Good morning brothers and sisters. My name is Caloy Atilano. I’m 36 years old. I’ve been married to Laurie for 11 years and I’ve been blessed with 4 wonderful daughters.

I grew up in a very conservative catholic home and went to very conservative catholic schools. I grew up with a personality of always forcing my way to get whatever I wanted.

Things were looking quite bright when Laurie and I got married in Feb of 2000. I was working in California at that time. Our first child, Bea, was born there. We sold our place for a good price and we moved back to Manila after she was born. A year after we moved back, our second daughter Gabbie was born. Soon after, we were able to buy a place near my parents’ house in Pasig. I felt that God was on my side and I could do nothing wrong.

Caloy and Laurie Atilano with their beautiful children

I did whatever I wanted and justified my actions. If I couldn’t justify them anymore, I’d just go to confession. I did these things and acted this way with the thought that I was still a good Christian. God to me was like a “genie in a bottle”. I expected Him to grant me my wishes every time I’d “rub the lamp” through what I thought was prayer. It was all about me. I felt everything was under my control.

But things started to turn for the worse. It was a very slow process. Slow enough to not really see it. I spent a lot of time with my friends drinking and having a good time. My passions and energy were directed to different things. However, nothing I did brought me fulfillment. I did not feel any sort of peace, joy and love within me.  I was behaving like I wasn’t married with kids. I was a terrible husband to Laurie and an absentee father to Bea and Gabbie. And yet God still gave me 2 more daughters, Andie and Talia. I was blessed with other things as well. But I DID NOT acknowledge them as gifts from God. With years of not really having a steady source of income, our savings eventually dried up. I thought I could just “rub the genie’s lamp” and everything will be fine. At this time, around 2008 my sister Anna and her husband Bobby Tenchavez were already inviting me to join them in Ligaya. I said no, it wasn’t for me. I said to myself I didn’t need that because I knew about God enough to not end up in hell. I thought I knew what to do. In hindsight, that was God’s final plea before I ended up doing the most selfish and reckless act in my life.

I sold our place and started a business that I knew absolutely nothing about. I started a medical clinic and I’m not even a doctor! I thought I had the capability to do a miracle and make a business, I knew nothing about, profitable within a year.

Surprise, surprise my plans didn’t work out.  The clinic didn’t open in time. And when it did we didn’t get the volume of member patients needed to break even. We decided to close it down just 6 months after it opened. That was the lowest point in my life. I lost all the material things that God entrusted to me for my young family. And I knew I was the only one to blame. I felt no one understood what I was going through. I felt so alone. I also felt everyone abandoned me, not physically but emotionally and psychologically. I felt the world tuned me out. I felt like I was falling into the abyss. I thought it was the end. I just kept on saying sorry to God.

At the totally lowest point of my life, I went to mass on a Friday evening in Christ the King Church. After the mass, it started raining hard and I didn’t have an umbrella. I decided to stay for a while. For those who haven’t been to Christ the King Church, there is this huge statue of our Lord behind the altar with his arms raised as if He is bidding you to go to Him. I felt like He was looking straight at me with His loving eyes. I felt like He was smiling at me and bidding me to come to Him. So I imagined myself running to Him and hugging Him. And I honestly felt Him embracing me ever so tightly and telling me that He loves me very much. He made me feel everything was going to be alright. He made me feel safe. He made me feel His peace. I didn’t want that moment to end. I wanted it to go on forever. I remember that night as if it was just last night. That was the moment I started to surrender myself to Him. That was the moment I acknowledged that He was my one true God. That was the moment I realized that I am never alone because He has always been, is and always will be with me.

Persistent prayers and invitations by Anna and Bobby Tenchavez brought the Atilanos to Pathways

A few weeks later, my sister Anna, again, invited me to attend one of their MWG meetings. Laurie and I decided to go. When we left the meeting, I still couldn’t see myself doing it on a regular basis. But I was intrigued by the community.

A few short days after that, Anna called me to say that there will be a Choices seminar in Poveda a few days from that time. And again I felt the urge to just say yes and see how it goes. So we attended.

Even though the seminar was for the hundred or so people in attendance, I felt like God was talking to me on a personal level. Through  the sharings of the speakers I started to see how God works in people’s lives. These sharings were quite inspirational. I saw a common trend… people did their own thing and went their own way (which I did). They got lost so they called on God (which I also did). God heard their call and led them to Him (which happened to me). As they connected to Him they started doing His will. Choices taught me how to connect to Him and how to maintain that connection. It taught me how to develop a real relationship with God. Slowly I started singing with everyone. Slowly I could feel my hand rising up on its own (even if tried holding it down with my other hand). I started downloading songs of worship and not only to listen to them in the car but to sing them as well.

