I miss the rain….

Posted on September 2, 2010 by oftherock

Rain has always been a catalyst for deep thought and reflection for me.

I remember when I was a little boy how I would observe the rain and watch how the environment could change.  I was brought back to some of these thoughts as I drove home in the midst of the pouring rain.

Here I was, maneuvering my way through the dark sections of Commonwealth Avenue, with my vigilant eyes focused on the road to see the pedestrians illegally crossing the highway, and I was thinking…” I miss the rain..”

It has been raining for more than a week and yet, I am missing the rain.

These days, when the rain comes, it is no longer about classes being suspended for me.

It is no longer about the peaceful sleep I get when it rains as I am cuddled in bed reading an old Tom Sawyer book.

It is no longer about a freshly harvested corn that my parents would boil and then wake us up in the afternoon for a hot – corn-on -the cob merienda.  Or a hot steamy chocolate waiting for me as I finish reading Gulliver’s Travels.

There are times when as a young boy, I would always love to play in the rain.  Having a very protective mother, she would oftentimes forbid us from playing because we might get sick or something.  So to this day, whenever it rains, a part of me still wants to come out and just play.

But things have changed when it comes to rain.

Now when it rains, it means flooding in a lot of areas.

This means a lot of vehicles would be stranded causing  massive traffic jams.  This also means massive number of people waiting on the road for a ride or getting stuck in the middle of these traffic jams.

This means loss of electricity at times and fluctuating internet signals.

This could also mean cancelled appointments, wet socks, wet car brakes (noisy too) and difficult driving conditions.

This could also mean wet documents, dirt on the car, roads made impassable due to floods…

I miss the rain.

I miss the rains of my childhood years….

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Please heal our land….

Posted on August 31, 2010 by oftherock

It has been a week since the tragedy occurred in Quirino Grandstand.  It is raining as I write. It was also raining hard when the hostage taking ended.

I could not bring myself to write anything in this blog for a week.  Not even a Facebook status update.

I was too stunned.

I was grieving for those who perished in that stand-off.

I was grieving for my country.

After watching the news for one week… the story is slowly unfolding.  The hostage taker, the tourists and then the police operation that unraveled before the eyes of the world watching through so many networks.

This week was quite painful for the country.  We are still reeling from the bus accident in Naguillan.  Then another bus accident in Cebu that almost killed 35 students.  Then today another bus fell in Quezon where 5 people were killed and 47 were injured… how about the hostage taking in an internet shop where 8 boys in that cafe were held hostage as well… on the same day it was happening in Quirino Grandstand.

It feels like this country is going through its  social cancer.  And this cancer has metastasise to so many parts of the country. We have a senator who is at large at the moment… evading the law that he  was supposed to represent. We have a congressman caught with cocaine in Hongkong.  A police inspector caught while torturing a suspect. We had a president who miserably failed the nation during her term.  We still have the Maguindanao massacre probe un-resolved and the victims are still waiting for justice to be given them… and on and on this cancer cells go.

And now this disgruntled policeman who killed the HK tourists…

What will the breaking point be?

What will be the trigger by which this cancer will just explode and destroy all of us?

What kind of people would steal from the victims of a bus accident in Quezon when the victims were all physically harmed and could only rely on the goodwill of the people?

What kind of people would project Spiderman on top of that bus and have that picture posted on FB?

What kind of people would gamely pose for pictures at the site where 8 people were innocently killed?

This cancer is really upon us.  But it is not all over us, yet.  Oncological treatment to prevent the spread of cancer cells would also be good for our society and culture. We need to humble ourselves and admit our mistakes. We need to stop thinking that we are doing all these things just to look good.  But rather, we do good because it is our nature and it is deep in our character – even when others are no longer watching us.

We keep on saying we desire a better country – and yet we wait for people to do it for us.  When we look for a government that is honest and corrupt-free, then we should be the honest and corrupt-free people that should be governed by the government that we truly seek.

We claim to be the most christianized nation in Asia… yet  what is missing from all of us is the regeneration that would truly show our neighbors that we belong to Him and that He is in control of our lives.

