Jhoven G. Obelidon: Caregiver

“Care” and “giver” are two very positive words. Merged as “caregiver”, the term almost tugs at your heart when it is used.

To be a caregiver, one must be blessed with extraordinary kindness and compassion, patience and flexibility, industry and strength of character. One must have these virtues because it may not always be easy to tend to other peoples’ needs especially if they are gravely ill, physically dependent or emotionally distraught.

At Anawim Lay Missions Foundation, those who are men of faith view caregiving as an opportunity to profess their love for God and for others. At Anawim, 55 abandoned elderly plus a number of orphans, and physically and mentally handicapped individuals are cared for by volunteers like Jhoven G.Obelidon.

Jhoven completed a two-year Nursing Aid course in Montalban and has been a stay-in caregiver at Anawim since July 2007. Jhoven works on 24-hour shifts in tandem with another volunteer at the elderly male dormitory room. His responsibilities include ensuring that all of his wards (1) take in their prescribed medications and vitamins, (2)get ample exercise if they are not disabled, (3) maintain a good level of hygiene, and (4) live in orderly and comfortable quarters, among others.

(Among Jhoven’s wards is Lolo Jose Vallarta, 97 years old. Lolo Jose is a native of Nueva Ecija province and used to work for the Department of Public Works. He also fought as a guerilla during World War II. He still walks around with an upright posture and he can tour you around the Anawim grounds!)

Jhoven shares that the Anawim staff help each other to provide the best possible service to the elderly. It saddens the staff, however, that these elderly have already been abandoned, and that friends and relatives rarely come to visit their wards. Donations are also sent to Anawim only occasionally.

Thank you, Jhoven, for the respect and reverence you accord the elderly: those who have wisdom, those who have taught us, those who have cared for us when we were young.

I hope Jhoven’s thoughts and actions inspire us to really, always care and give!


Anawim Lay Missions Foundation houses the abandoned elderly at Barangay San Isidro, Rodriguez (Montalban), Rizal. Check out their website for a detailed map and contact numbers.

Ajit S. Rye: God is Good !

Ajit S. Rye is a great father, brother, husband, a friend, an UPSCAn (UP Student Catholic Action), a football player, a development worker, an environmentalist and the “sun” in his daughter Ian’s life.

Ajit has also been embraced by God. God IS embracing him now.

Ajit wishes to share with us how he and his family have embraced God because he wants us to embrace God as well. He has been giving friends and relatives a simple yet very important gift: a copy of “Yayee 4: Embraced by God,” an inspiring book that includes his letters to his eldest child as well as his wife’s letter to Father JJ, a priest who has also been a shepherd to his spiritual healing. Yayee 4 is a rich compilation of different peoples’ experiences: the difficulties they have gone thru, their realizations, the efforts to liberate themselves from earthly attachments, and eventually their attainment of inner peace and joy.

Visits to Ajit’s Quezon City home are meant to be treasured for both the gift of time, and spiritual renewal or awakening. To the non-believer, one may at least appreciate the philosophical virtues, the value of his words -- all unspoken and continue to try to live an honest, inspired life.

God is good. We can connect with God when our mind is focused and calm. (Qi gong was helpful!) The world is perfect. I have forgiven them. God is great.

For Ajit, each moment, not just each day, is precious. In his nothingness, he continues to strengthen his faith thru prayers, reflection, family life, by communicating with others, and accepting God’s will without reservation.The cancer is in its terminal stage, he said, as Ajit has undergone all medical treatments possible but the physical affliction clearly does not matter.

Ajit is completely in love with, so happy and thankful to The Supreme Being.

The Wolves Within

While surfing the net one evening, I came across this short story from www.rogerknapp.com. This site has a lot more inspirational materials you can reflect on or share with your loved ones. I encourage everyone to browse thru them, including the Philosophy of Charles Schultz.

Here's the story, The Wolves Within.

An old Grandfather, whose grandson came to him with anger at a schoolmate who had done him an injustice, said, "Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times."

He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way."

"But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."

The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eye and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"

The Grandfather solemnly said, "The one I feed."

Vote For Our Hero !

Elmer De Los Santos: Pastor, Where Are You?

I met Pastor Elmer De Los Santos in 1997. He had to take a leave from his duties at the Emmanuel Christian Fellowship and focus instead on earning a living.

He and his family had to face such difficult challenges before they were really, finally able to live peacefully. But I’ve always known that their situation was only temporary; their collective faith, honesty, courage and sacrifices can only result in great blessings. It was just a matter of time.

Pastor’s economic concerns began when he was victimized in a scam. His financial situation then took a turn for the worse due to a subsequent failed business venture. But he had vowed to honor and pay off all the debts he had incurred. For many months, he worked long hours driving a taxi cab. He lived frugally and still there was barely enough for rent, food and education.