I have slowly learned to appreciate God’s blessings. I have come to appreciate my wonderful wife. How caring and loving she is to me and to our girls. I have come to appreciate the beautiful singing voice God has given my Bea. She is also very much like her mother, very loving and caring. I have come to appreciate the artistic talents God has given my Gabbie. She also likes to make people laugh. I appreciate the dancing and gymnastic talents God has given my almost 4yr old Andie. I admire her strength of character and her fun loving nature. I appreciate my soon to be 2 yr old daughter, Talia’s talent to sing and dance. She puts a smile on all our faces. I have also learned to appreciate myself the right way. I’m proud of the fact that God loves me unconditionally and He uses me as an instrument to do His will. God has blessed me with opportunities to take care of our material needs. Best of all He has been showering me with graces for all my spiritual needs together with the grace to truly appreciate them. I have only one true passion now, God. And my passion for Him just keeps on getting stronger. In God I’ve found real peace, real joy and real love.

In Scripture it says “there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents”. Brothers and sisters on behalf of everyone whose lives have been affected by the choices seminars, thank you. Because of your invitations, inspite of probably countless rejections, you lit up our path back to the Lord. You have truly made God and heaven rejoice countless times because of that. God bless you all.

CALOY ATILANO, Pathways Ortigas

Dan Cruz first one on the left, second row, with some Tingloy seniors and his CYA brothers.

Whenever people visit memorable places, some of them have a knack of writing these words on a piece of stone or just engrave each letter on the thick trunk of an old tree. I believe people do this because merely being a witness to such beauty; they somehow become attached to it. We all know that as ordinary people, we wouldn’t be able to bring these places with us. We wouldn’t be able to take Mt. Pinatubo and place it directly in our backyard. Right? And so, people tend to leave a mark, sort of a memory that would remind them and other people who would visit the place that indeed, they were there- that indeed, they have been part of the place even for a glimpse in time.

The Tingloy Mission trip is really one of the experiences I’d treasure the most. It has opened my eyes to a lot of realities and has broadened my mind to a lot of things about life. The best part is that, it also served as an opportunity for me to take my relationship with God in a deeper sense.

Being in Tingloy for six days, I felt that I was having the time of my life. I really enjoyed a lot of our activities like being able to hold a leadership seminar that catered to the senior high school students of the Tingloy National High School. This experience really fascinated me with the circumstances that it brought to our team. One experience that was so memorable was the time when we were preparing for the coming seminar. We were expecting only about a hundred students since the principal said that some of the students might not be able to come because of some school-wide activities. And so the night before, we divided our team into two small groups and we prepared for the things that we would impart to the students. However, on the next day, we were so amazed when the principal informed us that there were more than 200 students who would be participating in the seminar. We made a few tweaks in our groupings so that it would accommodate all the participants. We were then divided into 4 “even smaller” groups and it really imposed to us a great challenge of being able to draw the crowd’s attention. With God’s grace, we were able to find strength to successfully serve the students.

The following day, we decided to hold a follow-up session with them. We expected that around a hundred students would come. And so, we prepared activities that would cater to a large crowd. However, only about 50 students came on the second day. This gave me more confidence that our team would be able to once again hold a successful session-thinking of the fact that we were able to serve more than 200 students. The session ended on a high note and I was proud to have been part of it.

In this experience, I really felt how God intervened in our lives. We went to Tingloy with an organized and well-planned schedule like having dinner at 7pm, waking up at 6am, the first day would be allotted for community service, the second would be for the seminar and a lot of those things. However, things didn’t really go that way. And because of this, I realized that indeed, we weren’t the ones who called ourselves to serve. It was God. This would mean that all the things that happened weren’t really what we planned, but what God planned. And so, it would all happen in His time, by His will. Like our experience of serving the youth in the Tingloy High School, when the things we expected didn’t really went the way we planned for, God called us to rise above those challenges.
Because of this experience, I realized that, yes God is the one who called us to serve, but He would not send us unprepared or lacking of the basic means in order for us to overcome the challenges that are ahead. No king would ever engage his troops into a battle without Him providing them with weapons to fight and defend his city. The same is true `with this experience. No matter how much we thought that things were going beyond our control, we need just to trust in Him that whatever He sends us into, it is a battle well-planned for and controlled by our victorious God.

He provided us with strength, courage and confidence: the things that we were teaching in our leadership seminar which I didn’t even realized that it was also being applied on us when we were serving. Because of this, I was able to go out of my shell and was able to serve more. I even had an opportunity to give a talk and it was the very first talk that I ever gave. I really enjoyed the rest of our activities especially the day we spent for the bonding activities. I established friendship among our Tingloy team and I had a great time being with them in this mission.
All in all, I really view the Tingloy Mission trip as one of the memorable experiences that I have had. With my experience of serving the Tingloy community, I really hope that it has indeed left even a small mark to affect the people we served there. I look forward to the day that I’d come back and serve them once more.

“We were here.”

THE FINDINGS

As some of you my know, I was found to have a tumor in my chest by CT-Scan last December 2009. My family was naturally stunned and afraid with this finding but surprisingly, I, who have always been afraid of sickness, hospitals and procedures felt calm about it. After 2 biopsies, the diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, grade 1, stage 3 was finalized by February 2010. 

