March 24-25, 2009 marked something in my life that from what I have shared to every kid I was with that day, I pray to last their lifetime.
I know it seems too late to blog about it, but since my neurotic brain is able to handle just an amount of stress, blogging about it after my whole new transformation was a little far from reality… until now. 
Unfortunately, despite my burned neurons, I was asked by our parish priest (and yes, I am a Roman Catholic) to be a speaker for a two-day recollection for the graduating students from different elementary schools in our town. According to him, he wants something new to offer to these kids, and that is to find someone young to deliver specific topics to this children so that they would find it more interesting and less, well uhm… boring than the usual. And as for him – I was the answer to his prayers… and maybe I was.
Having children listening to each and every word I say is a little frightening. They are young, innocent, susceptible and easily influenced, and whatever I do or say, it would leave a mark in their lives, and doing it the wrong way could lead them down the drains – all because I said so. So I prayed really hard the night before, that when I go there and stand up in front of those kids, every word I utter and every movement i make, will be God’s will. And I think He heard me loud and clear.
Three topics were to be discussed, and because the children are too many for me to handle, delivering all three is going to be hard, and to my rescue, I had PM on my back. The three topics are as follows: To grow in Christ, Pagmamahal ng magulang (Love of Parents), and Knowing thyself. I took the first two, and since PM is a newbie in this field (plus her horror of kids as little monsters) she took the last.
It was really scary at first, but it all went well. As kids, under the first discussion, I talked about praying – and it’s not just praying, but praying all the time. Honestly, we were given a manual as basis for delivering the recollection to the kids, but since I know how terribly boring it would be and how hard it is to understand if i follow it, I actually trashed the whole thing.
Growing in a family of Catholics, I am living a life grounded on a faith that I learned to believe, and I continue to grow in it through prayer. And just like basics, to drive these children to live and grow with Christ as they enter a whole new world in high school, prayer is going to be their first step. And thanks to my Mama Jasmin (she’s one of my aunts) who introduced me and my family to a very effective prayer (and I can attest to that), The Prayer of Jabez, the first talk I think was but a success. The prayer is very short, but it is very powerful, here it goes:
Oh please bless me Oh Lord,
and enlarge my territory,
and that Your hands would be with me,
keep me away from evil so that I may not cause pain.
Maybe, I am going to blog about this prayer to my next post, but as of now, all I can tell you guys is that this will help you a lot. And I promise you that!
The next topic I held talked about the love of parents, and since I am a loved child together with three of my sisters, I know how is it like to be really loved and cared for, and I appreciate all of these things, that made the second talk something big for the children, as from living in such kind of environment, I know how I would feel, and how it would be like, if all of these will be taken away. And that’s what I made them realize. I showed them what life they would have if all of what they have will be taken away.
What’s wrong with my generation, as from my own understanding, is that the youth of today seem to be very apathetic to every blessing they receive each and every day, and the most of the young think more often than not only about themselves and less for other people, especially those who are always there for them that they seem not to appreciate what they have in life, but instead glorify all material things and endure the pains and hurts they feel and care not even a bit of others.
What I have learned about life in such a young age is that everybody is blessed, it’s just that there are people who don’t appreciate what they have; every one is loved, it’s just that they don’t realize it all because they care more of the pains they have; and everyone is rich, but most people are not able to see and believe this all because they count on the material things they have; and most especially, everyone has a God, you just have to have faith.
I was really scared to stand up in front of these children, but to tell you honestly, sometimes God just calls unto you unexpectedly, in such a way that He needs your help, and all you have to do is just to say yes, just like I did.
I was able to share a lot to these children. First, I was very doubtful to think if I am the best person to take over, but there are times that you just have to have faith and believe. Besides, I am so much blessed, and doing these things able me to give and share to other people all of the blessing I have and to make them realize that they are just as blessed as I am in every way.
I am very happy to have said yes, and I have no regrets, although PM says she was “horrible” and that it was a “disaster” the first day, I think she did good. And for the second day I said she was better, and she said “Well, uhm… ok… maybe I was ‘less horrible’.
Another part of my life has been written, and it would surely leave a mark.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Piapot has done good! and I think I deserve a good tap on my shoulder, “Good Job!”
Dipped in Milk