Thank you, Lord, for giving me friends like them.
Yesterday, I've realized things about myself. I dont want my friends getting mad at me, I also dont want user friendly friends. I dont want my friends, especially those close to my heart, to stab me at my back. Sobrang babaw ng luha ko, konting problema lang iiyak na ako, because for me it is already a big deal. Kahit for them it's not.
Last night till dawn, I've got to talk to people who are close to my heart.
Enzo, Alec and I talked a lot about Blue Symphony family, it was nice and fun. :) I'm not leaving this org.
Realizations
I think someone's right when he said this to me: (though I'm still fighting it) that your college friends will leave you when the time comes. Orgs are where you will find friends who will stay with you. Today I understood the last line, pero yung first line na sinabi niya, I'm trying my best for that not to happen. I'm still in the process and it was never easy.
Another realization, maybe, God made me to experience this because i have forgotten about Him these past few days. It's time to bring back the old habit of scripture reading and praying for comfort, love and understanding..
God made my heart sensitive to emotions, just like a loving child who doesn't want any fights or misunderstanding with the people she knows. God made my heart sensitive also for me to understand other people and help them as much as I can. But then, this sensitive heart is also vulnerable even to the slightest pain that will be inflicted upon it, thus needing other people with good hearts to touch and heal it.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
Service
Dear IRSC,
It has been a while. A lot of the committee members have already gone on their missions, at may mga aalis pa. But because of this, should we, who are left, neglect the duty that is appointed to us? I think we are forgetting that we are part of this important organization. It may still be a baby organization in the stake, but this will be a stepping stone for everyone in Las Pinas, and we will be the pioneer officers, if in case this will continue on up to Las Pinas Institute of Religion. Isn't it great to hear that we are the first set of officers to represent the IRSC? Isn't it a good feeling that we were able to build the foundation for the future generations? But how can we feel this? How can we be proud of the service that we have done if we are not taking action now?
Take action, now. Contribute what you can. Take initiative. Inspire others and uplift them as you represent the IRSC. Let us be servants to them: to the YSA, to the Institute students in our stake. Don't let this opportunity pass by. We must be "anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of [our] own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness." (Doctrine and Covenants 58:27). Our acts of service by being a part of IRSC would seem to have small impact now, but I know, that it will continue to grow and get bigger and better in the future.
Let us serve, now. Serve them with passion. Serve Him "with all your heart and with all your soul." The Lord requires the "heart and a willing mind," so unless we have this, our service will be ineffective.
Know the reason why we serve through IRSC. I cannot answer it for you, I know all of us will have different reasons and motivations to serve. Ponder about it, and then think about what you can and will do for that reason.
I know this is tough, this is challenging, but we are called, we are qualified, and therefore, we can do this. There is that joy of service that is incomparable to any feeling of greatness that a person can feel. Still, Elder Bruce R. McConkie said "Knowing is not enough, we must apply. being willing is not enough, we must do. Progress is not created by contented people. It is up to us, you and me, to be uncomfortable in complacency, to refrain from being spectators, and to be players in the game of life. The Lord has chosen His people to perform a mighty work."
Let us be an example to our fellow YSA and Institute classmates. Let us serve as the Savior did. Sabi pa, the greater your service, the closer your access to God. One who serves and sacrifices goes to bed at night with peace of mind.
Let us all be eager to serve. Let us teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness, teach them to love one another and to serve one another (Mosiah 4:15).
I love you, guys.
PS. Plan for the February Activity please. :))
Sunday, January 19, 2014
To grab every opportunity to serve Him
This month, the weather has been so weird, but I love it! haha. for weeks now, the country experiences cold breeze, even here in Katipunan, QC. It's so cuddly; what a bed weather.. anyway, it just sets me in a good and relaxing mood, though there are so many things to do...
With those many things, I still feel happy and motivated to work for it. The Lord has blessed me a lot since the start of the year. So far, things are getting well; I can really feel God's love through it all.. and because of this, I wanted to do something in return: serve Him in any way possible. This is what I want to do not only this year, but in the next years of my life.
