Tuesday, December 2, 2008

When God Awakens A Miracle

I felt like I was in prep school awaiting for his field trip day.
Then the weekend came.

*Kerygma Conference 2008.
November 29-30 in Philippine Sports Arena (Ultra).

The biggest Catholic learning event every year.
It's my first time to be a delegate.
And I was awakened.

During the entire weekend, miracles happened all thoughout.
I saw the lame walking, the deaf hearing, the blind seeing. Literally.
There were prophecies of freedom from sickness, debt, and addictions.
The worships were awesome!
You can feel the angels worshipping with us.
There were 6000+ people, young and old,
praying in tongues all at the same time.
It was very powerful!
And the soulfood was overflowing from the comical preachers.
The event was like a feast that God prepared,
and we were deeply satisfied.
I felt first hand how God works miracles.
Let me share to you my cherished miracles of the weekend...


1st Miracle: My family were delegates too.
This is the biggest blessing.
It was unusually easy for me to convince them to come to the KCon.
When I'd invite them to events,
they would normally give me reasons like
the place is too far, it's magastos, or they have appointments already.
But as for this event, they were different.
So I was not surprised when we felt the evil one at work double-time
to prevent our family to be together there.
Early in the morning last Saturday,
they travelled from Las Piñas to Ultra for almost 3 hours
when it would normally take them only an hour max.
I left my dorm early so I could reserve seats for them,
but I got harried because of their lateness for more than an hour.
I learned that apparently, there was an unusual road block in EDSA.
And they had to stop midway in their travel
because the van almost overheated.
I'm sure they got harassed as well. But still they went.
So when they finally arrived,
there was no nagging, no blaming whatsoever.
A miracle in itself. Haha.
I just thanked the Lord they still came through.
This paved way for us to receive what the Lord had in store for us.


2nd Miracle: Healing for the family
Since my dad passed away three months ago,
we as a family really had to be strong for one another.
We unconsciously kept our feelings to ourselves
just to be strong especially for Mama.
But in the weekend, we were able to cry our hearts out,
express our love for each other through hugs and kisses,
and let ourselves be healed by the presence of the Lord.
And we were able to worship the Lord,
singing songs and raising our hands as a family again.
Mama and my youngest brother even had a vision of Papa
telling us to hold on to each other,
and that we are the greatest children.
We felt whole again.
And we experienced God awakening us
from a deep slumber of mourning.


3rd Miracle: Freedom from Impurity
This one is very personal for me.
I am recovering from an an addiction for the longest time
and I am really having a hard time
especially when the temptation is too hard to resist.
It came to a point in my life when I even asked myself:
What's the sense in this? I'd fall into sin again.
But the Lord has His perfect timing.
When I'd start to be callous again,
He runs to his prodigal son and hugs me tight,
celebrating and rejoicing because his son has come back to Him.
During the weekend, I was moved to kneel down and offer to the Lord
all the impurities in my life, my addictions, my fears, my desires.
This time my tears felt like they were blood,
and Jesus was crying with me.
I was led into a prayer of healing and commitment to purity.
Finally, I was set free.

***
These are just some of the miracles I personally experienced
during the Kerygma Conference.
All who went there experienced their own miracles in their lives too.
But I'm sure everybody would agree that the greatest blessing
is knowing that we could be the miracle
to each other and to the world.
Why? Because the Lord has empowered all of us to be so.
There's so much we can do!
Want to experience a miracle? BE THE MIRACLE!

My friends, I'm sharing this in my blog because
this is my loving way to bless you.
If you feel blessed, I invite you to pass it on.
Do a loving act to someone.
In our own simple ways, we can bless the world, one person at a time.

See you in Kerygma Conference 2009 at the Araneta Coliseum!

Didoy



*Kerygma (Greek: κήρυγμα, kérugma, pronounced "kay-roog-ma")
is the Greek word used in the
New Testament for preaching
(see
Luke 4:18-19, Romans 10:14, Matthew 3:1).
It is related to the Greek verb κηρύσσω (kērússō), to cry or proclaim as a herald,
and means proclamation, announcement, or preaching.
--Wikipedia




Monday, November 24, 2008

Breathe.

I'm tired.

This is very unusual for me.
Not that I don't get tired.
I do just like everybody.
But what makes the difference now is how I'm responding to it.
It seems that I've stretched myself too thin
that I begin to break.

Physically, I've got a cold that won't go away.
And my allergies are unbelievably not in control.
And yes, I'm gaining weight. Ouch.
Doc's advice: watch the diet and make time for exercise.
Boom.

Mentally, I'm thinking too much.
And as usual, the tons of information I have to
digest and absorb in med school.
Sometimes I wish there is a usb port in our brains.
Then just copy all the needed information in an instant.
But I have to face it.
God created us to enjoy the journey, not just the destination.

