Embarking On A Solo Journey

Posted on January 29, 2024 by Christine Lailani

I find it a little unusual that I am about to embark on a new journey with a new set of challenges and yet I have reached that point where I am at peace with everything. In fact, I’m very much looking forward to this new journey I already listed out so many plans though I know that God can change them any minute according to His will. And yet I am not a bit worried. I believe there’s only one explanation for this – God’s grace. 🙏🙂

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:7

My husband and I have agreed that whether he decides to work abroad or work here in Manila, I will go back to Bicol and live there. In other words, our decision to live separately whether he’s working here or abroad still remains. I told him I just can’t see my purpose here in Manila, and God is calling me to serve there in Bicol. God gave us the opportunity to stay in my hometown during the last quarter of 2022 until 2023 to find out if the provincial life is for him or not, see the situation at the farm, assess what needs to be done, and to also take care of Mom.

What 2022 And 2023 Were All About

The good thing about going back home in 2022 was that we got to see for ourselves that the farm indeed requires a lot of work and our initial plan to have a poultry farm project might have to wait. Our current challenge is the electricity installation which takes quite a long time before the application can be approved since the area is far from the town proper. Without electricity, it’ll be hard to find a farm caretaker who will live on the farm. And without a farm caretaker, we can’t start farm projects that have high-value products.

So, while waiting for the electricity to be installed, I told my husband that I would help him invest his earnings from his work abroad should he decide later on to retire early. And also, he will have a fallback because the future is very unpredictable. We don’t know if the next day there will be a WWIII and economic recession, which will most likely result in retrenchment, repatriation of overseas workers, migration issues, etc.

I’m currently studying recession-proof investment opportunities that won’t incur huge financial losses should the market demand decline given the country’s economic outlook for this year onwards. If God wills it that the investment commences according to the projected timeline, the profit will be added to his savings so he can use it to reinvest for business expansion or to try other investment vehicles. I told him this was my way of returning all the favors he did to help me when we were taking care of Mom at the hospital i.e. driving me to the hospital and back home, buying the meds while I stayed in the hospital room with Mom, massaging Mom because she chose him over me (😀), etc.

What Is It About Bicol As My Favorite Earthly Home

Why go back to Bicol if the farm projects were put on hold? God actually made me realize there are plenty of opportunities that I can explore in our community. I also have this urge to serve and give back to the community since this is our indoctrination in UP as an “Iskolar ng Bayan.” I also have plans to pursue a master’s degree again, but in agribusiness this time if God wills it. I was eyeing Bicol University Graduate School and already inquired back in 2021 if they held online classes for their MS Agribusiness course since face-to-face classes weren’t allowed back then.

Unfortunately, I still have to attend a couple of in-person classes if ever I get in and the campus is in Guinobatan, Albay. I did find another option offered by Bicol University Open University which is their Master in Management course. But, I still prefer a degree that is related to agribusiness. I just thought my siblings and I would benefit from this once we take over our family’s agribusiness. The transition has already started and my siblings and I need to learn everything double time because we don’t have any formal training/basic education in farming and agriculture. It was easy for Dad to manage farm duties because his work as a Civil Engineer at the National Irrigation Administration somehow made it possible for him to hit 2 birds with 1 stone.

Dare To Dream, Care To Serve

I was also considering going back to teaching as a faculty in college and teaching English Literature though I will be more effective in handling Writing classes. I could use my work experience since 2017 as a content writer in the digital marketing/e-commerce industry, which is one of the in-demand jobs right now. Another great opportunity that I am looking into is conducting summer writing workshops for high school and college students. I can also explore teaching opportunities in SpEd (Special Education). If God wills it, I also plan to pursue a doctorate degree much later on in life if it is still necessary.

It is also my dream to work in the public office and be part of the marketing/public relations division. I am also contemplating if it’ll be better if I become a public school teacher instead and help train young minds to create a resilient future. I studied in public schools my entire student life from grade school until grad school, and I observed that there is still more that can be done with our current educational systems. But if I will be a teacher in high school or grade school, I will need to renew my professional license and take CPD units for teachers.

Always Searching For God’s Will In Everything

Yes, the opportunities are endless. And yet it all boils down to knowing what we really want, and if what we want is also aligned to what God wants for us. Choosing for me is difficult because I have to carefully weigh the options considering other priorities and obligations, which will include farm duties. I am forever grateful to God though for these opportunities and yet I know these career goals and plans to pursue graduate studies can only happen given that I am 100% healthy. If not, working from home is the only choice I have.

So, I decided it would be best to rent a place in Sorsogon City and stay there from Friday until Monday because I will be attending Sunday church services in Victory Sorsogon. I already inquired about their Victory group/Bible study group, but unfortunately, they only meet during weekdays. So I’m praying I’ll find one that meets on Friday or Monday because from Tuesday to Thursday, I plan to be in my hometown, which is a 2-hour trip from Sorsogon City. I also plan on doing volunteer work in the church, so I have to be in the city during weekends.

