Team God

Have you ever been stranded because of a storm?

Last August 18, Severe Tropical Storm Maring hit the Philippines.

A lot of areas were affected by the flood.

Classes were suspended and government offices were closed.

That time, I was working on a graveyard shift and when it was finally time to go home, boy, it was scary!

The winds were blowing so hard that there were no taxi cabs in the resort where I work at.

We even had our own mini-river right outside the front garden of the resort due to the heavy rainfall.

The doors of the main lobby were shut down and fog was forming on the glass doors.

Yes, living in a tropical country, fog on a glass door amazes me so much. Haha!

So where was I during the typhoon?

Stranded in a 14,000php a night room!

It was an awesome first time experience!

My generous company didn’t allow its employees to go home and offered us a complimentary hotel accommodation at the resort.

So let me share some experiences that I had during my stranded moments.

When I went to the boutique to buy some supplies, the man behind the counter said that he has been working on a double shift and might close the store any time because of the lack in manning.

When we requested for turndown service for our room, the front desk told us politely that they only have 3 personnel from the housekeeping department because no one else reported for duty because of the storm.

When my colleague went out for a smoke, he chanced upon a member of the Security department who’s been wide awake for 24 hours now because there are only 10 of them that’s been keeping an eye on the property.

When we were about to eat dinner, we noticed that only one restaurant was open and that the crew of the other restaurants came in to help because they can’t resume their own operations because of the lack of staff.

So while I was eating my yummy soup and dried noodles, I realized one amazing thing:

EACH ONE IS IMPORTANT.

From the CEO and top executives down to the janitors and dish washers, every single person has a vital role to fulfill that would benefit the whole organization.

There is no role too small and insignificant.

Each person matters.

Every individual is essential.

Each team member is needed.

To keep a company running smooth, each member should play its role.

Each one should work in harmony with the other members of the department.

Each person must do his own task and deliver what is expected of him.

Otherwise, there would be chaos.

There would be lack.

There would be disarray in the operations.

Productivity will be low.

Goals would not be met.

A single vision will not be accomplished.

Do you know that right now, whether you like it or not, you are part of a team?

Just like with Team Pacquiao and Team Gilas Pilipinas, you are a part of God’s team!

And like the employees in the resort where I work at, you have a role to fulfill.

Before you were even born, God has a purpose and a mission planted in your heart.

And He wants you to fulfill them side by side with Him.

Maybe you might be wondering why you exist.

Why you were even brought to this world.

What your purpose in life is.

Friend, before you were even born, God has a purpose and a mission planted in your heart.

God has made you in His own image and likeness.

Therefore, you are a child of God.

You are powerful beyond measure.

You are fully equipped with everything you need to fulfill His purpose.

So don’t ever think that you are too small to serve God.

Don’t even dare to say that you are untalented, dull or destined to live a mediocre life!

You have talents that would bless the world.

You have a story that would inspire millions.

You have a testimony that would heal a lot of wounds.

You have a life to live that would reflect God’s grace and unbounded love.

So get out of your comfort zone and rise above mediocrity.

Maximize your talents and fuel your passion.

Let go and let God shape you into the kind of person worthy of the calling He gave you.

Play your role because at the end of the day, we get the utmost fulfillment from loving others and serving God.

So what are you waiting for?

Be a proactive member of Team God because you belong!

Find your purpose.

Discover your calling.

Get ready to be used by God and give your “Yes” to Him.

Accomplish His mission.

Fight His battles.

Win His war.

Conquer the world with His love.

And be the blessing that the world has been waiting for.

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Photos from Google.

To Do: Relocate

An amusing fact that I recently discovered:

For the past 7 years, I changed home addresses 7 times!

For real.

Bear with me as I tell you about them one by one.

My first big move was when I graduated from high school and wanted to go out of my sleepy town to pursue a College degree.

So at the age of 16 I hopped on a plane and got my first bitter-sweet taste of independence.

During my freshman year, I met fantastic friends, got to spearhead a committee, joined a beauty contest and snagged the 1st-runner up and Best in Interview Award and proved to everyone that I can do it on my own.

With my favorite girls, Ayne & Tin.

The BELLEZAS ARIBA of Kalayaan dormitory batch 2006-2007.

My college buddies–Miles, Cole, Tin & Shay.

The second move took after I finished my freshman year.

Since my first dormitory is for freshmen only, I needed to find one that is intended for upper classmen.

So I chose the one with a cafeteria, spacious lobby, study rooms and a breathtaking garden in the middle of the dormitory.

It was lovely!

I made wonderful friendships and fond memories on that dormitory.

Room 102-Tina, Anne, Iola & Khaye. These roomies are the best! 🙂

I joined a fashion show, joined a lot of organizations and became president of one, organized my first relief operation and walking tour and got serious in developing my personal relationship with Christ.

Fashion show during the Ilang night.

My certificate after successfully finishing the Encounter weekend.

UP HIMA’s outreach program at the indigenous ATI tribe, dental mission and coastal clean up at Boracay.

Then during summer of my Junior year, I got a job as an intern at the international airport which was worlds apart from my school.

Guess what I did?

You guessed it right, I relocated.

I had the time of my life fulfilling my duties such as doing the check-in of the passengers, being assigned at the boarding gate, assisting unaccompanied minors, having the tour of the facility and aircraft, seminars on airport security, etc.

Being able to see and interact with real flight attendants at an arm’s length was an awesome bonus.

Also, the fantastic and fun friends that I made during my internship made it all worthwhile.

After finishing my internship, I went back to the university to start on my thesis and finish my senior year with a bang.

