Compassion and Apathy

Driving along the main highway, we passed by a taxi bumped by a bus. Its back was wrecked and the lady passenger was stuck inside. They cannot get her off the taxi. The more they pull her out, the tighter the metals are pressing her in. Since the drivers are male, they are very careful with touching her lest be charged with sexual harassment.

As we pass through them, we felt bad. I’m ready to brush the scene off my mind when my friend pulled over. She won’t just let this slip.

Being a good samaritan is not encouraged in this country. You may end up in jail if you help. Only authorized health professionals and police are allowed to meddle and help. I was neither. My friend, however, is a licensed health professional but not authorized. So I was flabbergasted when she hopped off and helped.

The rest of us stayed inside the car and waited in anticipation as she fought her way in the mess and helped them. I was stunned both by her quick response and my inaction. I kept asking myself if I will go down and help. To my defense–I was interceding. That’s all I was able to do. I struggled for 30 minutes and when I finally mustered courage to help, my friend already hopped in the car and started the engine.

She successfully pulled the lady out the taxi. Upon ensuring that all are safe, she came back to us.

“I just cannot do nothing,” she said as soon as she sat inside. The question, “Why did you do that?” must be painted all over our face.

Compassion.

Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Do unto others what you would want others do unto you.

As a Christian, these are the principles we profess and uphold. That day, I witnessed it portrayed selflessly–even if it is not safe to help.

That scene was stuck in my mind. I kept thinking about it and asks myself,

Have I lost my sense of compassion that I can brush off the thought of helping?

Have I been so insensitive to the needs of others that all I am willing to do is pray?

Am I apathetic to the sufferings of others that I cannot do anything to address their felt needs?

I am, after all, a Christian, who professes to be the hands and feet of Christ that would send love and compassion to the world.

I pray for the same kind of courage to act swiftly and demonstrate compassion unselfishly.

5 Things I Didn’t Expect to Happen on 2018 Global Leadership Summit

1. It is a semi-formal event.

As what usually happens to me when attending events, I always come underdressed. And when underdressed, I mean, wearing running shoes that glows under UV light. Lame.

2. The speakers are inside the screen.

We are watching a video recording of the event that happened elsewhere. I thought we will be able to see them personally. Although you will most likely be watching them on the screen because your seats are farther away from stage, it still gives you a different feeling when you get to see them live. One of my friend even brought a book of one of the speakers to get it signed but, yeah, better luck next time.

Apparently, this is really the set-up of the event. It is being held yearly at Willow’s campus every August and shown via live HD telecast on other parts of North America. Then to the rest of the world by Fall.

**Photo grabbed from Ate Jenny’s FB

3. Got headache due to UV Light (and lack of sleep).

I know you should be well rested. But we had a random road trip the night before. We drive across 2 Emirates for almost 12 hours and ended up with roughly two hours of sleep in the car. It is a struggle to listen to the virtual speakers with a heavy head and a clingy upper eye lid that always wants to reconnect with her lover–lower eye lid (pumipikit siya ng kusa, bes!). My eyes cries SLEEEEP and it didn’t help that the only lights open during the session were UV lights. To top it off, my shoe laces are glowing so much–it hurts my eyes! Because I am not really a fan of striking lights, smoke or loud music, my head feels like bursting as a result. This kind of set-up is not conducive to learning, atleast for me who didn’t have enough sleep. But I don’t represent all the attendees so I might as well shut up, right?

Jebel Hafeet, Al Ain, AUH

4. I would meet new people from different places.

I expect to meet and greet friends from my previous church community. There are many familiar faces and I’m so happy to see them again. But I didn’t expect to meet people outside my usual peers. I met Claude, Deborah and Ethel. They’re my seatmates during lunch along with other churchmates.

Claude is writing a book about people and understanding their emotions. She thought she’s alone in the ideas she has in mind but as she heard how the speakers are conveying the same principles she believes, her eyes light up. It encouraged her to pursue what she believes in and gave her drive to go on.

