OUR DEPARTMENT'S TEAM BUILDING

Our department had its team building on October 15 and 16, 2009 at Megan's Paradisio Beach Resort in Brgy. Pundakit, San Antonio, Zambales, which offers a panoramic view of the very beautiful Capones and Camara Islands.

I took several photographs of the place as well as the various activities, mostly parlor games, eating and drinking, and videoke singing, that our department's personnel carried out.

Group 1 competing with Group 2

Enjoying every minute of it

Ying and Jeen joyfully playing with the waves

Singing all night long

I also captured on video the stupendous scenery as well as the roaring sound created by the waves as they crashed on the shore. Please watch the video below.

PRAYER WHEN AMBIVALENT

Have you ever experienced having ambivalent feelings? That is, you are governed by conflicting emotions—like loving and hating at the same time?

A good situational example is, when a girl just broke up with the boy she has learned to deeply love. The hurt feeling that her erstwhile boyfriend has caused her makes her hate him so much. But remembering the good old days when everything about their relationship was so sweet makes her pine for those happy days when they were still together. However, the wound in her heart is still fresh and whenever anyone or anything that has something to do with it comes into her mind, her good mood can easily be transformed to the negative, thus, hating him again as she feels the pain. Expectedly, the moment good memories come her way again, her fondness for him would reign over her.

I believe all of us experience such conflicting moods and feelings even once in a while. In many cases, though, they may not involve romantic relationship.

I do have my share of those feelings. And they concern my relationship with my loved ones particularly my siblings. Those feelings come to me so often that it seems like I’m engaged in a self-torture game. And this makes me feel really miserable.

In times like this, I try my best to be governed by reason and not to be blinded by my negative feelings. Since most of the time, negative feelings are overpowering, I wrote a prayer that would help me find my way back to reason as I say the prayer. I’d repeat the prayer until I’m back to the right perspective.

I am sharing with you that prayer I composed in the early 90s that has helped me every time I feel ambivalent. I hope you will like it and in some ways help you do away or at least cope with ambivalent feelings.

Prayer When Ambivalent

Lord Jesus Christ, help me not to be impulsive. Help me not to be overwhelmed nor be governed by strong and powerful negative emotions or temporary passions that will soon fade and die down. Make me more patient and tolerant, Lord. Instead of giving in to people’s provocations, help me choose to understand and forgive those who have wronged and hurt me.

Most of all, help me forgive my loved ones, Lord, and understand that these people whom I oftentimes harbor resentment towards with, are the same people whom I love and the reason for my aspirations. Help me understand that harboring any negative feeling against them will be incompatible with loving and caring for them.

And during such times when I have conflicting emotions, help me do away with such ambivalent feelings, Lord. May my ambivalence not stop me from helping, loving, and caring for them.

Amen.

INTRODUCING: MICHAEL VIGANO

Friends and readers, Goddy: An Unbreakable Spirit is proud to introduce to you MIKE VIGANO, a professional musician and another Pinoy pride.

Watch his "awesome performance" in the video below uploaded by AWarrenJohnson on YouTube.

THE POWER OF PRAYER

Aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy

(Photo from Tambayan.ph)

The night after I heard about the news on the approaching super typhoon “Pepeng”, I received some text messages in the form of prayer from a former classmate in the high school and other anonymous text senders requesting me to forward them to as many friends as possible.

The prayer asked for divine intervention and implored the Almighty Father not to let the coming typhoon hit any of the islands in our country as our people from flood-affected areas have not recovered yet from Ondoy’s wrath.

The following day, the Philippine Daily Inquirer carried a news item on “Pepeng”. The news report said that, “As Pepeng moves toward Luzon, Auxiliary Bishop Lucio Quiambao of the Archdiocese of Legaspi encouraged Filipinos to pray the ‘Oratio Imperata For Deliverance From Calamities’”.

The powerful prayer was said to have helped spare the province of Albay from typhoons and disasters since a super typhoon struck some three years ago.

The prayer, as published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, read as follows:

“Almighty Father, we raise our hearts to You in gratitude for the wonders of creation of which we are part, for Your providence in sustaining us in our needs, and for Your wisdom that guides the course of the universe.

“We acknowledge our sins against You and the rest of creation.

“We have not been good stewards of Nature.

“We have confused Your command to subdue the Earth.

“The environment is made to suffer our wrongdoing, and now we reap the harvest of our abuse and indifference.

“Global warming is upon us. Typhoons, floods, volcanic eruption, and other natural calamities occur in increasing number and intensity.

“We turn to You, our loving Father, and beg forgiveness for our sins.

“We ask that we, our loved ones and our hard-earned possessions be spared from the threat of calamities, natural and man-made.

“We beseech You to inspire us all to grow into responsible stewards of Your creation, and generous neighbors to those in need.

“Amen.”

Filipinos are used to experiencing typhoons and floods. Our country is even referred to as storm laboratory since typhoons are formed in the area pretty close to it. But never before have I seen or heard our countrymen worry so much about typhoons and floods—not after Ondoy destroyed and devastated a big portion of the National Capital Region. The destruction and devastation caused by Ondoy were so great, the people just cannot afford another such deluge.

But I believe a great many people collectively prayed with all their hearts. And Metro Manila and other provinces surrounding the mega city were spared from “Pepeng”.

Indeed, “many things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.”