Looking for a safe place to stay in Sorsogon City will be my first task when I get back to Bicol. I see it as the top priority, especially if I will need regular medical consultations, checkups, and treatments. Traveling back and forth from Bulan to Sorsogon City on a regular basis won’t be advisable. And I also don’t want to be a burden to my husband or my family because I know how emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausting it is to take care of a sick loved one.

Health Is Always Wealth, As They Say

The result of my repeated urinalysis last December actually showed that my RBC is still high even after a week of taking antibiotics, and it is still above the normal range. My second sister who’s a nurse in Norway told me I still have an infection and she’s suspecting it’s from dislodged kidney stones, and I might be asymptomatic for now. I actually have not met up yet with an internist at St. Luke’s Hospital because I don’t want to distract my husband since he is currently preparing for his exam. If I will be required to undergo further tests, it will definitely disrupt his plans. I am going back to Bicol anyway, and the doctors there might require that all of my tests should be repeated. So I thought I might as well do the tests when I’m already there.

The only other symptoms I have now are the rashes on my cheeks triggered by prolonged sun exposure when my husband and I started planting the forage plants last year. These skin flare-ups subside every time I take Coaltria, and I take this medicine daily. Coaltria was prescribed by my ENT doctor in 2022 for my severe allergic rhinitis.

I did a little bit of research and my rashes looked like a butterfly rash. I also have trigger fingers or it could be early signs of arthritis. And this led me to think that maybe I have lupus just like Kris Aquino. By the way, one thing you need to know about me is that if my Mom had white coat syndrome, I’m the opposite because I’m a hypochondriac. lol

So I did my research on lupus and found this ongoing study by Yale School of Medicine on how the lupus antibody can be used to treat breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Speaking of breast cancer, I am hoping Mom’s oncologist there in Bicol will be my doctor, too (Hello, Doc Leones! 😊). I hope he still has a Saturday schedule at the hospital in Sorsogon City where Mom was confined. He already knows our breast cancer history so maybe it might help in studying my case. I also would like to ask him about BRCA 1/2 gene mutation testing and know what my options are to reduce the risks of getting breast cancer if I don’t have it yet. My doctor will most probably say, “Christine, we have a lot of work to do because you’ve been delaying your medical checkup for a long time.” Well Doc, I guess Science can never come up with a cure for stubbornness. lol But of course, my answer will be something like this: “I’ve been preparing for it, Doc. Let’s get started, it’s about time.“

Seeing Problems Differently

I actually have a different approach when looking at problems. This is maybe the result of training myself over the years to always look at things from a different perspective and to go beyond what exactly is presented in front of you more like looking for the good in every bad situation. Or person even. So let’s say my doctor tells me I need to go through chemotherapy. Instead of looking negatively at the side effects of chemo, I’m going to see going bald, for instance, as an opportunity to try different hairstyles through wigs. I also get to try new hair colors because my hair is resistant to any type of hair dye.

So before my chemo session starts, I will already shave my head and start using a wig. I won’t wait until my hair starts falling off one by one because it will only trigger anxiety and depression. I already witnessed it with Mom. I just did not tell her because she loved it every time I combed her hair. I told her instead that the “Donya” hair bun I made for her looked really good on her. 😊 I also want to test if it’s uncomfortable to wear a wig for a long time, especially during hot and humid days.

If my doctor also tells me that it is best if I undergo a double mastectomy/lumpectomy like what my grandmother had (she lived up to 93 years old and Mom had a unilateral mastectomy in the 1990s before her breast cancer recurred), I am also going to look at it as an opportunity to maybe have my “dream breasts” should I opt to have breast reconstruction surgery later on. I call them “dream breasts” because they look like the ones that some actresses have which don’t move to the sides when lying down. 😁✌️

If I still have extra funds and my health is back to normal, I would like to use these funds to sponsor a child battling cancer who lacks the finances to get all the treatments.

God Does Things His Way Though We Can Also Have Prayer Requests

Right now, I’m actually in the process of bargaining with God that I’ll do anything He asks even if I sacrifice a lot of things but in return, He keeps me healthy because I still have a lot of things that I want to do and accomplish not only for me but for other people, too, such as the hospice facility.

The plan actually was originally intended for me and my siblings when we grow old because my eldest sister is the only one among us who has kids. I am targeting that the hospice facility will be completed once we’re in our late 60s if God wills it we reach this age. That will be 30 to 40 years from now. Maybe by then, a hospice facility will be feasible enough. If not, then my proposition is that we will use the project site for our retirement homes instead.

We are a family of planners. However, we are also well aware that plans change. I also look like I have already planned out everything and yet believe me when I say that these are the times when I just don’t have everything figured out.

I actually shared with one of my spiritual moms in church (Hi, Tita Lulu! 🥰) last year that I plan to use the remaining months of 2023 and the first few months of 2024 to sort out my life. She answered me with the best response, “Anak, hindi ikaw ang magaayos ng life mo kundi ang Dios. Hayaan mo Sya. Let go of the need to control everything, and let God take control.”