When his wife decided to work abroad to help with the payments, Pastor Elmer accepted this albeit with a heavy heart. When she left for the Middle East, Pastor stopped driving the taxi cab and took care of the children full time. He missed his wife terribly and longed for her quietly. He could only pray for her safety. One day, however, his wife had called long distance. She needed help to return to the Philippines immediately. His wife’s employer was not a kind man. Pastor Elmer was grief stricken.

Fortunately, through the intercession of a friend, Pastor’s wife’s employer had to release her. The Pastor’s wife, however, was not discouraged by her experience with her first employer. She left again, this time for Taiwan, after a few weeks.

Since then, blessings have poured in for the De Los Santos family! Pastor Elmer’s wife won some cash in a contest; Pastor was able to invest in a house and lot for the family. The debts were being paid on a regular basis. Pastor Elmer still missed his wife but he was no longer worried about her safety. The family would be reunited soon enough.

I have very good memories of Pastor Elmer. He was such a morally upright man. He was responsible and he put other peoples’ interests first before his own. He lived simply, unattached as he was to material wealth or influence or power. Pastor Elmer is a preacher and an evangelist, effectively speaking, acting and living in god’s grace.

I have not seen Pastor Elmer though in a decade and I am hoping that someone out there who knows him gets to read this. Nananawagan po ako…I would very much like to see him again. (I already scoured facebook and multiply.)

Virtues To Live By

We reflect on our thoughts, words and actions regularly; ask for forgiveness; learn from our many mistakes; and, help our fellowmen. Oftentimes we still ask ourselves, “What more should I do?”

Apparently, there are checklists available...ha ha! While the list of virtues below may appear challenging, may be eye-popping, many of the virtues are very relevant to our lives today, now. Wikipedia lists over a hundred of them:

ability acceptance altruism appreciation assertiveness attention focus autonomy

awareness balance beauty benevolence candor caring caution charity chastity

cleanliness commitment compassion confidence consciousness consideration contentment

cooperativeness courage courteousness creativity curiosity dependability detachment

determination diligence discernment empathy encouragement endurance enthusiasm equanimity

equity excellence fairness faithfulness fidelity flexibility foresight forgiveness fortitude

friendliness generosity gentleness goodness happiness health helpfulness honesty honor

hopefulness hospitality humility humor idealism imagination impartiality independence

industriousness innocence integrity intuition inventiveness justice kindness knowledge

lovingness loyalty meekness mercy moderation modesty morality nonviolence nurturing

obedience openness optimism patience peacefulness perseverance philanthropy philomathy

piety potential prudence purity purposefulness resilience remembrance respectfulness

reverence responsibility (moral & social) restraint self-awareness self-confidence

self-discipline self-reliance self-respect sensitivity service sharing sincerity skill spirituality

strength sympathy tactfulness temperance tenacity thankfulness thoughtfulness

trustworthiness truthfulness understanding unity unselfishness wisdom and work !

Norma Castro: THE Ate

Norma Castro (seated, in white shirt) with some friends at SM MOA.

It’s wonderful to be called “Ate!” Not only does it sound better than “manang” when it is used to address you, you know a real bond exists: you either share blood ties with another person, or have had an enriching experience together, or have acted as mentor to a learner or as a guardian to a child. Yes, you are older than the other person but when the relationship is acknowledged, the age difference may be deemed as incidental.



The quintessential Ate, to my mind, is Norma Castro as she takes her title rather seriously. She is devoted to her two wards and to her younger friends at a foundation. She is deeply concerned for their welfare, infinitely proud of their achievements, and willing to make sacrifices for them. Almost like a parent would be.



A month ago, Norma texted me: “Ate, my wards were included in the honor roll.” Norma brings the two kids to school, prepares what they need for classes, helps them with their homework, and ensures they get enough sleep. The other month, Norma also texted me: “Ate, my wards performed a number in class. I helped them practice.”



During her days off, Norma visits the children at Gabay Buhay Home. Her favorite pasalubong (gift) for the kids is a large order of pancit palabok (a noodle dish with shrimp sauce). She sleeps there overnight and takes the opportunity to bond with both the staff and the children. And while she is there, Norma’s wards always text her to check if their Ate is fine and to ask whether she is returning to their Pasig home soon.



Ate Norma never takes a day off if no one will take care of her wards. She refers to them as ”mga alaga” which in the vernacular means “those I take care of.” So Norma may easily forego resting or pursuing her personal interests, putting her wards’ interests first over hers any time. (“Alaga” is different from “pinalaki”, or to raise, as the former has a nurturing component while the latter emphasizes the provision of the basic needs of an individual: food, clothing and shelter.)



Children trust their Ate Norma because her good intentions are always reflected in her actions, in the way she speaks and in how often she smiles -- which is really more often that you, me and five others combined!



Ate Norma would be a joy to be with or to work with always. And I am writing this just so that she knows that we appreciate her and acknowledge all the good that she does.