This is only the third week of the first month of the year, yet I have learned so much from many different people, and had realizations in life.
1. Reality
Since it's the start of the year, uso ang gumawa ng 2014 goals for yourself and for others. I have planned goals already, and some of them involves other people, which includes my room mates. But then, I've come to talk to this person, who is so realistic, compared to me (medj idealistic kasi ako). And he assumed almost everything I told him in the negative perspective. Puro "what if it won't..." ang case. Pessimist lang. haha. Kaya nga may goal eh, may dream = we'll make it happen. Pero he already assumes that we can't. Well it's a possibility; I know that he's trying to tell me that things won't always happen the way we (me and my room mates) wanted it to happen, but I know we can work it through somehow. Well in this experience, he had let me see the reality side of things. I started the year dreaming, and he reminded me that I must also consider what could happen in the real world. That doesn't stop me from dreaming, maybe he just made me realize lots of things and consequences that could happen because of the choices that I make in order to fulfill that dream.
2. Priorities
With lots of things in mind, and lots of things going on, I really should work on this. The hardest thing to do when it comes to making priorities is when one is torn between two good choices... This question would be helpful again: "Where are you needed the most?" and that is how I would weigh them. It is still tough, but it would cause me less regrets. haha.
3. Calling
Last saturday, we had recollection for Theo 131
Our relationship with others, with Christ and our call to love are the highlights of that afternoon. In order to love like Christ, one should know how Christ loves people, so, we first talked about the scripture passage, from the Catholic Bible's version, but I want to use our version in LDS:
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."
Charity or the pure love of Christ is what was being described in this passage. This is how Christ manifests His love to all of us, even until now. Since we already know how Christ show His love, it is now our task to do the same. As we establish relationships with the people around us, we impart a part of ourselves to them by showing our love and concern for them. We have many kinds of relationship and many ways of showing love. Our formator mentioned that there are 5 kinds of love: Physical, Verbal, Gift, Presence and Service. All of these strengthen our love for one another and for the Savior.
This day, I have also learned more about the word Magis it is doing the more loving choice, not just doing more. It is doing something out of love for the other, not for your own. It is a selfless act, a loving and willing service given by a person. I've come to appreciate this word more especially when the couples Sir Rem and Ma'am Renee gave a talk and further elaborated the word Magis in their married life. They have inspired me to do the same as I serve others with love.
One of the things that also made an impact on me was when I heard that my relationship with others is the way of our communion with Christ. Com: to be with, union, to be united = to be united with Christ. As such, I remember the passage, "Inasmuch as you have done this unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me," which was taught by Christ in the New Testament. So, how I really treat and serve people reflects how I wanted to treat and serve my Savior. That is a reason why I was called to respond to love, because I love Christ, and how can I do this? It is through the relationships that I build with the people around me. Once again, I was able to realize the impact of showing love for others, in the way that I show my love for Christ.
The session went on, and we were able to reflect the scripture passage, as we replace love/charity with Christ, and later on, with our names. As we did, I have felt that the passage, was meant for me. That it somehow wanted to describe me, inspire me and encourage to have the qualities in those verses. I was able to find out in what descriptions do I feel comfortable with and what do I feel weak about...
Today, I was able to share what I feel, let it out to my small group, and I was also blessed to have the opportunity to share some things about my religion. I introduced myself and my religion, explained some standards that were different from the others, and that was where the Jesuit guy, Basil, explained some reasons about standards. He has been studying as Jesuit priest, and it was his 4th year. I am happy and satisfied with his explanations and how he was unbiased despite of the multi faith that we have in the group.
4. Friends
True friends are just a few, and they are hard to find, so when you have one, take care of that person, keep on serving and loving him/her. Treasure him/her like a family. In this life, many will leave you, and many will forget you, but few will be there for you, will make you feel important and loved.
There are still so much more that I have been wondering about, and I know that I will find out more this year. I will make sure that I will use these to serve Him :)
With those many things, I still feel happy and motivated to work for it. The Lord has blessed me a lot since the start of the year. So far, things are getting well; I can really feel God's love through it all.. and because of this, I wanted to do something in return: serve Him in any way possible. This is what I want to do not only this year, but in the next years of my life.
