A PRIEST NAMED HAROLD

The first time I heard the name Fr. Harold, I thought of him as a heartthrob, kilabot ng mga CWL at parish auxiliaries and a macho gigolo for all ages but definitely not for all genders. For some esoteric reasons, it was just all part of my eccentric imagination as Fr. Harold is simply just Fr. Harold, a priest.

Harold is an Old English name which means "army" and "rule", meaning "heroic leader", same as the title herald. Also, the name Harold is from the Latin Herald meaning King, a man of God's own choosing to lead a nation. For whatever reason  his parents may have for giving him such a name, I believe that Fr. Harold has been true and committed to his Christian name.

Every time I would listen to his homily, I can sense a true mark of a priest who was ordained and prepared to evangelize people by spreading the word of GOD. His authenticity and genuineness as a priest is always evident through his reflection and sharing. I remember when he gave a recollection where only few people attended. He still managed to make me feel that GOD is present in every word that he revealed. It doesn’t matter to him if there are many people or few, as he would just continue to be subservient to what he was ordained by the Catholic Church to do. 

I got to know him more when he became the regular priest of our block rosary to our Lady of Fatima. Despite and in spite of the situation he was in, he would always try his best to come, as his love and devotion to our Lady I believe, has always inspired him to be there for our heavenly Father and King.  

For all the time and experiences I have shared with you Fr. Harold, I will never ever forget the “blessing opportunity” you gave me to be part of Mary Jane Veloso’s telling story. Because of your invitation, I have witnessed the grace and unfathomable love of GOD through the people I have met. I have felt and witnessed the generosity of people which made me realize that there are still a lot of good people in this world. Your magnanimous desire to help Mary Jane and his family has touched my heart and soul to make me feel that this is the kind of service I want to do more and more.

As you continue your priestly ministry In GOD’s chosen land for you to be, I hope and pray that HE may bless you more with everything you need that you may continue to lead the nation where GOD planned you to be with. 

A simple word of thank you is not enough to express to you our deepest appreciation and heartfelt gratitude not only for every single Mass that you preside, prayer of the holy rosary and confession that you hear, but for offering your life to GOD by serving us though unworthy we may be. 

Our prayers and good wishes will always be with you especially in every recitation of the holy rosary in our weekly devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. We would always be grateful to GOD for the great love and service you have shared to all of us.

Paalam, Fr. Harold.

MR. NICK: A MAN OF GOD Colossians 1:15 "He is the image of the invisible God,  the firstborn of all creation.”

  

It is true that we meet people in our life for a good and divine reason. I honestly believe that Mr. Nick is one person whom GOD has given me to witness and experience HIS love and grace.

I can imagine that if JESUS were my Head of School, I would surely feel comfortable, good, understood, affirmed, recognized, appreciated and supported by HIM. These are some of the many good things I have experienced working with Mr. Nick.

Everytime I would come to his office, he would always welcome me and listen to my issues and concerns with all sincerity and understanding. He would make me realize that there are other ways on how to view things no matter how trivial or intricate they may be. He would give me his thoughts on certain situations with a heart of wisdom,  feeling that I am understood and not judged by him. 

Mr. Nick, you have been a great and generous supporter of the Student Council. Your magnanimity is incomparable, as  you even go beyond  sharing your personal resources to realize the activities of our student leaders. You just don’t have any idea how the students felt happy, relieved and supported because of your unselfishness to share your blessings to us.

When I needed help to convey my appeal for professional development, you were there to enlighten people for them to grant my request as you believe that I need to update and improve my knowledge and skills to better serve our students and parents as well. Not only that, you even wrote and personally handed to me my request letter so that I may be able to get refund for my plane fare which I was not able to use for an inevitable reason. I felt your pure and genuine concern to help me which I will never ever forget.