It was a very sad week for the country… and the sadness lingers still.

Today we celebrated HEROES DAY – and yet honestly, there is a dearth right now for heroes.

Father God, we pray for our country.  Please rescue us from ourselves. 

Shower your grace upon us.

Listen to our prayers.  Transform us as a nation.

Heal our land.

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I am worth dying for….

Posted on August 21, 2010 by oftherock

http://www.chine-chinois.com/blog-chine/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Ninoy_Aquino.jpg

August 21 is the only day in the year when Filipinos are conscious that “they are worth dying for..”

Thank you Ninoy.  I do not know much about you.  But I heard that gunshot that echoed all over the world. That same gunshot that felled the hope of this country from the dictatorship of Marcos.

That bullet killed the person that could have lifted up the Philippines from the grip of corruption more than 20 years ago.

Your son is our president now. Your dream lives on in this generation.  It has been 27 years and the younger ones need to learn the significance of this day, much more, your life and the principles you lived out.

We do not have the likes of you anymore.  There is no one in our list of congressmen and politicians, senators and the like, who can lift the morale of the people and inspire us to be better than ourselves.  We had been time and time again, disappointed, robbed and nonchalantly tossed aside by the greed and the succeeding corruption.

We voted your son because he represents for us – the best that this country has to offer. The son of Ninoy and Cory.

May your son lived up to the expectations of this country that is hungering for true and lasting generational change.  A change to patriotism.  To be freed from the tyranny of corruption.  To be freed from the tyranny of our apathy.

Thank you Ninoy.

Thank you Cory.

We are praying for your son, PNOY.

The following is the statement that Ninoy prepared to give upon his arrival from the United States. I did not know about this speech until today.  This was the speech that the  world never heard delivered with eloquence that only a Ninoy can give.

In memory of Ninoy…

We remember the anniversary of your death.

We mourn still,  the justice that has been denied….

I am prepared for the worst: Ninoy Aquino’s (undelivered) arrival statement August 21, 1983
Article posted August 21, 2010 – 10:25 AM

I have returned on my free will to join the ranks of those struggling to restore our rights and freedoms through nonviolence.

I seek no confrontation. I only pray and will strive for a genuine national reconciliation founded on justice.

I am prepared for the worst, and have decided against the advice of my mother, my spiritual adviser, many of my tested friends and a few of my most valued political mentors.

A death sentence awaits me. Two more subversion charges, both calling for death penalties, have been filed since I left three years ago and are now pending with the courts.

I could have opted to seek political asylum in America, but I feel it is my duty, as it is the duty of every Filipino, to suffer with his people especially in time of crisis.

I never sought nor have I been given assurances or promise of leniency by the regime. I return voluntarily armed only with a clear conscience and fortified in the faith that in the end justice will emerge triumphant.

According to Gandhi, the WILLING sacrifice of the innocent is the most powerful answer to insolent tyranny that has yet been conceived by God and man.

Three years ago when I left for an emergency heart bypass operation, I hoped and prayed that the rights and freedoms of our people would soon be restored, that living conditions would improve and that blood-letting would stop.

Rather than move forward, we have moved backward. The killings have increased, the economy has taken a turn for the worse and the human rights situation has deteriorated.

During the martial law period, the Supreme Court heard petitions for Habeas Corpus. It is most ironic, after martial law has allegedly been lifted, that the Supreme Court last April ruled it can no longer entertain petitions for Habeas Corpus for persons detained under a Presidential Commitment Order, which covers all so-called national security cases and which under present circumstances can cover almost anything.

The country is far advanced in her times of trouble. Economic, social and political problems bedevil the Filipino. These problems may be surmounted if we are united. But we can be united only if all the rights and freedoms enjoyed before September 21, 1972 are fully restored.

The Filipino asks for nothing more, but will surely accept nothing less, than all the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the 1935 Constitution — the most sacred legacies from the Founding Fathers.