What Are We Leaving Behind That Will Not Be Forgotten

So why share all of these with the world? I know the world has this rule to not share your plans, but share the accomplishments and what you have achieved so far. We live in a result-oriented world where success is measured by achievements and accolades. The Bible also has a similar reminder to not say that you plan to put up a business in a particular place and make a profit from it. But the Bible also mentioned that we can actually say so but in a way that God will still have the final say on how our plans will turn out (James 4:13-17).

I just want to add that our intentions for sharing are what we should actually look into because I believe not everything we share is about boasting. Personally, I intend to share my life’s journey whether I fail or succeed in my endeavors. I’m a divergent and I don’t conform to the patterns of this world so my definition of success is different from the world’s definition of it. It is also not my purpose to make this blog a bragging wall. I believe that the process itself is as important as the result. My readers can learn from my experience and avoid making the same mistakes I did.

This is why I called my blog “The Journeyman’s Moments.” I am an apprentice, a student of life. The journey matters to me more. This blog is the legacy I want to leave behind as long as the IoT is here to stay. Because I don’t know if I will still be here tomorrow, next week, next month, or in the years to come. I hope that all the experiences I shared here will offer ideas and insights to whoever will stumble upon this blog in the future.

Thus, I am embracing and once again sharing this new journey with an open mind, a brave heart, and a grateful soul. And yet more importantly, I ask, “What else do You have in store for me in this new season, Lord, that You want me to share with the world?” 🙏

P.S. This is a very long read because I might not be able to share some updates once these plans start rolling, and I become extremely busy. But, I promise to find the time to share every twist and turn of my life’s journey. I also want to write a poem or two for you all because well, “love month” is here. Share the love, as they say. But I say, share it every day. ❤️😉

P.P.S. Stay tuned if the plans I listed above panned out as expected or if God has a different plan like 100% totally different. 😀

Kwento Ni Kam, Kwento Ng Pagasa

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Christine Lailani

I originally posted this as a caption of a photo on Facebook. It was supposed to be one paragraph long. But, as we all know it, writers often end up writing more than just a paragraph. Voila, it became an article. 😅

This is written in the vernacular, and once again, I am putting my hopes on Google to make a fine job in translating it for you, my dear readers.

Sa bawat bad news na natatanggap namin ni Bri, binabalanse ito ng Dios with good news. Na para bang sinasabi Nya an “patuloy kayong umasa sa Akin at huwag sa mga circumstances nyo sa paligid.”

Parang itong si Kam (kamatis). Umabot sa punto na nag-50/50 sya. Ilang araw nalanta, nanilaw, namatay ang ibang dahon, at natuyo ang ibang flower buds. Ni-try ko syang i-revive na may kasamang dasal sa Panginoon.

Pero sure ako sa nakikita ko na walang matutuloy na mga bulaklak at ‘di na rin sya mamumunga. Pakiramdam ko nga tuluyan na syang mamamatay at mauuwi sa wala ang halos 4 mos naming pag-aalaga sa kanya.

Pagasang Hirap Hagilapin

Ito ang aming “panganay” sa aming mga tanim sa pagsimula ng quarantine. May mga times na gusto ko syang palitan dati dahil wala naman akong makitang mga buds. Kasing tangkad ko na rin sya dahil indeterminate variety sya, ang hirap nya i-stake.

Gusto ko syang sukuan in other words. Pero mas pinili kong patuloy syang alagaan, hinanapan ng paraan ang stake nya, at habol ko na lang is dagdag sa clean air ang mga dahon nya kung sakali mang ‘di sya mamunga. At dahil nga sa nag-50/50 sya, parang mas gusto ko na talaga syang palitan ng iba ngayon.

Magandang Balita Sa Kabila Ng Lahat

Ngunit noong Sabado, biglang nagbago ang lahat. Ang asawa ko ang nakapansin na nag-open na iba nyang mga flower buds.

At ang kulay pala ng bulaklak ng kamatis ay dilaw (first-time tomato grower here 😃). The color YELLOW symbolizes HOPE.

Alam kong hindi coincidence itong lahat. Yaong sya ang una kong tanim, maraming hirap at sakripisyo ang binuno sa kanya, muntik ng mamatay, at nabuhay sya sa panahon kung saan napakagulo ng paligid.

God knows what we need at exactly the right time. He knows we need something/someone to encourage us to keep on hoping against hope.

Kahit pa sobrang labo at hirap ng sitwasyon natin ngayon. Pero ito ang hinihingi Nya sa atin – to wait and to trust Him completely. Nasa atin na lang kung gagawin natin ito o hindi. 👍🏼

A hopeful gardener who’s always willing to wait,

P.S.

Napakahalaga ang discernment kung kailan tayo mag-aantay at kailan tayo kikilos kapag nag-utos na ang Dios. Dahil kung tayo pa din ang gagawa ng solusyon sa lahat, we end up frustrated, disappointed, at nabe-burnout. Parang ako kay Kam.

Ngunit hindi rin pwedeng mag-antay na lang tayo forever at walang gagawin. Ika nga sa Bible, “faith without deeds is dead.” It is finding the right balance between faith and deeds that makes what we do a success and a fulfilment.