Most of all, I will forever treasure in my heart the moment you allowed me to be with the children of Mary Jane Veloso. This “holy experience” will not happen without your full support and approval which made me realize that ‘miracle is for real’. Because of this, I was able to witness GOD’s mercy and compassion through my interaction with people from religious and cause-oriented groups. It was an edifying experience for me which happened because of you. 

Despite your position and stature in the academe, you never let it stop you from entertaining us during the teachers’ karaoke by singing in your hilarious and out of this world version of the song, “Hard Day’s Night” by the legendary group the Beatles. No one can surely imitate and impersonate the way you did it because it will be a crime for anyone to do it as it was your most original and epic performance ever.

Mr. Nick, saying  ‘thank you’ is not enough for me to express my deepest and unfathomable gratitude for everything that you have shared to me. You are truly a “Man of God” and I thank GOD our loving  Father for giving me the opportunity to work with you.

As you always tell me, “See you later Mr. Ed.,” in your Aussie accent which I am trying very hard to imitate. Again, thank you Mr. Nick for being a “Man of GOD”.” Undoubtedly, GOD is and will always be happy and proud of what you have become. 

May you continue to be a blessing to people around you!

Freda: A Lady of GOD!

Once I met a lady by the name of Freda. She is gentle in appearance with long hair, pointed nose, tantalizing eyes and very composed and relaxed posture. I would say that she is an epitome of a lady who is prim and proper in her words and deeds.

I was hoping and praying that the next Principal I would work with is someone who would be supportive and understanding enough which I always look for. As days passed by, I was thinking and feeling like a psychic who is guessing expecting that things would be better every day working with her.

First week, second week, third week and a month cruises by, I am slowly getting to know what kind of a school leader and person Ms. Freda was.  With her soft and gentle voice that reverberates in my ears, I can’t help but listen to her and give her my pure and genuine attention.

Time flies very fast and I have not noticed that we were getting to know each other in a level that is pure and unforgettable. She has always been very professional, pleasant, mature, generous, and most of all understanding especially in situations that the only thing you hope for is that you would be well understood. She has surpassed my expectations and prayer for a Principal that I would like to work with.

As I get to know her better, she has continued to show her authentic self that was transcending and humbling in God’s heavenly ways. The moment I was grieving for the loss of my uncle, the time I was struggling in things that I do, the things I shared my personal stories too, she would always be there to listen and make me realize that things would always turn out to be perfectly fine. I doubted, questioned, complained and bargained and all of these pessimism and cynicism in me has slowly been crystallized, purified and enlighten by her.

Now that things have to change and that it has to end in God’s esoteric reason. I felt more than blessed to have a Principal, friend, confidant and sister in Christ who has shown me how things in life can be created by GOD so precious for me.

Freda, a lady of GOD, you have inspired me and many people in many ways and I will always be grateful to GOD for this wonderful and amazing grace. Part of you has made me see things in a different perspective and has brought me closer to GOD our heavenly Father and King.

Till we meet again!               

Cracky Charlotte

C – racker
H – appy
A – miable
R – ight
L – ovable
O – klahoma
T – alkative
T – ill we meet again
E – ndearing

Cracker is the word used to call a white American purely because of their color. From what I understand this is a discriminating word to label a white American. Thus, I started to call my friend Charlotte, cracky. Every time I would call her cracky, she would give me a grin look and would stop my naughtiness and mischievous behavior. But she never gets offended at all that’s why I would continue to call her crack. Hehehehe!

Happy would be one of the best adjectives that fit her personality. She would share long stories in her animated and crazy way. She is very good at imitating people especially with the way they walk. One time we were at the mall and she saw this lady walking in a unique way. She started to imitate the walk and she was able to do it with perfection and wackiness.

Amiable is the most fitting word to describe the kind of aura she possesses. She has a knack for making people listen to her and get their attention. She is a beautiful lady inside and out and that makes her more liked and loved by people around her.

Right would be the value that she highly regard as a person. She would never bend her personal values in the pursuit of what is right and honorable. She has been through a lot in life both good and bad but never settled for less and demeaning that would put her life and her family in jeopardy.