Emotionally, I'm cluttered.
Not just with my own issues,
but helping others with theirs.
Can't turn down a friend right?
Wrong.
Sometimes you let them learn by themselves.
Let them be responsible.
Maybe that's what He wants me to do now.
I can't give what I don't have at the moment.
Have to remove the speck of dust in my eye first
before I can begin to help others with their log.

Socially, I'm just a bit affected with the drama here
with my friends in med school.
But I know it's part of the process.
First phase:
The group gets connected and enjoy each other.
Second phase:
Get to know each other more comfortably without the masks,
and sometimes you unintentionally hurt each other.
Third phase:
The group solidifies and takes the friendship in life-long proportions.

The goal is to get through the second phase
as fast and as completely as possible.
Done with the hurts, no more strings attached
while learning wisdom side by side.

Spiritually, I'm still optimistic as always.
I'm just in a plateau after a steep slope of growth in undertakings.
Now I'm more conscious of the cliche
'slowly but surely'.
And oh, I forgot to bring my Bible back to the dorm.
I missed it because of the razzle and dazzle of the morning rush.
Tsk. I'm unarmed now.
Good thing for emailed readings for the day.
But still it's uncomfortable without my Bible by my side.
Good thing my bro could bring my bible here tomorrow.

Inhale deeply.
Exhale slowly.
Whew. Good thing for this breathing space.
We all go through this don't we?
And I believe this is helpful at some point in our human voyage.
It feels good to embrace it.


Didoy

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Doctor In The Making

Mayi is gonna be on TV this saturday!
She co hosts Mustard TV (kid's show), shown on TV5 at 7am.

It was already past 11pm last Monday
and she was still in the office because of the shoot.
Since its Monday is her commute day,
I just can't let her take a cab and go home alone late in the evening.
So, I surprised her in her office,
bringing along a new set of flowers for her vase in the office.
I arrived in Shepherd's voice with Mayi still shooting the segment.
Man, she was so stunningly pretty
and exuding a lot of confidence and finesse!
Great job my dear.

Then it happened.
Right after the shoot, she was vomitting all over the girl's room.
My initial impression was she was just too stressed from the shoot,
plus the temperature in the set was way too hot because of the blaring lights.
Too bad for her first time.
So I fed her some ice chips which partially relieved her headache.

On our way home, she barfed again. I can't blame her,
the crazy taxi driver must've thought he was driving a roller coaster.

I tucked her in her bed, gave her a good night kiss
and I went back to my apartment.
It was 2am.

I was checking her from time to time the next day.
She didn't go to work because she had fever, and her head was throbbing.
She had a poor appetite and was very weak.
So I probably thought, there is an inflammation and infection.
I asked if she was feeling any pain in her abdomen,
but she consistently said no the whole day. So appendicitis was unlikely.
She reported another episode of vomitting
so I advised her to take in more fluids to replace what she lost.

I went to her house after class.
I gave her a dose of 'kisspirin' and 'yakapsule'. Haha.
We ate dinner and she did finish her meal albeit her poor apetite.
I thought she was gonna be ok.
Not until she threw up again, losing all that she ate for dinner.

I called my mom first to confirm if my impression was correct.
We both agreed it was acute gastroenteritis (a.k.a. the stomach flu).
From her diet history, apparently she got it from a reheated lasagna.
She told me if we want it to be confirmatory,
we had to do a fecalysis (stool exam).
But immediately, we need rehydration.
So I had no choice.
Replacement of fluids through other another route was necessary.

Poor baby, we have to do an intravenous insertion to make you well.
I asked permission from her parents to do it at their home
rather than spend thousands of pesos in the hospital.
And they both gave me the authority and the money to do it.
(Good shot didoy! Haha.)

Luckily, Ate Meyan, a close cousin of Mayi who is a nurse,
is staying at their house for the meantime while fixing her papers to U.K.
So together we bought all the stuff needed for the procedure:
1 liter D5NSS (5% dextrose in Normal Saline Solution)
1 liter D5NM (Balanced Maintenance Solution with 5% dextrose as follow up)
1 venoset
1 gauge 24 needle (we opted a pediatric needle to minimize the pain upon insertion)
1 Micropore tape (according to Tita Babylynne, it's micropone! Haha.)
cotton balls and alcohol

Mayi was obviously fearful with the needle.
She had a traumatic experience with it when she was a child.
I really tried hard to convince her to give her hand to me so we can begin. Haha.
I explained to her the need for the procedure,
and that I assured her she is gonna be fine.
We prepped her hand and everything was ready.
As the needle was smoothly inserted through her vein in the right hand,
we saw Mayi really crying her heart out.
I find it adorable and a little exaggerated. Haha.



