SOF hurdles distance and heat: Plants Trees!

      Despite the heat of the late morning sun and the long walk to the hilly planting area, 130 Iloilo NHS-School Of the Future students and 13 teachers were able to plant 1200 seedlings of kansulog (common name: bagalunga) trees within the two areas of Sitio Sambag, Barangay Dagami, Maasin Iloilo last August 8, 2014, Friday.

      The tree planting activity of the SOF BioPhyChem club was finalized after meeting with Mr. Apolinario Corbal, Forrester 1 of DENR-PENRO, Iloilo last July 24, 2014.  To survey the area, Ma'am Luz and I set an appointment for a site visit in Maasin last August 7, 2014 together with Nerissa and Mr. Jessie Cequina of DENR.

    Last year, the SOF planted 500 seedlings along Radial Road in Leganes and poster making on the theme "SOF cares for the environment".  The club also spearheaded the "Life-saving seminar during emergency cases" with the Iloilo NHS Medics.  This year, along with the tree planting activity, is the poster making contest for each section in the SOF with the theme:  Handog Punla ng Kabataan Para sa Kinabukasan".  

         The tree planting activity kicked off with an orientation and the long walk started towards the tree planting sites.

 

     

        The tree planting activity was supported by Mayor Mariano Malones Sr, and SB member (and SOF AdHoC officer) Dr. Innocencia Velasco by tapping the Philippine National Police headed by Officer Benedicto Masculino.  PO President fo Dagami Association for WaterShed Protection (DAWP), Mr. Romeo Capilitan facilitated the availability of kansulog seedlings.  Two local folks (for two sites) helped us in preparing holes for planting and during the tree planting Mr. Hernani Montefrio and Mr. Jose Lagunday monitored the correct planting of seedlings.

      The Club is trying to make tree planting an annual activity in compliance with Executive Order No. 26, section 3.1- "All students shall be individually required to plant a minimum of 10 seedlings per year.."  and  acting on one of the visions of the School Of the Future "To be Stewards of the Environment". With this activity, students, teachers, parents and the community will be aware to care for the environment and our government.

Blessings

Paul says that as Christians we can rejoice even in tough times because we have hope and because we know that God is working in our lives.- Rick Warren, God's Power To Change Your Life

One tough time passed by but still etched in my memory, Typhoon Frank and the immense flood in June 21, 2008.  That time when we were surprised by fast-rising, raging flood water devouring the first floor of our house.  That time when fear, sadness and helplessness clothed the entire household and Iloilo as well.  That time when many people thought its the end of the world, as they say 666: F is the 6th letter of the alphabet, it happened in the 6th month of the year and devastated Region 6!

Quite unreasonable to recall that happening, but yesterday as heavy rains poured and the sky was dim, I was actually thinking of Frank! Classes were suspended due to flooding in school and sadly when I got home, flood welcomed me! Now I have time to write since classes were still suspended today.

Even with the water-surrounded environment in our demolished house, I have hope of a better environment surrounded with care.  Last night, my boss/my friend,/my sister in faith offered a room for me and my family, a warm welcome, a sincere concern and that I am grateful.  Indeed God is good! A blessing...

God will not permit any troubles to come upon us, unless He has a specific plan by which great blessing can come out of the difficulty. - Peter Marshall 

SEVEN

      Seven. It is not only a number found on the jersey of popular good-looking football star, nor refers to titles in tennis or boxing, nor refers to the number of trophies or championships, nor the movie title starred by the highest paid actor but seven refers to a lot of things especially in numerology.  Whenever you read seven, it does not always literally mean seven things or seven occurrences.  It is symbolic of a completion or the perfect picture of things.  In the Bible, the number seven appears 600 times! (www.examiner.com)

      Yesterday, the Highway Evangelical Church with the Believers' Fellowship had the Seven Last Words of Jesus on the Cross to recall and re-learn its importance on every christian's life.

         The Assurance of God's Pardon

 In Luke 23:34, the first saying  "Father, Forgive Them.." 