That time, I came before the Lord in prayer and asked what is happening Lord? He spoke to me clearly: “This is not about you getting cancer or getting sick. This is about Me, your Lord, as how much I love you and how deep is my involvement for you and with you and my unending care for you.” My response to these very encouraging words: “Lord, the ball is in your court. Now I’ll wait and see how you’ll fix me.

I shared those words in council with my family, including our grandchildren (the older ones who can already understand) to process events happening, so they’ll know how to respond, because I felt anxiety and uncertainty makes them awkward in dealing with me.

IN-BETWEENS

From that time on, my life started to change. From a very active life with outdoor job related activities, meetings and serving in mission to a life that was inactive, predictable and routine around daily mass; joining our fraternal group meetings on Wednesday if able; and our Thursday MWG.

The biggest challenges I had to face were handling boredom, restlessness and impatience.  Each day begins with prayers, followed by deciding what food I shall eat for the day, waiting for Mely to come from the office and when she comes, trying to keep from her my difficulties in coping. As the day ends, it brings the anticipation of will I be able to sleep? Sprinkled with fear as to what awaits for me tomorrow. Included with my struggle is having to go through chemotherapy every 3 weeks with CT-SCAN, blood tests and 2D-echo after every 2 cycles. When my choices are limited my faith is traumatized.

I was lonely for company but could not interact because of the risk of getting an infection. It hurts when I can’t get near my apos if one of them was sick. In the afternoon, after the first day of my chemo, Jun Redor, came to visit me with a German friend, who needed help in seeking the Lord. After ministering to him I forgot all about my misfortune. I try to take every opportunity to pray for others for they kept me off-myself and my condition. As an off-shoot, Mely and I have now on-going lists of names with their concerns to be prayed over each day.

On the other hand, the Lord is true to His word as always. With physical blessings: I never suffered from vomiting after each chemo and I have appetite to sustain my nutrition. A low point was the loss of body hair and beard early on in the second cycle. I truly felt naked; our youngest apo could not understand why there were no more beards that she could pull on.  She’ll just stares at me and refuses to be carried. Spiritual blessings abound: with so many prayers being offered, starting from my family, my family in the LNP, friends and other communities across the seas, even with people of casual relations,  kept my hope and trust with the Lord burning; these are actual graces that sustained me in my daily struggles. In one of my dreams, I recalled the Lord telling that I have Mother Mary, as team leader of intercessors. Since then I prayed to Jesus, through her.

In spite of these blessings, temptation to doubt, to challenge my faith in the Lord’s promises continued to assail me. It is easy in the mind to believe but it is entirely different when one is in the midst of the struggle, because we are invested with self, with our request and expectations instead of His graciousness. My serious illness makes me long for signs and wonders as validation of His presence. However, the Lord was quick to show His face: on April 1, Holy Thursday, Jesus offered Himself to be my companion so that I will not be bored. In a dramatic way He showed me that companionship is a two-way street of self-giving and letting-go. Outside of being my companion as a daily communicant, He always shows up at right moment.

Last June 20, after my 5^th cycle, Brianna, Matet’s oldest child, greeted me at peace during mass and noticed my beard coming back. Her comment: “Lolo, your beard is growing, are you healed now?” I was in tears within me for I couldn’t say “yes” to her outright, because I myself need validation from God. So I turned back to the Lord and said: “Answer my granddaughter Lord and am I healed”?

  After my 6^th cycle, the CT -Scan showed no significant change from the previous one; my wife and daughter who were always with me during these procedures, were discouraged but tried to keep it from me. Surprisingly, I was at peace. When my oncologist saw the report, he said it is probably a stable disease. So instead of finishing 2 more cycles of chemo, he suggested we go for PET-Scan. On July 9, PET-Scan was read as no sign of malignancy; there was only fibrosis or scarring. Even the oncologist was surprised with this. But it was the Lord who healed me, and liberated me; His promises are true. After thanking Him at mass and in prayers, the next thing I did was to visit the mission area which I have been absent over 7 months.

QUO VADIS

The 7-months of walking with the Lord with cancer gave me a deeper meaning of what we have heard from Him in the community: RENEW, RESTORE, REBUILD, as the forerunner prophecy of Tony’s installation.  I took the 3R’s seriously, thinking that He will be dealing only with my spirituality and not physically. He meant the 3R’s to transform me to be a new creation, not magically and without pain, but as an ongoing process, that will depend upon His grace for completion.

Now I look at my life as no longer mine (Gal 2: 20). This means I move only when orders are given. This experience has shown me how the Lord increases in my life while I decrease. (Jn.3:30). An absolute ‘must’- if I hope to keep pace with Him in my Odyssey.

After all these signs and wonders, I ask: “Lord, Quo Vadis”?

