The 2nd Tallest Man Alive

God always has a way of catching our attention.

Sometimes He makes us feel little. During such moments, He pinpoints our weaknesses not really to belittle us, but for us to remember that there is always someone bigger, greater and mightier than us. That way, we wouldn’t have to rely on our own strength nor to believe too much in ourselves as if we could live only on our own. Those are the times when we have to look up.

At other times, He makes us feel tall. He showers us with too many blessings, praises, friends and awards, not always because we deserve them, but sometimes because He wants to remind us that life is more about giving than receiving. Those are the times when we need to kneel down.

Here are a few photos that literally show what I mean.

Ijaz Ahmed at Manila Zoo

Ijaz is a Pakistani who maybe feeling tall at 8 feet 4 inches, but I’m telling you, his height doesn’t make him proud at all. In fact, he is shown here having his photos taken with Manila Zoo’s visitors because he needs financial help. He suffers from an orthopaedic problem that afflicted his right leg after he underwent surgery for a hip-bone fracture. News reports said he needs $50,000 to correct his condition.

A photo for a cause

Let’s hope and pray Ijaz would get the medical attention he needs.

God Still Moves

As I go older looking, observing and contemplating about life, I realized that there are as many different types of people and individuals as the stars – and a good number of them are starry-eyed. There may not be a problem about a slightly dreamy kind of thinking, but a Utopian one does!

Let’s read a story.

“An unknown guest in our community declared herself as a filthy rich businesswoman who owns a big company that is read in everyday’s news. But when asked which company she owns, she blurted ‘I don’t need to tell you.’ As if it wasn’t enough for her to think that she’s the only person alive who reads a newspaper, she further kept on insulting my country by saying it is the most boring place she knows. Perhaps that is the reason why her company is in Manila, not in L. _. where she said she lives.

Let’s cut the story here and focus our attention to the fact that life includes incomprehensible faces as well as turns of events. But, lo and behold, despite this God is still there and He moves.

Here’s “God Still Moves” by the Wesleyan University-Philippines’ Chapel Choir. God bless!

Shaine’s GK experience

Together with SMARTees Cabanatuan, Michael Shaine visited the Gawad Kalinga (GK) community in Bakod Bayan, in the same city to share some goods and inspiration to 57 families.

There she witnessed how SMARTees and volunteers from CFC Singles worked together to bring some joy to the children and hope for the older members of the community.

Aside from gift-giving, which was made possible by the donations personally given by the local telecoms employees, there were games for the young and old as well as grooming activities like bath-taking, tooth brushing and nail cutting, facilitated by the CFC members.

Brushing time

Ligaya, one of the children who received a free manicure and pedicure from Dade Dave

Shaine while she's lending a hand during the gift-giving

Joy is multiplied a thousand times during a children's game at GK Bakodbayan

The volunteers

The Missionary

Here’s a short story I wrote in 2000. This is just a copy from the Philippine Panorama.  I hope you’d enjoy reading it!  God bless!

For a reader-friendly and complete version of The Missionary, please contact the Philippine Elibrary at http://www.elib.gov.ph.

Celebrating Sundays

Dave, Arvid, the kids and I love Sundays!  It’s the happiest bonding day of our week.

Our typical Sunday starts with a mixture of breakfast, bottle feeding, roaming children and bath giving.  It may seem chaotic sometimes especially when one or two of my nieces and nephews are going gaga over which dress or shirt to wear (Mind you, today’s kids already have minds of their own.  Even a two-year old already chooses his clothes and gets away with it.).  But once the tension has died down, everything else turns out fun.

Our first stop is the Wesleyan University-Philippines’ UMC Chapel. Headed by Rev. Jose M. Flores and ministered to by the Christian Education professors, the chapel is a heaven-sent for families with kids tagging along.  Naturally ventilated, it boasts not only of spacious interior but also of a vast grassland that provides kids quite a playing ground after church.  Arvid loves running around while his cousins catch dragonflies.  I wonder if they also sing one of the songs I sing when I was a kid like them.  It goes “Tutubi, tutubi, huwag kang magpahuli sa batang mapanghi.” hehehe, whoever wrote that song must be punished!

Of course, where children are concerned, no parent would miss the traditional yet very helpful Sunday School.  Here, Shaine, Charles, Antoinette, Christian and Arvid listen to stories from the Bible or books which illustrate good behavior.  After the storytelling, the teacher asks questions about the story which prompts the children to think and react based on how they have understood it.  The process does not only inculcate right values but also train the kids’ listening and speaking skills.

They sing praises and hymns and play with other kids, too!

Meanwhile, Dave and I try our best to share whatever talent we have (if we have any, hehehe).  We sing with a group of older friends and funnily call ourselves “The Chaplain’s Forced Choir”! Most of the time, Dave and I sing together except when Arvid doesn’t want to be with somebody else.  Dade is a Base while I am an Alto.  He sounds…I don’t! hehehehe

After church, we all go together to McDonald’s to eat and play some more.  We then head home to meet our Lola Mados and to ask for her blessings by doing the “Mano po” custom.

Simple yet happy and fulfilling – that’s our Sunday.  Make yours a bonding day, too!