         Personally reminds me of my father, the one I run to to get little something when he comes home, the lap I sat on to when I was younger, the one who treated me as his favorite.  Our earthly father provides us with what we need and forgives us when we do wrong.  Our Heavenly Father is more than that!

          Pastor Dan encouraged me to let myself into prayer for revival, for renewal of the father and daughter connection.  I'm assured that the heavenly father will pardon me of all my sins.

         The Personal Word of Immediate Pardon

In Luke 23:43, the second saying "Today, You Shall be with Me in Paradise"

         I remember my kindergarten days when I wanted my hair curled, immediately my mother called on our neighbor and started the job done. How much more our God, in His assurance of giving and forgiving if we only ask it from Him.

         The Call to Care for Human Welfare

The third saying in John 19:26, "Woman, Behold Your Son..."

        Human as we are, it is innate in us to have that fatherly or motherly feeling to care for others, whether it is a friend, a relative, a neighbor, even more a family member. God has given as parables in the Bible to emulate the call to share and to care. Be a blessing to others today, helping or sharing or giving does not make us poor after all, it makes us richer in love and joy.

        Listening to The Voice of the Abandoned

In Matthew 27:46, the fourth saying "My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?"

      This is the time when Jesus is in real human form, the agony of being left out, abandoned, forsaken.  There comes a time in our life when we're so low and heavy with burden, we ask God "Why?".  Again, the assurance is God knows we can carry it through.

       Responding  to God's Deepest Longing

The fifth saying in John 19:28. "I Thirst"

       Physically, the longing for water or something to drink. I have read that drinking 2 glasses of water upon waking up in the morning can help cure diseases and "moisturize" you all day.  On that cross, when Jesus said that, he has no water to drink, but bitter sop as bitter as our sins and He just take it in to take us up with Him, soon!   

      Emotionally, the longing for love.  Everyone longs to love and to be loved.  As said, it's the sweetest feeling of comfort and care and having to someone share with all the joys, the sorrows, the pains, the burdens and the bills!

      Spiritually, the longing to a broken fellowship.  Love bonds people and hopefully, that first love which is desiring to serve, longing to hear and with intense enthusiasm can hold on until the last breath. Let me recall, a story one missionary told us, if one is starting to have fellowship, words are so sweet. Like when one is on a relationship, the terms of endearment is " sweetheart", when married it becomes. "sweet" and when the relationship/fellowship got longer it becomes "sht"! True indeed, when we first received Jesus, we are so in love that fellowship is so sweet and on regular basis of communicating to God and fellow christians and as we age, we slowly let go of that enthusiasm.  God is longing for our service to him and to others as Christians.

         Finishing God's Mission To Us

The sixth sixth saying, "It Is Finished" found in John 19:30

        Part of being a parent is to take care of the needs of a child, that is to feed them and send them to school.  Some parents don't realize their ultimate task! But our heavenly father, finished His task on the cross and that we are thankful.  And I'm thankful as well to my parents who did well in raising us up and our extended father(my Uncle Veroy, who finished his mission to carry us through our pretty hard-uplife before he personally went on with his new mission!)

     Moment of Entrusting and CommitmentThe Seventh saying "Father, Into Your Hand..."  Luke 23:48

       As Good Friday ended, let's reflect on what God and His Son Jesus Christ has done to our lives and also our parents.  God showed the Greatest Love Of All, by sending His Son to be one of us, to feel our need, to suffer with us and forgive.  Our parents has showed their love to us and sooner it's our turn to commit to repay what they have done.  

SEVEN ultimately means fulfillment of a prophecy, the completion of the whole picture of Jesus born a to a virgin.  Seven constitutes a cycle, God loved us, so we should love him with all our hearts and be seen in our lives as we serve God in our family and to everybody.

Old Times

         Our family has survived almost 4 decades of distant past, with God's grace, and still be surviving in the future years.

