Selfless Faith

Roller Coster Ride With Grade 6

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:35:00 -0400

January to March, 2012

Whenever I watched videos or tv shows which pertains to graduation, I don’t know why but I would instantly start crying. I will find myself asking God, “Lord, what’s with all of these emotions?”

February, 2012

Its demo day for me. Nerve-wracking day. Little that I know that its also the day that I would first met them, my future FIRST advisory class.

June, 2012

First day of school. I was waiting with my long time friend, Charlene, to welcome the Grade 6 students. I can still imagine how wide my smile was that day. I can still hear the exact conversation I first made with them:

Me: Hi! Welcome back! *super duper omega wide smile*

Grade 6 students: Hello.. *awkward smile*

Me: I’m one of your advisers and I’ll be your Science teacher also. *offered the warmest handshake I could ever offer in my entire life*

Grade 6 students: Okay? *rejected the handshake*

Clearly from that conversation, I know in my heart that at the end of the school year we will all be best friends! Haha!

This school year went like a roller coaster ride for me in so many ways. There’s so much ups and downs. There are so much loud but so much silent times also.

So much of, “You gotta trust me. Just obey. I got your back” moments. (And I never said thank you for this but I want to say thank you for countless times that you obeyed even though you didn’t completely understand why. Guys, your obedience means so much to me! It shows how you trust me more than you trust yourself. No matter what I do, I can not repay that. Countless thank you’s!)

Boys, I’ll miss you guys. :) BIGTIME!

I’ll miss how you guard me every time I’ll go out of the faculty or I’ll go out of my class.

I’ll miss how you randomly but gently comment on the way I dress or even demands for something. Haha!

“Ms. Joena, wear something blue next friday ha?”

“Teacher, you look tall today!”

“Mom, no offense.. but I like the dress you wear last week than the one you’re wearing now.”

“Teach, ano ba.. too much eye liner!!!” Hahaha!

Thank you boys for always making me feel that I’m special, for trusting me and for loving me. (Yiheee!)

I will never forget our funny moments whenever I declare that..

“No basketball muna today until next week!”

The way you throw complaints to me,

“But why Miss!!!!! Basketball makes us strong. Basketball makes us smart. Basketball makes us united. Basketball makes us happy. Basketball makes us fit. Blah blah blah..”

And I would ALWAYS answer..

“Okaaay. Its up to you. Go ahead.. Play if you want..” (with medyo malungkot na smile and a little bit walk-out)

Then in just a snap, you will all run and surround yourselves to me and say,

“No teach, no na lang! We’ll rather stay here with you. Basketball is boring naman eh!”

At the same time, I want to say sorry also. For A LOT of times that I said no with regards to your basketball. I know how you love basketball so much. And I support you all the waaay! You guys are amazing players already even though you don’t practice! Its just that you know how I love you guys so much that I don’t want you to be late for your next subject. (plus you know me, I don’t want you to look sweaty and smelly! You always have to look gwapo! Haha)

Thank you for always checking me out after every class that I have and never missed to ask, “Are you okay? How’s your day? You want something? Hug?” You boys are the sweetest! Show it more often, okay? Do not lose it when you’re in high school already! :) And visit me still! :)

Thank you for your unfailing strength of carrying my heavy stuffs, pulling out the projector board (or sometimes simply teasing me that I can’t reach it. err!), bringing small kids to the clinic and act as their big brothers, being sweet to Dana, and a lot more!

“Have no part at all in the wrong things that young men like to do. Believe. Have love. Follow what is right. Live at peace. Do these things along with others who have a clean heart and talk to God.” -2 Timothy 2

You boys have amazing future and amazing roles in this nation. Believe me when I say that there’s no better time to live out the calling God has prepared for you than now! Continue to glorify God through your studies.

Josh, do not ever stop playing chess! (and do not ever lose the hour glass I gave you! Haha!) I will never forget how you always there beside me whenever I’m feeling down. Thank you for being strong for me. :)

Andz, believe to yourself more! God gave you so much talents and skills. Do not waste them Andz. They are meant to be used only by you and no other than you.

Dane, your heart to make sure that everyone around you is okay is more than admirable. Never give-up on your dreams! I’m very proud of you especially when you finally learned to play basketball. Update me when you receive your car already! Haha :)

Raf, you are the most helpful. When everyone forgets to help, its always you who stays. You are a mighty young man Raf! I know you’ll help more people not just in this nation but to the ends of the world. Always here for you!

A, you always stand-up for what you believe is right. Your courageous heart encourages others in ways you can’t imagine. Thank you for being mature enough to fight for our class. Be the leader God wants you to be!