And always, kailangan nakabatay ang ating mga ginagawa sa mga plano ng Dios. Not our will, but let His will be done. 🙏

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “These are plans to PROSPER you and not to harm you. Plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE.” – Jeremiah 29:11 ❤️

P.S.2

Do take note that “prosperity” in the Bible doesn’t always mean wealth and worldly possessions. Kasama ang mga ito. But it could also be prosperity o kasaganaan sa good health, sa peace, sa love, etc.

Why Bicol Region Might Just Be The Best Place To Invest In Come 2020 Onward

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Christine Lailani

Hello, everyone! Nope, I haven’t forgotten at all to write anything here on WordPress. I just had a lot of things going on in the past weeks. God, however, never fails to remind me because though I was inactive for more than a month already, I still keep on getting blog “Follows” and post “Likes.”

Thank you, all, for dropping by my site and showing your love. May you be blessed as you read along and God’s revelations be known to you as well. ❤

From A Promise-Keeper To Another Promise-Keeper

I bet God’s reminder to me through all of you is His way of saying, “My child, don’t forget the promise you made back in 2013 when I saved you that you will make this online journal a testimony of your spiritual journey.” 😀

Yes, Lord. I haven’t forgotten at all. In fact, I now have 64 drafts. Some of them are half-finished while some drafts contain only one word to remind me about the theme of the story.

I originally came up with an editorial calendar to make publishing on a regular basis way easier. But, I guess that it is not how God really intended it to be since I write based on the Spirit’s leading, and it has always been this way ever since I started this blog.

Anyway, let me end the long intro here and start today’s topic, which is one of the reasons why I was hibernating here on WordPress – the family business in Bicol.

How the Rice Tarrification Law is Affecting the Rice Farmers Now

In my previous article entitled “The Role of Climate Change and Rice Tarrification Law in Rice Production: Agri Talk,” I discussed what the RTL covers and how the mandate is supposed to benefit both the rice producers and consumers.

Several months passed since the bill was implemented, and Dad’s assumptions that it will negatively affect the rice farmers are right. When my brother, sis-in-law, and I went to our home province last September, a majority of the rice farmers all over the country are expressing their sentiments to abolish the law.

The cheaper imported rice may have been a solution to most rice consumers, but the local rice struggled to compete with it. This resulted in a lower buying price for the local rice – way too low that farmers no longer gain any profit considering the high expenses involved in rice farming from planting to harvesting.

Local farmers, in fact, had to borrow money in order to recover the losses incurred during this season’s harvests. My Dad plans to skip cropping seasons in the meantime that market prices for local rice are low.

The Rice Farming Business Through The Decades

Our rice farming business is an additional source of income, and our parents relied on it to support all our needs when we were in college.

My parents told us how their salaries as working professionals (grade school teacher and engineer) were not enough to support all our needs. Copra production is also another alternative source of income for my parents, however, the buying price of coconuts is also very low.

Both of my parents are retired now and receive a monthly pension. My siblings and I also have our own careers. But what concerns my parents more now is the situation of our palay farm workers who rely on the planting and harvesting seasons to earn an income.

My Dad told me that should we skip a couple of cropping seasons (that’s every 6 months per annum), our farm workers will have no other choice but to look for other means to earn an income. Most of them are skilled in rice farming only so looking for other types of jobs will be difficult for them.

Some of them will leave their families behind to come here to Manila and work as construction workers. My Dad fears that those who do not have this privilege, considering the expensive bus fares going to Manila, might end up joining the New People’s Army to get money to feed their families.

Support the Local Rice Farmers

The plight of rice farmers has created an uproar on social media. There were several collaborations and joint efforts done to support the local farmers such as what Session Groceries is doing. However, only the rice farmers located near and within Metro Manila will benefit from these collective efforts since a majority of the demand all over the country comes from the metro.

For those who are in far-flung provinces such as our rice farmers in Bicol, this isn’t an option. Because selling rice in Manila would mean costly trucking and handling fees. Our only option is to sell our palay to rice traders in the region.

As I type this, I can’t help but feel a little emotional. I have seen the difficult process of producing rice, the stress involved, the resources needed, the amount of money shelled out, and how some of our farm workers would ask my Dad for their salaries in advance to support their immediate needs.

They have been a part of our family for several generations now – yes, we already consider them as a family because they are the ones responsible for keeping our rice farming business running. We just finance the entire process, but they are the ones who do all the hard work, which is extremely difficult. Agricultural work is indeed and entails hard labor.

I see the RTL as a form of oppression to the entire local rice farming industry. If it will not be abolished and market prices for local rice don’t go back to normal, we have to start looking for better alternatives that have lasting solutions.

Just Wait Because God is Always on Time and Never Late

I have been asking God for answers as to why this has to happen. Why let Your people suffer? Why let those who are in the seat of power abuse those who are already disadvantaged? Why let the strong continue to oppress the weak?

And yet through those questions, God asked that I trust Him completely. He may not have revealed what His plans are and yet there is the assurance that He is working something good behind it all. He is always working even if we don’t see it.