Deborah is new in the country and still getting her way in and out. She is with her mother, Ethel who is so sweet–she grabbed my hand and squeezed it so tight as we introduced each other. Deborah said Bill Hybel is her pastor back in Chicago. She heard this event from the church she and her husband is attending.

I also met Pet and her husband. Pet has been smiling at me inside the hall. I thought she is from the same church but as we met in the tea hall, she said my face looks familiar because she sees my profile in FB. She knows that I’m from Isabela. She is from Cabagan and I’m from Cauayan. You never know who you will meet here and there.

**Photo grabbed from Ate Jenny’s FB

5. I would learn practical principles about leadership.

The conference is open for all leaders from any institutions and not all who attended are Christians. It is my first time to attend such event so I am very excited on what to learn. I know it is a conference about leadership but I didn’t expect to learn very practical principles of leadership from reputable leaders in and out of the church.

Get people to give you feedback. ~ Sheryl Sanders, COO of Facebook, Founder of Lean In

As you go up the ladder of leadership, it would be harder for you to receive feedback. So you should seek them intentionally. Coming from an asian culture, we are not accustomed in giving feedback to our seniors and accepting feedback (specially negative) from someone. I need to work more on this.

Say “Wow!” instead of “How?”. ~ Andy Stanley, Leadership Author, Communicator, Pastor

Don’t let the ideas die a natural death by resisting seemingly weird suggestions or ideas that are out of the box. It won’t cost you to compliment the idea by saying “Wow!” instead of immediately repelling it with reasons why it won’t work.

Rush out there. ~ Juliet Funt, CEO, Whitespace at Work

Make sure you didn’t miss it. You might be busy reaching out your dreams and you have so much on your plate but be ready to drop everything when it comes to your family and loved ones. It might be your last chance. The next time might be too late.

Love is so much stonger than the fear of something bad would happen. ~ Immaculée Ilibagiza, Advocate for Peace and Forgiveness, Author of Left To Tell

You might be expecting something horrible but the love of God and your love for your family will overpower the fear and will give you strength to fight.

Make an inventory of your fears. ~ Gary Haugen, Founder and CEO, International Justice Mission

When you expose your fears, you know what you are up against. Will you let it kill your dreams?

PS: No take-away from Bill Hybels because we missed the first session. Roadtrip pa more!

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The Global Leadership Summit

The Global Leadership Summit is a two-day event telecast LIVE in HD from Willow’s campus near Chicago every August to hundreds of locations in North America. In the months that follow, Summit events take place at an additional 775+ sites in 130 countries and 60 languages.

Truthful And Loving

Got this message from a friend:

“Hi *endearment*, can we please follow the schedule in using the bathroom? Some people are being affected. Hehe. Take care. God Bless! 😊”

Awkward

I feel terrible.

Although it hit a nerve, I shift my focus on other things instead and read about a forming ball of tension within a group that can become somewhat offensive. Good thing it was diffused immediately.

I’m appaled. I wonder why?

Then I skimmed about the happenings in Mayon Volcano as it continue to erupt ashes and lava that dangerously affects the entire city and its people.

Why do I feel awful?

I randomly cited the possible reasons.

Is it because of the tension in GC? –Nah.

Errupting Mayon Volcano? –Nah.

Ahhh! It is because of my lack of discipline!

And to make it worse, I wasn’t able to recognize it myself and ask forgiveness. It took my friend to speak up and tell to my face how my lack of discipline affects them negatively.

After realizing how her statement affects me, I quickly apologize. Tried to make the statement light by emoticons but I couldn’t. I still feel heavy. I want to make excuses but I don’t have any. I think saying sorry is not enough. I feel like it was not enough. I’m hesitant to say “it won’t happen again” because knowing myself, it most likely would happen again. But I say it anyway. I’ll just try hard to keep up with it.

Tensions and things like this happens in real life. It is not always flowers and laughter and food. After all, what is life without disagreement and annoyance? It brings us closer together and builds strength in the relationship if we respond with love.

It is not easy to speak up about an offense made against you. So I commend my friend for correcting me. But it is not easy to receive correction either. No matter how it was told, pain will aways creep into your bones.

