Inspiring You To Live A Fantastic Life

Y
ER GM

No. 301 Vol. 26

JUNE

2015

RJ and Vanessa
Ledesma:
co-founders of
Mercato Centrale

ENTREPRENEURSHIP:
THE LONG-TERM
SOLUTION TO POVERTY
Do the basics: the 4Cs of successful
entrepreneurs
find your reasons for going into business
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Y
ER GM

Bringing you inspiration through touching

life stories, reflections and testimonies

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PUBLICATIONS, INC.

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Is Your House Haunted?

Today, many homes are haunted by ghosts of their familys past.Some people are haunted by the horrible way they
were parented. Unfortunately, they find themselves repeating the same terrible mistakes with their own children.

Does history have to repeat itself? How do you break the cycle of brokenness, pain and abuse in your family? How
do you create healthy relationships with the people closest to you?

In this life-changing book, bestselling author Bo Sanchez turns into a

spiritual exorcist for wounded families whose homes are haunted. Bo
shares powerful secrets on how to stop toxic patterns passed on by one
generation to the next.

Youll learn how to deal with monster parents and break the cycle of horror
parenting. Youll discover the three hats you need to wear to raise healthy
kids. Youll also find out the secrets on how to create a loving family and cut
the roots of envy among your siblings.

This book has the power to transform your families from horror families to
happy families, from haunted houses to healthy homes.

Find out how you can help your loved ones change, grow and love. Learn how
to heal your familys past, rise from the rubble of pain and build a beautiful
future.

Yes, the cycle of broken families can stop. This book will change your family life
forever. There is hope.And starts with you.

About the Author

Bo Sanchez is a much sought-after Catholic lay preacher and bestselling author of 40 books. As a public
speaker and servant of God, he has received three recognitions from prestigious award-giving bodies in
the Philippines. But over and above all these, he considers his relationship with his wife, Marowe, and two
sons, Benedict and Francis, as his greatest achievement in life. They live in Manila, Philippines.

PUBLICATIONS, INC.

For orders, call 725-9999 local 101 to 108

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Welcome back
to school!
Time to learn new things, make new friends and have fun!
As you feed your mind with new knowledge, dont forget to feed your soul with wisdom.
Find inspiration for achieving your dreams this year and grow closer to God.
Make K-F-A-M your companion in learning!
Kerygma Inspiring you to live a fantastic life!
FiSH The zany side of loving God.
All Stars The generation that shines for Christ.
Mustard Sowing seeds of fun and faith.

Make this school year

your best!

PUBLICATIONS, INC.

For more information, call 725-9999 local 101 to108

or log on to www.kerygmabooks.com

the Boss
One early dawn, I woke up terrified that I was going to
address a crowd of 10,000 people.No, the size didnt bother
me.I was already used to speaking to large crowds.What
bothered me was that the organizers wanted me to speak
in pureFilipino.
Im ashamed to say this, but they could have asked me
to speak in ancient Greek, and I would have had a similar
reaction.Yes, I speakFilipinoconversationally,but I suck
at it. (Why?Long story: My family migrated to Cebu when
I was one year old.So as a kid, I grew up speaking English
and Cebuano, not Filipino.But we moved back to Manila
when I was eight, so I forgot my Cebuano. And growing up,
I had such a hard time speaking in Filipino, so I just ended
up speaking in English.)
Boy, was I petrified that day. But as a public speaker,
I also knew that it would be a complete disaster to go up
the stage in the state of mind I was in. If I stood in front of
them doubting my ability, Id never be able to impart my
message. Id stutter, fumble with the microphone wire,
and drown in my own sweat. And my audience would fall
asleep.
I knew this rule: If I wont believe in my product, no
one else will. So I closed my eyes and began to imagine
myself giving that talk in Filipino with awesome fluency.
I pictured in my mind the audience being inspired and
moved by my stories.I mentally told myself, Gosh, youre a
greatFilipinospeaker, Bo. I then prayed and believed that
this would be my reality.
A few minutes later, I was on stage.And my vision
did become reality! I was more dynamic than usual.
Ten thousand people were at the edge of their seats,
listening to me.More importantly, I found myself fluent
inFilipino.Sure, I made a lot of grammatical mistakes.(Only
practice can cure that one.) But the important thing was
that my listeners and I werent distracted by them.
Why?Along the way, Ive learned a secret about our
minds that I want to share with you.Our subconscious

By Bo Sanchez

doesnt know the difference between what we

experience and what we vividly imagine.As Richard
Eyre would say in his book,Life Balance, Our
subconscious doesnt know the difference between
something thathappensand something that
isthought.
Thats why Olympic champions use visualization
exercises. Before the actual event, runners
imagine themselves crossing the finish line.
Swimmersfeelwhat it would be like to be the first
one to touch the swimming pool tiles at the end of
their race. Weightlifters visualize themselves carrying
the heaviest poundage ever. They repeat these
visualizations thousands of times.
So why cant we?
I believe that no matter what job we hold, we are
in the business of selling something. As employees,
we are selling our services to our companies.As
entrepreneurs, we are selling goods we either
manufactured or bought from another entrepreneur.
But these things are but secondary products.
Our most important product is ourselves.
Close your eyes. Visualize that you are the
masterpiece of this universe, fashioned by the Creator
in His beautiful image. Close your eyes and picture
the best that you can be.
Do you believe in your product?In your capacity
to serve and bless others? What kind of person do you
want to be? See that person in your mind. Feel what it
means to be that person,now.
Believe in your product.
Believe in YOU.
May your dreams come true,

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

mailroom

I am a proud cover-to-cover reader and

I love reading my favorite magazine,
Kerygma. I started subscribing to the
magazine January this year, not only
expecting to be blessed but also to
help your ministries in this very simple
way. And I believe that Kerygma will
continue to bless people all over the
world in the years to come.
God bless and more power!
Paul Anthony Empenado
Las Pias City

I just finished reading the March 2015

issue of Kerygma and it sure is a tearjerker. Each article has a sharp point
that really touches my heart. With
problems arising since 2015 started, this
issue helped me to change my strategy
in solving each of my problems. Im
still not hitting rock-bottom, but Im
feeling really desperate and this issue
reminded me to surrender it all to
the Real Rock Star: Jesus (by Alvin
Barcelona). Thanks for always helping in
spreading Gods message.
Beng M.
Carmona, Cavite

Thank you, Kerygma team! Its always

inspiring and empowering when I read
this mag. I believe God is using you in
a very wonderful way. I look forward to
the many stories of hope and love of
many people. May God bless you more!

I just read Kerygmas February 2012

issue and I love the Kitchen Scribbles
article entitled Calvary Love. It is funny,
an eye opener, and as always, full of
heart. I have always been a fan. God
bless!

Jessa Logronio
Silliman University, Dumaguete City

Tarhata
Via email

Kerygma exists because of you

Send us your stories. Give us your feedback.
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JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

just breathe

Living by Grace
By Rissa Singson Kawpeng

When Do You Raise the White Flag?

For Over the HillWomen Who Are Still Waiting for Their True Love

I often get questions from women who

are in their late 20s to mid 30s. Their
questions echo the same theme: Where
can I meet single men for my age? Will I
ever get married?
I feel their desperation because
Ive been in their shoes for many years.
But confidently, I share with them my
own love story and how I married at the
Jurassic Age of 38. I see relief wash over
their faces and they thank me for being
an encouragement to their journey.
But now and then, I get the same
question from women in their late 30s
to mid 40s. And I find that I dont have
as much confidence when I answer their
questions.
One time, a fortysomething woman
wrote, Sometimes I doubt and dont have
as much faith in Gods promise for my
life partner. What should I do? I always
wonder if Ive done enough on my end to
search for Mr. Right. I mean, I feel like Ive
exhausted all my channels. My friends tell
me Im too old already. Some guy even
said that his brother likes me and thinks
Im great. But he really wants to have
children and thinks I might be too old to
get pregnant. Should I surrender to Gods
way completely or should I still exert
all my might through online dating,
asking friends to set me up, etc. in
desperately finding The One?
These are the questions I balk at.
As I threw her question back at the
Lord, He led me to a wonderful story of
The Three Young Men in the Bible.
I think part of the surrender thats
required of women who are over the
hill is to leave to God even the choice of
whether they will have kids or if they will
even get married.

A 43-year-old friend, who has been

praying with faith for a lifetime partner
since she was in her twenties, confessed
to me, This year, I had to surrender to the
Lord my desire to have my own children.
Then she added, But, Riss, I really want to
get married! Even if Im 50!
I marveled at her unwavering yearning
for marriage and joined her in her faith that
the day will come.
I know it sounds contradictory to keep
trying to meet new people and praying to
the Lord to send The One, and at the same
time be resigned to the fact that you may
be single for life.
And heres where the story of the
Three Young Men in Daniel 3 come in.
King Nebuchadnezzar erected an idol
and ordered everyone to worship it. But
these three Hebrew men stood up to the
king by refusing to bow down even after
Nebuchadnezzar threatened to throw them
into a fiery furnace.
I love their reply to the king.
If it beso, ourGod whom
we serve is able to deliver us
from the furnace of blazing
fire;andHe will deliver
us out of your hand, O
king.ButevenifHe
doesnot,let it be
known to you, O
king, that we are not
going to serve your
gods or worship
the golden image
that you have set
up (Daniel 3:17).
The young
men were hoping
and praying that the
Lord would deliver

them, but even if He didnt, their

faith in Him wouldnt change. They
surrendered to death even as they
prayed for deliverance.
The next thing that happened
was amazing. The king was astounded
and asked, Didnt we throw three men
bound into the fire? Why do I see four
men loosed? The fourth one looks like
the son of God (v. 24-25).
Jesus was with them in the midst
of the fire! And if the story ended right
there and the three young men died, it
would have still been a fantastic, faithboosting story. Of course we know they
werent burned by the fire. They lived.
This is the extra mile that the
Lord asks single women in their 40s to
take in their journey of surrender. Hes
asking, Would you still trust Me, love
Me, serve Me, even if your One True
Love doesnt come?
Why are you so downcast, O my
soul? Why do you sigh within me?
Hope in God! (Psalm 42:5)
Email me at justbreatherissa@gmail.com,
follow me on Facebook, or visit my website
www.rissasingsonkawpeng.com.

What to Expect:
This is an article from the One True
Love Club Newsletter that members
get regularly. OneTrueLoveClub.
com has tons of resources to help
the single person find his or her
lifetime partner. Sign up now!

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

ON THE COVER:
RJ (aka Mr. Royal True Orange) and
VANESSA LEDESMA
Gracing our issue on entrepreneurship are no less than the Mercato
Centrale co-founders and organizers, RJ and Vanessa Ledesma. RJ, who
became famous in the 90s because of a soft drink commercial, is now
a man who wears many hats. He is a newspaper columnist, lifestyle
magazine editor-in-chief, professional events and wedding host, bestselling author of five books, a real estate developer, and the honorary Vice
Consul of Monaco to the Philippines. He was named Best Male Emcee
during the 2012 Aliw Awards.
He and Vanessa initially got the inspiration to put up Mercato
Centrale from their honeymoon trip to Florence, Italy. They went to Italys
Mercato Centrale and feasted on a great variety of food while savoring
a high-spirited atmosphere. Vanessa thought it would be great to bring
that ambiance to the Philippines. The flame was fanned when their friend,
Anton Diaz, held his Ultimate Taste Test event where food vendors were
invited to present their products to the readers of Antons blog, www.
ourawesomeplanet.com. Upon attending that event, RJ realized that
Anton would make a perfect partner to the food business that he and
Vanessa were cooking up. Anton and his wife, Rache, agreed, and so the
Mercato Centrale became what it is today.
Growing up, RJ has always been an active servant at the San Antonio
Parish Church in Makati. After taking a masters degree in real estate
development in Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he joined the
Single Young Adults (SYA) group where he met his lovely wife, Vanessa,
who was also on fire with her love for God.
Vanessa is a graduate of the Ateneo Law School and was a former
model of an international clothing brand. She is also a licensed real
estate broker and is now fully hands-on in co-managing their
entrepreneurial ventures. Its not easy to juggle the roles of a
wife, mother, entrepreneur, and church community member, but
Vanessa takes everything one step at a time, listing her daily
priorities and taking them in stride. Even though Vanessas day
usually ends late because of the seemingly endless to-do list
glaring at her, she never says no to their two kids, Fortune
and R3, whenever they want to play with her at any time of
the day. Having a break with them is not only a breather for
her but also bonding time for the whole family. Among
the virtues that she wants their children to emulate is
dedication for work.
Both RJ and Vanessa continue to be involved
in serving God through the Couples for Christ
community. RJ is an Extraordinary Minister of
the Holy Eucharist (a lay minister) in their parish.
Despite their busy schedules, RJ and Vanessa
make sure that their children get the best of
their attention. Sunday is Holy Mass and family
day. The Ledesma couple sees to it that they
teach Fortune and R3 not just to know God,
but to have a relationship with Him in a
personal way.

The Bo Files
1

23

The Boss
Believe in Your Product
Or No One Else Will

Introduction
ENTREPRENEURSHIP:
The Long-Term Solution
to Poverty

48

Point of Contact
Just Breathe
When Do You
Raise the
White Flag?

