My Christmas All Year Round

during Christmas season, i always find time to look back for the year that has been and enumerate the many blessings that God has bestowed on me.
it always amazes me to realize how blessed i am.
and if those blessings be equated to some monetary value, i bet no banker could come up with the amount
or if one comes up with the amount, i will surely be the richest person alive! :)

this year has been my best so far; i have been given a lot of opportunities to grow.
i have journeyed far and near.
i went to places and i was also able to go within.
everything has been generously given by the Almighty.
what i find the most interesting was, God made partners with a lot of people to make me feel His love for me,they are in the form of human angels: family, friends and new found families and friends during my travels through SSEAYP.

i could recall that during bus rides to institutional visits, i find time to reflect
those reflections always make me cry
those tears are out of elation for the bliss that i have experienced in my life, especially for this year
i cannot help but to wonder, do i deserve all these?
but thinking that the God is so gracious, He makes things worthy for us to have; i then stop asking and just enjoy and savor whatever i have.

truly, i am blessed. i will not elaborate on that, those who know me will no doubt attest to such. :)
my Christmas prayer is, for God to bless those have shown to me the spirit of the Season all year round.
may He bless my family and friends who have been there; their love for me made all things possible.
their joy is to see me realize my dreams. they share my ups and downs as well.
indeed they are jewels worth keeping for a lifetime, and for eternity, if time permits:)

i am blessed with the 37th Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program where i was able to meet more than 300 young people across Japan and ASEAN, youths who share the same aspiration with me and that is no less - create the best world we all deserve.

through the program, i was able to have new sets of wonderful families who inspired me to have one of my own.
these families considered me like their own. i never felt i was a stranger to them even on our first meeting.
i am truly blessed to have families in the countries we have visited, a family that is not defined by the time we have spent together but by the special bond we have developed.

i had also meaningful encounters with new friends, they were the ones who have shown warm hospitality to us when we were in their communities. their interactions and assistance meant a lot!

could you blame me if i would assert that it has been a Christmas to me all year round? ^^
surely, Christmas spirit has been manifested into my life way before the Christmas day.
i hope we all realize that we do not need Christmas season to show how we value and love each other.
if you only choose to be a blessing to others everyday, you can!
i can then imagine how beautiful this world will be.
may we never forget the essence of celebrating Christmas, upholding the value of Love through selfless giving just what the Father did:)
Merry Christmas to us all!
malou

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Homestay Lessons

i want to believe that the heart of SSEAYP is the homestay program in the countries of the ports of call.
nothing beats the direct immersion in a home in learning the culture of people and the society where they live in.

i am deeply overwhelmed by my homestay experiences. thus, i feel the need to share this with others.
oh by the way, i want to share that i keep a journal on this SSEAYP journey but i always fail to update it during homestays. well, it is not that i am too busy, that i do not have time to jot down what happened on those days and what my insights were, but is more on my fear - i was afraid not to give justice to the experiences and encounters i had for no amount of words could encompass what my heart truly feels. but then again, here i am, trying to put together words to at least give others a picture of my overwhelming experiences in the countries i have visited. :)

In Japan, where my first homestay was, i have learned hospitality. My foster mom has been a host to more than a hundred foreigners visiting Japan. She never ceases to offer her home to strangers.

In Malaysia, i have learned kindness and sincerity. The family that took us was not actually the original family assigned to us but they were just too kind to bring us back to their home together with the two male PYs (Participating Youths) they already have. They let us experience Malaysian culture in the best way they can and they never made us feel we are less favored. They treated us equally and they have loved us unconditionally.

In Thailand, i have learned love and the importance of time for the family. My family inspired me more to build my own. My foster parents always give top priority to their family even if they have their own preoccupations. My younger sister realizes how blessed she is and that she develops a very good disposition in life. At 10, i cannot believe that my sister Mint, thinks maturely; at some point, even matured than i do.haha

In Indonesia, I learned sisterhood, enthusiasm towards life and love for learning. My family together with my two other mothers went out their way to bring us around, we had a lot of exchanges on the car while waiting in the heavy traffic jam.those delays have been a blessing for us to have a lot of time to get to know each other more and learn from each other's differences and similarities.

In Singapore, I have learned patience and faith. My family might have a couple of preoccupations but they still manage to make things work for their children. In everything that they do, what they have in mind is what's good for their children, special concerns are being dealt with accordingly. By the way, this is the only country that i was able to visit a church and i am just so happy about it.

In Vietnam, I have learned friendship, adventure and importance of community. Truly, things are a lot better when done with a group. I appreciate it very much when people pull their resources together, go out their way to make things possible for us.

Looking back, I cannot deny that i am so blessed. Sometimes i am still crazy to ask whether i deserve such bliss or not. It leaves me on recalling how have i dealt with others, was i this good enough to deserve the outpour of blessings? But, yes, this is all from God, i should not be questioning in the first place.

I am a whole lot better person with this whole trip. Truly, no amount of priceless gifts can match the TIME consciously devoted by my foster families just to let me and my homestay sisters fit in on their very busy schedules.

May God unceasingly bless them all. Amen.

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