Yes, the Filipino is patient, but there is a limit to his patience. Must we wait until that patience snaps?

The nation-wide rebellion is escalating and threatens to explode into a bloody revolution. There is a growing cadre of young Filipinos who have finally come to realize that freedom is never granted, it is taken. Must we relive the agonies and the blood-letting of the past that brought forth our Republic or can we sit down as brothers and sisters and discuss our differences with reason and goodwill?

I have often wondered how many disputes could have been settled easily had the disputants only dared to define their terms.

So as to leave no room for misunderstanding, I shall define my terms:

1. Six years ago, I was sentenced to die before a firing squad by a Military Tribunal whose jurisdiction I steadfastly refused to recognize. It is now time for the regime to decide. Order my IMMEDIATE EXECUTION OR SET ME FREE.

I was sentenced to die for allegedly being the leading communist leader. I am not a communist, never was and never will be.

2. National reconciliation and unity can be achieved but only with justice, including justice for our Muslim and Ifugao brothers. There can be no deal with a Dictator. No compromise with Dictatorship.

3. In a revolution there can really be no victors, only victims. We do not have to destroy in order to build.

4. Subversion stems from economic, social and political causes and will not be solved by purely military solutions; it can be curbed not with ever increasing repression but with a more equitable distribution of wealth, more democracy and more freedom, and

5. For the economy to get going once again, the workingman must be given his just and rightful share of his labor, and to the owners and managers must be restored the hope where there is so much uncertainty if not despair.

On one of the long corridors of Harvard University are carved in granite the words of Archibald Macleish:

“How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms; by truth when it is attacked by lies; by democratic faith when it is attacked by authoritarian dogma. Always, and in the final act, by determination and faith.”

I return from exile and to an uncertain future with only determination and faith to offer — faith in our people and faith in God. - GMANews.TV

(Ninoy Aquino was assassinated at the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983 before he could deliver this statement.)

All Rights Reserved. 2006 © GMA Network Inc.

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Because they can…

Posted on August 19, 2010 by oftherock

This has been a very sad day for the country.  It is a little past 1 AM and I should be in bed but two news items really made me plummet into a sort of personal despair.

1. The death of 41 passengers today when a mini-bus careened-off  Naguilan, Benguet  highway into the ravine.  Only 6 people survived the crash when it took place at about 9:20 am.

What a sobering thought.  Of families grieving right now because the bus driver lost control of the ill-fated vehicle.

2. The second news that was really depressing was the mobile video of the Manila police torturing the victim who apparently had disappeared last March 5, 2010.  And then this video surfaced last Tuesday.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/nation/metro-manila/08/18/10/2-families-claiming-torture-victim-mpd-station

It was sickening.  It was disgusting.  These are the things that would yank us out of our senses and really make us face the barbarity of powers that had been corrupted.

The man was allegedly a criminal – caught stealing and staging a hold-up in Manila. But viewing the sickening video… makes the police officers much worse than the criminal at hand.  If the criminal was doing all these things for  survival, it was very obvious that Capt. Binayug was doing those horrible acts for  power and pleasure.  A rope was tied on the genitals of this man who was lying naked on the floor.  He was being beaten with something and his responses would be meted out with a hard tug on the thin rope tied to his genitals.

Treated like a pig to be slaughtered.

The man who did the video on his mobile phone actually caught another police officer (in uniform) just standing there watching the whole thing.  The man doing the sickening abuse was wearing white shirt and shorts, indicative a probable day -off or during the weekend where there were very few people in the police station.

That video easily ripped my heart into pieces.  Videos such as these were reminiscent of the barbarism that we had seen from the cells in Guantanamo and Abu Graib… we did not know it was happening right here in the heart of the city.

The video barbarically showed us – the depths of our corruption.  Nowadays, no one knows who is really looking after the welfare of the common people.

I was reminded of a movie where Nicolas Cage was researching the motivation behind the production of snuff films. His discovery led him to see the disparity of the genteel life lived out by the perpetrator during the day, and the shocking ritual that he did at night doing the snuff films.