This is only the third week of the first month of the year, yet I have learned so much from many different people, and had realizations in life.
1. Reality
Since it's the start of the year, uso ang gumawa ng 2014 goals for yourself and for others. I have planned goals already, and some of them involves other people, which includes my room mates. But then, I've come to talk to this person, who is so realistic, compared to me (medj idealistic kasi ako). And he assumed almost everything I told him in the negative perspective. Puro "what if it won't..." ang case. Pessimist lang. haha. Kaya nga may goal eh, may dream = we'll make it happen. Pero he already assumes that we can't. Well it's a possibility; I know that he's trying to tell me that things won't always happen the way we (me and my room mates) wanted it to happen, but I know we can work it through somehow. Well in this experience, he had let me see the reality side of things. I started the year dreaming, and he reminded me that I must also consider what could happen in the real world. That doesn't stop me from dreaming, maybe he just made me realize lots of things and consequences that could happen because of the choices that I make in order to fulfill that dream.
2. Priorities
With lots of things in mind, and lots of things going on, I really should work on this. The hardest thing to do when it comes to making priorities is when one is torn between two good choices... This question would be helpful again: "Where are you needed the most?" and that is how I would weigh them. It is still tough, but it would cause me less regrets. haha.
3. Calling
Last saturday, we had recollection for Theo 131
Our relationship with others, with Christ and our call to love are the highlights of that afternoon. In order to love like Christ, one should know how Christ loves people, so, we first talked about the scripture passage, from the Catholic Bible's version, but I want to use our version in LDS:
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."
Charity or the pure love of Christ is what was being described in this passage. This is how Christ manifests His love to all of us, even until now. Since we already know how Christ show His love, it is now our task to do the same. As we establish relationships with the people around us, we impart a part of ourselves to them by showing our love and concern for them. We have many kinds of relationship and many ways of showing love. Our formator mentioned that there are 5 kinds of love: Physical, Verbal, Gift, Presence and Service. All of these strengthen our love for one another and for the Savior.
This day, I have also learned more about the word Magis it is doing the more loving choice, not just doing more. It is doing something out of love for the other, not for your own. It is a selfless act, a loving and willing service given by a person. I've come to appreciate this word more especially when the couples Sir Rem and Ma'am Renee gave a talk and further elaborated the word Magis in their married life. They have inspired me to do the same as I serve others with love.
One of the things that also made an impact on me was when I heard that my relationship with others is the way of our communion with Christ. Com: to be with, union, to be united = to be united with Christ. As such, I remember the passage, "Inasmuch as you have done this unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me," which was taught by Christ in the New Testament. So, how I really treat and serve people reflects how I wanted to treat and serve my Savior. That is a reason why I was called to respond to love, because I love Christ, and how can I do this? It is through the relationships that I build with the people around me. Once again, I was able to realize the impact of showing love for others, in the way that I show my love for Christ.
The session went on, and we were able to reflect the scripture passage, as we replace love/charity with Christ, and later on, with our names. As we did, I have felt that the passage, was meant for me. That it somehow wanted to describe me, inspire me and encourage to have the qualities in those verses. I was able to find out in what descriptions do I feel comfortable with and what do I feel weak about...
Today, I was able to share what I feel, let it out to my small group, and I was also blessed to have the opportunity to share some things about my religion. I introduced myself and my religion, explained some standards that were different from the others, and that was where the Jesuit guy, Basil, explained some reasons about standards. He has been studying as Jesuit priest, and it was his 4th year. I am happy and satisfied with his explanations and how he was unbiased despite of the multi faith that we have in the group.
4. Friends
True friends are just a few, and they are hard to find, so when you have one, take care of that person, keep on serving and loving him/her. Treasure him/her like a family. In this life, many will leave you, and many will forget you, but few will be there for you, will make you feel important and loved.