Lovable is what she is and thus she deserves all the love and happiness in this world. She is well loved by her friends here in Jakarta and America because of who she is. Whether boys or girls, male or female, young or old, gay or straight, she will always be loved because of her authenticity and genuineness as a person and most especially as a friend.

Oklahoma is located at the Southern part of America, I hope I am right with my geography. She grew up and spent her whole life in this place experiencing the beauty of life and the challenges it enfolds. She is more than excited to go back home and be with her family and friends. I agree with you Charlotte, there’s no place like home but we will truly miss you very much.

Talkative is her cup of tea! Peace my friend. She just loves to talk and tell stories 24 hours without pause and you would end up glued in your chair because you fear that she might beat you when you cut her from her very long stories. hehehe! Kidding aside, she just have the enthusiasm and energy to share about life and love, good and bad, happy and sad, and sensible and inane. Because of this, her friends get to know her more and it makes you connected to her being as an individual. But I hope she can be more sensitive of other people's reaction whenever she talks with them. Got it friend?

Till we meet again! I will really miss you my friend. I know that everything in this world is temporary and possible to happen. We may be very far away from each other but I would like to believe that one day we will meet again and share good times like we used to do. Our trip to Singapore especially in Universal Studios was a blast which I will never forget. The movie watching, shopping, and dining are some of the things I enjoyed doing with you.

Endearing which means appealing, attractive, charming, and engaging are some of the words that describe you best. I hope and pray that you may truly find all the love and happiness in this world whether from your new found love or from the new things that are coming your way. Thank you for being such a wonderful friend and I promise you that I will always include you in my prayers. We may not see each other anymore physically but I know with all faith in God that we will see each other in heaven so I can call you cracky again.

My Friend Whom I Call Ems

I am blessed to have a lot of good and genuine friends. Usually I prefer to call them differently in my most endearing and exhilarating way. Thus, I would like to share with you about my friend whom I call Ems.

I was invited by Ems and her husband Joecel to join them in their house so that we can help and support each other paying for the house rental and other shared expenses which is a common practice among Filipino expats here working in Jakarta. We have established a good and loving friendship, hence, I felt that I am a member of her family. Well, you may say that I am their “adopted handsome son” since they only have one beautiful and smart daughter whom I call Samya.

For some inevitable reasons, I have to go back home to the Philippines which made us part ways for awhile. Nonetheless, we still kept in touch with each other through FB. Thanks to Mark Zuckerberg because it was very easy for me to communicate to anyone especially with my family and good friends. As we chat and update each other on Facebook, I told her that I might go back to Jakarta and look for a job. She offered me her place and assured me of her unconditional and genuine support .

When I came back to Jakarta on March 2011, I initially stayed in the house of my equally good and loving friend whom I call Binoy who is known as Elvin for many. Eventually, I moved to the house of Ems with Joecel and Samya. I was overwhelmed and felt very blessed by the magnanimity and outpouring of love and support of her family. One day, when I was scheduled to serve as a lector in one of the biggest Catholic churches here in Jakarta, Ems just woke up for me and cooked my breakfast. She never mind cooking for me eventhough she knows that I can cook for myself. Her being sensitive and caring as a friend has made me feel more the blessing of God. Just like a sister, she offered financial help which I really badly needed at that time. She would always ask me of what I need and she would make me feel assured together with Joecel that they are ready to help me all the way.

Most especially, I have fully realized that Ems can go beyond making sacrifices just to share her love and goodness of heart as a friend. She agreed to my request to stay with her family and gave me the room intended for their daughter Samya. I just can’t thank her enough and her husband as well for doing such a great and unselfish act of love and kindness.