We run the solution at 40 gtts (drops) per minute.
And to be followed up with the D5NM after. (nosebleed na ba? haha.)
I watched over her through the night and stayed with her the whole day today.
So I wasn't able to go to class.
I initially planned to do so this morning,
but seeing her in such condition melted my heart.
I said to myself, the point of studying to become a doctor is this;
to care for people and make them well with all that it takes,
especially the people close to your heart.

We completed the IV therapy and she was up and about again.
It's the sweetest thing.
To see her being weak and frail before
and back now to her usual bubbly self again.
No wonder doctors are inspired people.
What a noble purpose.

Thanks Mayi for inspiring me more to become a great doctor someday.
I'll take care of you my dear, I promise.


Didoy

Monday, November 10, 2008

Monday Mornings...

It's Monday morning and I'm back in UST.
My bro and I woke up early and left home
at 530am to beat the morning rush.
After an awesome weekend,
it's back to school, back to work.
Back to the med books, quizzes, decury,
recitations,and nerve-wrecking exams.
Back to the dorm, and living away from the comforts of home.
You do the grocery, fix your laundry, find food for yourself,
clean the room, pay the bills, and all the independent stuff.
I'm back to eating fastfood,
and to the sleepless nights studying.
And the list can go on and on.

But I keep on coming back.

Why?
Because I have a dream.
I dream to become a world-class doctor someday.
To be a healer of the sick and the dying.
To take care of my loved ones when we grow older.
It will allow me also to provide for my own family in the future.
I dream that through my profession,
I could help make the world a better place.
And these reasons are enough for me to undergo all of these sacrifices.

There are low moments when I tend to ask myself,
what the hell am I doing here?
But I keep on striving.
Because I believe on a higher purpose that God is calling me into.
And I just need to do my part.

Wanna know a secret?
When you dream,
its a great help to have fellow dreamers with you.
In Med school, I meet people that come from different backgrounds,
with different abilities, and with different reasons why they are in Medicine.
But we are united with one purpose.
That's why we help and encourage each other to achieve our dreams.
In tough times, we hang on hard to each other.
In joyful moments, we party together.
Without them in my lowest moments, I would've quit.

Friends, keep on dreaming.
Let's dream together.
It may be our legacies to our future children and to the world.

Didoy

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Home Sweet Home

The 2nd semester has begun.
Good thing it's the end of the week
but my Pharmacology class ended past 6pm already.
Crazy professors.
Why did they schedule the popularly voted as the hardest subject
on a Friday with the class hours extending past 6pm?
Save the best for last?!
Oh, I remember. We are post-graduate students already.
Stop with the whinge Didoy.
You chose this life. Haha.

After class, my friends and I had dinner at a favorite place
to relax our overloaded heads before heading home.
Then I went to my dorm to fix my laundry for the week
and the stuff I need to bring home.
At last I'm ready to go.

Going home is simple.
From UST, I ride the jeepney to the Manila Post Office in Lawton
and from there, I ride an FX going to Las Piñas.
But with a Friday night traffic, it's a totally different story.
As usual, I was asleep during the whole FX ride going home.

"Para po!" I instantly shouted when I woke up
and saw the McDonald's and KFC outside our village.
As I alighted the vehicle,
my legs hurt because we were so cramped inside.
Then a brush of wind greeted me.
Hmmmm.
*Cough* *Cough*
A bus just blasted me with its emissions.

As I walk going inside the village, I notice how our neighborhood
has grown. Seems like every week I'm away,
there's always something new when I get back.
Then the blues hit me.
Oooh, I miss my friends in the neighborhood.

I hear our big dogs (I mean big pitbulls!)
woofing their hearts out as I come in the gate.
Sometimes I'm afraid to get near them
because after a week, they don't seem to know me anymore. Haha.

At the door I saw my beautiful Mom,
blessed me with her hand,

and I warmly kissed her in the cheek
as I said 'I love you Mama'.
I saw my sister Ate Chi eating
and I had the chance to be with her for late dinner.
Yes, I ate dinner again. Haha.
I can't resist the pork siningang and fried fish cooked by Yaya.
After dinner, I saw Kuya Patrick watching DVD in the living room.
I just sat there with him and watched a movie as we usually do.
After the movie, I played with Cheenoe our baby dog.
My fingertips touched the ivory keys of the piano again after a week.
As I right this blog, I'm side by side with my sister on our laptops,
she's doing her research while I do my homework
for a Youth leaders meeting tomorrow.

Nothing beats the feeling.
After all the busyness of life,
its just so comforting to know
that I am home.

Didoy

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Change is the Proof of God's Existence

I've had it.