In a nutshell, this chapter in my life is all about responding to God’s love and His faithfulness by simply doing an HBO- Hear, Believe & Obey. It tells me that more important and valuable than spectacular signs and wonders is the quality of my relation with Jesus and to hang on to Him even if realities are contrary to His promises and try with all my might to be humble always.

Quo Vadis Lord? Now that I found you again never let me go and please do not let me waste this newly restored life in you ever.

I am confident that the one who started the good work in me will continue to complete it till the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil. 1:6). God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask, or think or imagine. (Eph.3:20).

MY PRAYERS

“Lord please help me as you renew, restore and rebuild me into your image that I’ll always be pliable and obedient. May your character of patience, perseverance and acceptance begin to show in me more tangibly. Enlarge my vision, so I will not be preoccupied with self and my ego will gradually give in to your guidance-that I decrease and you continually increase in my life.”

- Henry Fernandez

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it. 

First a background on myself

As teenagers, my siblings & I went to Ligaya gatherings with our  parents, Eli & Ophie Concepcion.  In no time, community became second home to my family. As a young person, I was surrounded by people in community who showed me how it is to “lay down one’s life for the Lord”  and to “wash the disciples feet” through the sharing of their time, talent and resources. 

Sixteen year ago, I learned of the vacancy to work full time in Ligaya for the Youth and Family Ministry. I prayed for the Lord’s guidance if this was the work He wanted me to do. In my prayers, God placed the desire to consider it though I had not yet acted on it.

Tita Agnes Gutierrez who was then Head of Ligaya Admin Services was also asking the Lord whom He wanted for the service. She  ran through the Ligaya directory, found my name and called me up.  It was then that I knew that that call was not only from Tita Agnes but it was also the confirmation of God’s Call to this ministry. It was my way of giving back to the Lord for all the blessings I received.   My cup was full and overflowing. 

Decision to serve the youth

The decision to serve the Youth of Ligaya was like a seed that finally sprouted. It was a seed that the Lord planted and nurtured in me while I was being cared for as young person in Ligaya’s first High School Outreach and when I joined CYA & UD.

That seed  grew as I served in the Children’s Formation and Young Adults Program as a volunteer.

The decision to serve the Youth of Ligaya was like a seed that finally sprouted.

I came in armed with a degree in Social Science and a few years  in the fields of education, media and business. While this training prepared me as I organized events for the Youth, I realized that it was not enough.  The additional preparation that I needed was a training of the heart because my work had to be performed with love and a lot of caring.  The Lord made me appreciate that the work I was doing was actually a Mission.

I am blessed with the support of co-workers.

While I am blessed with the support of co-workers, lacking as they are (ahem, hint po yun…).I realized that in addition to my co-workers, I need guidance from the Lord.  It’s a special time of grace for me when things don’t go  as expected or when parents forget  deadlines for registration and I have to answer all their calls and requests even while in the bathroom,  or when some kids misbehave or get sick.  But  at the end of the day, even if at times I’ve become too functional or even “masungit” I realize that I have to give account to my Master  whether  the people I serve have seen Jesus in me. 

And when my cup runs dry, the Lord makes sure He pours out His grace and I get up again with Him who comforts me.

My transformation through service

Overall,  my service has  become a transformative and faith-building experience . This was the grace I received as I responded to God’s call .

"I realize that I have to give account to my Master"

When people tell me “Mina hindi ka pa rin kumukupas” ,  I always say, my secret is being with young people.

For  the past sixteen years,  I’ve organized countless summer camps.  I  did things which I didn’t do in my younger days like rappelling, hiking, exploring caves & historic sites,  getting all muddied up, even being marooned in an island in one of our mission trips.

"I've laughed, cried, played and prayed with them."

I’ve served them not just as a “yaya” but also as  “ate” and friend.  I’ve laughed & cried with them, prayed & played with them, disciplined them and oh yes, I also danced with them. 

They  taught me to revel  in simple joys, to be open and vulnerable, to let go, take risks and to value friendships.

For any youth worker, it’s very fulfilling to see community children grow up to make an initial commitment to Jesus in their teens , praying & worshipping , serving  the younger ones, witnessing to peers and serving the underprivileged.  Another truly rewarding experience is seeing them  make their adult commitment to the Lord and the community, as underway or covenanted members,  serving side by side with them as youth workers  themselves and as community leaders.  

And when they start having their own families, I seem to feel even younger  than them because they  take on more responsibilities and seem to mature overnight as  married persons.  Mga “Tito” & “Tita” ko na rin sila! 

It’s a joy to see a former FOJ & YA such as Erika Anievas Delgado who brought even her little daughter to the YA Stepping Stone Retreat last weekend where we served together. Or having to  listen to Jeff Mendoza also a former YA give a worship exhortation in one of our district gatherings as our district head.    And who would have thought that the chubby little kid I had served in the Children’s Formation, namely Miguel Fernandez would be leading our Lord’s Day celebration in one of our joint Men’s &Women’s group fellowships? Or the JYA I served like Pinky Mendoza and Katz Festejo are now Doctors.