There are still so much more that I have been wondering about, and I know that I will find out more this year. I will make sure that I will use these to serve Him :)
Sunday, December 22, 2013
First time
December 21
Today, I was home. Today, I had a dental surgery. Today, my wisdom tooth was removed. Today, I experienced a lot of pain, and it made me realize that I am not ready to die just yet.
The surgery went well, it was the aftermath that hurt a lot. Papa, mama and I all wanted to watch a movie after my dental check up. But it did not happen as planned. After the dental surgery, I felt weak, as any patient would feel. And so, mama and I went home, and ate ice cream. I slept for the rest of the afternoon to ease the pain. When I woke up, it was still hurting. I want to cry, but crying only made it more painful. And so I got up from bed and went to the sala where my parents were. I was still in pain, so papa bought pain reliever, and then we ate dinner. As we did, I felt strange. My vision was blurry, it was spinning and I can't focus on eating nor listening to what my parents were saying. And so I told them, "Nahihilo ako," I held my head, leaned on a chair. Then I did not know what happened. I passed out. The next thing I knew: papa was holding me tight especially my head, and mama was telling me something like "kaya mo yan." that's when I felt conscious. After that, they moved me from dining table to the sofa, fed me with rice and soup and took care of me. I saw and felt fear in our eyes. It was really unexpected. Mama told me that I was shaking when I passed out and so they held me tight.
Grabe, I did not know that it happened at all. Basta I woke up then, feeling weak to move.
In that moment of my life, I have realized I was not ready to die (I already thought of that possibility). I still have lots to do and lots to accomplish. I still have lots to apologize for and lots to be grateful about. I must never give in with what may hinder me. I must be strong. With the Lord beside me, I know I can do this.
You may say, nahimatay lang naman, di naman masyadong grabe. Well for me it was since it was my first time. Through this, I was able to realize again the blessings that I have and the hardships that I must face and surpass.
I am really blessed to have a family like what I have now. I am blessed with love and care around me.
The surgery went well, it was the aftermath that hurt a lot. Papa, mama and I all wanted to watch a movie after my dental check up. But it did not happen as planned. After the dental surgery, I felt weak, as any patient would feel. And so, mama and I went home, and ate ice cream. I slept for the rest of the afternoon to ease the pain. When I woke up, it was still hurting. I want to cry, but crying only made it more painful. And so I got up from bed and went to the sala where my parents were. I was still in pain, so papa bought pain reliever, and then we ate dinner. As we did, I felt strange. My vision was blurry, it was spinning and I can't focus on eating nor listening to what my parents were saying. And so I told them, "Nahihilo ako," I held my head, leaned on a chair. Then I did not know what happened. I passed out. The next thing I knew: papa was holding me tight especially my head, and mama was telling me something like "kaya mo yan." that's when I felt conscious. After that, they moved me from dining table to the sofa, fed me with rice and soup and took care of me. I saw and felt fear in our eyes. It was really unexpected. Mama told me that I was shaking when I passed out and so they held me tight.
Grabe, I did not know that it happened at all. Basta I woke up then, feeling weak to move.
In that moment of my life, I have realized I was not ready to die (I already thought of that possibility). I still have lots to do and lots to accomplish. I still have lots to apologize for and lots to be grateful about. I must never give in with what may hinder me. I must be strong. With the Lord beside me, I know I can do this.
You may say, nahimatay lang naman, di naman masyadong grabe. Well for me it was since it was my first time. Through this, I was able to realize again the blessings that I have and the hardships that I must face and surpass.
I am really blessed to have a family like what I have now. I am blessed with love and care around me.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Center
What is your center? If he chose you, you must have something important in you.
What makes you you?