Nicolas Cage’s character was trying so hard to understand the bi-polarity of the life of the criminal.  He came from a well-respected family that thoroughly enjoyed the finest things in life.  Yet the shocking nature of his pleasure was found in watching a hooded man hacked into pieces innocent girls who thought they were being paid for carnal pleasures.

In that movie, Nicolas Cage answer came toward the end.

Why do people commit such dastardly acts as if they are not accountable to anyone?

Why do police officers commit these inhumane acts right inside the police station?

And we can extend this question even beyond the borders of this nation.  A recent video was linked to several Facebook account of a Filipina who survived being violently lacerated all over her face and body, beyond recognition in the Middle East.  The video was taken inside the Emergency Room of a hospital manned by non-filipino nurses who, when you watch the video, took such slow pace in really attending to her wounds. The OFW looked dead because she was motionless – but when she was moved, she screamed the horror as evidenced by her deep wounds all over her body.

Why do people commit these things?

And the answer found in that movie by Nicolas Cage still rings true to this day…

BECAUSE THEY CAN…

Look at the picture below.

This was taken last August 10, 2010 at UP DILIMAN.

Yes this picture paints a thousand words. And in the light of the torture done… this could paint a thousand more.

Why do they do what they do?


BECAUSE THEY CAN…..

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Prayer for Pakistan

Posted on August 18, 2010 by oftherock

Merciful Father, give us your compassion and call us to gather our resources to help Pakistan. They are in dire need of basic things to survive as towns upon towns were swept by the raging flood.

The humanitarian helps from other nations are very slow in coming and now so many thousands of children are in peril because there are hardly any clean water for drinking.  And many many more will starve to death if help does not come.

Please touch the hearts of the world leaders to help. To set aside their political agenda and just help the Pakistani people without any motives to push their own country’s foreign affairs agenda.  For the world to take notice and then be stirred up to help.

Please save the most vulnerable. The young, the old, the children and most especially the orphans.

There is so much going on in the world and each country may be facing challenges of their own – but I pray that you rally us and bring our hearts together.  Our brothers and sisters are perishing.

In your precious name, Jesus.

AMEN

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They are getting younger….

Posted on August 8, 2010 by oftherock

I could not shake -off the image of this young carjacker named Ivan Padilla, slumped at the back of the vehicle with blood oozing down his face.

I just heard about this news on the radio as I was driving to the office last week. Did not think anymore about it until I saw it on the program called “BANDILA”.  Ivan’s parents were complaining because of the autopsy done on Ivan showed that he did not die from the gunshot that he sustained on his head.  Rather it showed that he died when a blunt force was exerted on his neck causing the aphyxsiation.

From the footage done by ABS-CBN… they were covering the vehicles riddled with bullets… until one person said “do you want to see Ivan?” He was simply slumped at the back of the vehicle – and it seemed as if the police were not really rushing to take him to the hospital.

Watching that part felt like – watching an intrusive wild animal captured in the city here in the Philippines.  We have no means to take it back to the wild – and certainly, it will just be left to die or be killed.

There he was, both his hands were on his back as he was handcuffed.  He looked so young.  Short-cropped hair, shirt and jeans with the waistband of his boxers slightly showing – Ivan was a picture of a typical young person.  Except this time, he was so weak and his eyes were closed.

The camera man asked him “Are you Ivan?” And he quietly said “yes”

“Where had you been hiding all this time?” came the next question – but there was no reply.

Then the police said they will take him to the hospital already and the interview (less than a minute) was cut short.  And that was the last time he was seen, barely alive.

Ivan Padilla was only 23 years old. And in the context of the growing delayed adulthood of our young people, Ivan Padilla could easily be a 19-year old person at this time.  Why would a young man throw away his life and risk everything by doing crime?

The authorities have made the cautious observation that the recent spate of crimes committed in the city were done by young people. There was even an 18 year old man involved in another. Even guys aged 16 and 17 were caught stealing or staging a hold-up in jeepneys.

What is happening to us?

