A Friendly Reminder

"Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."

- John F. Kennedy

So, what have we done for our country?

I hope we have given this enough thought...

A Tribute to Super Mom

*Delivered on May 10, 2009. Mother's Day Worship Services. :)

My mother is Elizabeth Siasat Ngo. She is a mother of two, is a graduate of dentistry, and is a full time house wife. My mom is a very talented pianist. My mom is a woman of few words, a woman of character, and she is a God- fearing woman.

This morning, I would like to share with you about a part of my mom’s daily life when I was younger. I would like to say that my mom is Super Woman. Since we have no maid, my mom will wake up early in the morning to cook food and prepare the things we need for the day. She would then wake us up, often hurrying us to brush our teeth, wash our hair, and eat our breakfast. When we’re at school, she would do household chores during the morning, and she would sleep and rest during the afternoon. When we come home from school, she will ask us“how was your study?” or “how was your exam?” She would then try her best to encourage us when we are struggling in school. She would then continue cooking her scrumptious dinner for us. After which, she will study with us while washing our clothes and dishes. After studying, she will tell us to sleep and prepare for the next day. Since my brother and I are old enough now, my mom’s work as a tutor is already done, but that did not stop her from constantly checking on our studies and encouraging us in tough times.

I would like to share the experiences I had with my mom in the 18 years I lived. My mom will often ask me if I remembered the time when I was a baby, and she will continue to tell me stories about my childhood and how she would laugh and enjoy the things I did. My mom does not know how to shout…. except when she’s angry at us. Typical of almost all mothers, my mom will nag about things and advices she has for us. I will often get irate because of that; but when I think about it moments later, I appreciate the constant effort of my mom to get the things we need to know to our heads, even if it meant being hurt by our indifference, neglect and unacceptance. My mom is a type of mother who wants us to show our love to our parents. She will complain that we don’t kiss her and hug her anymore. She will sometimes complain about us forgetting to wash the dishes. She will constantly say “how come there’s no one texting?” And she will eventually laugh upon receiving two text messages on her cellphone, one from me and one from my brother. My mom will always ask who our crushes were, and she will not stop until she finds out who that person is that can’t get out of our mind. My mom will also ask us about our ministries, our quiet time, our prayer life, and how we deal with certain issues of our service to God. The thing I appreciate most about my mom is her role as a mediator. When we have our fights at home, she would talk to us individually and tell us to quell our pride and approach the other. My mom had a big role in the closeness of our family. She took time, effort, and love to help build up our family.

The time allotted to me is not enough to tell you about how much my mother influenced me and made me the person I am today. With that being said, I would like to close by saying that I thank God for giving me a mother that loves me and cares for me.

December 23, 1989. 7AM. The day when my mom and dad tied the knot and committed to raise a God- fearing and loving family. Who would have expected that 19 years, 4 months, 17days, and approximately 5 hours later, their first born son will be standing here to share about his mother telling her that he loves her, and wishing her a happy happy mothers day.

Hang On With the Philippines

Do you love your country?

There are reasons not to love our country. For one, the Philippines is in a really bad shape. The economy is bad, the government is worse, the crimes are always present and threatening, the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. Reasons such as these cause us to break down. Everyday we hear of news about the government and the bad side of it. We hear of crimes being reported everyday! This is indeed a sad state to be in. As time goes, Filipinos started to lose hope and do not care about the country any more. Indifference.

Indifference. Run away from the problem. This is the most "logical" way to rid yourself of the bad. This time, however, I would like to plead that we be "illogical" for the sake of our country. The Philippines is in a crisis, yes; but we are in a position to help our country get out of it. The Philippines still has hope, and she is relying on us, the Filipinos, to help her. There is no more time for indifference and other "logical" ways to get out of a problem. We just need to solve the problem slowly, step by step. Hang on with the Philippines.

Hang on with the Philippines. The Philippines has hope, but only if we help her. Let us unite, settle our differences, and help each other attain a common goal, to bring the Philippines to the glory she deserves. Hang on with the Philippines.