Columns
Seasons

26

3
32

41

RECALIBRATE
THE KIDS
FOR THE NEW
SCHOOL YEAR

Faith @ Work
Passing Down
Values from
Generation to
Generation

K Preacher
TURN YOUR
TRIALS INTO
BLESSINGS

Teaching
DO THE
BASICS

Teaching
Compelling
Reasons to Get
into Business

Special
Section

30

Testimony
The Spark
of Dreams

43
Testimony
Where Broken
Hearts Go

36

45
Y
ER GM

JUNE 2015

17
Mailroom

New You

Dear K
Real Stuff

12

9
10

Kfam Insider
THE GUARANTOR

KERYGMA NIGHT:
SILVER ANNIVERSARY,
GOLDEN RELATIONSHIPS

Departments

47
One Last Story
Angels in
a Foreign
Land

Special Feature

Daily Pause

14

Feast Snapshots
FOREVER

It Happened

Living Through Gods

Healing Providence

19

founder and publisher BO SANCHEZ editor-in-chief RISSA SINGSON KAWPENG managing editor TESS V. ATIENZA creative director MIKE CORTES graphics director REY DE GUZMAN assistant graphics
artist JAP TARECTECAN staff writers MAYMAY SALVOSA, MARJORIE ANN DUTERTE, KARREN RENZ SEA, DINA PECAA contributing writers BELLA ESTRELLA, OSY ERICA, LELLA SANTIAGO, REY ORTEGA
photographers DANIEL SORIANO, DAVE APALLA columnists MICHELE ALIGNAY, JOEL SALUDARES, DEAN PAX LAPID production assistant ANGIE ESPUERTA
chairman of the board and CEO BO SANCHEZ president HERMIE R. MORELOS vice-president for corporate services WENG CEQUEA assistant vice-president for production RISSA KAWPENG production
manager TESS V. ATIENZA sales and marketing manager JOSEPH MARTINEZ
Kerygma. A Greek word meaning Proclamation of the Gospel. It is a Catholic inspirational magazine. It aims to be an evangelistic tool to all nations, providing Scriptural, practical
and orthodox teachings to Catholics, particularly those in the Catholic Renewal, as an alternative to present-day magazines. It is also committed to fostering the renewal and
unity of the whole Christian people. Philippine copyright Shepherds Voice Publications, Inc. 2015. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission. Published
monthly by Shepherds Voice Publications, Inc., whose editorial and business offices are located at 60 Chicago St., Cubao, 1109 Quezon City. Tel.: (632) 725-9999, 411-7874, 7251190, 470-4091 (Production Department). Fax: 727-5615. Email: editsvp@shepherdsvoice.com.ph. Website: www.kerygmabooks.com

daily pause with Pope Francis

No one can
grow if he does
not accept his
smallness.

2
9

13

To be faithful, to be creative,
we need to be able to change.
To change! And why must I
change? So that I can adapt
to the situations in which I
must proclaim the Gospel. To
stay close to God, we need
to know how to set out; we
must not be afraid to set out.

Even if the life of a person

has been a disaster, even
if it is destroyed by vices,
drugs, or anything else
God is in this persons life.
You can, you must try to
seek God in every human
life.

19

Crossing the threshold of faith

means that we work out of a
sense of dignity and see service
as a vocation. It means we serve
selflessly and are prepared to
begin over time and time again
without giving in to weariness
as if all that has been done so far
were only a step on the journey
toward the Kingdom, the fullness
of life.

25

One who believes may

not be presumptuous; on
the contrary, truth leads to
humility, because believers
know that, rather than
ourselves possessing truth,
it is truth that embraces
and possesses us.

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

14

What a beautiful truth of

faith this is for our lives:
the mercy of God! Gods
love for us is so great, so
deep; it is an unfailing love,
one which always takes us
by the hand and supports
us, lifts us up and leads us
on.
Gods image is the
married couple, a man
and woman, together.
Not just the man. Not just
the woman. No, both of
them. Thats Gods image.

Situations can change;

people can change. Be the
first to seek to bring good.
Do not grow accustomed
to evil, but defeat it with
good.

20

Frequently, we act as
arbiters of grace rather
than its facilitators. But the
Church is not a tollhouse;
it is the house of the
Father, where there is a
place for everyone, with
all their problems.

26

Jesus uses the image of

the vine and the branches
and says, Abide in My love,
remain attached to me, as
the branch is attached to the
vine. If we are joined to Him,
then we are able to bear fruit.

This is the
struggle of every
person: Be free or
be a slave.

And here is the first word

that I wish to say to you: joy!
Do not be men and women
of sadness: a Christian can
never be sad! Never give
way to discouragement!
Ours is not a joy born of
having many possessions,
but of having encountered a
Person: Jesus, in our midst.

15

Let us draw from the crib

the joy and deep peace
that Jesus comes to bring
to the world.

21

St. Paul says that the

love of Christ compels
us, but this compels us
can also be translated as
possesses us. And so it is:
Love attracts us and sends
us; it draws us in and gives
us to others.

27

How can it be that it is

not a news item when an
elderly homeless person
dies of exposure but it
is news when the stock
market loses two points?

19

10

16

22

28

Living together is
an art. Its a patient
art, its a beautiful
art, its fascinating.

Indifference is
dangerous, whether
innocent or not.

Whenever we encounter
another person in love,
we learn something new
about God.

If we all of us accept the grace

of Jesus Christ, He changes our
heart and from sinners makes us
saints. To become holy we do not
need to turn our eyes away and
look somewhere else, or have as
it were the face on a holy card!
No, no, that is not necessary. To
become saints only one thing is
necessary: to accept the grace
that the Father gives us in Jesus
Christ.

Do you allow yourselves to be

gazed upon by the Lord? But
how do you do this? You look
at the tabernacle and you let
yourselves be looked at... it is
simple!

11

17

Instead of imposing new

obligations, Christians
should appear as people
who wish to share their
joy, who point to a horizon
of beauty and who invite
others to a delicious
banquet.
Nobody can go off to battle
unless he is fully convinced
of victory beforehand. If we
start without confidence,
we have already lost half
the battle and we bury our
talents. While painfully
aware of our own frailties,
we have to march on
without giving in.
It is not creativity, however
pastoral it may be, or
meetings or planning that
ensures our fruitfulness,
even if these are greatly
helpful. But what ensures
our fruitfulness is our being
faithful to Jesus, who says
insistently: Abide in me and I
in you (John 15:4).

23

Our faith in Christ,

who became poor,
and was always close
to the poor and the
outcast, is the basis of
our concern for the
integral development of
societys most neglected
members.

29

I think this is truly the most

wonderful experience we
can have: to belong to a
people walking, journeying
through history together
with our Lord, who walks
among us! We are not alone;
we do not walk alone. We
are part of the one flock of
Christ that walks together.

30

Before all else, the

Gospel invites us to
respond to the God of
love who saves us, to see
God in others and to go
forth from ourselves to
seek the good of others.

12

The Lord has redeemed all

of us, all of us, with the Blood
of Christ, all of us, not just
Catholics. Everyone! Father,
the atheists? Even the
atheists. Everyone! We must
meet one another doing good.
But I dont believe, Father, I
am an atheist! But do good:
we will meet one another
there.

18

On the lips of the catechist

the first proclamation
must ring out over and
over: Jesus Christ loves
you; He gave His life to
save you; and now He
is living at your side
every day to enlighten,
strengthen and free you.

23

24

Brothers and sisters, let us

not be closed to the newness
that God wants to bring into
our lives! Are we often weary,
disheartened, and sad? Do
we feel weighed down by
our sins? Do we think that we
wont be able to cope? Let us
not close our hearts, let us not
lose confidence, let us never
give up.

30

Lord, I have let myself be

deceived; in a thousand
ways I have shunned Your
love, yet here I am once
more, to renew my covenant
with You. I need You. Save
me once again, Lord, take
me once more into Your
redeeming embrace.
JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

new you

Tips for Personal Development

Family

And They
call it

Papsy

Love
Fathers: providers, silent encouragers, disciplinarians,
protectors, listeners. They wear several hats in their role as our
dad. Most of them seem reserved and, while we know them
as men-of-few-words, we take their every word with respect.
Others can be really cool, but we can be sure that behind their
humor is a genuine love for us. Thus we want to give back such
love to them. So what makes their heart smile? Lets make time
and listen to them:

Ive been working as an Overseas Filipino Worker for almost 20 years

now. Its a sacrifice that I want to make to provide well for my family.
I hope to see our children finish their studies, establish a good career,
and have a great family of their own. That would be enough for me. On
my softer side, I wish to spend quality time with them whenever I am
in the Philippines. I want to hear their stories. I want to know how they
really are at the moment. Since I am not always home, I wish we can
maximize our family time together.
Fidel de Asis, Manila

As a father to three grown-up ladies, my joy is to see

them stable and happy in their lives. Knowing that
they are busy already, it warms my heart every time
they remember to send a text message or visit us (their
parents). Its an added bonus when they come home with
a big embrace.

We live a simple life here in the province, but as long as our

children respect us, they value our family, and love one another,
I feel rich. When I see them that way, I thank God for having
more than enough of what we really need.

Joseph Villanueva, Quezon City

Miguel Macaraeg, Cagayan de Oro
I appreciate the surprise meals prepared by my kids
during special occasions. I am not very expressive but
whenever we eat together, I am very happy. I feel so loved
by my wife and our children. And if they give gifts, those items
become my favorite: belt, shirts, shorts. I always make sure I use
whatever they give me. I am proud to wear them!

I am a big basketball fan thats why when my sons ask me to

watch live games with them, I enjoy it very much. It does not
matter to me if we dont have the patron seats. I value those moments
because they assure me that even if my sons have barkada already,
they still treat me as their friend and respect me as their dad.

Larry Andrada, Nueva Ecija

Allan Torres, Pasig City

Quick Health Tip: Jocote Fruit

Jocote, most commonly known as sineguelas in the Philippines, is a
tropical fruit from a cashew family called anacardiaceae. Sineguelas
contains high amount of phosphorus and calcium. It protects us from
catching colds, flu and fever as it is rich in Vitamin C and ascorbic acid.
Sineguelas further serves as an antioxidant and diuretic fluid. Aside
from being eaten ripe or not (with or without the skin), it is also used by
some in fermenting wine or vinegar.
Source: www.fruitsinfo.com

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

Pope Francis
Declares Holy
Year of Mercy
Beginning December 8, 2015, Solemnity of the
Immaculate Concepcion, to November 20, 2016,
Solemnity of Christ the King, the Church will observe
the Holy Year of Mercy. Pope Francis made this
announcement during his homily for the Lenten
prayer, 24 Hours for the Lord, in St. Peters Basilica.
Quoting the words of the Holy Father, he said,
Dear brothers and sisters, I have often thought about
how the Church might make clear its mission of being
a witness to mercy. It is a journey that begins with a
spiritual conversion. For this reason, I have decided to
callan extraordinary Jubileethat is to have the mercy
of God at its center. It shall be a Holy Year of Mercy.
We want to live this year in the light of the Lords
words: Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (cf.
Luke 6:36).
Living through his resounding call of mercy and
compassion, Pope Francis once again invites all the
faithful lay and religious to reach out to those in
need and be a reflection of Gods boundless love.

J-Ronn

Neneo | Dreamstime.com - Pope Francis With Two Skullcap Photo

real stuff

Manila Archbishop
Cardinal Tagle Now
CBF President
Aside from being a member of the Pontifical Commission for
the Family, Pontifical Council for the Laity and Pastoral Ministry to
Migrants and Travelers, Manila Archbishop Cardinal Luis Antonio
Tagle has another key role in the central governing body of the
Catholic Church. He has been appointed by Pope Francis as the
President of the Catholic Biblical Federation (CBF), which was
previously handled by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia.
Cardinal Tagle will formally begin with his new post during the
9th CBF Plenary Assembly on June 18 to 23, 2015 to be conducted in
Nemi, Italy. He will serve as CBF President until 2021.
CBF assists local and international organizations that are
involved in biblical-pastoral ministry. It helps the Catholic
hierarchy to promote and encourage Bible reading and study
groups, as well as translates the Sacred Scripture in adapting to our
present times.
Source: www.cbcpnews.com

Source: www.cbcpnews.com

Saints-at-a-Glance
St. John Rigby
Feast Day: June 21 | Death: 1600
St. John Rigby was a layman born near Wegan, England. When John Rigby confessed to be
a Catholic before the Old Bailey, he was arrested and brought to Newgate Prison for refusal
to submit to authority. He received the sacrament of reconciliation from then priest, St. John
Jones. John Rigby was asked to deny his faith several times but he refused until he was
sentenced to death. He was steadfast to the end. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered on June
21, which later on became his feast day.
Source: www.catholic.org

Kfam insider

THE
GUARANTOR
By Joanna* as told to Bella Estrella

I ACTED AS GUARANTOR for a friends loan of P100,000. And for this

I am now behind bars.
I was a real estate broker in Baguio City, earning well back in the
80s during the real estate boom. This allowed me and my family to live
comfortably and build our own home. I enjoyed the fruits of my labor:
money, comfort and some recognition. My satisfaction came from the
financial rewards I got from my career. The downside of this, however,
was I didnt have enough quality time with my family.
During my heyday, I helped a friend with a P50,000 loan. No
problem there. After some time, she asked again for a P100,000 loan,
using her house and lot as collateral. With full trust, I agreed to sign as
guarantor of this loan. The financier who granted the loan knew only
me but not my friend who was borrowing the money. The financier
asked me, as guarantor, to lend my personal check to my friend,
the borrower, which the latter will use to issue postdated checks for
payments.
But trials began to pour.
The 1990 Baguio Earthquake
On July 16, 1990, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake hit Baguio City. Many
people died, more than a thousand pinned under the rubble. Billions
worth of property were damaged including our roads. Businesses
were affected.
______________
* Not her real name

10

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

My friend stopped paying the loan. The checks

that I lent bounced for lack of funds. I myself could
not afford to pay the loan as businesses lost money,
including my own.