Once again, I have pondered for myself such simple thoughts with deep impacts. The first line was from the movie, the Rise of the Guardians. because of that, I remembered again my past experiences, especially through ASLA. :)
My center? Just like Jack Frost, I don't know. I have not fully discovered it yet. Nevertheless, I know what I wanted to do for now. What I know is the Lord is with me, and as I make Him the center of my life, I would be able to do so much, more than what I think I am capable of. But it does not end there, I myself must also be engaged in things and activities that would lift me up and make me grow personally. In this way, I would be able to lift others as well, just like a guardian. haha
okay. the movie was so great that I extracted simple lines and details from it and applied it to myself.
next, one important thing is to believe. Believe in what you want to believe, especially to something that you treasure and to what you will stand for as long as you live. It is never too late; as long as you have a reason to believe, you can believe. :)
next, "how can I know who I am, when I don't know who I was?" another applicable line, huh. now I'm assessing myself. haha, who am I in the past, and what made me who I am now? as the second line in this entry says: what makes you you?
don't be so busy bringing joy to others to the extent that you have no time to be with them.. the most important thing is to create memories with people that you love the most. Just be with them, be there for them, and it would mean a lot
"I know it, I can feel it... in my belly."
What makes you you?
Once again, I have pondered for myself such simple thoughts with deep impacts. The first line was from the movie, the Rise of the Guardians. because of that, I remembered again my past experiences, especially through ASLA. :)
My center? Just like Jack Frost, I don't know. I have not fully discovered it yet. Nevertheless, I know what I wanted to do for now. What I know is the Lord is with me, and as I make Him the center of my life, I would be able to do so much, more than what I think I am capable of. But it does not end there, I myself must also be engaged in things and activities that would lift me up and make me grow personally. In this way, I would be able to lift others as well, just like a guardian. haha
okay. the movie was so great that I extracted simple lines and details from it and applied it to myself.
next, one important thing is to believe. Believe in what you want to believe, especially to something that you treasure and to what you will stand for as long as you live. It is never too late; as long as you have a reason to believe, you can believe. :)
next, "how can I know who I am, when I don't know who I was?" another applicable line, huh. now I'm assessing myself. haha, who am I in the past, and what made me who I am now? as the second line in this entry says: what makes you you?
don't be so busy bringing joy to others to the extent that you have no time to be with them.. the most important thing is to create memories with people that you love the most. Just be with them, be there for them, and it would mean a lot
"I know it, I can feel it... in my belly."
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Understand
A lot has happened to me this week; and above it all, I have learned something more about Understanding
This week is a mixture of happiness, sadness, disappointment, and anxiety due to many circumstances.. This week, I was hurt, I was afraid but eventually I became happy and satisfied..
This week, I have regretted things but I also have treasured moments..
At some point, it was really difficult; it was like hanging on a cliff, and thinking if I should let go or not. Thankfully I didn't let go. It is because of understanding that I considered the consequences for the choices that I will make...
This week, I was able to apply what I have learned in the Institute: to understand the situation; to act rather than to react. For a lot of times I felt like I should be the one to understand. For a moment, I was physically but unintentionally hurt; For a while, I was forgotten. I specifically felt lonely. But will I let it devour me? Will I let my sadness take over every second of my life? Of course not, sayang ang time. I understand; I wanted to be happy, and so I will be. Though the pain is still there, it was, nevertheless, lessened and healed. What was left now was a scar, a sign that I have experienced something and that I have learned from it.
My teacher said that the greatest spiritual maturity is according to how a person responds to the weakness of the other. I think what he was trying to tell me was, knowing that the other person experiences something as his weakness, how can try and help him or her? well, first, understand the person. and then, see him in what he can become, and not in what he is now. Even great people make mistakes, but do we see them according to their petty imperfections? di ba, NO. We see them as someone who contributed so much as to influence many people around the world. maybe in this way, i will also try and see other people.
This week is a mixture of happiness, sadness, disappointment, and anxiety due to many circumstances.. This week, I was hurt, I was afraid but eventually I became happy and satisfied..
This week, I have regretted things but I also have treasured moments..
At some point, it was really difficult; it was like hanging on a cliff, and thinking if I should let go or not. Thankfully I didn't let go. It is because of understanding that I considered the consequences for the choices that I will make...
This week, I was able to apply what I have learned in the Institute: to understand the situation; to act rather than to react. For a lot of times I felt like I should be the one to understand. For a moment, I was physically but unintentionally hurt; For a while, I was forgotten. I specifically felt lonely. But will I let it devour me? Will I let my sadness take over every second of my life? Of course not, sayang ang time. I understand; I wanted to be happy, and so I will be. Though the pain is still there, it was, nevertheless, lessened and healed. What was left now was a scar, a sign that I have experienced something and that I have learned from it.