Unfortunately, one of my personal struggles is being patient. I already learned a lesson on patience the hard way in terms of my career. It’s God’s calling I work from home. But since I am expecting positive results once I obey Him, I end up doing the other way around when my expectations aren’t met.

The last office job was God’s final warning for me. After just a couple of weeks working in an office setting, here came the health scare once again. I felt persistent pain in my chest, which prompted me to resign and go through several medical checkups.

Warnings To Heed

To some of you who don’t know yet, breast cancer was consistent in my family’s history starting from my great grandmother, grandmother, then to my Mom. They’re all cancer survivors.

God made me realize that the daily commute weakens my immune system faster. I believe God is telling me that He still has more for me to do and if I want to live a fulfilled life, I should obey His calling.

Aside from the health scare, the work-from-home setup also allows me to work anywhere. This means that if God calls me to be in my home province and help Dad manage our family business, I can go there anytime without disrupting my work schedule.

Setting Priorities Right

This isn’t as easy as it sounds though since the reason why I am still here in Manila is that hubby’s work is here, and he is still my first priority. Hubby doesn’t have any background in farming, and should we decide to live in Bicol for good, it will be a major change in his life. I think hubby isn’t ready for this shift yet.

And God knows that, too. So His answer was this, “Tin, wait. I am still not yet done working. You just have to wait.”

For someone like me who always do things according to the plan, impatience always gets the best of me. And yet, this is where God is teaching me the greatest lesson. Though I must admit I sometimes haggle my way through His plans by asking Him to give me even just some glimpses of what He intends to do.

God will reveal some of His plans and yet they are not always a clear picture. Because “His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.” He can only show us portions of His bigger plans, bits and pieces of them, because that is only how far our human mind could comprehend.

I have realized later on that God’s wisdom is not meant to be grasped nor even understood. It is only to be received in faith that will show our complete trust in His power and His sovereignty above all things.

A Glimpse of Future Investments

I don’t have the wisdom of God to put the pieces of a puzzle together. And yet, in these pieces that God reveals along the way, I can make out one word – HOPE.

The Bicol International Airport was set to be completed by 2020; the Bicol Fish Port is half-finished; the construction of the SLEX 4, which will cut 3-4 hours of the travel time from Bicol to Manila and vice versa, has already started; and SM is starting to build several branches in key cities in the Bicol Region including the city closest to us, which is Sorsogon.

Our hometown may not experience this rapid growth in urbanization just yet. But when it happens, it will also increase commercialization in the province which will then boost local revenues.

This means better employment opportunities and a better quality of life for everyone. I am praying that those who live in the provinces will no longer have to go to Metro Manila and search for stable job opportunities. Besides, the metro will also reach its saturation point. Time will come when it will no longer be a conducive and habitable place to live in given the traffic, congestion, and pollution.

A Shift in the AgriBusiness Industry

Some farmers fear it will be the dawn of the agribusiness industry if most of the lands will be converted to real estate developments. We’re hoping that not all of the agricultural lands will be converted and utilized for commercial and residential projects. We will still have a need for farmlands to produce vegetables, other crops, and raise livestock and address the increasing demand in food supplies.

I wrote in my previous article, “Agribusiness: The Future of Today’s Economy,” that agribusinesses will have a high demand as long as the local government will patronize local products. In our region, God is just starting to establish the market.

So this must be the reason why He is asking me to wait. My siblings and I are initially planning on utilizing another portion of our farm for organic farming and other projects. Our goal is to help the local community and use the idle land according to how our grandparents wanted it to be utilized.

We proposed the idea to our parents but they are not really open to it since it’s a new venture, and they’re unfamiliar with the entire process. My grandparents have grown vegetables but only for their daily consumption. My parents don’t have enough knowledge and experience growing organic vegetables on a wider scale.

The Plan

Competition may be tough. But with the increase in commercial establishments, especially in the food industry such as local restaurants, there will be a high demand for a wide range of agricultural products.

Commercial establishments will start looking for local suppliers as this is cheaper compared if their suppliers will come from the North such as in Benguet where most of Metro Manila’s vegetables are coming from. But can you grow one type of vegetable only and be the supplier for an entire region? Yes, it is possible. One hectare can already provide you a truckload or more of produce. If you own a huge parcel of land, you have more options for growing different kinds of crops.

My parents said this will be difficult since there are certain crops that will only grow on a particular type of soil. If these are vegetables, especially the leafy ones, they don’t have deep root systems. They thrive on rich topsoil. Some of them can be grown in pots just like what I did here in our condo.

I came up with a plan to conduct a“pilot testing” for several vegetables by planting a couple of them in our backyard to see which ones will thrive and which ones won’t. The soil in our garden can be tested along with the soil taken from our farm to compare if they are the same or not.

The experiment will run for an entire cropping season. Determining the crop that is best suited to a particular type of soil will depend on the crop yield. If the crop produced a higher yield, then the percentage of it becoming a profitable venture is also high. It will also include all the expenses for organic fertilizers as well as the labor, and then I will compare it to the market price of the selected crop.