Reclusion Perpetua for Estafa

I trusted that things were in order regarding my friends
collateral. Little did I know that the house and lot
was double mortgaged. When this came to light, the
financier sued me for estafa for my bouncing check
and negligence for not revealing the real nature of the
collateral. The P100,000-loan ballooned to P229,000.
I sought the help of a lawyer, but I perceived that
he sold me out. I caught him speaking closely with my
accuser during the hearings. He would tell me, Malabo
ang laban. (It doesnt look good.)
He was right. The hard blow came when the
sentence was handed down: reclusion perpetua or life
imprisonment. The bang of the gavel was like that of
a hammer that pounded nails on my body. Should I
languish in jail for life? All because of P100,000 that I did
not even use?
This devastated my family. Deep in my heart, I was

crying foul but I was already nailed by

the decision.
On April 18, 1995, one day before
my birthday, I was brought to prison
in Urdaneta, Pangasinan. My husband
often stayed with me. He would go
up to Baguio on Mondays to see our
children who were still very young. He
would immediately return to Urdaneta
while my sister looked after our
children. His presence, care and love
gave me strength and comfort during
those times.
Left Alone But Not Really
In February 1996, I was transferred to
the Correctional Institution for Women
(CIW) in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila.
The moment I stepped inside CIW, I
thought it was already the end of my
life. My husband could no longer be
with me. He and our children had to
stay in Baguio. They could not afford to
visit me often due to the distance, time
and cost of travel. Loneliness gripped
me at the thought of being all alone. I
lost all hope, and my tears would not
stop.
On the day I arrived, I was
immediately led to the chapel. They
needed somebody to take charge of
the needs there, including the flower
arrangements and contacting priests
who would celebrate Mass in the
chapel.
That was where I gathered renewed
strength. I allowed the Lord to embrace
me through my work assignment. I
realized that I still had a life to live, that
the Lord had put His love in my life
through my family, and then there He
was, giving me comfort at a time when I
thought I was left on my own.
Doing my service for the Lord in the
CIW chapel impressed upon me that I
had a mission. I only needed to hang on
to Him and He will empower me with
His love and mercy.
Death Comes
My birthday was one of the special
occasions when my husband and our
two older children would go down to
Manila. Our third child was always left
home because she was still too young.
On April 19, 1998, my two older

children came together with my sister

all wearing black. They wept when they
saw me, and between sobs they told
me that my husband passed away the
previous month due to a heart ailment.
I wanted to fly into a rage. I wanted
to scream!
I grieved much because I wasnt even
able to see him, talk to him, or be with
him during his wake and burial. It was
hard to accept that he was gone.
My 14-year-old son said, Ma, we
didnt inform you because we were afraid
that you would not be able to take it. And
we all cried together, trying hard to nurse
our wounds.
In God Alone Is Our Hope and Strength
I appealed my case with the Supreme
Court. However, we couldnt see it
through because the following year, my
sister who was helping us with the case,
died.
I surrendered my case to God and
entrusted everything to Him, most
especially the fate of our three children.
By Gods grace, my children were
able to survive, supporting and helping
one another, despite the absence of
their parents. Our trials and sacrifices
strengthened their character and gave
them perseverance to win over lifes
difficulties.
From the time I was imprisoned, I did
not see my youngest daughter. My vivid
memory of her was when she was still
two years old. I saw no pictures of her as
she was growing up.
In 2011, a young woman came to
visit me. When I saw her, I could not
recognize who she was, but there was
something in her that made my heart
leap. When she introduced herself, I was
overwhelmed with the deep longing
of a mother for her long-lost child. We
embraced each other tight, pouring all
the love that had been locked up inside
us for many years. She was already 20
years old then. That encounter was one
of the most memorable events of my stay
in CIW.
Today, my eldest daughter, a physical
therapist, is already a housewife with
three children. My son, also married now,
is a supervisor at Camp John Hay. And my
youngest daughter is a call center agent.

They are all in Baguio. Their commitments

to their families and jobs prevent them
from visiting me. Knowing that they are
all in good shape is enough reason for me
not to worry, and to be ever grateful for all
the graces that God has showered upon
them.
Jesus, My Guarantor
I was invited by Beth Corral, a former
inmate and now connected with the
Light of Jesus Family (LOJF), to attend
their prayer meeting held every second
Saturday of the month inside CIW.
At first, I joined just to while away my
time. But later on, I began to enjoy being
part of a faith community. I now read the
Bible every day. I listen to Bo Sanchezs
early-morning radio program.
I have realized that money is not all
that matters, but time spent with family
and loved ones is more precious.
When I get back my freedom, I might
still go back to real estate marketing or
run a store. But more importantly, I will
make it up to my children and family for
all the times I wasnt there for them.
I agreed to be a guarantor to a loan
that someone else borrowed. I sacrificed
and suffered much for the sake of another.
Jesus also guaranteed my salvation by
dying on the Cross for sins He did not
commit just to give me life.
I have no regrets, but I am filled with
hope that Gods justice for me is just
around the corner, waiting for the proper
time to manifest. I have faith in Jesus, my
guarantor, who can meet my every need
without fail.

Interested to share in the mission

of the Light of Jesus Familys prison
ministry?
You may get in touch with:
Yam Reyna at 0915-953-4911 or Beth
Corral at 0949-930-9339.
Cash or check donations may be
deposited to Light of Jesus Community
Foundation, Inc. Banco de Oro Savings
Account No. 397-010-5927. Please text
details of your deposit with your name,
address and contact number to Yam or
Beth for proper acknowledgment and
receipt.
JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

11

special section
A

Y
ER GM

KERYGMA NIGHT:

SILVER ANNIVERSARY,
GOLDEN RELATIONSHIPS
By Maymay Salvosa

12

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

On March 13, 2015, Luxent Hotel witnessed another

Kerygma milestone its 25th anniversary celebration.
Ushers and registration volunteers warmly welcomed
the guests. Book standees published by Shepherds
Voice Publication (SVP) were proudly displayed along
the hallway. People lined up for the photo booth as
laughter filled the air. Friends, both of the present and
of long ago, exchanged stories and reminisced the
good old days which brought about that nights event.
Kerygma Night is a celebration of 25 years of grace,
miracles and relationships behind this inspirational
magazine that youre holding now.
Publishing Miracle of Asia
The event was attended by its book authors, past and
present Kerygma writers, columnists, distributors,
sponsors, campus ambassadors, and printing
partners of Shepherds Voice Publication, and all
the present employees of SVP. George Gabriel and
Randy Borromeo entertained the guests with their
enthusiastic and fun hosting. Hermie Morelos, SVP
president, opened the night with a heartfelt message,
emphasizing the companys mission to let more and
more people hear the Shepherds Voice through the
products of SVP.
Among the honorable guests during the Kerygma
Night was Bishop Ted Bacani, the person who declared
that Kerygma is the publishing miracle of Asia. He said
it around two decades ago, when Kerygma hardly
survived because of lack of manpower and sponsors.
True enough, from a three-man staff composed
of Bo Sanchez, founder of the Light of Jesus (LOJ)
Family, Chay Santiago, the first Kerygma editor-inchief, and her husband, Ed Santiago, Kerygma has
now grown immensely, giving birth to thousands of
encouraging, life-giving, and practical articles. Not
only that. It also gave birth to a lot of other ministries,
events, and sister organizations, such as Anawim, the
Kerygma Conference, Shepherds Voice Radio and TV
Foundation, Kerygma Family, among others.
Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD, also graced the event. Awe
was definitely on his face as he shared how great it
was that some of the familiar faces who used to stand
with him in a small prayer meeting in Cubao were still
standing with him, victoriously, in that hotel function
room 25 years later. If that was not Gods doing, he said,
he didnt know what else could it be.
One of the programs highlights was a video
presentation of testimonies from its readers. A couple
shared how they saw Kerygma evolved. Rey Ortega,
one of the contributing writers of Kerygma, testified
how instrumental Kerygma was to his mission. While
reading a back issue of Kerygma , he was affected
by the need of the young and the hopeless. This

awakened his desire to reach out and extend help, and this
he now does by heading some of the mercy ministries of
LOJ.
Aside from breathing in inspiration from all the
testimonies, the guests also enjoyed world-class
entertainment provided by the young professional
saxophonist Joshua Espinosa, 5th Gen band composed of
World Championships of the Performing Arts awardees, and
singer-songwriter Annia Steen.
Through It All
Current Kerygma editor-in-chief Rissa Singson Kawpeng
emphasized the importance of all the hard work not just of
the present writers, employees and volunteers of Kerygma,
but most importantly of the people who wrote the 25-year
history of the magazine. We stand on the shoulders of the
people who were here before us, Rissa said, sending her
message of gratitude across the hearts of every person in
the room. She also relayed SVPs vision of reaching out to
more and more readers worldwide and being in sync with
the LOJ Family in delivering one message through its One
Voice, One Message initiative. Starting this year, the monthly
topics of Kerygma have been aligned to the talk series of The
Feast (the weekly prayer meeting of the LOJ Family held in
different locations).
Extending SVPs gratitude to the employees who have
been working faithfully and dedicatedly with the company
for more than 20 years now, plaques of appreciation were
given to Rey G. de Guzman, graphic and lay-out artist; Tess
Foronda, billing and collection officer, and Rowena Cequena,
SVP Vice-President for Finance. A tribute was also awarded
to the late Eugenio and Pilar Sanchez, which were received
by their children present during the Kerygma Night: Chelle,
Tina, Pinkie, Beckie, and Bo Sanchez.
In his closing remarks, Bo Sanchez pointed out that
everything is about and because of Jesus. The success,
graces, renewed lives, and ministries born would not have
been possible without Gods providence. It is His hands
working mightily through Kerygma. It is all about Jesus
His love reflected in every relationship, His hope ignited in
every story.
During the powerful worship led by two of the Kerygma
Five preachers, Arun Gogna and Alvin Barcelona, Arun shared
his encounter with an Overseas Filipino Worker who told him
how she found hope amidst all the hardship of living alone
in the US by reading Kerygma. It was a testimony that God is
moving His way through the years. His faithfulness brought,
and continues to bring forth, encouragement to His children.
Its still a long way to go for Kerygma. There are
challenges today as there will always be in the coming 25
years and more, but God surely will never let go through
it all.
And we look forward to Kerygmas golden anniversary,
shining ever brightly as the love poured in every issue.

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

13

dear K
I am having difficulty dealing
with a friend of mine. She is very
pessimistic and every time we are
together, her attention focuses only
on the negative side. If theres none,
then she makes a big deal out of
very small mistakes. I have no idea
why shes like that because to my
judgment, shes living a beautiful
life.
I talked to her about it, but she
said shes just being outspoken. She
thinks that the reason why some
people do not understand her is
because they simply want to be
nice and phony with everyone.
Most of our friends are already
avoiding her and I am at the verge
of doing the same.
Ive read somewhere that we
should love people the way they
are until they change, but I am
afraid I might just burst with my
complaints against her when she
gets too burdensome.
How can I remain a friend to
her while helping her to be positive
at the same time?
Concerned Friend

Dear Concerned Friend,

How blessed she is to have a concerned friend like you. For you to say
shes living a beautiful life in spite of her weakness reflects your objective and
positive disposition. Your influence will be very good for her.
Know that your friend must have gone through several difficult or bad
experiences for her to be so negative in outlook. Maybe she had a very critical
authority figure in her past, and maybe again it was to the point of verbal abuse.
Maybe she had very little affirmation. Maybe she had limited experiences
of kindness. Maybe she has unresolved resentments, anger or even guilt.
Somewhere along the way, her belief system is not centered on the virtues of
faith, hope and love.
Anyway, all those maybes I was enumerating are some of the factors that
lead to a pessimistic outlook. Although pessimism is a choice one makes an
attitude one adopts it has its roots.
As an understanding friend, you can counter her negative energies with
positive ones. Instead of reacting to her pessimism, stay with your reason and
point out the good, positive side of things. Tell her positive stories. Give her
books about miracles and the good things that happen in life. Help her see that
you have made a choice to be positive and that she can make that choice, too.
Its a choice to be happy, to have more friends, and to be a blessing to others.
With your help, she may realize this.
Cristy
Cristy Galang has been serving San Nicolas de
Tolentino Parish for many years, building Basic
Ecclesial Communities in the parish and doing
catechetical work. She is a licensed guidance
counselor and a certified counseling psychologist.
She was one of the pioneers of the Light of Jesus
Pastoral Care Center.

Email your questions to editsvp@shepherdsvoice.com.ph. Or if you need to talk to someone, call (632) 7264709 or 726-6728 to contact a Light of Jesus Pastoral Care Center counselor. Pastoral counseling by telephone
is 24 hours from Monday to Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Face-to-face pastoral counseling is
by appointment. For correspondence pastoral counseling, email lojcounseling@yahoo.com or go to www.
kerygmafamily.com.