Why are our young people getting more and more involved in criminal acts?

What are we NOT doing so that they would know they they have a better option in life?

I could not shake the image of Ivan slumped at the back of the vehicle.

To die at such a young age.

To have chosen a path so violent at such a young age.

Is Ivan merely a reflection of how we are failing as a society?  Or how we are failing at parenting?

I wish I have the answers. But the image of a young man with blood oozing out of his head, hands handcuffed and clearly dying is one of those images I no longer want to see happen again.

Let us save our young people from these poor and violent choices.

23 years old… such an innocent age.. yet  Ivan was already corrupted by his choices and the world he moved in.

And there are still so many of them right now.  Practicing their crimes as we speak. Getting trained.  Being given money as low as P5,000 to drive a getaway vehicle.  Maybe they are learning how to use a gun for the first time.  But they are out there.

Let us pray and save our young people.

Let us be vigilant in our roles as parents, mentors and community leaders.

Ivan could have been your son, nephew, friend, worship team leader in your church, youth leader etc.

There must be a better way so that young men like Ivan could find their way back to their families, communities and society that may have turned their backs on them.

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We need to grow a conscience…

Posted on July 28, 2010 by oftherock

I told myself this while I was listening to the first State of the Nation Address of our President last Monday. With the declarations made about government owned and controlled corporations and the way by which the trustees were paid…I could not help but sigh about all these things being un-ravelled.

What the President were saying were old tunes to all of us.  I sometimes wonder if corruption is just going to be our standard way of operating here in the country.  It has become so rampant that we hardly get shocked anymore.  We allow so many things and events to go without pursuing the real truth.

I could recall in recent history (just a few years) some of the things that we did not finish to the end. Fertilizer scam, Velarde envelope, ZTE NBN Broadband scandal, Hello Garci recorded calls, Sen Lacson who escaped the country, Meralco overpricing and overcharging its customers… the list could go on and on.

It seems as if we – the poor Filipino masses are left to fend off for ourselves.  Whether it be the skyrocketing prices in the market of the basic commodities, rising cost of power utilities, education, food, toll fess… we are basically on our own.

Looking at the TV coverage of the SONA where Batasang Pambansa was filled with more than 200 of our congressmen… I was praying that each one would grow a conscience and a heart to really serve the people.

This country needs our help esp when some of the more blatant crimes were committed by those in power with the Maguindanao massacre as the shining example of greed and abuse.

This country needs help because we have seen so many of our politicians do their dastardly deeds and then after a few years, come back into the limelight as if they had done no wrong.  Whereas the ramifications of what they did and stole from the country are still felt by every Juan dela Cruz.

What PNOY said in the SONA were nothing new – that is why so many sectors were feeling cut-off because their advocacies were not mentioned.

But listening beyond the words of the President could give us a clue as to what is happening in our country.

What PNOY is giving the country is what GMA had the opportunity to do when she was installed in 2001.

And this is TO GIVE THIS COUNTRY HOPE.

And it looked like PNOY means business.  And so should we.

Sure, it would be impossible for this country to change overnight.  But the mere hope that we can change – is a strong force that could grow in every Filipino heart here and abroad.

This means – we can.

That we can hope and dream that we can change.

When PNOY did not use the “wang-wang”… I was one of those who thought that he should start tackling bigger issues than those installed on top of the vehicles.  But the President proved himself right.  Every mile begins with a simple step.  Every big miracles of change begin with a very small, doable measure of change like Wang-wang.  It communicated a very powerful message.  That even on the highways, the politicians and the powers that be.. need to realize the plight of the many.

I had often wondered if our politicians were aware of the terrible traffic jams everywhere… how could they empathize when they themselves are so free from the traffic jams and could weave their way in and out because of their police escorts and those wang-wangs.

Because of what PNOY started… after the SONA.. i drove through Commonwealth avenue right next to 3 beautiful SUVs…one of them carried a plate that said “LOI” ( wife of ex-pres Estrada and also a senator herself).