Well, Ems also has her crazy and whacko character which unfortunately she got from her husband Joecel, hehehehehe! Peace Ems and Joecel! Since I have a poor vision, she was instructing me on how to hunt and kill the mosquitoes but apparently there was none. Also, I will never forget the time when I went home to bring good news and when I entered the house they were all gone. Hmph! I have to look around only to find out that I have to play hide and seek with them. All of a sudden, the whole family just came out from nowhere laughing at me. You got me there!

Ems, I would like to thank God for I have known you as a friend and that He has blessed me with your unfathomable love, concern, and generosity in the most tumultuous and challenging part of my life. I will never ever forget every single act of kindness that you have given me. It is my hope and prayer to God to continue to bless you and your family because you are one person I know who truly deserve all the love, abundance, and happiness in this world.

Happy Birthday Ems and see you at D' Cost! hehehehehehe!

Block Rosary to Our Lady of Fatima

On September 8, 2011 will be the birthday of our blessed Mother Mary which coincides with the 5th year anniversary of the block rosary of our Lady of Fatima here in Jakarta, Indonesia. It all started from a bonding moment I had with my brother Terry who was working in Jakarta at that time. We asked help from friends and thru the kindness and support of Tintin and Sharlene we were able to commence with our first day of devotion to Our Lady of Fatima at the residence of the family of Bro. Andy and Sis. Tintin Magbitang in Bona Indah.

Filipinos working in Jakarta gather as a small community in a house of a family who volunteers to be the host of the block rosary on a weekend. Every time we pray and meditate on the mysteries of the holy rosary, we offer our intentions of thanksgiving, adoration, contrition, and supplication for everyone present and for the intentions of all people who need most of God’s blessings. This has been our fervent desire and our simple way of showing our love to God through our devotion to His beloved Mother Mary.

After five years of working in Indonesia, I went back home to the Philippines to take care of my sick father together with my brother Terry who committed ourselves to this devotion. By God’s loving grace, the zealous and faithful followers of the block rosary continued its’ weekly prayer and sharing. My brother and I felt very happy knowing that it goes on with its’ true and genuine mission of unceasing and sincere prayer for all the intentions of God’s beloved people. Most especially, I have witnessed the gradual learning and praying process of the children who at their very young age were able to pray the holy rosary through the guidance and support of their loving parents. I humbly believe that these children will pass on whatever good experience they learn from praying the rosary and hopefully it will draw them closer to God.

I vividly recall that Terry and I started to learn praying the rosary at a very young age too. It was difficult and scary at first because we were afraid to commit mistakes. As we slowly move our fingers bead by bead and utter the prayers which we tried to recite by heart, we just found ourselves engrossed into it. We regularly join the elders in our barrio as we queue for procession while holding a candle and sing songs for Mama Mary as we bring her image to the next host family. As we grow in faith, we realized that our humble devotion to our blessed Mother has become a way of life for both of us. With all humility, I can say that I am a living witness to Mother Mary’s intercession. I was blessed and still being blessed with great things more than the human mind and heart can comprehend.

As I reunite with my friends in Jakarta for our weekly devotion to our Lady of Fatima, it is my humble hope and prayer that we continue to grow in God’s love and spirit as one prayer community through the intercession and maternal protection of our beloved mother, Our Lady of Fatima!

Mga Kabayan! Tayo na at Magkwentuhan!

Mabuhay mga Kabayan!

Inaanyayahan namin kayong lahat na sumali at makibahagi ng inyong kwento at simpleng karanasan tungkol sa inyong buhay dito sa Indonesia.

Hangarin ng blog na ito na tayo'y pag-isahin, magkakilala at magkatulungan bilang mga kapwa Filipino na nakikipagsapalaran dito sa butihing bansang Indonesia.

Maraming salamat at sana ay magandang simula na ito para sa ating lahat upang magkasuportahan, balitaan at tulungan lalong higit sa mga kababayan nating bago pa lamang nagsisimulang makipamuhay dito sa bansang Indonesia.

Maraming salamat at mabuhay kayong lahat!

Gumagalang,

Ed:)