"I've come full circle."

I’ve come full circle in this service  but I’m still learning a lesson from my Master in the words of Fr. Thomas Green:   that our active life can be experienced as the means  our Lord uses to purify us and lead us to union with Himself.  So I am not kidding when I say that I am aging, “gracefully” in a “major”  way !.  Thank you.   God bless us all! 

- Mina Concepcion (North District E)

It was in 2004 when my family joined the Ligaya ng Panginoon Community. I was still an FOJ and had only a few friends then–my parents’ Men’s and Women’s group, and the Tan family.  Soon, when I turned 12, I became a JYA, without such a big ceremony. I was happy to meet more people in JYA. I really began to look forward to Sectoral and District Assemblies on Sundays to worship the Lord and see my friends. My first camp came during the summer of 2008, this I failed to attend because it really didn’t seem fun at the time.  

Then it was time for my second camp. I decided to give it a shot. I then knew that missing my first camp was A BIG MISTAKE. In fact maybe one of the BIGGEST MISTAKES I’ve ever made. The theme of that camp was Tatak Kristo: Ligaya Ako. I gained a whole lot of friends, and I had so much fun during the activities, especially E-Night. But most importantly, I became closer to God, and understood what it meant to be part of this kind of community. 

After a year, some of my friends and I grew apart, especially those from other sectors. Our friendships were rekindled after my second camp, and I gained a lot of new friends as well. Some of them are a few of my best friends now. Friends in the LNP are more wholesome and approachable in comparison to those in school. Camp has really taught me to be closer to and to love God by loving others.

But being a JYA does not mean just FUN or FRIENDS. The center of it is God, He is the reason we are gathered together in the first place.

I want to thank all JYA workers, and also FOJ workers, for guiding us and organizing activities that will help us grow into better men and women for others.

As I become a YA, I will cherish the memories, friendships, and lessons that I learned back in JYA. Now, as my last JYA’s camp’s theme of Tatak Kristo: I Level Up to YA, giving me better opportunities to help spread the word of God to friends, upcoming JYAs, and other kids as well.

ENZO YUSON, YA

TESTIMONY OF ROGIE SINGSON

"I'm okay. I'm really okay!" Rogie Singson

Good morning brothers and sisters!

First of all allow me to thank all of you for your support and most specially for your prayers for me and my family’s protection and for my work as a public servant. I feel so at home with all of you because somehow we are so connected through prayers.

Let me share with you how the Lord continues to strengthen my faith and assures me of his presence and guidance when I said yes to this call to public service.   A call to service for love of God and country.  My sharing is all about trusting in the Lord.  All of you should really try it if we want to be radical disciples.

As you all probably  know by now my discernment for the job of Secretary of public works started with the help of all our brother coordinators during our coordinators retreat in Tagaytay last June 18-20.  I was first asked thru text if I was open to being considered DPWH Secretary while I was attending a water summit in Sao Paolo Brazil last June 7.  My answer to the text message was thanks but no thanks.  I rejected it outright.   Then when I got back I joined the coordinators retreat last June 19 and 20.  The first talk of Fr Herb on June 19 morning was about heroic leadership. My reflection on that topic was what kind of a leadership our Lord Jesus practice – total surrender to the will of the father, life of sacrifice and finally dying on the cross.   Then the topic moved to the spirit of consolation and desolation. Then, after an afternoon siesta on June 19, I received a text message from someone apparently a member of the selection body saying are you open to being considered DPWH Secretary. I replied, I am in a retreat, let me pray about it.  I get a response saying, “I know our prayers will be answered”.  The last portion of the retreat was a sharing/response from the participants and so I immediately decided to open up to the brothers and to Fr Herb my predicament and that I needed help in my discernment. I even prepared a discernment matrix about the job as Secretary of public works which showed all negatives from family time, privacy, family security, Ligaya service, and specially huge financial sacrifice  against only one consolation: saying yes is a  sacrifice for love of God and love of country. So with the help of brothers in our mwg, Fr Herb, our senior head coordinator tony I had to go through a marathon discernment process of a few days.  I consulted my family that Sunday evening arriving from the retreat and of course some didn’t like the idea of my rejoining government specially in DPWH.

In the next succeeding days, I experience the most amazing words from the Lord as I start listening to the Lord during my morning prayers.  I have never felt so close to God.

On June 21, Monday,  my scripture reading is from Matt 7:1-5 when the Lord says “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body.” Saying no would be being passive and yes will be trusting in God’s love and power.

On June 22, the reading is from Matt 6:25  “enter through the narrow gate, small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.” That same day in the afternoon, I get a call and I am asked to see president Noynoy for a one on one.  As he was sharing his expectations, what kept ringing in my mind was the narrow road because he kept saying how bad our roads are and how narrow our roads to our tourist destinations.  After about an hour with the President, I confirmed that I was making myself available if he wanted me to be Secretary.