After the SONA, there were some news footage of the Ex-president GMA leaving the country for Hongkong.  The heat was going to be too much for her inside Batasang Pambansa.  I felt really bad for the district she is representing.  Because on SONA day, the person that they voted to represent their district was intentionally absent on the first day of work… because it is “her right” to skip SONA day.

But sorry Madam ex-president… please do not forget that the country has the right to account for all the things that are missing in the country’s coffers.

Would PNOY be able to deliver all the promises?

We should be mature enough to realize that he wont be able to do them by himself.  The growth of the country, the betterment of the nation in terms of its youth, communities, infrastructure etc are not dependent on him alone but on all of us.  The change for the good does not hinge on one man alone – but it is an excellent start.

People feel that they could approach PNOY or “sumbong ko sila kay Pnoy” is an indication that the President is someone that everyone looks up to as a champion of their rights.  That in itself is something that needs to be brought back to our leaders.  Champion of our rights rather than plunderers of our rights.

How would you help PNOY make this a better country for all of us?

How can we work together? What can you do? How can you help?  I am very much tempted to quote a powerful statement by the late President Kennedy  “ask not what the country can do for you.. but what you can do for the country…”.  I was hoping PNOY would say something to that sort.  Ask us. Tell us how we can help.

Better yet… let us think how we can help this country.

How we can help its poor, uneducated, the hungry, the orphans, the sick, OFWs, youths.

How can we work together as parents, students, educators, pastors, civic leaders?

There are many ways. Big and small.

But I would like to propose a small but a significant one.

Let us start growing a conscience for one.

(Pictures taken from Benigno Noynoy Aquino public Facebook page)

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Pure and un-defiled…

Posted on July 23, 2010 by oftherock

It was turning out to be a stressful week. If there are 24 hours in the day, it was one of those days where you know, you need at least 29hours in one day to minimally put everything in.

My wife and I were headed to Industrial Valley near Marikina.  We were quiet in the car as we were busy with our thoughts.

We arrived at the site and I had to wait for wifey to open the gate as I was doing double- blinkers on a small 2-way uphill road.  They let us in.  We had been there before so we already knew the drill. Change into a white shirt. Walk to the other side. Remove the shoes. Open the door and…

SMILE!

There were 10 – 12 crawlers waiting for us. The youngest being 5mos or so and the oldest about a year old.  These are the orphans at CRIBS – http://cribsfoundation.org/

It was my 3rd visit and I was getting accustomed already to the babies crawling toward me for them to be carried.  My first visit was during the inauguration of PNoy as President.  I was with the toddlers… and as PNoy was walking through the Malacanang corridors, I was carrying two male toddlers at the same time, while a 3rd one was climbing on my back.

But I think the crawlers can give me more peace… baby Paul would immediately stop crying when you pick him up.  Nikka would always approach me with her very inquisitive eyes.  John Lloyd would find his way to my lap and look at me with his big eyes.  Shine has an eager smile on her face. Faurah always looked like she is about to cry.. Genesis was too small I could not begin to start carrying him around.. and on that day, I met Tina and Melissa for the first time.

It was just my wife and I who volunteered that afternoon. And so needless to say, our hands and arms were really full.  I looked into their eyes and tried to look at them as if God was looking at them.. wondering what God would tell these babies who were surrendered and abandoned by their parents.

Looking into the quiet eyes of Paul as he peacefully laid his head on my shoulder suddenly made all the previous discussion on predestination moot and academic.  Such topics were nicely debated and dissected in the safe confines of the seminary and church halls… but here in the orphanage… topics like predestination becomes non-sensical all of a sudden.  For how could a loving God look into the eyes of these precious children  and tell them that  some of them  have been predestined for damnation.

3:30PM is always their feeding time.  I ventured into doing that and started with CJ.  He somehow reminded me of my labrador because CJ would always give me the ball and then would ask me to throw it somewhere for him to retrieve it.  And we would play these games while I am playing with Nikka, John Lloyd or whoever is clamoring for my attention.