       Here is a photo of us, four siblings, in a place we considered our own.  (Credits to my brother Eric for restoring this photo).  
      As I take a look at the photo, I remembered how simple and happy as a child our life has been, living in a 2-story wooden house, with pandan serving as our gate, the carabao grass our lawn, with trees everywhere and several banana plants around. The wide grassland around us served as our playground, with games such as hide and seek, baseball, pitiw, luksong tinik, habulan, football, basketball, we played guns out of banana stalk or wooden guns with aratilis as pellets, we played bahay-bahayan with my brother older Alvin building our house made of banana or gabi leaves, we climb trees and even the swamp as our swimming pool.
        A lot of childhood memories were etched in my mind in our house: my fly-out- the-window experience, my 6-stitches wound on my right leg, my brother's open wound on the skull, my brothers' fishing expeditions, my younger brother and my lakwatsa around the neighborhood, my older brother's booming basketball career and our nightly view of WWE matches via our neighbor's television (few houses away from us).  
       Until Diversion Road (Benigno Aquino Highway) was constructed, which also served as our free-willy-slide-down-the-hill game and wall climbing facility near the river bank.
       Cuartero-Diversion Road is where we grow up physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually at Highway Evangelical Church.  Our church has permanently moved a block away from its original location and since the expansion of the highway is on-going, we are also moving!   Whether in a low-cost relocation site or a high-cost town house, we are leaving our house in the next few weeks!
       Just like old times, we will survive and make meaningful memories as we move on, (just like my sister and her family and my younger brother and his family), with God's goodness.  Memories or making memories may not be always joyful, some are sorrowful and burdensome, but still we carry on, just like old times!

       

       

Firstborn

         The term first born primarily refers to as the eldest, the first in the family.  Secondly, it refers to the rights and authority of a person.   In the Old Testament times, the firstborn receives a double inheritance and one who would inherit his father's role as head of the family.  So expectations are high for a firstborn to be male.

        Every family expects a firstborn- whether it is the first child of a couple or the first grandchild, niece  or nephew, a cousin or  a god child.  In the bible, Cain was the first born of human kind.  Like every family we were expecting a firstborn in our household-the first grandchild, the first niece or nephew.  

         At the start of the new millennium, our household was expecting a firstborn.  But it is neither a daughter nor a son but a blessing: a fraternal twin of a boy and girl (separated by nearly 2 weeks of conception).  It was March 29, 2001, when two first born came into our family: AM and PM.

Growing Up Years:
       The joy of having kids at home is rewarding, de-stressing and inspiring.  Taking care of the twins is a shared obligation by my brother and his wife, my mother, my (then, unmarried) sister and mine.

         Raising a child as they say is even more difficult task than child-bearing.  Not only you deal with their needs but also their tantrums.  The joyful part, you get to discover their likes, their talents, their skills which you got to support  to hone them.

The 3-day 13th Birthday Celebration
         As Jeremiah 1:5 says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you...".  So, "the end to childhood celebration" started with a prayer meeting at home where Tricia and Aldrex  invited classmates to come over.  After dinner was the "dance in the front yard" party.  The second day (Saturday of March 29, 2014) was shop- with-mama- time where "buy me this "and buy me that" happened.  Sunday is always family day, where singing, playing, dining, shopping(groceries) and they  got to lead the Children's Sunday Worship.

The Conclusion:
        To end this narrative of mine, let me give 3 wishes on this your Birthday:
         
1.  Since you were the first born in the family, I have given you importance, given you both my time, my talents, my strength, my finances, my dreams...  My wish is for you to value the people around you and cling on to your faith in our Lord Jesus Christ ("So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.- Psalms 90:12")

2.  Don't give up on that "heart of a child".  Be cheerful, be playful, be forgiving and loving..

3.   Continue on your dreams and work on it.  The people who cared for you since you were born will always be there to support you! And cling on to this assurance in the Bible "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:11-12

Lastly...
      If I could account the times since your birth, i t would take me days to finish this...but to summarize, you were expected, you were welcomed and you were loved by all of us in the family!