The next few days, were just very reassuring words from the Lord “do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” and all about trusting in the Lord.  The rest is history.  The formal announcement is made on June 29, on the feast of Sts Peter and Paul and then I take my oath on June 30.

On July 5, Monday we do a formal turnover in DPWH and reflection for the day is very reassuring. The Lord tells me: “I will espouse you to me forever.”  What powerful assurance from the Lord.  During the turnover ceremony after my speech I lead DPWH into prayers for the Lord’s guidance and deliverance.

Let me now share some of the most amazing moments on my journey of faith and trust in the Lord. Just a few days into the job, all of a sudden I am dragged into a press conference on the water shortage in Metro Manila. Having come from Maynilad and knowing what was happening in MWSS,  our brother presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda brings me to the press con to answer all the questions on the water shortage. Just before the end of the press con,  a question is asked “How long will we experience this water shortage?”  I answer “Hopefully,” I emphasized hopefully, “the worst is over.”  The following day, the headline of the Inquirer “the worst is over” quoting me. I had to pray hard and say to God, Lord this is beyond me please help me.  The Lord answered my prayers.  For the first time since January this year, we had the heaviest rainfall in Angat and the water level rose by almost one meter, the highest in a single day since January.  Up to today, with all the rains,  we have not experienced a 1 meter rise in water level.  And really the worst was over with the water shortage.

Let me share one more.   On August 1 Sunday, the banner headline of Inquirer reads, “Singson in PAGCOR Midnight Deal”. That was really painful since I was not even asked my side of the story.  I even avoided ambush interviews after the Mass for Tita Cory in La Salle Greenhills kasi baka ako mapikon.   So the following day Monday, August 2,  I attend a press con in Malacañang to defend myself. I kept my cool and just explained why the PAGCOR was not a midnight deal. But deep inside me I was hurting.  Brothers and sisters, God is good. On Tuesday August 3, the reading for the day is from Jeremiah 30:17, and the Lord says to me:  “Your wounds I will heal”.

But before I end let me tell you what I really want to achieve in DPWH.  I have a transformation roadmap that will be based on full transparency and accountability to the people in all our transactions to significantly minimize corruption.  By the end of this month all DPWH projects will be available on the website for everyone to see and monitor.  We  are organizing a broad coalition of civil society organizations, NGOs, church organizations including Ligaya, BCBP, Couples, to help monitor about 20,000  public works projects nationwide.  I want to bring back dignity to honest public service.  With over PhP100B budget every year, we want that by 2016 we will have all our national roads paved and upgraded as to quality and safety standards.  We are benchmarking our roads to that of Malaysia.  Why Malaysia? Because of good governance and good infrastructure Malaysia in 2009 had 22million tourists versus our 3million.

Going back to my relationship with the Lord, there are many more that I could share about how the Lord continues to assure me of his presence in my life as I take on this job.  That is why in spite of the very long hours of work everyday including holidays,  I continue to serve God and country joyfully. People are already saying it looks like I am enjoying my job.   We have been trained in Ligaya to serve  joyfully.  I keep saying to myself “my strength and my courage is the Lord.”  Brothers and sisters, my journey is all about completely trusting in God and relying on his goodness.   You should also try it.  Our God is awesome.  Amen.

Rogie Singson, Central C

The JYA camp has always been the highlight of my summer activities for the past 3 years, and I always look forward to making new friends, and renewing ties with old ones. But it wasn’t always like this.  During my first camp I was anxious about being on my own, and not knowing many people there.

This year, being my last camp in JYA, I was very excited. We made preparations long before but still ended up sleeping in the wee hours of the morning out of excitement.

When I woke up, I started to feel doubtful. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to leave or not. I felt anxious because I wasn’t sure if I had packed everything I needed, if I was going to get along well with my group mates, and if everything would turn out right. And because I felt very excited, I developed a stomach ache. Mom saw me puking and asked me not to go anymore but I insisted on going with the rest of the campers.

And I was sure glad I did.

Anya (second from the bottom) hamming it up with her friends

The next four days was something that made summer like never before. We did mud slides and mud crawls, something not done by many. There was zip lining and a hanging bridge too. We got to experience being in teams with other kids, working together in different activities. The amazing race and e-night were some of the activities that showed the unity and friendship we developed in each team. And in the end, everyone couldn’t get enough.

I for one really enjoyed the Amazing race. With the help of my teammates and with the moral support of our leaders, we won. I know that it isn’t about winning, but the efforts we put into it and that we had such a grand time. Winning wasn’t really the point.

I felt happy. There was nothing to worry; it was all fun and excitement for us. Even if unplanned events like the rain on the first and second nights came, we still found a way to enjoy it. At first, it made me feel uneasy, thinking about activities we may have to cancel. The workers and servers went out to save our things and we were led into prayer for the weather. Although the waters reminded me of Typhoon Ondoy, I don’t know why, but somehow I felt at peace and secure. I put it all into God’s hands. I was reassured that despite the bad weather, we would be alright. After all, what worse could happen when God’s people are gathered together, knowing that He is in our midst. He is our God after all, right? And besides we were on top of the mountains, far from being flooded.