Feeding these crawlers are fun!  We sit on the cushioned floor and I put my legs around them so they would not be able to move. CJ wanted to play more than eat – so Nikka would approach and would beg for her food. I could only feed about one or two of them as I am still learning the technique of making them eat a little faster with less mess on their faces and on my jeans.

4Pm – the visit ends.  We kiss all of them goodbye and they start walking to the door following us.  Paul would immediately cry. Nikka would tentatively wave her hand to us and then.. it was over.

It is a different world over there.  It is as if time would momentarily stop and the whole universe is just occupied by these beautiful crawlers.

I would tell these babies how stressful the past several weeks had been. I told Paul about a concern in the local church. I shared the Trinity with Nikka.. and I was sharing the gospel with Tina as her head was on my lap fighting off sleep.  And I told them “you will never know who I am… because you guys are going to be adopted sometime soon… you may end up in different cities or countries in the coming months… but for this time… I have all of you.. and we have each other.”

Such a beautiful moment.

Peaceful.

Divine.

I could almost feel the love of the Father toward these little ones.

When we go there – I am not a mentor, pastor, teacher or any person with responsibility to make something happen.

I just try to be -

A representation of the Father who cares and loves them unconditionally.

James 1: 27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. – NASB 1995.

Holding these sleepy and playful crawlers in my arms surely does feel very pure and very undefiled.

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The Miracle that was Andrew…

Posted on July 1, 2010 by oftherock

Never met him. But I heard so much about him. Andrew is a 9-year old boy who was confined at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center because of dengue. Last friday, his uncle and aunt attended the retreat that I was facilitating.

They were obviously in some pain but did not express them right away. They had these empty look upon their eyes that seem to convey something that was not hard to miss.

A couple of hours into the discussion – they shared that their nephew Andrew is at the hospital for dengue.

We prayed for Andrew as we closed the session last Friday night. It was about 9:15PM and we were all getting tired. We bowed our heads and prayed for God’s comfort and restorative rest upon all the participants. And in the middle of the prayer, I remembered Andrew and prayed for him.

I did not know the status of his condition but we just simply lifted him up. Lifted his parents, their need for the hospital provision and Andrew’s well-being.

The following morning, the couple were conspicuously absent from our morning sessions.

They arrived a couple of minutes before we broke up for lunch. They mentioned to the pastor that they wanted to share something with the rest of the group.

They shared the story of Andrew. It was in their native dialect (Waray) so I struggled to understand some of the key elements of their story.

The night before at about 9PM, Andrew’s condition grew from bad to worse. The doctor mentioned that he could go either way. They simply gave him a 50/50 chance of making it. Blood was already oozing out of his nostrils as the hemorrhagic fever raged on.

The nurses upon hearing the prognosis started taking off the medical tubes inserted on the small boy’s dying body.

When the doctor returned, he was surprised that the nurses had taken off everything. He said “put them back, you never know… things could still happen for him. The only thing that could save him would be prayers…”

The parents were in shock and could not even react to what the nurses were doing.
But it was around that time, when we were wrapping up the evening session of that Friday night during that weekend retreat.

At a little past midnight, the boy’s dramatically improved. And throughout the night, the boy was steadily showing signs of improvement. When the morning came, he was declared by the doctors as on his way to sure recovery….

From death to life….
From the certainty of death – to certainty of life.
From hopelessness to “hope-filled-ness…”
Crossing from death to life….

There were no dry eyes in the whole room when they finished their testimony. We sang a couple of hymns declaring the faithfulness of our Father in heaven….

Thank you Lord for allowing us to see through the eyes of our faith.
Thank you for remembering Andrew even if did not know the extent of his condition.
Thank you for allowing us to hear of this testimony.
Thank you for your utmost love for the little and helpless ones.

Thank you for this miracle.
This miracle called Andrew.

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You are Mighty to Save!

Posted on July 1, 2010 by oftherock

The most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. Location: Basey, Samar.

Last weekend in Tacloban, I witnessed what I could describe as the most beautiful sunset I had ever seen.  Took a quick shot using the digicam and it was indeed a powerful, moving testimony of the beautiful creation and the careful planning of the Master Creator.