Or Call

(632) 725-9999

Pregnant? Confused? Abortion is not the answer. Contact Grace to Be Born at 0917-816-4700 or email
reylindo.ortega@gmail.com. You may also contact Pro-life Philippines at (632) 733-7027.

HOW DO
I DEAL WITH
MY PESSIMISTIC
FRIEND?
14

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

As the eldest in the family (I have a

younger brother and sister), Ive always
been told to set a good example in all
aspects: values, behavior and academics.
Growing up, I have no issues with
that and I have always been respectful
and obedient to our mom. Our father
died when I was nine. When I entered
college, somebody invited me to venture
into business as an investor. At first I
was hesitant, but when I saw the results,
I started being interested in managing as
well.
I realized that, somehow, I have a
knack for business so I want to put up my
own. I have a business plan and enough
savings already (a part of it were pledges
from some friends). What troubles me
now is that I want to quit college and give
my full attention to entrepreneurship.
I am 23 years old now (I had to
stop studying when I was younger
due to financial problems) and will be
graduating supposedly in 2017. My
mother is against my plans. Though I
know I could decide on my own already,
it bothers me that I will hurt her in a major
way for the first time. Shes worried that
I might end up failing, thus be unable to
help with our familys needs.
Should I pursue my decision? I hope
you can help me.

Dear Alex Joseph,

I honor you that at a very young age you already know what you
want to do. That is a big advantage as you can steer yourself where you
want to go. I also fully understand how torn you are between pursuing
your dream of going into business and obeying your moms desire for
you to continue your studies.
That is quite a burden on your shoulder because as you said, being
the eldest you need to set a good example to your younger siblings and
at the same time ensure that youll be able to help your mom sustain
your familys needs.
Having your own business or being an entrepreneur is what all the
business schools are encouraging their students to pursue, either after
retirement from a secular job or as the opportunity arises. You said that
you have a knack for business and you believe that you can now do it
on your own with the capital coming from your savings and from the
pledges from some of your friends backed by a good business plan.
With this, I suggest that you first sit down with your mother and
show her your plans. Try to sell the idea to her, and then if you are still
decided to pursue your dream, get a mentor or coach who can help
you validate your business plans. Id like to caution you, however,
that pledges may or may not come but you just cant rely on them as
they may not necessarily come in the right time, so cash flow is very
important. If possible, I would suggest that you do not go into business
with friends but try to raise the capital from your own funds. A lot
of friendships have been ruined because of disagreements among
business partners.
You may want to consider going to night school or taking online
courses while pursuing your passion for business so that you can get the
basic fundamentals of doing business. In this way, you are able to pursue
your dream and give in to your mothers wish that you finish college.
I would encourage you to come before the Lord and ask Him for
guidance. Allow Him to lead you along the path He has prepared for you.

Alex Joseph

Reng

I WANT TO STOP
MY SCHOOLING
IN FAVOR OF
MY BUSINESS

Reng Morelos gave up her corporate

job years ago to become a full-time wife
and mom. She supports her husband,
Hermie, in his various roles in the Light of
Jesus Family and its sister organizations.
Reng has been with LOJ since 1981 and
once handled the single sisters of the
community.

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

15

KeRygma mission PaRtneR

@ 25 grace Card

Mechanics
How to Qualify:
1. Subscribe to Kerygma magazine for one year and
automatically get the Kerygma Grace card with your
first issue.
2. The Kerygma Grace card will automatically have one
stamp upon issuance.

it N

rm
. Pe
.T.I

__

___

o. _

D
Per

How to Get Stamps:

1. Subscriber to refer 24 more subscribers of one year*
subscription to Kerygma.
2. For every referral of Kerygma one-year* subscription
by the subscriber, the subscriber gets one stamp.
3. A referral subscription will be counted as a valid
referral if it meets the following mechanics:
a. Signed and completely filled out subscription
form
b. Personally submitted by the referrer
c. Subscription fee to be paid in full to
Guidelines:
Shepherds Voice Publications.
1. Free items are transferable but not convertible to
cash.
4. Once the requirements for the referral are complete,
2. Free items must be claimed within 60 days from end
an authorized Shepherds Voice Publications
of the promo period until January 5, 2016.
representative will put a stamp on the coupon.
3. Free items will be claimed at the Shepherds Voice
5. If the referred subscriber subscribed to Kerygma,
office at 60 Chicago St., Cubao, Quezon City.
that referred subscriber will also get a Kerygma
Subscribers must present the Kerygma Grace card
Grace card for his/her use.
with the required amount of stamps and valid I.D.
6. *One-year subscription fee is P800.00 with additional
with photo (e.g, drivers license, company I.D. or
P100.00 for the Grace Card.
passport).
4. Subscribers may send a representative to claim
Free Items:
free item on their behalf provided they present the
1. Once the Kerygma Grace card holder completes
following:
certain number of stamps, they will receive
a. Letter of authorization from the winner
the following free items from Shepherds Voice
b. Proper identification (government-issued
Publications:
I.D)
5 stamps: FREE Kerygma 25th Anniversary
T-shirt
10 stamps: FREE Gift pack from GT Cosmetics
& Worship Generation
15 stamps: FREE One (1) Kerygma Conference
Regular Ticket
20 stamps: FREE One (1) Bo Sanchez Truly
Rich Seminar ticket
25 stamps: Coffee session with Bo Sanchez

2.

Promo period is from May 4, 2015 to November

6, 2015.

c. Kerygma Grace card with the required

amount of stamps

5. Promo good for Metro Manila subscribers only.

6. For Kerygma magazines for delivery, please allow
three weeks delivery time together with the Grace
card.
7. The promo organizers decision is final with the
concurrence of DTI representative.
8. All Shepherds Voice Publications employees are not
eligible to join the promo including their relatives
up to the 3rd degree of consanguinity or affinity.
8. Per DTI FTEB SPD Permit No. 5987 Series of 2015.

Feast snapshots

THE GRAND EASTER FEAST 2015:

FOREVER
By Osy Erica

What do you do when you cant fit almost 30,000 people

in a 20,000-seater arena for an event? No, this is not like the
how-do-you-fit-an-elephant-in-a-refrigerator type of question.
Seriously, how would you do it?
Answer: You split the event into two. And thats precisely
what happened last April 5, as more than 30,000 Feasters and
non-Feasters flocked to the SM Mall of Asia Arena for the Grand
Easter Feast. To accommodate the huge number, two sessions
morning and afternoon were held, as everyone eagerly
wanted to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the One who is
infinitely great, always good, and forever loving.
Infinitely Great
The grand celebration began with a Mass officiated by Fr. Steve
Tynan, MGL, in the morning and by Bishop Pablo Virgilio David
in the afternoon. In his homily, Bishop Pablo urged everyone
to dare not escape the love of God, as Jesus will embrace them
nonetheless. He shared that people have become experts in
building walls, while God is the Builder of bridges of encounter.
After the Mass, the infinity-shaped stage shook as the
energetic worship team led by Feast PICC builder George
Gabriel and Feast Alabang Town Center builder Mike Vias
welcomed the crowd.
Always good
Light of Jesus (LOJ) founder Bo Sanchez let everyone in on what could be more wonderful than receiving a miracle, and thats to be
a miracle to someone else. Bo then narrated the story of the Good Samaritan, with Feast builders reenacting the scenes, much to the
delight of the audience.
Bo reiterated that in Gods book, one is good only when he follows Jesus all the way to the cross. That means getting rid of our
blindness to others needs, our bias against the unclean and our busyness, which leaves us with no time to love the wounded. Bo
reminded everyone in attendance of their true service to be a miracle to the wounded outside the church.
Forever loving
Can you be Gods donkey? Feast Pasig and Feast Manila builder Obet Cabrillas asked the crowd. He dared everyone to stop
pretending and to let go of their masks, for them to offer their brokenness and to use it to bring Gods love to someone who needs it.
He then presented onstage the Light Group heads of the Feast, who share in the new mission of LOJ of making 1 million disciples.
At the end of the two Grand Easter Feast sessions, as the 20,000 seats were emptied, everyone brought with them the miracle of
Jesus victory and the mission to share His love to others a love thats infinite, always and forever.
JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

17

it Happened
Lord, pagod na pagod na po ako, I
prayed to God as the nurses and the
resident doctor pushed the syringe into
my arm. For the nth time that night, they
tried hard to find a vein where blood could
flow, but to no avail. I didnt seem to have
enough blood in circulation. Pain was all
over my body and my mind was cloudy
because of the high dose of medications I
took every single day.
I covered my face with a towel in an
attempt to hold back my tears. The doctor
patted me gently as she told me to bear the
twinge a little longer. My hands tightened
on the cloth. I wanted to tell her that the
physical torture paled in comparison to my
hearts suffering, but I could not verbalize it.
I knew that if I utter even just a single word,
all of my deep-seated hurts, frustrations
and weariness would come rushing out.
It was my third emergency
confinement in the last six months because
of three consecutive life-threatening
illnesses. I was drained physically,
emotionally, spiritually and financially. I
was at the edge of giving up.
With closed eyes and a tired heart, I
saw my late fathers face and I missed him.
Slowly, all the people who love me came to
mind. As more faces joined in, my strength
gradually came back. With so many people
praying for me, how could I just give up?
Resolved to put up a good battle for my
life, I declared: Lord, I know that this, too,
shall pass. I believe that something bigger
and beautiful will happen after this. I will
overcome. I did. But it was not easy.
My Health Set Aside
When I first came to CDO in 2011 as a sales
manager, I had with me a prayer in my
Novena to Gods Love booklet that nobody
else knew about: to find a Feast nearby
(The Feast is the weekly gathering of the
Light of Jesus Family). Since I would be
living on my own, I could only hope for a
place that I could run to and call a home.
I had been attending The Feast since
2004 from Camp Aguinaldo to Valle
Verde but I never joined any caring
group or ministry. I considered myself
as unchurched and was not comfortable
opening up to others.
Unbelievably, The Feast CDO began

Alvin now happily and healthily serves as

the builder of Feast Cagayan de Oro.

Living Through
Gods Healing
Providence
By Alvin Garlan
as told to Maymay R. Salvosa

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

19

it Happened
Alvin during his third confinement,
fighting death with faith.

a month after I arrived there, through

a lunch meeting led by Rudy Mallari,
attended by 10 people including
myself. After a week, I received a most
ridiculous invitation: to lead the prayer
meeting that we were about to launch.
I almost fell from my seat. Me? I
didnt even know how to read the Bible.
Who was I to be the head servant?
Growing up, the most spiritual thing that
I could remember doing was forcing a
quick sign of the cross. I was not raised
in a religious setting.
I refused, but since there was
nobody else in the loop that could
be a possible candidate, I accepted it
with a pounding chest. Every week, I
silently prayed that someone perfect
for the task would come and join us.
And every week, my prayers ended up
unanswered.
Eventually, I had come to see things
in a better perspective. I grew deeper
in prayer and in relating with my coservants. Along with work and traveling,
my ministry shared the passengers seat
20

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

January 2013 when I finally decided

to avail of our companys annual
check-up, which was scheduled in
November of the previous year. The
results were frightening.

of my journey. Im not proud about

admitting that my family took a back
seat. Everything else was tucked
away in an untended compartment,
my health included.
A Wake-up Call
In June 2012, I started having an
unusual kind of diarrhea. It went
on for months until rashes began to
appear on my skin. I felt my body
weakening, but I just brushed it off.
As the year drew to a close, I
also began experiencing bone pains,
especially in my legs. Every step was
a struggle. I could not walk beyond 20
meters. Blood would flow whenever I
blew my nose or cleaned my ears.
Still, I ignored my bodys alarming
cry for rest and medical consultation.
I went to Bohol for a trip, hosted in a
wedding reception afterwards, and
attended to all my meetings just to
hit my sales quota. I pushed myself
to the limit, totally disregarding
my health condition. It was only in