We were taken to our cabins and there we entertained ourselves. The boys decided to have a disco party while us girls prayed and bonded. I think that this is the best way to get to know and spend time with one another.

The last day came and everyone felt great. The past four days earned us new friends, experiences that don’t happen every day, and we grew closer to God. I learned how to work with new people, how to be independent and how as a team, if everyone participates, cooperates and gives it his/her all, anything is achievable. Together, we learned that God is with us all throughout. We saw how good God is and how he works through everyone and that everything is part of His great plan even when they seemingly appear not with the rain and the initial anxiety of going to camp.

I learned that God is in control and that he won’t let anything happen without it being good for us. And with that I will entrust God with everything. I will not again doubt His decisions because it’s always for our own good. And with that, going to camp and other Ligaya activities will always be on top of my list when I think of fun.

- Anya Supe (North B)

Two weeks later, I’m glad I had a story to tell. It began when I boarded a flight to Bangkok.  The flight was full, so I ended up being upgraded  to  the Business Class section  of the plane.  Thanking God for the blessing, and for the onboard food that was being served, I made the sign of the cross and prayed.   Lo and behold, my seatmate, a very big American,  looked at me and said: “DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD?  WELL, I DON’T!”

I looked at him, introduced myself, and said, yes, I do believe in GOD.  He then challenged me to prove the existence of God, mathematically, scientifically, logically, my choice.  I had met atheists before, and usually ignored them.  But this guy,   I realized,  was going to be my seatmate for a 3-hour flight, and I would not be able to ignore him. Not only was he bigger than me, he seemed extremely fit, oozing  with self-confidence to the point of arrogance, and he was challenging me to an intellectual discourse of my Christian faith. 

When he introduced himself, I found out that he was a recently retired US Navy Fighter Pilot, with a Masters in Theology from Georgetown University in Washington DC, and a Doctorate in Particle Physics. He also retired from military service with tons of money he earned from patenting a musical  device.  

He said he had already read the bible 25 times, was baptized as a Catholic, then converted to a Baptist Christian, and then realized along the way that since he cannot find a logical proof of God’s existence, he became an atheist.

At that point, I remembered the story of the late Cardinal Sin who related a story of a plane trip he had where he happened to be seated beside  an atheist who kept bothering the late cardinal and telling him there is no God. His story ended well when the plane experienced very severe turbulence to the point where the atheist asked the late cardinal to include her in his prayers for salvation.  I was about to pray to God for a very big turbulence when I realized that this will not work with my seatmate  because he was after all a veteran US Navy fighter Pilot.

I also realized that since he had a Masters in Theology, and had read the  bible 25 times, and still did not believe in God,  it would be futile for me to enter in an intellectual discourse with him.

I tried to avoid his proof challenge  but instead   I asked about his business trip to Bangkok, and  how was his experience in the US Navy, flying  the F14 and F18 fighter jets.

Then, I asked him what triggered his loss of faith in the Catholic faith.  I found out that early in his life, his Catholic father hurt and abused him, his first marriage ended tragically when his first wife and his 18-month twins died in a terrible car accident in the US, and how his plane malfunctioned on a reconnaissance mission over USSR and how we was imprisoned and brutally  tortured by his Russian captors for 3 months before he was rescued by US Navy Seals.   

He told me of the destruction that he had seen all over the world, how innocent people, babies, children, were killed or buried alive, and then he told me, in a very loud voice that the entire business class cabin could hear, IF GOD TRULY EXISTS, HE WOULD NOT ALLOW THESE HORRIBLE THINGS TO HAPPEN TO THESE INNOCENT PEOPLE.”

At that point, the cabin purser approached me, and asked me in Tagalog  if I want to be re-seated elsewhere. I told her I was fine, since I still have not ran out of English.  I told my seatmate about the book “God in the Dock”, written by C.S. Lewis,  a known atheist who rediscovered his Christian faith. I told him that the book was about God’s decision to live dangerously, by giving us free will.

He said he will look for that book and read it. That gave me some nice but short comfort,   because  he said that after he reads it, he intends to tell me what is wrong with the book.

"I'm ready to share my story." Albert Villadolid

I told him that if he was willing to listen to my personal conversion story, I will share my faith with him.  He agreed.  I told him that it is not enough to be baptized and sacramentalized as a Catholic, we also need to be evangelized. I told him my story where, as a young activist student leader, I tried to indoctrinate Christian leaders of a community who ended up evangelizing me.  By the way, on the side, these leaders I was trying to indoctrinate then and who ended up evangelizing me were  Mike Joseph Jr., Francis Ituralde, and Harvey Campos, amongst others.  He  listened to my personal conversion story, and later on told me he liked my story, and he responded by  saying,  “My  wife will like you. She would be happy to know that I met a man of faith like you. I like you. Let’s have dinner together when you and I are back in Manila soon.  Bring your wife along.”

