A Letter to My Future Working Self

In a week's time, I'll no longer be an unofficially employed individual. I'll be officially working as an English tutor to Koreans and at the same time, I'll still be serving in the Campus Ministry- my unofficial employment for almost 6 months now.

Campus Ministry Teachers, clad in our uniquely-colored uniform :)

People have asked me countless times - "Why don't you work?" "Why don't you apply in a school as an official teacher?" The answer I say over again is that I am committed to the Campus Ministry as a volunteer teacher in Gen. Vito Belarmino High School, Lucsuhin, Silang, Cavite. I teach Values Education (using a curriculum we modified) every Monday and Thursday to two sections in 4th year.

With my 4F co-teacher, Ma'am Amie :)

With my 4C co-teacher, Ma'am Mae :)

Sharing my testimony to my students 

I don't want my unemployed days to end without sharing the insights I've gained and the experiences I've had. And as I am so fond of letters, I opted to write to my future working self.

To My Future Working Self,

I write to you today to tell you that you can look back and never regret this year that you offered to the Lord- as a seemingly full-time worker in His workplace. I tell you that this has been the best, the most blessed, joyous, and content year of your life.

These were days when you hardly knew where to get your resources (money for visuals, prices, fare and etc.) but every day God surprised you in how He provides for all of your needs! These were days when you were penniless, but full of joy, love and peace. These were days when you have formed deep friendships with people who have the same love you have for the Lord. These were days when your heart took the fastest time that it could to heal- something that you thought it can never do. These were days when your heart has fallen out of love with things that didn't really matter and has fallen in love with or has rekindled its affection for all worthwhile things.

These are days you can look back to and tell yourself that there was no better way to have spent your year after graduation than to spend it wholly for the Lord.

These are days that you can learn from now that you are working. These days will remind you that your current work, salary, or your ability to buy the things that you want won't fully satisfy.You will always find out that nothing compares to being able to spend quality time with the Lord. 

And when your heart wanders and your priorities shuffle, look back to these days and relearn that He is your priority. Living your life is for Him be it in the Lord's workplace or in this world's. 

Remember as well to have time for the things that interest you and make you happy. (Photography, nature, reading, etc.) Never fail to see how beautiful life is!

Never lose the excellence you continually strive to bring to the Lord in all that you do especially that you realized during your unemployed days that we ought to never give God "leftovers" in the ministry.

Never lose your fire and passion, even your intimacy with the Lord now that you are a working individual.

Never forget all the learning that being unemployed has bountifully given you.

Looking forward to having you read and learn from this,
-Your non-working self

TIME TRAVEL

296 – Number of graduates of the Daily Vacation Bible School held at COG Jabez last May 16-21, 2011.

The teachers and volunteers of the DVBS are truly unstoppable for Jesus in advancing His Kingdom.

I have been privileged to work with Teacher Marichu at 10-12 years old. Ate Candy and I agreed that it was one tolerable and manageable age level. I missed the action and bursting energy in a 4-6 years old classroom. But I was grateful to experience teaching the 10-12 years old students. They were so active and were very eager to respond to my questions. I was careful not to treat them as little children by not asking obvious, too easy questions (oh I was so used to it!) and thank God, my Great Teacher helped me do so.

The interaction I had with these students was very unlike my relation with 4-6 years old. Before, I was a mother, older sister, now I was more like a friend. A girl would smile as if we were bffs, the guys would joke about things as if I were of their own age. A certain student (hyper that he is) would always place his elbow on my shoulder and call me “pare”. (Oh I feel like I’m 12 years old too!)

Being with the students made me think of myself when I was at their own age. Timid as usual, so quiet – not willing to participate especially in front of the class (at school is somewhat an exception). I would look at a girl who’s at the corner and say “that would be the inanimate me.”

But having this time travel to my past made me realize that I’ll know how to handle reserved and very shy students, being on their shoes myself. I would understand their need for a longer time to be comfortable in a certain place. And I would help them move out of their shells!

Well, aside from that reflection about the “past me” – I still have 2 time travels – to the future.

(1)    When I look at the students – I get to see who or what some of them might be in the future of the next generation. I see leaders, dancers, teachers, members of the theatre arts, etc. And to some I was burdened when I discerned “confusion”. Yes, at that age I saw rising deception about their gender. With the way they move, make an arts and crafts activity, there were hints of the deception. How in their young age, their environment could make or break them! As early as now, children ought to be shaped to walk in righteousness and holiness. I do hope our prayers and the seeds of faith in their hearts will work God’s wonders.

 

(2)    On my journal I wrote: “A while ago what thrilled me so much was seeing the graduates of the DVBS jump up and down on the stage and even right on their seats while singing “Supernatural God”. To me, it was a glimpse of the future Unstoppable Kick-off Night Non-Stop Party Party! I could imagine them all grown-up, the next generation unstoppable worshippers of God.

Yes, it was time travel to 2020, only their features were all youth-like in the vision!

How thankful and blessed I am to see this event and the wonderful impression of God’s favor to the children.

