily needs. But believing the importance of education, their parents are taking all conceivable measures to use their available resources to support not only these intelligent and witty sisters but their big brother (they are 3 children in their family) whom they put their future hope since he will be entering college this school year.     

The sisters were both chosen to be one of our MOP’s scholarship recipient for the school year 2010-2011. With the public tuition already free, we opted to provide them with simple bags, complete notebooks and other school supplies to use for the whole year with end-year cash incentives for “above-normal” grade average. Nanay Vivian who went with Juniel and Juriel during the interview and confirmation day was a picture of deep gratitude. It was in her own words “a welcomed relief” in their tightly managed family budget. 

We wish you Juniel and Juriel a good and learning school year ahead. 

Big Dreams Begin With Small Steps - BBBS May 2010

Last  May 22 and 23, Big Brother Big Sister organizers and volunteers trekked the Ifugao mountain regions to distrubute bags and school supplies to the poor children. This was their sixth straight year of reaching out to the less fortunate school-age children to support them in their schooling needs.

Our MOP is blessed to be able to send again our own representative-volunteers, Remir and Bles Cueto who had extensive mountaineering experiences since their college days.

For details of this BBBS activities, please visit their official website at http://bbbs.freehostia.com.

To all who supported their activity by prayer and/or anonymous donations, our sincere thanks and hopefully we will continue to be part of this group’s annual activity in the coming years.

 God bless us all.

Bethany House

http://www.bethanyorphanage.org/

Last April 25, 2010, we paid a quick afternoon visit to Bethany House to spend some time with the wonderful and cheerful orphans under the care of the Dominican nuns. Sister Irene was our host and who exchanged pleasantries and inspiring stories about these children under their care. A lot of successful legal adoptions, both locally and internationally, have been giving each orphan a far-reaching dream of belonging to a family who will love and take care of them as one of their own. Sadly though, that the rate of adoption is nearly overshadowed by the rate of children and babies being given up by their parents who are unable to support and provide even their most basic needs. Thus, orphans, continues to come and take refuge in Bethany house.

Presently, they have 40+ youngsters and 3 infants under their care. Their team comprises of 3 nuns and around 5 volunteer-helpers who cook, clean and support these kids during their stay. One can only imagine the considerable cost they are incurring everyday just to feed and nourish these hungry youngsters, to educate and instill good values in these hungry souls.

If you are interested to help them by donating 1 sack of rice per year (Php 1,500.00), our MOP can help you to arrange this for you.

Please contact us.

Better yet, if you live near the Guiguinto, Bulacan area and have some free-time, please pay them a short visit to bring your sack of rice to them. If you have kids, bring them along so they can play with them. I must warn you though, you are bound to be blessed by the happy and smiling faces of these childrens and care-takers so be prepared to go home with a fulfilled and love-filled heart.

God bless our families.

Note: Recommended visiting time is between 4 to 5:30pm before the children have their evening prayers and dinner.