If It is God’s Will, He Will Make a Way

And yet these are all just plans, and these plans may change or may never be fulfilled depending on God’s will. Right now, it is about waiting on His perfect time and acting according to His instructions. I asked for God’s guidance that if my plans are indeed part of His plans, may He lead me to the right resources and the right people who can help me and my siblings in this endeavor.

As typical of God, He never fails when you ask, especially if you are doing the tasks according to His will and His plans. Here are the links I found. Yes, I know, they are quite a lot, but they are all a very good read. Who knows, maybe God will also give you the answers you’ve been waiting from Him through these articles. 🙂

https://www.bworldonline.com/bicol-tops-regions-in-economic-growth/

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1068281http://nro5.neda.gov.ph/

https://psa.gov.ph/grdp/grdp-id/138508

https://www.lamudi.com.ph/journal/how-to-transfer-land-titles-in-the-philippines/

http://pfda.gov.ph/news/343-the-bulan-regional-fish-port-project

https://business.inquirer.net/233676/spotting-good-real-estate-investment

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6556762717389189120

While typing this article, I am also listening to my favorite playlist on Spotify, and it’s just timely that the song by Sinach was played twice. I believe this song is meant to be the perfect ending for this article focusing on this one thought – God will make a way for He is our Way Maker. ❤

I am posting two versions – the original version sung by Sinach in 2017 and the cover version sung by Leeland in 2019. 🙂

When God Leads, How Far Will You Follow?

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Christine Lailani

When something is new to us, these two are what we often feel – apprehension and fear. We automatically go through a moment of indecisiveness whether to try it or not, to follow or not. The question then is this, how many times did you push through with something you haven’t done before without any assurances of the outcome?

Following His Lead: Where Will It Take Me?

If you are a risk-taker, indecisiveness is not much of a problem. But dealing with the consequences, later on, can come pretty hard. I used to be a risk-taker, I actually still am for the most part. And yet, taking risks for me now comes with a lot of planning and contemplating and yes, lots of prayers.

“Is this what You want me to do, Lord?”

Did you come to a point where you asked God this question? I did, thousands of times actually. I believe every day requires I seek His permission first before I do things. This included my future plans and endeavors.

And yet it also came to the point that I was having second thoughts on whether to share my plans here (and they are many). I was feeling a strong desire to share them and yet something is holding me back.

As we are all aware of, this world runs on a “to see is to believe” mantra. Posting my plans without the assurance of them happening in the future will only be boasting. True enough, after I prayed what to do, God gave an answer through a verse I stumbled upon while browsing Godpreneur‘s IG newsfeed:

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

– James 4:13-17

Always His Will Be Done

I finally got the assurance – share your plans but share it in a manner that will honor God and His will, first and foremost. The verses reminded me that by sharing my plans, I have the responsibility to make them happen especially if they are according to God’s will. And yet it also reminded me that,

“You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” – Proverbs 19:21

When I shared my plans, it is not about boasting what I intend to do. It is, in fact, relying on faith and WHAT GOD WILL DO. This means that if the plans I mentioned failed, God has other plans other than what I originally planned. And yet if they push through, the plans are aligned with God’s plans.

On a deeper level, sharing what I have felt in my heart that I must share is about asking God to work His wonders whether plans fail or plans succeed. It is about letting the world know that we do what we need to do because God intended that it is His Name, His Glory, and His Power that will be proclaimed through our lives.

Do You Have the Heart to Follow Even When Everything Fails?

Yes. I believe failures are a part of God’s will for us to reach our destination. But for the most part of the journey and for the entirety of His purpose for us, this is what will stand – God’s plans will not fail. In fact, Jeremiah 29:11 always assures us that,

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11

Taking risks is tough, failing is even tougher. But what have we to lose if we do things according to His will and follow His leading?

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” – Hebrews 11:1

Always ready to follow His leading,

A Fishing And Agricultural Town In Bicol Region | BULAN

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Christine Lailani

I visited my hometown (Bulan, Sorsogon) just recently as soon as I had the opportunity to take a break from work. I’ve been meaning to ask my Dad regarding the particulars when it comes to palay production such as the financial report, the key Bicol terms used, and the step-by-step process.

Palay production is one of the oldest small businesses in the family for how many generations already starting from our great grandparents. Although the lands being utilized for palay initially belonged to my Mom as an inheritance, it’s my Dad who managed them for the most part.

My Mom and my grandma (aged 72 and 94 as of writing) some decades ago visiting the farm.

The aftermath of palay harvesting.

Engr. Daddy Farmer

There’s a reason why God chose Dad as Mom’s better half – he’s a civil engineer and formerly worked as a superintendent at the National Irrigation Administration (NIA). It was part of Dad’s tasks at work to oversee the irrigation system of the rice fields. A majority of Bicol’s lands is being utilized for agriculture and farming.

Dad and his palay superheroes. 😉

Dad, who is now 78 years old, was very impressed with what digital technology can do especially when I showed him the Microsoft Excel template I made for the financial report. That is, compared to his log notebooks now that are torn and tattered from constantly flipping the pages back and forth. 😀 He also does every computation manually – a solving technique that will be the death of me. Seriously.

