To my dear friends in Christ;
Kamusta na kayong lahat diyan? It seems I’m having trouble receiving email traffic from the SFC Muntinlupa egroups, although Pearl confirmed that you received my previous “Letters”. Anyway, I always hope to receive individual emails from all of you – anything from chika-chika, to problems, and to old, plain and simple kamustahan. It would be a source of upliftment and encouragement for me, lalong-lalo na ngayong malayo ako sa inyo at sa iba ko pang mga loved ones.
Mahirap talaga ang buhay-Saudi. I don’t know where people got the notion that Saudi Boys are pa-easy-easy lang; marami at madaling makakuha ng pera; at puro good time. It’s completely the opposite here. But there are also light moments here that I would cherish.
One example is this incident when I went to Batah ( it’s like the Divisoria and Baclaran here in Riyadh, particularly in the Pinoy Market area, para mamasyal (nakaka-buryong naman kasi talaga!!! ). I was wearing this t-shirt that my father sent me. It was a t-shirt that he bought from Bangladesh, while he was working there. It has a very nice rubberized picture printed in the front with the word “Bangladesh” in clear, bold letters below the picture. Now, in Batah, most of the store vendors are Bangladeshi guys, and they were making a big deal of my wearing a t-shirt with “Bangladesh” printed on it. They were very surprised why a clearly Filipino guy would wear a t-shirt such as this. I was wondering why my t-shirt elicited such a reaction from them.
Then it dawned on me. The Bangladeshi people are considered one of the cheapest and the lowest of the low in Saudi’s labor force – while the Pinoy is way up there on top of the ladder. They really look up to us Pinoys as “above” their class. No wonder their eyes bulged when they saw me wearing a t-shirt like that. It would have been different if they saw me with a t-shirt saying Chicago Bulls, Italy or even Cebu….. but Bangladesh…. a… a….
The Bangladesh people are not the only ones who look up to the Pinoy this way, but the other nationalities as well – Nepali; Pakistani; Indian; Sudanese; Thailanders; etc. Even the western nationals – the Brits and the Yanks – would choose a Pinoy over the other nationals any day. But you know what, we Pinoys tend to be rude and arrogant to other nationalities because of that – even to our own. Let’s face it – the Pinoy has many strengths, even rivaling what the rest of the world has to offer – but we also have flaws that tend to negate these strengths, pulling us all down – specially with regards to our kalokohans.
In a society where a man could not associate with a woman in public unless they’re married – Pinoys still find ways to have “dates” – irregardless of their date’s marital status, if you know what I mean. In a society where possession of liquor is punishable by law ( in the old days, it would be a death sentence) – Pinoys still have a way to make their own homemade brew, and make profits out of it. ( Not only liquor, but even drugs. ) In a society where gambling is prohibited – Pinoys flourish with Pusoy, Tong-its, Mahjong, the local version of huweteng, and I’ve heard even sabong. ( There’s a whole lot more, and this prompted me to write about it as a script which I submitted to Star Cinema. I’ll share that to you later on. )
These things tend to pull the Pinoy down. But those who perpetrate these things are even proud that they can get away with it – and alas, most Pinoys here would agree. Blame it on homesickness, they would say . Yeah, that word again – homesick.
I think I’ve written to you before how homesickness could really gnaw up to your bone marrow, for someone who’s away from their loved ones for a long time – just like me. But in these hours of weakness, in these moments of vulnerability, who do we turn to? Just like David, we turn to Him:
“ The Lord is my strength and my shield,
in him my heart trusts. ”
Psalm 28:7 RSV
For the Lord said :
“ God said I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. ”
Isaiah 41:10 RSV
And He Himself showed us the way :
“ For we do not have a High Priest who is unable
to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One
who has been tempted in every way, just as we are –
yet was without sin. ”
Hebrews 4:15 NIV
Paul was one of the greatest Apostles, although he was not one of the original Twelve. He was entrusted by God surpassing wisdom and knowledge never before revealed to man – and thus he was tasked with the ministry of bringing the Good News to the gentiles – to us. And yet, he did not boast of this greatness, nor let it get into his head. In fact, he himself said :
“ If I must boast, I will boast of the things
that shows my weakness. ”
2 Corinthians 11:30 NIV
Bible scholars say that Paul has some form of deformity in his body. Some say he may have been a hunchback and others speculate that he may have been a Stigmata ( having a wound identical to Christ – and it won’t heal ). And any of these things came upon him during his ministry to the gentiles. He himself chronicled this in his letter :
“ To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a THORN IN MY FLESH a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me, but He said to me, ‘My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s Power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong . ”
2 Corinthians 12: 7-10 NIV
“My Power is made perfect in WEAKNESS,” that’s what Jesus said to Paul – and the same applies to us. It’s during the time of weakness that we should rely more on Him – in fact we should rely everything on Him. The more we put our trust in Him, the more His power in us is made more evident.
Easily said than done, ‘di ba? In times of weakness, in times of loneliness, in times of brokenness – we tend to lose our trust in Him. We rely more on what we know we have – our own strength – and tend to lose whatever faith we got.
But if we learn to rely more on Him in everything – lalong-lalo na sa mga oras na walang-wala na talagang pag-asa or give-up ka na – we’ll soon discover that He really is true to His promises; that He really is our refuge and strength, a very present help ( take note of the word “present” meaning timing) in times of trouble ( Psalm 46:1). I know – I’ve experienced it first hand so many times. And taking Paul’ example :
“ I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength . ”
Philippians 4: 12-13 NIV
“ I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Wow! Strong words, strong implications – but these are not merely words, mind you.
How can we learn to trust in Him? Know His Promises. And how do we do that? – by contemplating on His Word. You know, there are times when I really feel down. Even though I’ve just talked with Mommy Jing or Kenji on the phone, once you’ve been hit by homesickness, it really gets kind of lonely out here. What do I do? I gain strength through His Words. In this strict society where other religion is banned, I happen to accidentally ( if I could really term it an “accident” as this has been one of “mysterious ways” from God ) found a small booklet called “Daily Strength”. True to its title, His Words that is contained in this small booklet really sustains me, for, as the first Scripture reference in this book says :
“ That… by the encouragement of the Scriptures
we might have hope . ”
Romans 15:4 RSV
So, my brothers and sisters, learn to trust in Him. As the song goes, “…lean not on your own understanding”. In times of weakness – look to Him – and you’ll find strength – His Strength.
At the precise moment that I’m writing this letter, I was also communicating with Pearl ( thru SMS ) that you guys are there together with the Couples at the CFC Family Ministries Anniversary. Wow, I sure do hope I could be there with you so we could rock the place together. Anyway, I know that He, the Rock Himself, is there with you…. to give you STRENGTH in everything. See ya later!!!
Shalom,
Brod. Pete
“ I lift up my eyes to the hills,
from whence does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved,
He who keeps you will not slumber.”
Psalm 121:1-3 RSV
“Letters from my Sojourn”
© 2008 by Peter Allan Mariano
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