Defying Death Thrice

Mr. Garlan, you are due for
confinement.
I heard the doctors words but I
could not understand why. He said
further that my platelet count was
very low. Normal platelet count
ranges from 150,000 to 400,000 per
microliter, and mine was 18,000.
The doctor said it was already
unbelievable that I could still stand.
He insisted that I be confined because
if I fell or bumped into anything, I
might have internal hemorrhage.
I was hesitant to be admitted
because I had a flight the next day
to Manila for a seminar and was
scheduled to attend the Light Of
Jesus (LOJ) Leaders Assembly
that weekend. Despite my doctors
persuasion, I went back to the
office that afternoon. After talking
to my LOJ friends that evening,
they brought me to the hospital. My
platelet count went down further to
14,000. They said I needed six bags
of platelet for transfusion. But after
six days of mere medication, my
platelet count stabilized. I didnt have
to go through blood transfusion. It
was amazing! Upon discharge, I was
advised to visit a hospital in Davao for
further examination.
I decided to resign from my work
in February so that I could focus on
my recovery. During one of my trips
from Davao back to Cagayan de Oro
(which takes eight to nine hours
by bus), I felt a terrible headache.
After running yet another series of
laboratory tests, I was diagnosed with
meningitis. While the normal level
of antigen bearable for the nervous
system is 8, mine reached 2,042. It
was extremely painful. Whenever I
was probed on the extent of the pain
on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being
the highest, I would jokingly say it
was 9.5 or 9.73. But seriously, it was
a 15, and it hurt 23.5 hours a day. The

it Happened
pain pierced my head almost every
second of the day. The doctor even
warned me that I had a 60-40 chance
of surviving. I understood he meant
worse than that but I chose to face it
positively.
My daily expense on medicines
alone amounted to almost P9,000.
I was taking six to seven kinds of
pills, excluding the IV fluids. On my
third week of confinement, I could
already sense my familys burden
with my hospital bills. Since I was in
CDO and theyre in Luzon, I suggested
that they just send me money than
visit me. The financial support that
friends extended to me, as well as my
personal savings, had been depleted
already. One afternoon, when we
were thinking of how I could buy
my medicine for the next day, my
former boss came to the hospital and
handed me a brown envelope which
contained a large amount of money
contributed by the bosses and
employees. It was enough to buy my
medicines for the next few days.
On my 27th day in the hospital,
I received a discharge clearance.
However, I didnt have P163,000 to
pay for my hospital bills and doctors
professional fees, not to mention the
money that I had to shell out for my
take-home medicines. I had nothing.
Fortunately, we had invested in
a property in Bulacan. I called my
mom if we could use the land as
collateral so I could be discharged. To
my surprise, Mom decided not just
to rent out the land but to sell it. And
more surprisingly, we immediately
found a buyer the following day who
readily paid half of the selling price
in cash. Praise God! Soon I found
myself out of the hospital. Days after,
I was able to fly back to Bulacan to
recuperate at home.
Months passed and I thought
I was recuperating well. I noticed
though that I couldnt understand
any of the television shows I was
watching. I thought it was just
because I was not used to watching
anymore, but I realized that my mind
was processing everything slowly.
My vision would also either be far or

nearsighted.
When June came, I was
extremely nauseous again that
my family rushed me to a nearby
hospital. We found out that I was yet
again on the verge of death as my
hemoglobin dropped to 2.8, which
was way out of the normal range of 14
to 18. The least that I needed for blood
transfusion was 10 bags. The doctor
already advised that nobody could
possibly survive my condition.
From the provincial hospital,
we hopped from one hospital to
another looking for a sufficient blood
supply until we reached Manila
Central University at past midnight.
From MCU, I was transferred to San
Lazaro Hospital then to Medical
Center Manila, where I was finally
given the complete treatment. My
family members and I were all so
weary not just of the trip but also with
everything that we had to go through.
That was when I broke down.
I cried to God for strength, and His
answer came through the faces of
the people who were untiringly
extending their love and prayers.
After pouring out my emotions to
Rudy Mallari, one of my mentors in
the Light of Jesus Family, I made a
decision to live. After a few days, I
recuperated. In my heart, I claimed
that I was on my way to total healing.
Though the journey still had
its humps and bumps, like having
seizure attacks once in a while during
my recovery period, painful herpes
zoster (shingles), and a lump like a
table tennis ball in my neck (which,
thankfully, was not cancerous), I
kept the faith. I re-learned how to
shrug them off not because of
negligence this time, but because
after all that Ive gone through, how
could I still doubt Gods power and
faithfulness? Hes the greatest holistic
Healer, and He restored every broken
and bandaged piece of my life to let
me enjoy His call for me my own
Abentures.
My Greatest Abenture
I have come to fully embrace the
mission that God has prepared for

me in spite of my unworthiness and

frailties. I am a builder not because of
my credentials but because I commit
to build loving relationships and pass
on discipleship.
My greatest and most rewarding
Abenture is living in CDO. God called
me to be there through my passion
(work and travel) to lead me to my
mission, which is to Touch, Inspire,
Motivate and Empower (TIME) many
people. How? By spending my time
discipling others and building loving
relationships. The most amazing
miracle that I experience is the power
of love from every person who
loved me beyond my knowledge. It
taught me to balance and prioritize
everything my family, ministry,
business, and yes, healthy self-love
so I can fulfill my purpose.
With these multiple chances of
living and loving that God gave me,
including being the head servant of
The Feast CDO, I want to build more
Feasts in Northern Mindanao. I dream
of reaching out to many people
through The Feast, Light Groups, and
personal friendship. I want to travel
even further, not to waste away my
money and time, but to spend my life
loving and serving more. My Abenture
is now my mission. I am not afraid.
First Peter 5:10 speaks to me
personally with these words: Yes, you
will suffer for a short time, but after
that, God will make everything right.
And my life is a testimony that He
does just that.

Alvin faces his Abentures now with a

grateful heart and clear priorities in
life.

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

21

special section |

Introduction

THE LONG-TERM SOLUTION TO POVERTY

By Bo Sanchez

nce upon a time, I

was an employee.
My first salary
was P800 a month.
As the years went
by, it continued to grow.
From P1,000 to P3,000 to P8,000
to P15,000
I was happy.

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

23

When I got married at 32, my salary was

P20,000 a month.
In 1997, that amount was pretty decent. But
for some reason, it was never enough.
It was crazy.
Dont get me wrong.
My salary was enough for my basic needs.
We ate three meals a day (many times
five!), had clothes to wear, and were able to pay
for our Meralco and water bills.
With my salary, I was able to take my wife
on our weekly dates. You may not think that
Jollibee is romantic, but thats what I could
afford, so thats where we went. And wherever
we went was romantic!
Yes, we would go to the movie houses
once in a while, but more often, we rented
VCDs at P15 per movie and watched them at
home and Marowe would cook popcorn for
the kids.
I repeat: We were happy. Very happy.
We may not have been rich, but we had
enough.
But I still had this pain inside me.
What caused my pain?
My inability to give as much as I wanted to.
Sure, I was tithing.
In fact, I was giving more than a tithe.
I was already giving 20 percent of my
income to God.
But there were so many needs in the
ministry, I wanted to give more. Every day,
I was confronted with so much need, it was
overwhelming.
I realized I needed to do something if I
wanted to give more.
That was when I decided to be an
entrepreneur.
I believe entrepreneurship is the only real
long-term solution to poverty.
We simply have to create more
entrepreneurs.
Remember that many of the poor cant
get jobs. They have no education. They
have no connections. For many of them,
entrepreneurship is their only ticket out of
poverty.

24

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

I had a conversation a few months ago that was incredibly

inspiring.
I met Fely (not her real name), a mother of two kids. She
was a masseuse/reflexologist earning P12,000 a month. She
said they lived in the slums. I asked her what her husbands
work was.
He sells bananacue (fried banana), she said.
Where? I asked.
On the street. Right in front of a bank, Fely said.
How much is a bananacue? I was curious.
Ten pesos per stick.
And how long has he been doing this? I asked.
More than 10 years now. Its really hard work. He works for
12 hours every day, Fely said.
Wow. How much does he earn doing that? I was
expecting her to say, P10,000 a month.
Her answer floored me.
She said, He earns P800 to P1,000 a day.
I didnt hide my shock. Is that gross?
No, thats pure profit.
Is that from Monday to Friday?
No, Bro. Bo, he works seven days a week.
I began to calculate. Her husband, the bananacue vendor,
was earning an average of P27,000 a month! I began to laugh.
I wonder if he knows that he earns more than some of those
bank employees who buy bananacue from him?
Yes, he knows, Fely smiled, but he doesnt tell them. She
added, During Christmas, he also sells Christmas wrapping
paper. So we also enjoy a 13th month bonus.
Heres my challenge to you. Do you want to help the poor?
Become an entrepreneur yourself. Because how can you
teach others what you dont know?
Yes, Im giving you a powerful reason why you should
become an entrepreneur. And because a poor entrepreneur
cant teach much, you need to be a successful entrepreneur.
Of course, the side effect is that youll become wealthy.
Not a bad consequence, right?
My friend, become rich.
Dont do it for the money. Do it for the skill of creating
money.
Believe me, the skill of creating money is more important
than the money itself. The goose that lays the golden egg is
always more important than the golden egg.
Becoming rich doesnt have to be a selfish act. I want you to
be rich because you want to learn how money works. And the
only crash course I know of where you can learn how money
works is by becoming a successful entrepreneur.

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

25

special section

DO THE

4 Cs of Successful

f you think Ive always been successful in my businesses, let me tell you Im not. In
my past articles, Ive shared how Ive lost almost my entire savings in bad business
ventures.
But thats nothing compared to the millions that some of my mentors in the
Mastermind Circle lost when they were also starting to engage in business.
Im excited to share with you now the foundational ingredients for
entrepreneurial success that Ive learned through the years. You cant go far
without them. Ive realized that all financial success comes from 4 Cs:
1. Character
2. Connections
3. Competence
4. Consciousness

1. Character
One day, a man heard about my real estate investments. He was intrigued that I had bought foreclosed
properties from banks and flipped them to sell or rent out. He said, Bo, youre so lucky. Because of your
reputation, banks know you. So they trust you. I dont have that edge.
I laughed. I said, My partners are the ones who buy the properties from the banks. So the banks dont
see me or meet me.
Really? He was shocked. So you dont use your reputation in your real estate deals?
No, I dont, I smiled. Anyone can do it.
When he left, I realized I was wrong and he was right. I had forgotten one
important detail. Yes, I used my reputation in my real estate deals but in a totally
different way.
When I started in real estate almost 10 years ago, I didnt have money to
invest. Sure, the banks only needed 20 percent downpayment to control the
property. But 20 percent of a P1 million property was already P200,000. And at
that time, I didnt even have that kind of money.
So how did my reputation for integrity help me in looking for money?

I talked to my favorite mother-in-law. (Smile.) She had P200,000 in the
26

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

BASICS

Entrepreneurs
By Bo Sanchez

bank and was looking for a place to invest it.

My reputation as a loving husband to her daughter, and as an honest guy who wont run
away with her money paid off handsomely.
She knew I was trustworthy.
She knew I worked hard.
She knew that if my real estate deals failed, Id find a way to return her money because
thats the kind of guy I am.
I also promised a one percent interest rate per month on her money much better than
what the banks were giving her. I also issued postdated checks so I wouldnt forget to give her
profits.
That gift started everything.
So far, Ive purchased over 20 apartments and nine condos. Ive sold most of them for a
profit. Actually, the more accurate sentence is, Weve purchased and, Weve sold Because
I dont do much of the work anymore. I work through my partners whose passion is real estate.
Which brings me back to the topic of character.
How was I able to find these partners? Why do we work so well together even when I
rarely see them?
It boils down to character.
Mine and theirs.
Whether youre employed or in business, hands down, people want to deal with people of
integrity. Crooks deal with crooks. Honest people deal with honest people.
Heres the good news: There are more honest people than crooked people.
So be a person of character.
2. Connections
I know this because Im a successful writer. (My mother says so, and believe me,
you cant argue with her, especially now that shes in heaven.)
What are the most important skills in my success?
Writing skills
Relationship skills
If I only had writing skills but no relationship skills, my success would be
isolated to writing. Or it would be a short-lived success.
Even if I just wrote a book and submitted it to a publisher, I still would have
JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

27

needed relationship skills. A big publisher receives thousands of

manuscripts from would-be authors every year. How will they
pick 50 books to publish from that mountain of books?
The answer: relationship.
Unless of course youve got exceptional writing skills. Perhaps
the publisher will notice the needle in the haystack. But if all the
manuscripts look the same, the publisher will do business with
someone he knows. Thats the rule of sales: The customer will buy
from a friend rather than from a stranger.
How do you move from stranger status to friend status?
Remember that as a writer, youre not just a writer.
Youre also a salesman.
Everyone is. And salesmen dont sell stuff. They sell
themselves first.
As a writer, I took the more difficult route of building my own
publishing company. And making that company publish my
books. That meant working with an enormous number of people.
We had to hire staff (80 plus now), set up distribution channels,
buy vehicles, etc. Being a non-profit organization, we dont have
much profit to show. We do sell P75 million worth of books and
magazines each year, but with almost zero net profit because we
give it all away.
Our real profit is the changed lives of our readers.
Again, it was relationship skills that made it all work. Great
relationships with staff. Great relationships with suppliers.
And great relationships with customers.
For writers today, the world has changed. Because of the
Internet, you dont need a publisher anymore. You can be a oneman publisher. You can write a blog, make it popular, and build
a relationship with your audience. You can give away your first
e-book for free. If its any good, it will spread virally. People will get
to know you, email you, flag you, ping you, forward you, etc. And
when you feel that your relationship with your readers is strong,
you can start selling them an e-book or a printed book. (How?
Print it yourself or work with print-on-demand publishers).
Did you notice? Its relationship skills again even if its all
digital.
My mentor, whos a billionaire, has the most incredible
relationship skills Ive ever seen. His days are filled with lunches
with the key people in his businesses: (1) partners; (2) employees;
(3) suppliers; (4) regulators; and (5) customers.
Oh, he has lunches with me, too. I dont fall in any of those five
categories, but thats just the kind of guy he is. Whenever I ask him
if hes free for lunch, his standard answer is, Im always
free. Im not doing anything.
He told me a fascinating story. Whenever he sees
one of his customers in a restaurant, hell secretly pay
for their bill. (These customers are the guys in the
purchasing department of the big companies who
buy his high-end office furniture systems.)
Thats his way of thanking them for doing business
with him.
One day, he saw a guy who had done business with
him years ago. He paid for
his bill. It was P2,000. The
guy caught him in the act
and they started talking.
He also mentioned that
he had transferred to
another company.
28

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

Two weeks later, this guy called up my mentor. His

new company needed office furniture. My mentor sold
them P150 million worth of stuff! Not bad for a P2,000
investment, right?
Of course, my mentor has the reputation of being
the best in his industry. His products are top-of-the-line
but their after-sales service is even better. His character
plus the ability to connect made him a billionaire.
Its your turn.
Face-to-Face Skills
This morning, my sons and I just finished watching
again the video of Shamu, the killer whale in SeaWorld.
Its absolutely spectacular. How can these massive
animals be trained to jump, dive, twirl and dance
following the hand movements of their trainers? In the
video, the trainers divulged their secret.
Bottom line, its relationship, they said. We have
a relationship with the whales. We love them. These
trainers spend the entire day with the killer whales.
They play with them, they swim with them, they talk to
them.
Once theyre able to build a relationship with them,
the whales trust them.
Friend, if you want to be successful with money, the
secret is the same. You need to be a relationship expert.
Im successful in my ministry work because the
guys who worked with me over 30 years ago are still
working with me today. Were still friends, serving God
together.
To be a relationship expert, you need to do three
simple things:
a. Go out of your way to meet people.