David, you’re one of the few who first told me, “Miss Joena, you are truly my second mom.” You’ve always been special. Dave, those talks that we had, do know they are forever treasured! Sing David! Dance David! Play David! Do it all for the glory of God! :)

Chubs, there’s no other wish I could say and pray other than, “May you grow spiritually and literally!” Hahaha! Kidding aside, your hands are made to draw things that would make people happy. I love you, Chubs! You are SERIOUSLY an awesome kid! :) Do not forget to visit, okay?

Osh, your smile is precious to God. Do not ever lose them! Believe that everything that is happening now would bring you to the plan God has in stored for you. I believe you’ll speak to lot of people, Osh! Dance more. Believe in yourself, ‘coz God does and I do also! VISIT US TOO! :)

Jake, I never had trouble with you. You are very obedient kid. Your parents are very blessed to have you as their child. Continue writing your thoughts Jakey! When God said, they are meant to be written, I believe He also said, “Its meant to be read by the whole world!” You are my future famous book writer! :)

Gabby, there’s no dull moment between us. We make our own jokes. We make still trees move. We make stones dance. You bring so much joy to so many sad hearts! Gab, I couldn’t ask for any better Gabby than you. Do not forget our EK adventure! :)

Boys, be the men you are meant to be. Its not just about doing the “cool” thing, but more importantly doing the “right” thing!

Now, its time for my lovely girls. :)

How precious you all are in the sight of our Lord!

Girls, you are the best devotion group anyone could ever have! (We didn’t get to finish our 40days love challenge though! Sayang!)

I will miss telling stories to you. :) :) :)

Thank you for always listening to me.

Thank you for your hugs. :)

Thank you for sharing secrets to me.

Thank you for the tears we’ve shared.

Thank you for the craziest laugh we made.

Thank you for taking care of the boys whenever I’m not around.

Thank you for trusting me.

Thank you for all our “girls talk.”

And

I’m sorry if I can’t stay longer.

You know how much I want to still be with you and be your devotion leader.

But His plans are greater!

I trust Him.

WITH MY WHOLE LIFE. :)

And I know when I say that I trust someone, you will choose to trust that person also.

That’s the reason I love you guys so much. :)

Lets choose to trust Him together!

Iel, you always say that I’m your therapist. I want to let you know that I am not. I’m not your therapist. I AM YOUR FRIEND! :) I will forever keep in my heart the times I saw how God broke your heart and made it new again. Its a joy to see you grow. Continue learning, Iel! Never stop loving people. You have a very loving heart. I am always here for you! :)

Mous, I will surely miss your most random “hellos!” Do the same thing to your future teachers in Canada and they will surely love you. I will miss writing to your planner. I wish I could have write more. But I know you will allow so many people to continue writing to your life. You will be missed, Mous! Lets see each other before you leave, okay?! :) I know someday, you will find a way back to your home town. I look forward to that day! :) You always have a home here in VCIS. :)

Pals, I want you to enjoy life the way you enjoy dancing. Do not let the enemy steal the dreams God has put to your heart. Wait patiently. Persevere more each day. Love more each day. Do crazy things for God! Regret nothing! And He will make beautiful things in most perfect time for you. I trust God that I will see you one day in performing in your own show. I love you, Pals!

Maja, you don’t how happy I was when I first saw you eating with your classmates during break. You’ve grown so much! The Maja I know way back first quarter is gone. And I love the new Maja now. You have life, you have Jesus! Continue doodling and drawing, Maja! One day, all your drawings will be posted in a museum for an art gallery. I know.. one day! :)

Bienne, bunsoooo :) :) :) I will miss you! Our relationship is greater than a teacher-student relationship. You are like a bestfriend to me. And Im proud of you! Im proud of whom you’ve become! We are both iyakin in so many ways. Haha! Always remember, Im always here for you. Whenever you’re having a bad day in high school, you can go to me and my hugs will just be there for you. I love you, bienney! Forge higher! Attempt to do the impossible things!

Yami, hi dude! Haha! You often call me dude accidentally. Haha! I don’t know if its just pure mistake or you’re too much comfortable with me already. Haha! Yam, wherever you decide to be next school year, I want you to know you will be forever remembered. I will never forget your humble heart plus your beautiful voice! Still remember the first time you sing for me? Thank you Yami! Never got a chance to say thank you to you that time. THANK YOU :) Sing more. You make people happy when you sing. :)

Aly, my ultimate hugger! You are spontaneous! You are adventurous! You have the craziest plans! You are the champion of chubby bunny game! You are the champion of chilli competition! You already! Haha! Aly, I was not able to say thank you for this but.. THANK YOU FOR BEING A GREAT PEACEMAKER OF OUR CLASS. I will miss you. I can’t be your adviser forever but I’ll be here for you. That I am sure of. :)

