Message/Lessons Learned from Ondoy and Pepeng

As I reflect and see what happened during the past week, aside from typhoon Ondoy and Pepeng coming into our lives, there seems to be a SUPER TYPHOON of VALUES and LESSONS learned from everything that has happened.  I was right when I said GOD HAS A REASON FOR EVERYTHING and He seems to be sending us many signals and messages.  It is so abundant that it is FLOODING  our hearts! ( Heart2Heart normally does not write a lot, but do take time out to read this )

 

1.)  CHARITY 

Filipinos are very quick in HELPING.  Immediately, people were organizing task forces, everyone donating, Filipinos form all over the world, even non Filipinos helping our country!

 I heard that even victims were helping other victims! Thank you to everyone for your kind and generous hearts!

 ” when you find yourself in a position to help someone, be glad. god is answering that person’s prayer through you”

 How You can Help?  September 28, 2009

Starbucks and The Ateneo Taskforce Ondoy September 28, 2009 

What You can Do for Typhoon Ondoy Victims September 28, 2009 

Bawat Pilipino  Bayani September 29, 2009

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2.)  God has a reason for everything

And God is With Us September 29, 2009 

There are 2 versions, watch both

RELIGIOUS

CHANGE ARGENTINA to PHILIPPINES

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POLITICAL

Related entry:  Posted in  Heart2Heart in 2007  ( This is the TRUTH December 31, 2007 )

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3.)  Prayer

The Power of Prayer October 2, 2009 

The Beauty of Prayer October 3,  2009 

 “God knows our prayers even when we cannot find words to say them for god knows our hearts better than we do.   We often get impatient and take things into our own hands, but god says,”be quiet, trust me, i know your needs better than you do. just wait, let me work and give you the best.””  

 “Be aware that god’s answers are wiser than your own. “ William Culbertson 

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4.)  Gratitutde

Aren’t we all suddenly so grateful for everything we have?  For those who were spared, aren’t you grateful you still have your house- no matter how small, no matter how old, no matter what state you are in you have a place to live in? You cannot imagine how GRATEFUL I am for EVERY SINGLE little thing that we have been blessed with 

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*   some tips to live by:

1) make your future bigger than your past.

2) make your contribution bigger than your reward.

3) make your performance greater than the applause.

4) make your gratitude greater than your success.

 

*   those who thank god even in trials turn the burden into blessings. so keep your faith close to your heart and god shall provide the comfort you need.

*   if the only prayer we say in our entire life is ‘thank you, lord,’ that would be enough. gratitude makes us see our many blessings.

*   at times, god fills our cup full and running over, not so we can boast or brag, but so we can spill over into the lives of others.

*   if you cannot be grateful for what you have received, then be thankful for what you have been spared. yiddish proverb

*   in all things, always remember to give thanks. you might not be where you want to be but neither are you where you used to be. if it hasn’t happened yet, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. remember a delay is not a denial from god; in his own time, he will make all things beautiful.

*   “a thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.” marcus tullius cicero

*   may god give us wisdom to hold things lightly, to let things go, to give attention to things that last forever, and, to simplify our life for his glory. 

 

5.)  Preparing ourselves

 Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic,  wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. 

As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. “Are you a good farm hand?” the farmer asked him.

“Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,” answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man’s work. 

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, “Get up! A storm is coming!  Tie things down before they blow away!” 

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, “No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.”

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured.

Everything was tied down. 

Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew. 

When you’re prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the  wind blows through your life? 

The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God. We don’t need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the middle of storms. 

 Super Typhoon Pepang Checklist October 2, 2009

 

 6.)  PINOY SPIRIT

 Once again the Filipino spirit is alive… This proves how Filipinos are so good in trying to find ways to get out of a bad situation and turn it into a happy one.  No matter how serious the crisis, filipinos take the time to find humour in it. 

 We have been through so much, that we are so strong, WE WILL SURVIVE ANYTHING!

From Rocio Pantaleon

 compliments of my friend Jackie Mendoza : My kumare asked these men,: “mga bakla ba kayo?” sabi nila,”hindi. pero eto lang ang dumarating na tulong e. suotin na

namin.” still taken at bgy bagong silangan, payatas, qc.

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From emodeadsick

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So WHAT NOW?

CLEANING UP and MOVING FORWARD

Continous efforts are being done to feed and send donations to the victims.  After we have all maxed out our ability to give financially, how do we move on and  have a long term solution for all of this?

Heart2Heart is not looking anymore at photos of what happened during the storm or what donations are being made…….Heart2Heart is now  on the lookout for people organizing CLEAN UP TASKFORCES, photos showing  signs of recovery – people cleaning up,  people moving on, people doing something to help our country even in their own little way..

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 YOU CAN DO IT IF YOU JUST BELIVE!

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Related Entries:

How You Can Help?  September 28, 2009 

Starbucks and the Ateneo Taskforce Ondoy  Sept. 28, 2009

What you can do for typhoon Ondoy victims  Sept. 28, 2009

And God is with us September 29, 2009 

Bawat Pilipino Bayani September 29, 2009 

How to Clean up After a Flood September 30, 3009 

The Power of Prayer October 2, 2009

Super Typhoon Pepeng Checklist  October 2, 2009

The Beauty of Prayer October 3, 2009   

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2 Comments

  • krie says:

    let’s also not forget (1) climate change and (2) failure to build the right infrastracture that are major reasons for this tragedy… let’s go back to the root causes of these tragedies and try to solve the problems at that level too 🙂

  • Hindy says:

    This is great, Rics. Thank you! And you’re super right, Krie!! I hope each of us now carry the proper consciousness as caretakers of our ONLY home. We have nowhere else to go. So I hope we really dig deep and use our minds (our intelligence), our hearts (our compassion), and our hands (our will, determination and humanity) to show our planet – so amazing and beautiful as it is – that we truly deserve it. We can start by giving relief goods in reusable bags , NOT plastic bags. We can start by sending healthier food. We can start by using less bottled water. We can start by carpooling. We can start by ….. hahaha! Fill in the blanks. The list goes on and on. One step at a time.

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