My teacher said that the greatest spiritual maturity is according to how a person responds to the weakness of the other. I think what he was trying to tell me was, knowing that the other person experiences something as his weakness, how can try and help him or her? well, first, understand the person. and then, see him in what he can become, and not in what he is now. Even great people make mistakes, but do we see them according to their petty imperfections? di ba, NO. We see them as someone who contributed so much as to influence many people around the world. maybe in this way, i will also try and see other people.
Monday, December 9, 2013
my approach to mean things
When you feel like someone or something is demeaning you, what are you going to do?
You might say, well, I will just ignore him/her, it's not true anyway... but then, if it's true, you might say, how dare he/she talked to me like that! who is he/she to say such mean things. with matching emoticon pa. haha.
anyway.. easier said than done; when you are in such situations like that, it would really depend on how and what one should feel.
I do not intend to talk about a certain someone, I just wanted to express how I feel about this idea/situation.
First, no one can make you feel inferior but yourself; likewise, no one can offend you unless you yourself chose to be offended. Those mean words, bad treatments done to you won't affect you much unless you let it within you. Yes it hurts, but don't take it in, especially if you know that you haven't done anything wrong.
It has always been the tendency of people to judge others, especially their imperfections. From those judgments come misunderstandings, up to the point of "personalan na," in Filipino... So if you don't want any fight or problems, stop judging, unless that would lift a person's feelings and improve his/her behavior...
Second, if I will be placed in that situation, I might as well accept their judgment about me. I, or we, cannot please everyone - that's a given fact. now, what we can do now is to improve ourselves. Let us use those negative ideas about us as motivations or opportunities to improve, step up and be the person that others did not think we are. That would be a counterattack to people who look at us negatively or wrongly.
Third, ask the Lord for help. There will be situations wherein we would not be able to control ourselves especially when the judgments about us are completely wrong. Pray to God for comfort, to be cool and calm in handling these situations. Count 1-10 as you inhale and exhale, and ask for guidance. The Lord will always be there to help us, so don't ignore nor forget about Him :)
Sometimes, we won't entirely know why a person does or says offending things to or about us, but whatever their reasons are, we, who could understand more, should consider certain things that has affected the situation and understand why it became like that.
ciao.
You might say, well, I will just ignore him/her, it's not true anyway... but then, if it's true, you might say, how dare he/she talked to me like that! who is he/she to say such mean things. with matching emoticon pa. haha.
anyway.. easier said than done; when you are in such situations like that, it would really depend on how and what one should feel.
I do not intend to talk about a certain someone, I just wanted to express how I feel about this idea/situation.
First, no one can make you feel inferior but yourself; likewise, no one can offend you unless you yourself chose to be offended. Those mean words, bad treatments done to you won't affect you much unless you let it within you. Yes it hurts, but don't take it in, especially if you know that you haven't done anything wrong.
It has always been the tendency of people to judge others, especially their imperfections. From those judgments come misunderstandings, up to the point of "personalan na," in Filipino... So if you don't want any fight or problems, stop judging, unless that would lift a person's feelings and improve his/her behavior...
Second, if I will be placed in that situation, I might as well accept their judgment about me. I, or we, cannot please everyone - that's a given fact. now, what we can do now is to improve ourselves. Let us use those negative ideas about us as motivations or opportunities to improve, step up and be the person that others did not think we are. That would be a counterattack to people who look at us negatively or wrongly.
Third, ask the Lord for help. There will be situations wherein we would not be able to control ourselves especially when the judgments about us are completely wrong. Pray to God for comfort, to be cool and calm in handling these situations. Count 1-10 as you inhale and exhale, and ask for guidance. The Lord will always be there to help us, so don't ignore nor forget about Him :)
Sometimes, we won't entirely know why a person does or says offending things to or about us, but whatever their reasons are, we, who could understand more, should consider certain things that has affected the situation and understand why it became like that.
ciao.
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