To borrow Nay Rhea‘s acronym, IINLI*.

IT IS NO LONGER I

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 NLT

Because it is no longer I who lives but Christ, I can accept the correction not as an offense but love.

I’m worried how will I respond when I see her in the evening. There could be some awkwardness in the air. But to my surprise, there’s none. Not an ounce of resentment felt. We moved on and charged it to experience.

I’m glad to have friends who are truthful and loving. Solomon, the wisest king who ever lived is right when he said, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.”

I forgive you. I love you. Let’s move on.

Identity

You are a slave
No longer believing that
From all the chains
You have been freed
~ Identity | jrlzn

Now, read from bottom to top.

Lately, there are so much lies lingering in my mind. I believe most of them.

Accusing me of:
hypocrisy,
double-faced.

Why bother doing the right thing if I will just mess it up? I can’t stand on what is right for a very long time. Throw me a trial, hurt me a little, and I will curl up in depression. Then I’ll end up sinning.

Soon guilt will come rushing at the door then I can’t handle the condemnation.

But thank God for His grace that allows me to look at a different perspective that offers hope. There is hope for a sinner like me. And there is hope for you too.

Sometimes, all you have to do is to look from bottom to top. 😉

Solo Travel And Fake Foodie Blogger

IKEA DXB! Ito na ang pinakamalayo kong solo travel since I came here sa UAE. Haha!

Let’s feast in this swedish meatball with mashed potato and gravy na walang strawberry jam kasi ubos na raw. Tatlong araw na raw silang walang stock. So ako nalang raw ang mag-adjust. Tutal, sanay naman ako dun. Anyway, andito na rin lang ako sa area kaya kumain na rin ako dito sa IKEA kasi kaninang 7AM pa yung last lamon ko. Namiss ko ‘tong meatballs nila na mas masarap kung may strawberry jam kasi nagtatalo yung tamis, asim nung jam at alat nung meatball at gravy. Kunyari foodie. Pero ang totoo niyan, ito lang kasi ang alam kong kainin. Hindi ko pa kilala yung iba. Saka nalang kapag may kasama na kong kumain dito. In the near 3 lightyears.

Malungkot yung food chart ko kasi walang kape. 6 dirhams yung kape nila against 3 dirhams na tubig. So tubig nalang di ba? Magkakape nalang ako sa bahay. Dapat kasi talaga nagbabaon ng tubig e. Gasino ba naman bumili sa Baqala (parang 711 nila dito) worth 1 dirham di ba? E pero wala na andito na ‘ko e.

Bukod sa gusto ko lang idocument ang pagpunta ko ng IKEA mag-isa, gusto ko lang din ishare ‘tong verse that became a source of encouragement for me today:

Before pa yan, I’m reading Isaiah and part of it is the prophecy of Isaiah to the Israelites. Sandamakmak na kasalanan na yung pinagagagawa ng mga Israelites at galit na talaga si Lord. But amidst all the anger of the Lord to the undeniable sins of His people, He still give hope to them through these verses:

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭1:18-20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Then boom! These verses just spoke to my heart. Para kasi kong Israelite sa tigas ng ulo. But these verses calmed my heart and gave me hope. So I prayed and asked the Lord to help me to be a willing and obedient daughter. His promise of good things of the land is a result of putting Him first as my Lord and obeying Him. I am trying my best to be still and remind myself that He is God.

There! I hope that whatever things that caused you to stumble, you will find God willing to help you stand up again and fight.

And when we get a chance, let’s have some coffee together, ha? Ikaw diyan, ako dito. Hehe

Chao! 🙂

Impossible is one of His Favorite Words.

We make the same mistake that Thomas made: we forget that impossible is one of God’s favorite words. 

When was the last time you imagined the unimaginable?

When was the last time you dared dream of the day when every mouth will be fed and every nation dwell in peace?

Has it been awhile since you claimed God’s promise to do “more than all we ask or imagine?”

~ Leave Room for the Magic, Second Chances | Max Lucado

Undivided Heart

Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness;
Give me an undivided heart that I may fear your Name.
Psalm 86:11 NIV

I haven’t been faithful lately.