Beth, wow! Your child-like heart! You are such a joy Bethany! :) You don’t know how your random thoughts can brighten-up my gloomy day. Ohmygulay.. I will miss our crazy days of you bringing hamsters in school! How we did our ultimate best of hiding those hamsters from Mrs. Rocha. Haha! (We have yet to thank Kuya Clemen for that!) Thank God, you didn’t bring snakes! Hahaha! Your love for animals proves that you have a big heart to love God’s creations. I know you will make more people feel loved and happy. I will miss you Bethany! You always have a home here in VCIS. :)

Fummeh, how beautiful you are from the inside-out! I saw how selfless you are in hundreds of ways. Thank you for your unending kindness of being the source of supplies to everyone! You are truly a servant leader with so many gifts and talents. Be more confident Fums! The world deserves to see how talented you are. I am proud of you. Can’t wait to see you grow more! :)

Hannah, I thank God that He allows us to have a one-on-one talk before the school year ends. You have a very strong heart Hannah. I admire you for that. Anyone who can’t see how God beautifully created you is no doubt a blind person! I would love to be your friend. :) You are special. Thank you for being just you. :)

Ananda, when I first saw you, you were very aloof to everyone! From then on, I prayed to God that He will make VCIS a place of joy and love for you. And I thank God He did! Thank you Ananda for opening yourself to me, for sharing your stories to me, for trusting me with your secrets. I will miss you. :( You are one of the few who became closest to my heart. You always have me around. I am more than blessed to be your teacher. I want you to remember this.. when the world seems to be rude to you, God will ALWAYS be there to embrace you and to fight for you! I love you, Ananda! :)

Isabelleyoooo, my true friend. My most likeable rocker. My chubby cutie cheeks. Hee! How can someone afford not to feel blessed after meeting you? NO ONE! :) This journey that you have Isa inspires me to trust God more. Thank you for such wonderful faith that you have. I will miss hearing your loud and non-stop laughs. Just like what I’ve told you, you always have a home here in VCIS. Make more friends there in Pampanga! And whenever you feel alone, you know how to reach me. I will fly all the way from Pasig to Pampanga just for you! Haha! I loooove you, Isa! I will miss you! :’(

Chell, I love how God completes our class through you. You are just the perfect person to be part of this family. You add colors to Grade 6! I know one day, you will join Fumi, Bienne, Aaron and Josh to competitions. Aim higher Chell! Dream bigger for God. You are meant for greater things. :) Im excited to see you bloom in the very near future! :)

To end this roller coaster ride, here’s a song that makes our heart one.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=34pENDXgE6I

Grade 6..

Don’t you agree

When they all say

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

But do you see

With every step that you take,

You get further away..

From where the heart is.

May you never forget to remember that

There’s someone you can always go back to

You always have a home in me. :’)

And maybe for the last lesson I’ll be teaching you will be coming from this verse:

“Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, ‘Life is not pleasant anymore.’” -Ecclesiastes 12:1-3

May you never forget to live for His name no matter what this world say and throw to you. :)

I love you guys! I love the family that we’ve become. Thank you for the most awesome roller coaster ride! :)

I miss you guys already. :’(

"Being tender and open is beautiful. As a woman, I feel continually shhh’ed. Too sensitive. Too..."

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:54:36 -0400

“Being tender and open is beautiful. As a woman, I feel continually shhh’ed. Too sensitive. Too mushy. Too wishy washy. Blah blah. Don’t let someone steal your tenderness. Don’t allow the coldness and fear of others to tarnish your perfectly vulnerable beating heart. Nothing is more powerful than allowing yourself to truly be affected by things. Whether it’s a song, a stranger, a mountain, a rain drop, a tea kettle, an article, a sentence, a footstep, feel it all – look around you. All of this is for you. Take it and have gratitude. Give it and feel love.”

First Three Days at Work

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 08:04:00 -0400

Its my first three days at work this week! Yay! And I’m so hyped to do a gazillion things. Really thankful that I have the grace period to plan.

I don’t know why but ever since I’m a little girl, I always admire those tables of the teachers or seemingly their own corner in the faculty room. I always told myself that if ever I’ll be a teacher in the near future, I’ll be making the most girlish teacher table in the world! Haha! Which apparently I’m excited to do for the days to come.

As of this week, I’m currently doing papers in this table beside Ms. Linee and Ms. Tuesday.They told me that this is Ms. Edz’ table who is apparently on a Mission Trip this week so I’m using her computer, chair and everything you can see. Haha!

Im excited for my own corner! Im hyped to do some designing tasks here and there. AAAAAH. Im thinking to put some white and pink on it. I hope the management will allow me to do some painting. Haha! Im such a wimpy kiddo. :> Well.. *putting it in my heart desires’ bank*

When I’m still working at IBM last year, I used to make random childish reklamo to God because of my travel. Everyday was “Usok Day” for me. Well, what can I expect from Edsa?