I realized only now the extent of Dad’s responsibilities as an engineer and how he juggles everything together. All I know back when I was a kid is that he goes to the farm on weekends and on weekdays, he reports to the office. He held two offices – one in our town and one in the city as an OIC (officer-in-charge) during the later years of his service.

Indeed, being an engineer is not easy. But Dad is just the right person to manage the farm. It’s part of his duties as an engineer to manage a team, conduct accounting and financial reports, analyze how the irrigation systems work, make an assessment of risk factors, and a whole lot more of engineering stuff.

Bicol’s Farming Industry

Palay and rice are Bicol’s primary agricultural products followed by copra (cooked coconut meat processed and converted to coconut oil). These types of agribusinesses were proven to be feasible although Dad said current profit from palay harvest dropped compared to the previous decades. One of the reasons for the decline is the government’s decision to import rice abroad.

Rice planting season.

Circa 2010: Behind me are the perfect Mt. Mayon volcano and the rice fields.

Palay Stalk

Summer harvest.

My siblings and I plan to venture into organic farming. But our parents said it can follow at a later date. I agreed because organic farming will be relatively new to all of us, and it involves a wider scope of farming and management requirements. For now, my siblings and I are learning everything we can about it first.

My parents plan to utilize a certain portion of the larger farm based on the existing agricultural products we have and were proven to produce at a steady rate. I think this is my parents’ way of making sure the risks will be minimal compared if we will utilize a huge part of the property for an agricultural venture that we haven’t tried yet.

Transporting the harvested coconuts.

Some of the locals in our town dry this up and place several of them in a vase as preserved flower replicas.

Ripe coconut meat should be hard enough before harvested and converted into copra.

Dehusked coconut.

There are still lots of uses for these coconut husks. I am thinking about combining it with soil as mulch or potting medium.

This is how Dad’s coco superheroes lay down the coconuts before cooking.

The cooking has started.

Where there are smoke and the smell of coconut oil, there are coconuts. 🙂

How it looks like when they’re all cooked.

This is how it looks like up-close.

My parents are open to the idea of organic farming, but first things first – establish in-depth land preparation to make farming management easier. Also, it takes a long time for the paperwork to be processed. So while waiting, I asked God for His leading what we should do for now. His answers led us to the next steps – new opportunities came along in all forms depending on how God intends them to serve His purpose according to His timeline. There are times when I couldn’t pinpoint how we can benefit from a particular opportunity. But as typical of God, He will reveal it later on, and then I get to understand why.

While in Bicol, I was able to talk to my parents and my 3rd sister, who’s staying with them, about my parents’ vision for the farm. Unfortunately, our stay was too short I wasn’t able to show them me and my other siblings’ vision for the farm in the long run i.e. social enterprise, retreat center, etc.

But that can also wait. My parents know better regarding what needs to come first since they’ve been in the industry for how many decades already. And yet I believe the farm will benefit more from a combination of traditional ideas and farming practices implemented by our parents and new insights and innovative inputs from us.

Some 20 years ago. 😀 Me, our niece, and my 3rd sister.

Businesses Then and Now

Every business must fare well when it comes to adaptability if you want it to be self-sustaining and thrive in the industry. It is, therefore, necessary to transition from the old to the new or a mash-up of both. This is similar to what I learned from a recent financial seminar I attended – creating multiple streams of income. In other words, you have to keep your options open.

In business, I believe there is no “best of both worlds” policy but always a “win-win” situation. This setup is suitable if you want to avoid major losses that can lead to your business/es going bankrupt. To have not just one type of investment will assure you of a win-win setup because you don’t have to borrow money from lending institutions in case one investment channel is losing income instead of the other way around.

While talking to my parents and my sister, they shared other developments in our town that are to start soon. I was very relieved upon hearing the news. I even told my brother that the future is indeed very bright for the family’s projects. I continued that it is not without a purpose when God placed a desire in our hearts to utilize the property back in 2017. It looks like it is about time we do something about the calling. And yet, we still rely on our complete trust in God and how He wants things to take place including the timeline for the farm developments.

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” – Proverbs 19:21

Going back to the news, I saw them all as great opportunities for collective efforts and productive collaboration among the community, the government, and the private sectors. The timing is just right, indeed.

God is always a God of perfect timing, isn’t He? But we all know that perfect timing is always preceded by patiently waiting. It comes as no surprise that we were also placed on a standstill as far as developments are concerned to give way to these other major developments that will later on play a huge role in our farm projects.

It reminded me of this verse:

“Look at the nations and watch– and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” – Habakkuk 1:5

What Is the News all About

My apologies for running around the bush though but here it is. 😀 Can you still remember the Bulan Auxiliary Airport that I talked about in this article? News has it that the development will push through until it becomes fully operational. I still have to confirm this though.

In another news, the construction of the Bulan Fish Port in our town has already started. Yes, next to farming, fishing is one of the bustling livelihoods in our town. Dad said our coastal waters are thriving with fish sanctuaries. I am not sure if it has something to do with the geographical location of our town or God created them this way to serve His purpose. But, I believe in the latter.

