The Story of Encouragement

June 18, 2010

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

June 13, 2010

 

 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

June 7, 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

June 2, 2010

 

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.