Of Chess, Stratego, and Games of the Generals

Such is my fascination for board games.

Of Chess

I had been fascinated with how chess works, how it trains you to take control and utmost care of every piece, how it allows us to see that sacrifice is important, and how adapting to constant changes in the board is possible. Chess is not limited to random movements. Even at the very first move, you need to know why you moved that piece so as not to waste any moves. And based on how your opponent reacts, you form your strategy. Interesting and challenging to the mind indeed!

In many ways, chess is applicable to life. We have to adapt to constantly changing environments, adapt to a new culture, and adapt to every new challenge. Critical thinking is also important! Sometimes common sense is not enough.

Of Stratego and Games of the Generals

It was only recently that I encountered Stratego. In many ways, it is like the Brigade-favorite board game Games of the Generals where you have to arrange your troops. Your opponents cannot see your troops initially.

This is where it gets interesting.

In Games of the Generals, you always will not see your opponent's troops. So you have an arbiter in place. It allows for better memory and visualization. In Stratego, once you capture an opponent's piece, the both of you show pieces. In essence, you will, sooner or later, know what your opponent's troop placement is. Stratego allows for better deception skills and placement skills.

The way to kill the highest ranked official is set up differently as well. In Games of the Generals, a 5-star General can only be killed by a Spy. Stratego works the same way, a Marshall can only be killed by a Spy, but a Spy dies if the Marshall attacks it.

Even more different and exciting is how the board is set up. In Games of the Generals, direct assault is common as there is no barrier between you and the opponent. In Stratego, there a 2 sets of 2x2 box tiles called rivers where you cannot pass. So direct combat is not applicable. As I said, placement is key.

So in conclusion...

Interestingly, these board games have been a part of my childhood (except Stratego). They also offer us a lot to learn. This is contrary to the games we play nowadays. Where massive mayhem and explosions are common, feeding the more vicious part of our life. While this may be entertaining sometimes, it is bad for us most of the time. These games often lead to violence being seen in the streets and else where. It's sad what this world has become.

Let's just go back to the old times (at least relative to my age). Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly, Clue, Chess, Stratego, Games of the Generals, Uno, Dominos, and a lot more. :) I'm sure to love it. How about you?

Righteousness

Righteousness as defined by an online dictionary is:

1. morally upright, without guilt or sin.

2. in accordance with virtue or morality.

3. morally justifiable.

The Chinese word for righteousness is:

Here's the interesting part.

The upper portion of the word is the Chinese word:

which means Lamb.

The lower portion of the word is the Chinese word:

which means me or I.

Conclusion: We can only attain true righteousness through Jesus Christ, the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. More specifically, if we allow Him to be the Lord of our lives (put Him on top of us).

Coincidence? I don't think so...

The Bukidnon Experience

"Amazing grace how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found

Was blind but now I see."

Tears started rolling down my eyes. It was evident. God has caused us to realize the importance of fulfilling His command. As we continued to worship that Sunday morning, it became clearer and clearer that God's love and grace is indeed amazing.

A week before that Sunday, I would not have realized the faithfulness of God to the point that I will just stop and cry because of the joy of being in Him and in His service. A week before that Sunday, I was just excited to see how the missionaries do their work in the field and how they managed to hang on even after a tough spiritual battle that will often pull you down to your lowest. All that changed the moment we met Kuya Buboy and heard his story. Kuya Buboy is going through a tough time as a part of their team resigned from their organization. Doing so left Kuya Buboy and Ate Barbs as the only two people in the team. As he was telling their story, we were going around the areas where we will do ministry. Each place was far from the other. This is where it struck me. The mere fact that you have to travel almost everyday to these different places will tire you out easily. It was apparent that only God can sustain a couple who were probably burned out by the overwhelming task at hand. But God works in ways we do not understand. He is faithful. He will provide the strength that we lack.

Our ministry was supposed to be handled in 4 areas. We are supposed to hold Daily Vacation Bible Schools in all 4 of the areas. We decided otherwise. We decided to merge it into 2 big groups so we can have ample time to prepare for the next group.

And so it was. The first area was a farm area. A lot of kids attended. Most of which have never experienced something like this. Some thought we are giving medical missions or free school supplies. I am on the belief that nothing happens by accident. God provided them a way there to allow them to experience Christian fellowship and to experience joy.

The second area was held in the town gym where the GGC SMIA previously held their evangelistic basketball clinic. The area was suprisingly filled with kids as well. The first encounter we had was with the girls boxing team. All of them are amateurs, but they are lightning quick as I had personally seen in their sparring. As I was chatting with Kuya Buboy later, I realized that these kids give their time and energy focusing on boxing to have a chance to probably be like Manny Pacquiao. But we all know that the odds are always against them. They fight in town fiestas where the winner will win a measly Php 100. A small sum, I must say. Considering you work so hard and beat your body up just to have Php 100 or nothing.

The moment we stepped into these areas. I realized that we are not there just to know about our missionaries but to be missionaries ourselves. Each day was filled with new challenges. Challenges that, I can say, were experienced by Kuya Buboy and Ate Barbs as well. I learned more about the kids as the days passed. There were kids who were just fine, the were kids who cannot embrace the love of their father, and there were kids who cannot experience the love of both of their parents. Seeing these kids happy even for just that moment allowed me to have a greater appreciation for the things I have. My heart melted even more when the kids were finally open to us. Talking with us. Following us around, and doing normal things you would have expected from close friends. I really saw first-hand how God worked in His ministry. From the lives of the missionaries, to the lives of the kids, and to our lives.

Sunday was the day of our worship. We worshiped by ourselves. We sang songs and Kuya Buboy shared his own testimony. Powerful. That's the word I can use to describe his testimony. Kuya Buboy is a good and faithful servant indeed. Praise God!

Wonderful isn't it? God's amazing grace has been evident all through out history. We just do not allow ourselves to realize it. Praise God for His marvelous work!

*Note that I did not put any statistics as to how many we were during the trip. This is to emphasize that it is only God who works in us; and it is not only us, mere humans, who do the work.*

This testimony is also written very late, considering that we did the short term ministry from May 17-25, 2010. sorry...