And I hate it whenever I get stressed because I know it would bring me to thoughts that would cause me to sin. So what I did was I turn those seemingly childish complaints into prayers.

And all of a sudden, BOOM! Another answered prayer from the most awesome Boss in the entire world, my travel route from home to school today is just 15 to 20 minutes, not to mention the super light travel. Though there are no trees and grass everywhere, its a lot waaaay better than Edsa. Thank you, Father! :)

And as a bonus, got the chance to see this wonderful ray of light on my way to school yesterday.

Plus I have the most creative co-teachers in the world! Ms. Linee’s masterpiece in the house! :D

During my first day last Monday, books were able to hand to me already. I was doing Curriculum Alignment the whole day. Along the way, I just felt like crying and worshiping God. The feeling of doing all those stuffs again after a year makes my heart leaps for tremendous joy! God is just so amazing that even though I used to tell Him before in between our conversations, “God naman.. eto muna gagawin ko. Plans ko muna. Kapag nagkamali, andyan ka naman eh.” He is so patient with me in EVERYTHING! Sometimes, I even think.. Okay na kami ni God. Kami na lang dalawa! Kahit wala ng husband. :p Hahaha! Kidding aside, its just when you caught in His grace that you can see how great He’s woven plans for you. Amazing God!

I think what excites me the most is the thought of meeting the kids! Their vacation started already so there’s no cute loud voices in the school for the whole month. Its just makes me more excited day after day!

So yeah, Im obviously exited to the highest level!!! Finally, I’M A TEACHER! =))))

Colorful Life I Have!

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 08:40:00 -0400

Who is the most creative person you know?

I can mention a lot of friends who are not just creative but fashionably creative! But there’s one who really stands-out. My Father, MY GOD.

See how incomparable the sky, God’s creation, to the man-made building?

I can’t phantom the wisdom God has for having an idea like a combination of a perfect blue and refreshing white which made it possible for us to see the “BEAUTIFUL SKY.” Adorable. :)

And you might find this weird but I really love the rain. Its always been a sign of blessing to me.

“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” (Genesis 9:13)

Maybe because I always knew that God also created the rainbow in partner with the rain. The same thing as trials and struggles which are in partner to a better “us”. :))

TRAFFFFIC! Heehee! :> Manila is not Manila when traffic is absent. Well, traffic means quiet time with God. So instead of getting our head annoyed, lets transform it with worship worthy of our Father’s name. :))

PRAISE THY CREATIVENESS!

joena! nag let kba?sbay2 tau maglet this march. u want?

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:01:24 -0500

Suuure Miel! Tara! What’s your number? =))

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Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:24:12 -0500

spiritualinspiration: Therefore go into all the world and make...

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:00:13 -0500

spiritualinspiration:

Therefore go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19,20)

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Wed, 16 Nov 2011 02:17:12 -0500

ako si Yeng...at gusto ko lakbayin ang mundo...: Ano nangyare saken ng bumagyo???

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:39:08 -0400

ako si Yeng...at gusto ko lakbayin ang mundo...: Ano nangyare saken ng bumagyo???:

yengconstantino:

Nagising ako dahil akala ko kumakatok ng malakas si Ate Tinay sa pinto ng kwarto ko… pero bintana ko pala yon… pinupwersa ng hangin… Hindi ko nasinubukan buksan at silipin (dahil baka higupin ako palabas ng bintana…HEHEHEHE) Alam ko naman na may bagyo so nagkulong nalang ako sa ilalim ng aking…

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Mon, 26 Sep 2011 02:48:41 -0400

haha! thanks jowwwwna! miss you! daya mo bat dka mageexam? haha parang suicide lang to! :D

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 09:38:16 -0400

HAHAHAHA Next year pa ko. Pro-long the agony. :))))))))

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Thu, 22 Sep 2011 01:36:46 -0400

You love him even though you have never seen him. (1 Peter 1:8)

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 01:34:39 -0400

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Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:45:41 -0400

Amen. :)

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 22:43:46 -0400

Amen. :)

spiritualinspiration: www.getoutthebox.org

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:39:54 -0400

spiritualinspiration:

www.getoutthebox.org

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Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:08:57 -0400

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Sun, 11 Sep 2011 12:28:56 -0400

For you Future Hubby,

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:53:23 -0400

Waiting for you is HARD. I am surrounded by people who are getting engaged or married and I haven’t so much as a glimpse of you yet. I know you’re out there. God put us together before we were even born. I just have to keep reminding myself, you’re out there, and I will use this time to get ready for you. (But do hurry, won’t you?)

Last month went well for the Lifebox Team of PNU. Great job for...

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 12:45:24 -0400

Last month went well for the Lifebox Team of PNU. Great job for the gathering guys! Looking forward for more events with you. :)

P.S. I miss school. :|