I was carrying some questions with me as I flew to Tacloban for a church retreat.  And like always, felt inadequate to meet the needs of the pastoral teams who are going through the difficult personal challenges and pastoral circumstances.

Discouragement has been our common friend lately.

I prayed hard while enroute to Tacloban for God’s fresh revelation. For His theopneustos upon me.  I needed to be filled so that I may be emptied out.

The retreat went really well. Beyond what anyone of us could ask or imagined. Testimonies of God’s loving and wonderful grace were shared. Affirmations of the people and the encouragement were aplenty.  It was a real blessing for everyone.  And last sunday, when we had the chance to drive around, what a blessing it was to see the beautiful sceneries painted by God on the skies…. (please see TACLOBAN under the DIGITAL MOMENTS tab)

But there were things I needed to ask God.  I just need to express these things to my Father who loves the world so much.  I needed to hear his heartbeat. I needed to see and hear his compassion.

1. Lord, please help the two teenage orphans in Bulacan.  They had been going without food.  They are able to work but do not have the means to process their papers.  Lord – please provide for them.  I think about them all the time and many times I wish I have the means and the influence to just make their lives better.

2. Lord I pray for the abandoned and surrendered babies scattered throughout the different agencies in the country.  We visited one yesterday – and I will never forget the very determined look of the 2 male toddlers who upon seeing me, climb on my legs as if I was a tree. Lawrence would not let me go and the two other boys, equally demanded love and attention.  And Lord, as I was carrying them and talking with them… I realized that in many respects, we are like them.  Without you, we feel abandoned and neglected.  And like them, we just want to run to you and climb on your lap and bury ourselves in your arms where we feel most safe and cared for.

3. Lord I pray for this young mother of two who is in dire need of money to feed her children.  Abandoned by a philandering husband, this young mother do not even have the means to go to work because she does not have the fare.  Lord, whatever small amount we can give – may you enlarge it Lord.  May you open wide the doors of your loving provision for all of us.

4. I pray for the pastors who are going through a lot in their personal lives as well.  Yes, discouragement has been aplenty.  Lord allow us to see you in the midst of all of them.  Allow us to hear your voice. Speak thr0ugh the din and noise created by all these anxieties.  Lord, allow us to experience your rest.  Ours had become troubled sleeps because of the many things that are stealing our peace and joy.  Have mercy on all of us God.

5. I pray for the country Lord.  We have a new president now and I could only imagine the weight of the responsibility placed on his shoulders.  Lord please heal our land. Please unite us and change our hearts to love our country by doing what is right.  Free us from leaders who rule with their own agenda and selfish whims.  Free us from our bondage and societal corruption.

You are a God who is mighty with compassion.

You are a God whose sovereignty is not defined by our understanding.

You are a God whose hands extended the curtains of the universe.

You are a God who is full of love and very loving toward all of us.

You are a God who can will it to happen for all of us.

You are a God who can show us mercy and love in the midst of our struggles and difficulties.

You are the God who is our all in all.

Save us.

Rescue us.

Lift us up.

Give us your peace and your rest.

Lord thank you for the reminder of who You are.  You are a God who is MIGHTY TO SAVE!

MIGHTY TO SAVE

When everyone needs compassion,

And love that never fails,

Let mercy fall on me

When everyone needs forgiveness,

Kindness of the Saviour

The Hope of the nation

(Chorus:) Saviour, He can move the mountains,

My god is mighty to save,

He is mighty to save Forever author of salvation,

He rose and conquered the grave Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as you find me

All my fears and failures

Fill my life again I give my life to follow

Everything that i believe in

Now i surrender (and i surrender)

(Chorusx2) (Bridge:)

Shine a light in and let the whole world see

Singing, for the glory of the risen king Jesus,

Shine a light and let the whole world see

Singing for the glory of the risen king

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Posted in being loved, challenges, christianity, emotional searching, reflection | Leave a comment