We parted ways when we arrived in our destination. But before we left, I said to my seatmate: “I will pray for you that you may have a Paulinian experience.” He looked at me, and said, “I know that! Road to Damascus, blinding light, voice from above.” I said, “Yes, that’s the one! You know the bible very well.” Then he said, “If providence is kind to us, we will meet again.”  I told him, “Now that’s a surprise, coming from an atheist like you, because the word
“providence” to me is about God’s love.” 

He did not want me to have the last say, so he said. “See, you already had an effect on me just by seating beside me for 3 hours. See you in Manila soon”.  I can only pray and say “Amen”.

- ALBERT VILLADOLID, South A

Editor’s Note:  This sharing was given during the 2010 Good Friday Recollection.

While other people in a similar situation would escape through alcohol, being super busy, drugs, gimmicks, “mall-itis” (laging nasa mall), and what have you, I chose to face my problems squarely by clinging to the Lord through Daily Mass and Holy Communion, regular Confession, extended prayer times in the Adoration Chapel, God’s Word, offering myself to be used for service and also doing the simple tasks to be done for my family. 

I want to share about SERVICE. If we recall our LSS/ECLS, SERVICE is one of the spokes of the Growth wheel. Since I had all the time for service now that I am in between jobs (“pinaganda lang…walang trabaho”), I made myself available for service. I volunteered to serve as speaker and Discussion Group Leader (DGL) in the 3-day PNP ECLS in Clark last February 10-12 together with other brothers from the South Sector led by Oscar Papa and assisted by Lito Pineda. The immersion experience we had in Clark was life-changing for me. I experienced  first-hand the powerful work and inspiration of the Spirit. Tough, veteran, hardened police officers shedding tears after receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation which they failed to avail of  for many years (truly there was great rejoicing in heaven that day because not only one, but more than 30 police officers repented! Lk. 15 : 7). The Spirit’s gentle and loving Presence in the praying overs and Baptism in the Spirit was also felt powerfully! The members of the service team also gave up our “Isaacs” and went out of our comfort zone since we ate what the participants ate (usually rice and one ulam) in 15-20 minutes flat! We also didn’t have the luxury of having our own individual bathrooms. 

Mario, flanked by Oscar Papa and the South Sector LSS Team, with their PNP brothers

The Spirit continued to pour on me the gift of zeal for service, mission, and evangelization a few days after the PNP ECLS in Clark through the different sharings and messages in our Community Conference last February 21. The Spirit ignited in my heart the fire for mission and service through the words of Jean Barbara that was shared in the conference …”You cannot simply stay within the walls of Ligaya. You would not be able to fully understand your call unless you give and you give more. And the more you give, the more you will understand what God has called you to do and to be. You will discover God working miracles in you, in your families, in your children, and in the community.” 

I was particularly touched by the sharing of the Prison Ministry of the North Sector at the Quezon City Jail as shared by Dr. Charlie Lasa and the sharings of Lito Pineda and Jun Ramirez about Tahanan Ng Panginoon. I felt a strong prompting from the Spirit to actively join the Compassion Ministry. My coordinator, Manny de los Santos, confirmed this and he appointed me to form and head  SD-A’s Compassion Ministry. He introduced me to the core group of the Prison Ministry of Ayala Alabang’s Parish of St. James. I have been regularly joining their weekly visits & powerful prayer meetings to 100 inmates of the Muntinlupa City Jail. I also joined the North Sector Prison Ministry in one of their weekly visits & bible study at the Quezon City Jail. I have also volunteered to give talks to TNP “Tambakan” in Tramo, Paranaque. For many years now, each time I read about the Corporal Works of Mercy in Matthew 25 : 35-36, 40 (“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…I needed clothes and you clothed me…I was in prison and you came to visit me…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”, I have this uncomfortable feeling inside me since I still have to actualize this. 

Now I know that one of the reasons God called me into “exile” is so that I can serve him more actively in the “open door” of the Ministry of Compassion and PNP ECLS, which normally, I could not do because of my hectic work schedule. Thus, I say : “Thank you Lord for allowing me to go into exile so that I can serve you more!” 

Mario and Lei Romero and their family

(Mario Romero, 57 years old, is happily married to Leah Romero. They have 5 grown up children—Dominic, 32, Christine, 30, Raquel, 27, TJ, 26, and Peter John, 24, (their son afflicted with a rare congenital heart and lung defect). Mario and Leah have been with LNP since June 1982. Leah serves in the Mother Butler Guild in their parish while Mario heads the newly-formed Compassion Ministry of SD-A and is a member of the South Sector Word Ministry. Mario is a mainstay in the PNP ECLS Service Team since the time of the late Gen. Nap de los Santos.) 

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.