The feeling just overwhelms me.
I thought everything was just doing fine,
and then insiduously,
without warning,
chaos comes in.

Then it hit me. Hard.

I wanna change.

Or better yet,

I choose to change.

I choose to be more careful of my words,
to add some humor and to speak encouragement.

I ch00se to study harder.
Really study and enjoy my passion to become a healer.
I almost lost the drive a few months ago.
Now I have a brand new semester to conquer.

I choose to wake up on time.
Yes, I'm still struggling to be on time for my activities.

I choose to shake the dust off my feet.
When events, people, words just weigh me down unnecessarily,
I let it go and move on.

I choose to understand.
Mean people are only mean when they are threatened.

I choose to affirm.
It's better than to criticize.

I choose to be happy.
Amidst all that beset before me,
I keep my smile and know everything is gonna be fine.

I choose to strive for respect,
than to be liked.


Dear God, make me new again.
Amen.


Didoy

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Little Community

It was a long and hard October for all of us.
So last Thursday night, our cell group met again.

Let me share to you first the details about our cell group.

Our purpose:
To have a circle of friends that builds faith,
gives hope, and cultivates love.

Members:
Jan Silan, Ryan Matignas, Carlof Fernandez, Andreus Cosio, and me.

Our Code:
Respect is of utmost importance
Reflect on the Word of God and on life
Reveal oneself totally
Respond to one another's needs
Regularly meet

What we do:
Every month, we make it a point to meet and dine together.
We read the bible.
We shamelessly share our life stories. No matter how dark it may be.
We share wisdom and fraternal correction.
We share our plans and dreams for the future.
We pray hard together.

Let me share to you my latest bull session with them...

We ate dinner at 8pm.
Tita Weng (Carlo's mom) cooked for us adobong may gata.
It was awesome! Thank you po!

After dinner, we started with a short worship led by Andreus.
Then we read the bible about the readings in line
with our direction for the night,
Storms in life.
The Gospel we read was taken from Matthew 8:23-27
The title reads: Jesus calming the storm.

Each person gives his reflection and shares about himself.
Experiences, struggles, feelings, blessings, everything.
After one person shares,
each of us speaks to that person who shared.
It can be affirmations, fraternal correction, prophecy, anything.
We are careful on this part, we do all of these with love.
Then the person prays for himself,
after which the whole group prays for him.

We shared to each other our storms in life.
Some of us are in the storm, another is after the storm,
and another feels that there is a storm coming into his life.

During my part,
I shared to them that I'm in the transition from the storm
to the calm after the storm.
My past month has been like a seesaw of good and bad events.
I survived my final examinations.
I almost failed 2 subjects in Medicine,
but like a miracle, its all good.
I got drunk a lot especially when semestral break came.
And in my drunkenness, I did stupid things. Like flirting with girls.
I thank my friends who understood
and safeguarded me at those moments.
Tsk tsk. I'm sorry po Lord.
My lustful addictions haunted me throughout the month.
I felt I'm a bad witness.
I had a successful team building with my classmates in Batangas.
I was blessed to be with my friends to have a vacation
in Lipa and Pampanga.
I get to spend time at home and rest.

And then my brothers turn came to speak to me.
They affirmed me first before they corrected me.
Ryan said that as much as he is already
locked and loaded to correct me,
he said that I only need to be gently reminded of things.
Haha. Thanks bro.
They felt how I felt.
They suggested that
I should give more importance to what I have now.
Especially with my blessings.
For Mayi. For my dreams.
And if I do that, it would help me resist temptation.
That I already know what I should do.
They believe in me. Just a little push to wake me up.
They support my decisions, and will help me with my weaknesses.

It took us hours to make the full circle.
We are so into it that we finished
past 1am already
The record time we finished is 3am.
And at the end of our sharing, we took time for planning.
We gave feedback and suggestions to solidify our group.
And then we rightfully closed everything with a prayer.

We went home inspired to change and to dream.
We felt light yet full of wisdom and guidance.
By the way, its not only once a month we relate, but everyday.
We communicate especially in times of trial.


Why do we meet? Because we feel the need to.
We help each other to become better persons.
We feel we are not alone in our weaknesses.

We feel free to be who we are, no masks to make us feel accepted.
And we learn much from our meetings.
Realizations we cannot learn on our own.
So we will continue our group and
hopefully share the experience to others.

Friends, having this little community has changed our lives.
I urge you to form a cell group with your closest friends.
With these little communities, when combined, we can make the world a better place.

Praying for you,

Didoy


"The group of believers was one in mind and heart.
None of them said that any of their belongings were their own,
but they all shared with one another everything they had.
With great power the apostles gave witness
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and God poured rich blessings on them all."
Acts 4:32-33