Dont hide behind your desk. Visit your customers
and would-be customers and be their friend.
b. Spend time with people.

Invite your key leaders, your customers, your
suppliers and your partners for meals regularly.
Bring them out on trips. Enjoy their company.
c. Be selfless.

Always look after other peoples needs. When
making deals with people, see to it that the other
party is getting more than a fair deal. It should be
skewed to their favor, not yours.
3. Competence
People like to deal with superstars.
People will buy from superstars.
People will listen to the music performed by
superstars, watch the games of superstars, eat in
superstar restaurants (or restaurants with superstar
chefs), wear the clothes of superstar brands, and read
the books of superstar authors.
If you dont intend to be a superstar in your specific
field, why bother getting into that field in the first place?
Youve got to be Number One.
Or dont even start.
Im not suggesting that you be superstar of the
entire world.
Just the superstar of your niche.

Let me give you an example.

Im not the best preacher in the world.
If my mother were still alive today, she will disagree.
But this I can accept: I think Im one of the best (1) lay (2)
Catholic (3) Filipino preachers on (4) practical topics, (5)
especially in the area of personal finance, (6) who speaks
in a very simple and down-to-earth way, (7) who always
gives it from a spiritual perspective, and (8) whose
audience is primarily the English-speaking crowd.
Those eight items demarcate my niche.
And in that tiny niche, Im the superstar.
Question: Whats your niche?
And how can you be a superstar in your niche?
What defines your market?
I repeat: People will pay for competence in your area
of expertise.
To be average is death.
If your business is average, youll soon close shop.
Jollibee isnt the superstar of all the restaurants
around the world. (That distinction goes to McDonalds.)
But its the superstar in the Philippine fast-food scene.
Define yourself.
Mark your boundaries and call it your property.

Why?
Because I lacked the
fourth C: wealth consciousness.
I never wanted to become
rich. I thought wealth was for greedy people who
were going to hell.
And then I learned two very important laws in this universe.
Heres the first one: You will gravitate towards what you
unconsciously desire. I realized that I unconsciously wanted to
remain poor so that people will like me, love me, and help me.
I imagined that theyd respect me for being pure in heart.
I imagined them saying, Oh, Bo is like Mother Teresa. He
remains poor so he can serve the poor.
Today, I realize that Mother Teresa had a special call to serve
the poor the way she did. But not all people can serve in that way.
Imagine if Mother Teresa hadnt had wealthy donors to help
her ministry.
The Two Seasons of Life
Heres the second law: What you can see, you can create.
But alas, competence isnt enough.
What you cannot see, you cannot create.
To become wealthy, you need wealth competence
Because everything is created twice. First in the mind, next
and something else. Its what I call wealth consciousness.
in reality.
Wealth competence is your ability to create that
Before your house was built with wood and stone, it was
wealth.
first built with dreams and imagination and then with pen and
Wealth consciousness is your inner belief that you
paper.
can really be wealthy.
Your wealth consciousness is the blueprint of your wealth.
Remember that there are two seasons in your
Before you create it with real money, stocks and property you
life the planting season and the harvest season.
create it first with your emotion, your vision, your expectation,
In the planting season, you especially need wealth
your spirit, your imagination and yes, with pen and paper, too.
competence. In the harvest season, you especially need
Write it down. Draw it.
wealth consciousness.
Print it. And pray for it again and again.
With your wealth consciousness,
4. Consciousness
itll be easy to grow in financial literacy.
Take the first 30 years of my life,
Spontaneously, youll discover how
for example. Ever since I started
money works. Youll learn how to
serving God at age 13, I was
attract more money into your life.
day by day acquiring the first
Thats the good news.
1. How do you assess your personal
3 Cs character, connections
Wealth consciousness is exciting!
character? In what areas can you
and competence.
Friend, aim to have the 4Cs and
improve?
I had character. I wasnt
success wont be far behind not just in
2. Do you genuinely love people? Do you
perfect, but people trusted me.
business but in everything you do.
go out of your way to meet with people
Because I centered my life on
and spend time with them?
love and God and service and
Email Bo at bosanchez@
3. Define where you are most competent.
generosity.
kerygmafamily.com.
Define your niche.
I had connections. I built a
4. Create in your mind the success you
network of friends that
Editors Note: This article is taken from the
want to achieve. Write it down now.
spanned the globe. (Thank you
book, How to Turn Your Passion into Profit,
for being one of them.)
which Bo co-authored with Dean Pax Lapid.
I had competence. I
Available at www.kerygmabooks.com. The
Bo Sanchez-Dean Pax Lapid tandem was
preached almost every day for
named Influential Author of the Year in the 1st Angat Pilipinas Financial
30 years. I got very good at what I was doing.
Literacy Awards held in April 2015.
But for the longest time, I was materially poor.
Spiritually rich, emotionally rich, relationally rich,
but materially poor.

Bos Action Steps

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

29

special section

Testimonial

The
Spark of
Dreams
By Patch Dulay as told to Lella M. Santiago
Photos from The Spark Project

Patrick Patch Dulay, 31, founder

and CEO of The Spark Project,
speaking at the Manila FAME.

ilipinos are creative, innovative and passiondriven. Take these ideas broached to us:
A civic-oriented travel enterprise with its own
boat to cruise around scenic Culion, Palawan.
Their attractive tour packages will delight visitors,
promote tourism, and increase local economic activities.
A community of mothers at the foot of Mayon Volcano
hand-weaving textile for fashionable, functional backpacks.
This project, blending traditional weaving and modern
lifestyle, hopes to raise the income of the weavers.
But theyre just bright ideas without the funding to
start them. Rates for tour packages were constrained by
boat rentals. The weavers income remained a paltry P35
per day.
Until The Spark Project came along.

Ignite the Light

The Spark Project is a crowdfunding website. We aim
to showcase Filipino talent and provide a platform for
enterprises and socio-civic ventures to raise seed money.
We use web technologies social media and e-commerce
to facilitate the pooling of money.
30

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

This idea sparked in

2009 when I stumbled upon
Kickstarter.com, a popular
crowdfunding site. Its such
a cool website. But it was
operating only in the United
States then. I thought it
would be awesome to have
something like that in the
Philippines. The idea stayed
The Paint-Some-Happy project.
at the back of my head for a
few years.
I enjoy discovering
new things like that on
the Internet. Since my college major is Management
Information Systems and I was working then for an IT
consulting firm, I was constantly exposed to information
technology. But for me, thats the boring side of IT. I
wanted to explore the fun side and thought of taking
further studies abroad. Again, I found something
through the Internet a scholarship to the University of
Lille in France, where I studied Global E-business for a

special section |

Showcasing their crowdfunded

projects at the Ayala Mall.

Patch continues to get invited

to events to speak about
crowdfunding.

year. I also got an internship

with a Paris-based Internet
startup company.
After getting the
education and the
experience, I had to make
a difficult decision: Should
I look for a job in France or
go home? The call to come
home was stronger. I felt I
could create more impact
and positive changes in the
Philippines. The Atenean
in me also surfaced. We
were taught to be men and
women for others. I said, If
Im going to do something
that will create positive
change, it has to be techrelated.
Then, I remembered
the crowdfunding website.
I started working on it
in 2011 with a group of
programmers. But due to
their other commitments
with work and school, they
had to let go of the project. I
tried doing it by myself for a
year and a half. After a while,
I hit a brick wall. I wasnt a
programmer; I could only
do so much. I looked for a
co-founder, someone likeminded, to help me develop
the site. I was led to a group
of web developers, also
from Ateneo, who became
co-founders of The Spark
Project.

Fanning the Flames

Our company got its own
kick-start when we joined
Project Pagsulong, a
competition sponsored by
PLDT Smart Foundation
and TOSP (Ten Outstanding
Students of the Philippines) Alumni Community. It was
a nationwide call for ideas to alleviate poverty, a social
enterprise contest. They were looking for technology
with a slant towards communication. Our idea fit
perfectly. We won third place and got a P200,000 grant
to start The Spark Project.
Since we launched in 2013, we have helped
over 20 projects to take off from being mere ideas.

Testimonial

These projects ranged from travel and culture, social

enterprises, arts, community projects to enterprising
ventures. Some were small and simple like the PaintSome-Happy project for a public school. They just
wanted to raise P20,000 to paint the walls with murals
depicting what children want to be when they grow
up. The goal was to surround the school with hopeinspiring art and remind the kids of their capacity to
make their dreams real. Others had loftier ideals like
changing lives and empowering a community. Some
were companies with ingenious merchandise needing a
push to initiate production.
The Spark Project turns dreams into reality by
showcasing causes and pitching these to people
interested in supporting them. But its not a dole-out.
Its a form of fundraising where rewards are given in
exchange for donations.
Keep the Fire Burning
We organize not just fundraising but also marketing
campaigns. These usually last for 30 days. The goal
is not to fund the whole business but to raise enough
money and attention to spark the project. After
launching, we find ways to engage them because
we are building a community of entrepreneurs and
crowdfunders.
My vision for Spark is to have more Filipino projects
to spark and eventually expand in Southeast Asia so we
can showcase products of each country. I also dream of
having a brick-and-mortar store where we can display
all our crowdfunded merchandise. Although were
an online company, we need physical space for our
growing community to meet.
The Spark Project is both my business and my
mission. We have to make the business part sustainable
so the mission can continue. What I love about it is that
I get to meet different people with awesome ideas and
inspiring stories. Seeing those ideas make an impact
inspires me to help more people. I have volunteered
for some projects like Paint-Some-Happy and gave
donations when I know the project will improve the
community.
Its encouraging to see them succeed. I just visited
Culion and saw our travel projects new boat. The
flexibility to create their own packages has improved
their business and the lives of the people in the area.
The same story goes for our other projects. They
have expanded and some were even featured in
Entrepreneur Magazine.
And that is the best measure of our success: the
success of the people whose projects we sparked.
Visit www.thesparkproject.com if you have ideas to spark.

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

31

special section
cOMPELLING Reasons
to Get into Business
By Dean Pax Lapid
32

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

s it frustration with your job? Is it family pressure?

Is it fame and fortune? Or is it freedom?
Are these the right compelling reasons for going into business?
Through my years of teaching and mentoring entrep wannabes, Ive heard many
reasons why they want to go into business.
Let me share some of them:
Ive been on this routine job for the past 20 years. Its already boring! Maybe its
time to go into a business venture so itd be more exciting.
By golly! Every morning, Im in this rut with a hard-to-please boss. How
frustrating! What business can I go into to escape this hellish place and devilish
boss?
Son, you have been to two big schools in the past seven years. Studying isnt
your forte; just get into business.
Wow, his business is doing well. I have observed how profitable his business is. I
can copy his business and earn lots of money.
I recently attended this seminar in the mall. The speaker promised that if I get
his franchise, I can earn a minimum of P30,000 per month.
I want freedom. Ill be my own boss with my own time to do whatever I want. I
can set up a business and let my people do the work while I enjoy my freedom.
Its fascinating to be an entrepreneur. You get featured in magazines and get
interviewed by media!

Heres a Big Secret!

One of the most important factors for success whether business or any personal
endeavour is to clearly understand your reasons for doing what you are doing. If a
person has a very strong reason to achieve a certain dream or goal, then that person will
find the resources to achieve it.
Theres a big difference between just wanting to be an entrepreneur and being
committed to be an entrepreneur.
You need to be crystal clear about your reasons for being in business. There is nothing
wrong with the part about wanting to earn, but it has to be more than just the money. It
needs to be something more personal, something more enduring.
If it is personal and emotional, then you will have the achievement motivation to
make it happen and even tide you over if the going gets rough. Because you will definitely
encounter hurdles as you set up and run your business, however small it may be.
The Story of Basilisa and Benjamin
Let me tell you a story.
A long time ago (the Dean likes fairy tales), Basilisa, a pretty lass from Paco, fell
in love with Benjamin, a young handsome guy from Pampanga. He was a marketing
undergraduate and part-time hog dealer. Initially, their parents didnt want them to get
married yet because both of them were still young and had not finished school. But
eventually, young hearts prevailed over the advice of their parents and they got married.
A big family blossomed in a small apartment row along Arlegui Street, Manila near
Malacaang Palace. Basilisa gave birth to a child almost every year. The young family lived
comfortably enough since Benjamin worked double time to meet the familys needs. They
even had holiday trips to Angat Dam, Tagaytay or Baguio every summer. Benjamin was
busy with his sidelines while Basilisa was nurturing six wonderful children. Then a big
crisis happened during the Holy Week of 1968. Benjamin was diagnosed with stage four
cancer and was given several months to live. Basilisas world crumbled as if a big rock had
slammed on it.
In shock, Basilisa lost her voice for several weeks. Then on July 5, 1968, Benjamin
succumbed to liver cancer, leaving Basilisa with six children, P5,000 in his bank account,
and an uncertain future for their kids: Roberto, 12; Paquito, 11; Lourdes, 10; Carmen, 8;
Martin, 4; and Celine, 2.