But since my last dormitory had a curfew and a lot of extracurricular activities going on in it, I decided to leave the comforts of my lovely dormitory and chose to rent a room.

The first room was outside the university and although I had a great time there, so much time was wasted in travelling to and from school.

After a month of staying, I found a room inside the university campus, shared it with three other girls and settled there for three years.

I enjoyed my new place so much that I stayed there even after graduation.

It has this lovely hut in the garage where my friends and I hang-out all the time.

Our room’s fun xmas party.

It has a great view outside my window,too.

It’s a stone’s throw away from the university chapel, Sunken Garden and Acad Oval where I used to go jogging thrice a week.

It was heaven for me.

I get to see my friends all the time, serve in the church and became a pioneer member of a Catholic organization.

My TF–Win, Zhan, Martin & Jerillee.

A promotional poster of the UP Campus Feast.

I felt like I never graduated since I’m still staying inside the confines of my university.

Since gone are the days where I have to rush to my classes and beat my professors’ deadlines and also the fact that almost all of my friends landed a job already, I forced myself to apply for a job as well.

I received numerous job offers and wait for it….turned them all down.

Yes, all of them.

My reasons were…

It’s not my dream job!

The pay is just average.

My gosh, I think I need to take a vacation first.

I don’t think I’m ready for the yuppies’ world.

It’s too far from my place.

The workload is too much, what will happen to my social life?

Yes, I know. The reasons were immature.

Although I wanted to land a job and earn money on my own, I dread it subconsciously.

Why?

Because accepting a job in the corporate world based in the metro or in the busiest city of the country would mean one thing: relocation.

And I never wanted to do that.

Why leave my university which has pampered me all these years?

Why leave my friends behind?

Why leave the cozy room and quiet neighborhood?

But one day, it just hit me.

I need to make a decision fast. I need to choose.

So I packed my stuff (3 suitcases, 2 huge boxes, one table and a huge stuffed toy) and set off for a one-hour drive to my uncle’s place.

I needed a place to sort things out, to clear my head, a place where I can be alone to pray, meditate and decide on what I really wanted to do with my life.

My uncle’s house sits in a quiet subdivision which is away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

My favorite flowers from the garden.

It has two floors, a nice garden and a spacious balcony with a lovely view of the sunrise.

What’s more thrilling about it is that I have the whole house to myself.

My uncle’s family resides in Vietnam and except for an annual two-week visit, the house is practically empty all year long.

It was hard to leave everything from my former place—the friends, the comforts, the convenience.

But standing in the living room of my uncle’s empty house, I have never felt so empowered.

Bracing myself, I realized I am up for whatever life will give me.

For the next few weeks after my relocation, my routine was basically….

Clean the house

Cook

Gardening

Send resumes online

Clean the house

Return company calls and confirm interviews

Go to the interview.

Clean the house

Gardening.

Honestly, my stay there felt like a retreat.

I learned a lot about my self—things that I thought I could and couldn’t do.

It became crystal clear to me—what I wanted to do, pursue and become.

Living on my own, I felt like an adult, a real one.

A simple breakfast which I prepared–a cup of rice, my favorite Tinapa with tomatoes, a mug of Cappuccino and sweet mangoes.

(A trivia: Because I had a lot of time on my hands and so little distractions, my stay in that beautiful house gave birth to the launching of this blog site.)

Then four months after I relocated, I got hired by the biggest and grandest 6-star integrated resort in the country.

I couldn’t believe it!

And when I finally signed the contract, I knew in my heart that this is what I’ve been waiting for all along and yes, I am so ready for it!

I got hired by October but the training will commence on January of the next year.

What to do for the remaining time?

I did what I do best—relocate.

I found a place in the city and scouted for part-time jobs which I could take while waiting for my training to commence.

That is my sixth relocation. But two weeks after, my mom decided that I should spend the remaining two months at home—relaxing and spending time with my loved ones.

When January came, I felt so energized and ready.

Two months after the start of my training, I moved from my uncle’s house to a rented room which is a fifteen-minute ride away from the resort.

And that my friend is the long and epic journey that led me to where I am right now.

Why am I telling you this?

If you have noticed above, every change of home address paved the way which led me closer to my dreams.

For starters, I wouldn’t mature, learn and be the best version of myself if I chose to stay in my little town.

I wouldn’t be where I am now if I chose to be hardheaded and ignored the buzzing sound in my soul to take those leaps of faith.

It wasn’t easy.

It wasn’t comfortable.

It wasn’t nice.

It wasn’t smooth.

Looking back, I would have never achieved and turn my dreams into a reality if I chose convenience over discomfort, fear over faith, ease over pain, mediocrity over purpose, my plans over God’s plans, my will over His will.

As one famous preacher in the name of Bo Sanchez puts it, “Everything you need is just outside your comfort zone. It’s in your courage zone.”

How about you?

Maybe you don’t need to change addresses like I did but somehow you feel stuck…

in a job which you don’t even like in the first place.

in your health which is slowly deteriorating

in your finances that doesn’t seem to grow.

in your relationships that lack intimacy.

in your direction which is nowhere headed to your plans and goals in life.

I say, take charge!

Opportunities are everywhere.

Sometimes, you just need to be courageous enough to grab them despite the fear.

Blessings will pour out when you start letting go and emptying yourself for better things.

You can’t be a mediocre forever!

Dare to soar and run after your dreams.

It can be messy and scary but as my favorite quote goes, “If you want something you’ve never had, then you’ve got to do something you’ve never done before.”

When feeling stuck and too comfortable, it’s high time to relocate!

Find a lovely place in your courage zone.