Browsed my little verse card and this one hit me.

So I started reciting these verses silently.
Asking God to grab me from the stillness of my mundane life.
Pleading Him to move me from passivity to relentless action.
Commanding every muscle to do something.
Do something.

He is greater.
He is higher.
He knows all things.
And I cannot take the idea of Him watching me do–nothing.
And worse, am into the gutter of sin.
Of tasting it.
Of wandering my mind off into doing something that will satisfy this growing pleasure.
Of dipping my tongue to the chocolate coated poop hidden in the treasure box of my past life.

Undivided heart.
Fear of your Name.
Let me have it.
Give me the grace to hang on.
Fight and put the swords up.
The sword of your Word.
Hide me at the back of your glory.
I cannot fight this alone.

Psalm 86:11 NIV

I May Go Home

Okay, allow me to breathe and write my heart out.

Am now in the middle of uncertainties: uncertain if I will be able to continue working here or be sent home. Both possibilities are bittersweet.

I have a Labor Ban. It means I have to exit the country and cannot work here for at least one year. A Residence Visa under a new employer would not be possible.

There is a work around though. But getting a work permit is also unlikely. The new employer is checking other options. Until then, things are still uncertain.

The bottom line is: I may go back to my home country. It isn’t a bad thing, is it? I am actually day dreaming of being back home. But the thought of overlapping financial commitment makes me cringe. Ahh, this too shall pass.

I felt betrayed at first. I don’t deserve this, I thought. But what do I deserve? Ha!

Being in this situation makes me realize how gracious the Lord really is. It has been a year since the Ban has been imposed but I am still here, alive and kicking. If I haven’t accepted an offer to another company, I wouldn’t be able to know that the ban hasn’t been lifted yet. And with that, I am thankful it turned this way.

Without the grace of God, I wouldn’t survive a year full of drama and homesickness. I eat five times a day (oops!); enjoyed so many places; gained new friends (and they’re all awesome!); and recommitted my life to Christ. It just proves that He hold all things together and no matter how shattered my situation might seem now, He got me. And that’s all that matters.

Conflict And Steak

There will be conflict.
There will be chaos.
But there will be grace.
And the choice to stick together
through shortcomings and steak.
🙊🙈🙉😂😂😂

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Last Friday, our team had our first ever conflict. Turned out that some of us (or just me?) are not fully into the game and laxing a bit (or more). Pat needed our help and we weren’t there. Glad that he had patience to handle the situation by himself.  

And then when we had our event (bowling) after the service where we thought we planned so well but still turned out to be chaotic. We have problems with team arrangement and the team member’s name got mixed up. It was so stressful but we have to top it off so we can think of ways to handle the situation. Some of the leaders stepped up and helped sort the situation with us. Thank God everyone enjoyed the day despite all the hurdle. 

Leaders And Intimidation

In the volunteer’s lounge where we eat some bread and drink some coffee, we get to be acquainted by one of our leaders who is quite intimidating, atleast from our perspective.

He joined our group and started a conversation.

PR: Hello.
Ji: Hello po.
PR: Kamusta? Hindi kita nakikita a. Nagbakasyon ka ba or something?
Ji: (Nervous. Trying to play cool and crack a joke.) Hindi po. Hindi niyo lang ako nakikita. Nagtatago po kasi ko senyo.
PR: Ah. Well, you’re not alone.
Group: Hahahaha Hahaha
Ji: Wants to die.

Uhm, I think the joke didn’t end well.

But it struck something in me.

I remember another leader who taught us to be mindful of our leaders. Pray for them and reach out to them also. Ask them how are they doing. Smile and give word of encouragement. He said that it is easy for us to go out and have fellowship together but have we ever thought of inviting our leader in those intimate get together? Maybe they’re busy. Maybe they don’t have time. But still: it’s the thought that counts, right? 

Why am I intimidated by him? Why are we all afraid to start a conversation with him? He is still human, ain’t he? I realized that my reaction, though in a form of a joke, is half meant. And his response, although he is smiling, also rings truth in it.