The church will continue on after our generation. Grasp it in the time travel He can let you envision! 

I Am A Student Learning To Be A Teacher

     "It is good to feel tired when you know that your strength has been used by Him who loves you most. For you know that you can do all things through Him who gives you the strength."

      This was a very special message from my Tatay :)

      True enough, for five days, every teacher's, driver's, cook's and participating worker's strength, voices, energy, mind and patience have been used up and stretched during the DVBS at Lalaan last May 2-6,2011. But all that we had to offer was used by Him who loves us the most, Him who sustains us, Him, our Everything.

      A very sweet moment I had with the Lord after Day 2 was when He led me to this verse during my quiet time:

     "You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound." Psalms 4:7

      I share with you the overflowing joy that I have had.

      Joy from teaching, joy from being with the children God dearly loves, joy with my co-teachers and co-workers, joy from the children's laughter amidst the heat and seemingly chaotic room, joy incomparable with God's presence every moment of the DVBS.

      There was no over time for decoration-making this time. There exist no sleepless nights for drawing, cutting and pasting. The great challenges lay before us during the half day classes.

      I was driven early each morning to plead for God's wisdom, strength, patience and help in teaching the children. One of my greatest fears was to find myself teaching and managing the class by my own strength and knowledge. And so I desired that emptiness, nothingness apart from my Lord.

      And now, I share with you the challenges and experiences of a Head Teacher even a co-teacher. They are far from easy but not near the impossible:

      Teacher in relation with the class - the students:

- The challenge of teaching the Bible Story guided by the Spirit (not by my own strength and knowledge) and careful not to extend beyond the attention span of 4-6 children.

- The challenge of gathering unruly, tame-turned-wild students especially during Day 2.

- The challenge of getting the children's attention, of battling with one voice against the 40 students' combined voices. (Considering my ever soft-spoken nature, I plan to install a microphone inside my vocal chords :O)

- The challenge of making such angels understand the mechanics of a game and drive them to enjoy it.

- The effort of dancing all you can to encourage them to dance as well.

- The challenge of stretching your patience beyond the widest way it has already been stretched.

- The challenge of going on, of keeping on keeping on amidst the drain of energy and the melting heat of the room!

- The challenge of being sensitive to God's leading to the needs of the children in spite of physical exhaustion.

- The challenge of having to gather even a small group of children and help them with the activity sheet when most could not still read nor write.

- The challenge of teaching in the presence of some parents ( a bit nerve-racking)

- The challenge of being an all-around-teacher; a mother to a crying child, maintenance to a spilled lugaw, sopas, champorado and etc., co-artist in decorating the room, overseer inside the classroom, mediator to quarreling children, and the one that I could never forget - nurse to a wounded child.

      During Day 2, the picture of the student with blood in his eyes is still vivid in my memories. You could have seen my about-to-blow-out-into-tears face with the thought that he has been struck by another child with a pencil directly on his eye!  I felt like my heart was crushed and all that I had whispered was the Lord's name while caressing the boy in my arms. But I tell you, God was in control! We found out that there was no wound in his eyes - it was from a wound on his chin, and the blood scattered when he was wiping his eyes. Yes, the Lord protects the children from harm! No plot of the devil shall prevail in God's working in the DVBS.

WARNING: Be careful of flying objects and dragging students inside the classroom. Your weapon against them: love, love, and love.

      Head Teacher to my co-teachers:

- As an overseer to my co-teachers, it was a challenge for me to divide the tasks among them. I knew I needed to be sensitive to their needs and on what they're able to do. ( It felt a bit awkward when I always had to say po and opo since they were all older than me, except one)

- Giving commands is my weakness - I tend to take responsibility by myself but God told me to have an authority and He enabled me to give each member of the team a responsibility of their own.

- Leader = Follower. God taught me to act on what I can do myself but give my co-teachers tasks to do as well.

Our Two Greatest Challenges:

(1) Most of the students do not know their own names! We had a difficulty arranging their activity sheets and finally writing their names on the certificates.

(2) The search for the Most Behave :D (Whew! Didn't know we could find one!) Well, kidding aside, I realized that it's no fluke at all to choose the awardees. It needed painstaking deliberation before we arrived at a decision and thank God we've done it! :) Two thumbs up!

      I am more than grateful for my co-teachers: Teacher Sandy, Teacher Marichu, Teacher Allane, Teacher Candy, Teacher AJ, Teacher Joseph, Teacher Gie - who have been with me some days and most of them the whole time during the DVBS! (Kudos to us! :))

      The Lord gave me a glimpse of what my life will be years from now..... 'till the end - teaching.

      He so widens my heart for the children, the passion in my heart is burning! I am to live the days of my life serving the purpose for which my Great Teacher and Creator intentionally designed me.

      I am a student, learning to be a teacher. And I still have so much to learn and experience! But the thing is, I'm forever His student even if I finally become a teacher by profession. (can't wait O_O)

     [His Next Lesson: 10 - 12 years old Assistant Teacher in Jabez] :O