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

33

In a Tight Spot
Basilisa was in a big dilemma. Without a
degree, no one could offer her a job. She had
finished only one semester in college. She
never returned to school after getting married
since she got pregnant every year and took
care of her kids. She got an offer for a parttime job as a saleslady near Carriedo, but the
meager wage wasnt enough to sustain the
daily needs of a growing family. She wouldnt
be able to send her kids to school.
Basilisa had no choice but to pursue
a small meat retailing business, building it
from the part-time hog trading business of
Benjamin. She teamed up with her mother,
Aling Julia. What she lacked in capital, she
made up for in character. Based on her
trustworthiness, her godmother supplied her
with meat carcass every morning in Quiapo
with the promise to pay her by the end of the
day.
The Rest of the Story
Eventually, Basilisas business prospered. She
was able to send all her children to college.
Four graduated from the University of the
Philippines with degrees in BS Business
Administration, BS Mechanical Engineering,
BS Biology and BS Food Service, another from

De La Salle with BS LiaCom, and another from St. Paul

College with BS Marketing.
Basilisa now lives comfortably in New Manila in
a family compound. She actually celebrated her 80th
birthday in April 2012 and is planning to have a grand
family reunion on a cruise to Vancouver and Alaska
with her children and grandchildren when she turns 85.
This is a true story which I know for a fact, since that
amazing lady named Basilisa is my beloved mother,
fondly known as Nena, while that handsome guy from
Pampanga named Benjamin was my Tatay, who died
when I was in Grade 5 and barely 11 years old.
My mother had compelling reasons for coming into
business:
CRISIS + FAMILY SURVIVAL + FAMILY FUTURE!
It was personal, emotional and financial.
My Compelling Reasons for Going into Business
I wanted to preserve the family business that my
mother started when we were still young. I wanted
to make sure that her efforts were not put to waste
and that her customers in Quiapo extended to the
next generation. She makes the best sirloin tapa
and longganisa in the Quinta Market that even the

34

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

Malacaang kitchen up to the Marcos regime served

it as breakfast fare to the First Family and their palace
guests.
I wanted to create businesses every year that can
employ at least 10 people, paying them with higher than
market wages and offering a family culture environment.
When Im 75, I want to see that I have employed 500
employees. So far, I have already hired more than 100. I
have 20 years to fulfill this!
I wanted to use my businesses as models for the
younger generation so they can be confident to venture
into their own business and not be afraid to take a leap
of faith out of their comfort zone. When Im 75 years old,
I hope to see at least 1,000 businesses inspired from my
teachings and mentoring. Thats 50 businesses every
year. So far, I have mentored close to 200 students with
their own successful ventures.
I wanted to prosper young IT professionals, paying
them good salaries so that they may opt not to go abroad.
I wanted to offer a work-and-life balance environment,
at the same time prospering their IT skills that can help
make a better business for local and international clients.
I have always prayed that God will use my businesses as
His supply depot to bring my employees closer to Him.
This is my own way to bring glory to our God through
my struggles, successes and significance as I go about
fulfilling my purpose with the time, talent and treasures
of entrepreneurship that He has given me.
A Final Advice: Find Your Passion and Compelling
Reasons
What triggers a jump into business from most of the
success stories that I have seen and heard emanates
from his/her innate passion for ones talent or skills. An
enormous passion for something within you already

makes it half a battle won meaning you will fight it out and
make it successful in spite of the odds. Remember, even your
friends and family will discourage you from bringing your
passion into a business.
Your compelling reasons will push you to move forward
in spite of all the negative comments from your loved ones.
Finally, I always say that business is many things, the
least of which is the balance sheet. The soul of business is
a curious blend of passion, desires and gratifications mixed
together with sacrifices and personal contributions far
beyond material rewards.
In anything that you do, you need to know why you are
doing what you are doing.
The more personal and emotional your reasons are,
the more you are committed to take action to make things
happen.
Editors Note: This article is taken from the book, How to Turn Your
Passion into Profit, authored by Bo Sanchez and Dean Pax Lapid,
published by Shepherds Voice Publications and available at www.
kerygmabooks.com. This tandem was named Influential Author of
the Year in the 1st Angat Pilipinas Financial Literacy Awards held in
April 2015.

LETS DO SOME WORK!

1. What are your compelling reasons to get into
business? List down at least three (I had five). Give
your no. 1 reason. Your compelling reason must be
personal and emotional for you to act on it.
2. Give your no. 2 reason. Your compelling reason must
be aligned to your life values and those that you care
for.
3. Give your no. 3 reason. Your compelling reason must
make you want to get up every morning excited to go
into the business adventure.

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

35

special section

Testimonial

WHERE
BROKEN HEARTS GO
Finding Light in Baguio

Lucille and Lia enjoying a

meal together.

By Lucille Yambao as told to Marjorie Duterte

36

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

Photos show the different corners of Lucias bed-and-breakfast inn in Baguio City.

special section |

ord, Im leaving Bangkok, Ikaw na ang bahala,

I remembered praying. I didnt know if it was
going to be a good move. My funds were just
enough. My husband and I had separated
and I was going back to the Philippines.
I asked God what I did wrong for it to happen. I was
really upset more for my 11-year-old daughter, Lia. I
didnt want her to grow up in a broken family.
When we got to Manila, I couldnt find a school
that matched my pay and skills. I had been a preschool
teacher in Thailand, and now I didnt know what I was
going to do.
I was about to leave again when my mom
suggested, Why dont you try Baguio?
My aunt and my mom had properties there. They
had a house that they were renting out to a Korean, but
they decided to renovate the house and have it rented
out to someone else.
I told the Lord that I knew He had a reason for
things working out the way they did. I trusted that so
many things did not work out for me because God had
a bigger and greater plan.
Under Renovation
My separation with my husband became final in
February 2013. Two months later, I moved to Baguio.
When I was just starting, I was so sad. I felt
uncomfortable. We were so used to living in a condo in
Bangkok. When I got to the house in Baguio, there were
so many things that needed to be fixed. It was a mess.
Lia and I were crying. She said, What happened to
our lives? We didnt have friends since I did not grow
up there.
I remember wanting to go home every Saturday
to Manila to attend The Feast (the prayer meeting of
the Light of Jesus Family) in Valle Verde. It was a happy
place and being there eased my worries. But we got
very low in cash and I started counting every cent.
We would spend P 1,800 just to go back and forth so I
decided to stay in Baguio.
Suddenly, a Bright Idea!
I saw that the house was spacious and an idea came to
me: I would turn it into a bed-and-breakfast (BnB) place.
I asked my mom and aunt, who both owned the house,
if I could rent it.
I was fond of BnBs. When I would go to Cambodia
and Bali, I would stay in bed-and-breakfast places and
I really liked looking at the interiors. I liked places that
were unique. I preferred to book BnBs than hotels.
Maybe Im an old soul. I like it when you put old
things together and they turn out beautiful.

Testimonial

God Is Restorer
I shipped my stuff from Bangkok and Singapore,
including my comfortable sofa and the things I bought
from my travels, and placed them in Baguio.
We started painting the walls in bright colors. I would
tell the painter to try this color and it would work. I
bought placemats and gave it to a sewer and she turned it
into a chair cover. I posted it on Facebook and people said
it was beautiful.
It was a daunting task. We started renovations in
April and opened on December 4, 2013. Our bed-andbreakfast place is called Lucias from my name, Lucille,
and Lias. Each room has a theme and we had fun naming
the rooms, all starting with the letter L: Learn, Listen,
Live, Looney, Luscious.
Of the five rooms that can accommodate up to 19
guests, two are family rooms. Each room has a bathroom.
If I didnt leave, none of this would have happened.
If I didnt have the guts to go, I would still be a teacher in
Bangkok, and I would still be stuck in a bad marriage. I
think it was Gods way of helping me.
Because of Lucias, I am able to provide for Lia. I was
worried before that I wouldnt be able to provide for her
education and other lessons that she might want to take,
like violin or piano and other extracurricular activities. I
asked God to help me afford it. I am no longer afraid of the
future, I know I can provide for Lia.
I didnt have any prayer but, Ikaw na ang bahala,
Lord. And He helped me.
From Darkness to Light
I didnt like Baguio before because when I used to visit
here, we would to stay in places that were dimly lit. My
memories of Baguio were dark buildings while I liked
bright places.
Now, I love Baguio and I am no longer afraid. I am
happy and grateful for Gods blessings. Who knew I could
have a bed-and-breakfast place that easily?
Sunshine started to come when we opened Lucias
Bed and Breakfast. Since then, we would be fully booked
as I started promoting it on Facebook and Agoda.com. I
am happy about the reviews. I love this business because
I meet a lot of interesting people and they have become
my friends.
I learned that if something bad happens, I just
have to accept it because God will not forsake me. Its a
learning experience all the time and there is always a
beautiful exchange.
One thing I realized about Baguio, if one is starting
anew, its a good place to be in. Youre not forced to work
when youre still emotionally unwell. Baguio is beautiful
and, quoting from a movie that became a hit in recent
months, its where broken hearts go.

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

37

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seasons

RECALIBRATE THE KIDS

FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR
New bags, shoes and school uniforms, books and pens and
maybe even a new school for some kids. Everythings set for
the new challenges ahead.
But what about the kids themselves? Are they conditioned
and equipped to deal with new teachers and classmates in the
next 10 months?
How do they want the school year to be? Are there new
goals the kids have thought of working on? Have you sat down
with your kids and talked to them about these goals, along with
study habits and rules?
Recalibrating means re-tooling and re-visiting what
was done and then working again in order to see through
improvements. As they start a new level in their academic
path, this is the best time to do a SWOT (strengths-weaknessesopportunities-threats) analysis of what you need to work
through in the following year.
In working with grade school children and some parents,
I often explore their family context to see how
they are helping the children. Two things
that set the tone for the new school year
for some families are having rules and not
seeing it through, or not having rules at all.
Some parents say they have rules and
their kids follow. They seem to be the less
problematic kids.
Other families do not have rules,
and parents only make them as
needed or when they feel like it.
This brings confusion and, at most,
they lack follow-through and the
kids cannot carry them out.
Some parents say, We have

By Michele S. Alignay, MA, RP, RGC

rules, and we even listed them but the children

would not follow! They still do not work on
their homework and use gadgets as they please.
The Missing Link
When parents make the rules and seem to just
mention it to their kids, they are technically
the owner of the rules. Their intention is good
but effort is important. Parents need to check
if set rules are helpful, realistic, workable and
understandable to the kids.
As parents, you need to sit down and
discuss with your children what you aim to
work on and what help they need from you.
Present to them what you hope for them to
accomplish and agree on how you both can
find ways to work on their goals. Let them
think, reflect and share their opinion. This is
how they become responsible for their goals.
This is actually recalibrating the rules and
guidelines to help facilitate the completion of
their goals. The goal of recalibrating is to help
your child to address their academic needs,
maximize their potentials, and importantly
gain the life tools they need for life.
Life tools? Yes, life skills are as important
as math and reading. Its like when we bring
our car to the shop for recalibration, and the
mechanic needs tools to fix whatever needs
repair.
It may seem like our kids are too young to
gain life tools, but the grade school age is the
Continued on page 43

With Dean Pax are (seated, from left to right) his

mom Nena, wife Carol, super trader Franklin,
licensed physical therapist Cisco, and Francis
(standing beside Dean), a training manager.

faith @ work
By Dean Pax Lapid

Passing Down Values

from Generation to Generation
At the PICC Feast and in other articles Ive written, I
shared how our family survived the death of my dad
when I was barely 10 years old. My five siblings were
within the ages of one to 11. My mom was 32 years old.
(She never remarried.)
I honor my mother withher life values in CHRIST,
which I encourage every person, employed or in
business, to imbibe as well:
C = Christ-centered: A family that prays together
stays together. Wherever you are, even when you
are traveling to any part of the world, always find a
church to thank God. Honor Him during Sabbath
day. Even when I was in Oman, I took a taxi ride 50
kilometers away to go to church.
H = Hard work: God has given us our talents to
create wealth. We need to use our time and talent to
create our treasure. My mom always whispered to
me, Pax, youre smart. Youre hard-working. Use it.
R = Relationship: Value connections and know that
it is better to be short-changed at times than to be
greedy all the time. It is better to be at the losing
end rather than be greedy.
I = Integrity and S = Sincerity: Even if you do not
have money, people will trust you if you are sincere
and honest. Sincerity and integrity lead to respect.
Respect enables people to believe and follow what
you say and do.

T = Trust in the Lord: You need to always trust that all

your plans will be fulfilled in Gods time, not mans
time. What man proposes, God disposes.
I love my mom for giving me these values!
Values from Father to Son
The greatest fulfillment a parent achieves is when his child
becomes good or even better than he is. Parenting is a labor
of love and commitment.
Let me share with you a letter I wrote to my eldest son as
he was about to enter college.
Dearest Franz,
I am writing this letter to you with hope that the insights
here will give you inspiration and challenge to face what you
will tackle as you get into college.
As a teacher/dean, I always tell my students that entering
college and prospering in the next four years is one of the
critical milestones in ones young adult life. College life could
either make or break what happens to your professional career.
College will give you three things:
a. Learning: Some say it is knowledge that you acquire
through books and lectures. I believe that these,
together with the right understanding and relevant
application, will give you a more meaningful learning
experience that you can carry into your professional
life. Respect your teachers and find mentors that can
help you refine your current skills and talents.
Continued on page 43
JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

41

Recalibrate... continued from page 40

best time to equip them. They need their parents to
train them rather than overly do things for them.
While they need to have good academic training,
they need to have effective life skill footing that are not
discussed in the books.
They gain the skills of decision-making and
bargaining when you collaborate on ideas, discuss and
negotiate on rules and you give choices for them to
decide on and take responsibility for.
The skills of persistence and discipline are
ingrained during their uninterrupted practice in math
and reading drills, as well as in doing pages of exercises.
The interpersonal skills are honed when they
collaborate with classmates in a group work or deal
with different personalities in their class during recess
and lunch.
The skills of self-reliance will only be enhanced if
we parents train them to review on their own (without

Passing Down... Continued from page 41

b. Discipline: Although you have already acquired
your study habits from high school, college will
further enhance this. College will expose you to
young ladies. You are mature enough and there
is nothing wrong with having a girlfriend as long
as she is an inspiration, not a frustration. College
diversity, with all its activities, will either enhance
or distract you. It is up to you to manage your
time and prioritize what is most important to
graduate, foremost, and be well-rounded with
organization, sports and friends.
c. Leadership: Some of my friends have sent their
children to the US or UK for college. I personally
believe that money is better spent for a postgraduate or masters degree. College builds your
network for the future. The challenge is for you
to blend and work with people you have not
known, to be able to influence them with the right
priorities and deliverables, and most importantly,
to be able to gain their respect.
As a father (like any loving parent), my wish for you is
to grow up to be a responsible and productive member of
society. More importantly, I want you to be as successful
as I am, or even be better.
As your loving father, I will always be around to give
you advice and support your aspirations. My guidance
may not be a panacea to your troubles, but at least I will
be there in your times of need. Live your life to the best of
your God-given abilities. Time is on your side make use
of it well. Work hard first, then play hard also (all within
moral and legal limits). Most importantly, pray daily for
guidance and protection. God knows what is best; you just
have to be patient and enduring.
I am very proud of you, Franz, and I love you always.
Papa

parent-made reviewers), fix their school bags, and work

on their school project all with minimal assistance
from us.
Help your children recalibrate for the new school
year. You may need to re-tool as well to ensure that
your children are having fun and play, learning from
their mistakes in the process, and getting the most of
what school, life and your family relationship has to
offer.
Michele is a Registered Psychologist and a Registered
Guidance Counselor. She is a candidate of Ph.D. in Family
Studies. On the personal level, she is a mom of two
growing kids and a fulfilled wife. You may read more of
her at www.michelealignay.com.

Train a Child
The valuable lesson that I can share to parents is: Do not
just teach your children how to survive. Instead, teach
them skills and knowledge that add value, for them to
earn, save and invest for themselves.
A parent becomes fulfilled as he sees his children
prosper in their chosen career. I have mentored my
sons to become a retail trainer, a stock broker and a
physical therapist. I have also taught them life values
to become responsible, productive, engaging and Godfearing.
By the way, my sons have outdone their father.
Francis is a training manager at 27 years old, while I
became a manager at 28.
Franklin is a multimillionaire at age 25, while I got
my first million at 32.
Cisco will become a doctor (of medicine) at
age 30, while Ill become a doctor (of organization
development) at age 59. I did not receive any academic
awards in college while he was awarded Most
outstanding PT Intern.
I have shown them these life values, since values
are not just taught but they are caught from the parents.
From my beloved mother to me, then from The
Dean to my sons, and hopefully from my sons to my
grandchildren.
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will
not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
Email Dean Pax at happyretiree40@gmail.com. His latest book,
How to Be a Happy Retiree, is available at www.kerygmabooks.
com.

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

43

Heal yourself naturally and

holistically with these
health-giving titles from
Kerygma Books

Also available in leading bookstores nationwide

KE

RYG M

Call 411-7874, 725-9999 loc 101-108

Or buy the digital version and download
your copy into your gadgets.
Visit www.kerygmabooks.com

K preacher
Huge fights sometimes start from something trivial, like
our fourth major fight after eight years of marriage.
It started as a great day.
Agirl, my wife, decided to make salad for dinner
but she was already tired. So, she asked me to slice the
ingredients.
I wanted to have dinner already because I still had
to finish lots of things. I told her not to prepare the salad
anymore.
She got angry and thought that I was just lazy. So she
stood up and started slicing the ingredients while I went
to check my blood pressure (BP). To my surprise, the BP
monitor wasnt working because it lacked batteries.
A few days before that, I told Agirl to make sure that
the batteries were always complete. When I reminded her
about it, she got angrier and even shouted at me! I was hurt
at the things she said.
This happened at a time when almost everything in
my life was uncertain. We lost all our clients in our social
media business. The Feast Ortigas afternoon session,
which I was leading, was not growing. I was asking myself if
I made the right choices in the past.
Everything was uncertain except for the love of my
family. Then this?!? I felt like a total loser! The only thing
that was going great in my life was now in shambles.
I must admit that I was guilty of some of the things
that Agirl said. Im far from being the perfect husband that
she expects someone who knows what she needs even
before she asks, someone who can read her thoughts.
We are both imperfect individuals who sometimes
expect perfection from each other and our marriage.
A few days after that episode, we decided to turn
our huge fight into a big blessing. We talked about what
happened and why it happened. It made us realize so
many things and I want to share them with you.
1.

Make your marriage a priority. Clich as it seems,

this holds so much truth and value. Agirl and I got
too busy with other responsibilities that we forgot to
make time for our marriage. To become great parents,
we need to be great spouses first. So we decided to
have regular Mondates, no compromise. Busyness
wont stop us from having Tuesdates, Wednesdates,
Thursdates, and so on.

2. Always pursue your core gifts and passions. Taking

care of our growing family also made us forget about
our core gifts and passions. Agirl loves to write while
I love to share my experiences and connect with
people.
Four years ago, we planned to have our own
website that will showcase our thoughts and
experiences about family, marriage and parenting.
This dream took a back seat to give way to other
priorities until we totally forgot about it.
After our huge fight, we worked on making this

TURN YOUR TRIALS

INTO BLESSINGS
By Joel Saludares
dream a reality. We finally launched our website,
Mommy Said Daddy Said at www.saludares.com.
3. Keep on dreaming and visualizing your dreams.
Because busyness consumed our time and energy, we
forgot to talk about our dreams. So we wrote down our
immediate and long-term dreams for us to have a clear
vision of what we want to do and where we want to be.
Indeed, everything happens for a purpose. The huge
fight had turned into a huge blessing. Instead of destroying
our marriage, it made us stronger. It made us realize why
we fell in love and inspired us to keep the fire burning.
When faced with a huge trial, ask God for His guidance
and wisdom. He has a great plan for our lives and that
includes turning trials and tribulations into blessings and
successes.
Joel is the Feast Builder of the afternoon session of The Feast Ortigas.
He is also a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner, an
inspirational speaker, and a corporate trainer. He and Agirl are
blessed with three beautiful children: Zia, Lia and Jorelle.
Email Joel at joelsaludares@yahoo.com.
JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

45

one last Story

When it was 9:30 p.m., I just kept silent, unable even to
pray. No more flight to New York. I told God I didnt know what
happened, or why, but I still believed that He was in charge, and
the next day would sort itself out. At precisely 10:00 p.m., the door
opened and another man entered the room. He gave me back my
passport and simply said, Mr. Ortega, you may go. Just like that.
No explanation. No apology.

Angels
in a Foreign
Land
By Rey Ortega

Mr. Ortega, Reylindo from the Philippines? Would you come

with me please? It was not a question but a command, given
by an officer, unsmiling, suspicion written all over his face.
I sensed something was wrong. But I just said, Yes, sir,
and followed him to a room at the far corner of the airport.
It was around 7 p.m. My connecting flight to New York was
scheduled to leave at 9:30 pm.
When I got inside, he just closed the door. The room was
windowless and had no dcor except for one CCTV camera. I
was all alone in a foreign city where I knew no one.
An Opportunity Turned into Nightmare
Everything started barely three weeks prior to that evening.
I was quietly working as a human resource manager of a
multinational pharmaceutical company when I received a
telephone call. The lady asked if I were interested to move to
another company five times bigger than my current employer.
She asked if I would agree to travel, all-expenses paid, to the
United States for a series of interviews by their head office
executives. I said yes.
After a few days, the CEOs secretary sent me round-trip
business class plane tickets for Manila to Detroit then to New
York. She told me I would be fetched in New York by their
company car and brought to Princeton, New Jersey.
And without warning, the nightmare began. Alone in a
detention room, I took out my rosary from my pocket and
prayed. I asked for Mama Marys and my late earthly mothers
intercessions. I prayed to St. Therese and St. Joseph. After
finishing the rosary, I opened my luggage and took out my
Bible. I read Psalms 23 and 91: I will save those who love me,
and will protect those who acknowledge me as Lord (Psalm
91:14).

An Angel in Disguise
Out of detention, I began wandering aimlessly in Detroit airport.
Suddenly, a man in his mid-forties approached me and asked,Sir,
you seem to have a problem. Is there anything wrong?
I told the guy what happened. I was so upset I did not even
get his name. He shook his head after hearing my short narration.
Then he led me to an airline counter and began issuing orders. He
told them to find me a seat at the next available flight to New York.
He just asked me to fill up some forms.
Dazed, I complied. They didnt ask for any money. They just
quietly issued a new ticket and told me what gate to go to. After I
got my ticket, I turned around to thank the man. He was gone.
I rushed to my designated gate and spent the whole flying
time thanking God and re-reading Psalms 23 and 91.
Then it hit me. My problems were far from over. How do I
go to New Jersey from New York? I was sure the company driver
assumed I was a no-show and must have left already many hours
ago. I wondered if my money was enough to travel to New Jersey.
My credit card was locally issued. No dollar denominations.
And soon I found myself wandering aimlessly again, this time,
at New Yorks La Guardia Airport.
A Second Angel?
At around two oclock in the morning, another miracle struck. I
saw a man in an all-white chauffeur uniform holding a bond paper
with Mr. Ortega written in bold letters.
I rushed to him and told him, I am Mr. Ortega! I forgot that
there must be millions out there named Mr. Ortega. He offered to
carry my luggage and carry-on bag. I followed him to the longest
and the most luxurious limousine Ive ever seen in my whole life.
Complete with a mini-bar, refrigerator, TV set, telephone, pillows
and blankets, seat long enough and wide enough to sleep on.
As soon as I met the first executive in my interview list the
following morning, I thanked him for sending a limousine for me
at the airport. His answer floored me.
Limousine? What limousine are you talking about? We sent a
Chevy sedan to pick you up but the poor chap didnt see you. We
never rent a limousine to pick up anybody
I didnt quite get his next words, as I was lost silently praying
and thanking God. Again and again and again, and I remember
the verse: God will put his angels in charge of you, to protect you
wherever you go (Psalm 91: 11).
Up to this very day, I never found out why I was detained in
Detroit, who gave me new plane tickets, who that limousine driver
was, and where that fancy car came from. What I know is that God
was with me all the time. He still is.
Thats all I know. And thats more than enough.

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

47

point of contact
I Pray That You
Receive Your
Miracles In
Jesus Name!
I pray that God lift your trials,
heal your diseases, bless your problems
and direct you to the path He wants you
to take. I pray that God remove your fears
and give you the courage to surrender
your burdens to Him.
So place your hand over my hand,
and let us pray with trust, together with
our prayer team of intercessors praying
for you right now
This page is our Point of Contact, our
spiritual connection.
Say after me
In the Name of the Father, of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Lord, I surrender to You my worries
and anxieties. I surrender to You my
needs, my problems, my trials. I place
them all in Your big hands. And I open
myself to all that You want to give to
me. On this day, I say yes to Your love, to
Your blessings, to Your healing, to Your
miracles. And Lord, specifically, I ask for
the following miracles for my life...
I believe that You answer my prayer
in the best way possible! And I thank
You in advance for the perfect answers
to my prayers. I also ask for the special
intercession of Mama Mary. I pray all this
in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

SPECIAL INTENTION FOR THIS MONTH:

We praise and thank You dearest God for being our loving Father. You are the greatest
Provider and Encourager. We lift up to You every father that we know. Fill them with
strength, love, inner peace and sound health in body, mind and spirit that they need
to reflect Your love in their homes. Bless our families and unite us in Your love.
We also ask You to bless the works of our hands. May our endeavors bear fruits of
sweet success and rewarding relationships. Increase our faith and remove our fears.
Lead us to a path of overflowing blessings that we may also bless the world. In Jesus
name, we pray. Amen.
Praying for you,

48

JUNE 2015 | KERYGMA

Email your prayer requests to me

at bosanchez@kerygmafamily.
com or write to me at Shepherds
Voice Publications, 60 Chicago
St., Cubao, Quezon City,
Philippines 1109.