Bulan’s coastline.

In yet another news is the Bicol International Airport in Legazpi city, which is now almost done.

The news did not stop here because I still got one more although it’s only a rumor because I lack sufficient data that will support it. There is a possibility of it not happening, but there’s a high chance it can also come true.

There is news going around of plans to utilize a property as a subdivision. This property is situated on the way to our farm. If this pushes through, I see it as another big market with consistent demand. And if God wills it we become a local supplier of agricultural products, this is going to be one big opportunity.

A Vision of the Future

I am not claiming I have the wisdom of God but what I only share are my visions, which cannot be interpreted entirely as God’s will. But maybe we can get a message or two from them.

I mentioned in a previous article that our town is a “sleepy town” because of the low revenues during most times of the year. With all these recent developments, it is not impossible for the town to become a city once urbanization and commercialization start ramping up. Though this means higher taxes, too.

I believe it is not by chance when I mentioned in my previous articles that maybe time will come our town will be the supplier in the Bicol region of basic commodities from agricultural products to seafood demands. And not just in the Bicol region but even across the globe.

I guess I was claiming it in my heart when I shared that it is my vision that the Philippines will be sending these products to other countries as our way of helping them alleviate problems of hunger and poverty. At the same time, an increase in revenues will also mean flourishing businesses which will provide more opportunities for the local community when it comes to other sources of livelihood and income.

Yes, I see all of these promising opportunities as a way to boost the country’s economy and one of the ways to alleviate poverty. The Bicol International Airport, the Bulan Auxiliary Airport, and the Bulan Fish Port are all reliable channels when transporting goods. Now, there are more options to transfer goods from one location to another and not just by land. This will help minimize logistics and shipping expenses as well as cut down the travel time while keeping all perishable goods in excellent condition.

Bulan’s Auxiliary Airport.

If the products are all in good condition when they are delivered to the buyer, you’re assured of having a regular client as far as the business partnership is concerned. And more importantly, consumers will have the best products on top of getting their money’s worth.

God Closes Doors Because He Knows the Right One for You

In another news, another God-given opportunity came along. I tried a lot of doors but God kept on closing them either because they rejected me or it was I who declined their offers. Why? He reserved this one particular career opportunity, which I earnestly prayed for – earn an income but the work schedule and location will allow me to manage the family project on the side.

I felt it in my heart to resign from my previous work after I asked God for His leading. I ended up with this new job where I get to deal with every data when it comes to real estate. Once again, it is like hitting two birds with one stone because it has something to do with properties. What I can gather from doing research at work, I get to apply it in our family project and vice versa.

“Land development is both an art and a science. It is an art that builds on creativity, instincts and vision to transform an idea from concept into reality. As a science, it systematically progresses through a series of activities to accomplish a successful outcome — a new development.” – Professional Builder

God is simply amazing, and He never fails to work His wonders all throughout even though there were times that I had to suffer for a while because I was waiting for His right time. And yet, what I suffered is nothing compared to the glory that He has reserved for us in the future. And I am not just talking about the good things here on Earth but what is in store for us after death – life in eternity.

Sometimes I get to think that what I do and everything I do now don’t really matter in the end. Because we all will leave this place anyhow. But I guess that is not God’s purpose for us – waiting for our dying day. His purpose for us is to do what He asked us to do while waiting. The way I see it is that all these things that happen around us are never for our own glory but for His glory.

He wants His Name to be proclaimed everywhere. Yes, nothing else but this. Nothing is far better than leaving a legacy that glorifies His Name to remember by. 🙏

To end this article, I’d like to share these verses which I stumbled upon Godpreneur’s IG profile (a reminder):

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

– James 4:13-17

Are you a business owner? You might want to ask God if our town will be part of your business ventures in the future, too. :-)

Agribusiness: The Future Of Today’s Economy

Posted on September 14, 2018 by Christine Lailani

With all the skyscrapers being built all around us, we can also expect a higher demand in commodities within the metro. When there is a high demand but limited supply, we can then expect an increase in the prices of goods.

What we can ask ourselves at this point is why is it that there is a limited supply? When I go to the provinces, I see a lot of idle lands that are not being utilized. If we are going to utilize them for crop production, this will then increase the number of supply and there’s a possibility the prices of the commodities and goods will also decrease once they reach the city where the demand is high.

This is easier said than done though because there are a lot of factors that are preventing farmers from utilizing agricultural lands on a wider scale. These factors are what my siblings and I are currently addressing in our endeavor now.

Photo courtesy: Unsplash

Agribusiness Venture

My family’s engaged in palay and copra production for how many decades already, and yet there are a lot of things that we still don’t know about agriculture and farming.

So I searched through the web what I can learn about agribusiness and farming. I was able to dig out a lot of online resources, and I’m actually enrolled in these online courses now. One of them is DA’s e-learning portal and this is how it looks like:

This is what currently preoccupies me most of the time and probably the reason why God was firm in telling me I can’t have a full-time job at the moment. For a more comprehensive free online course, you can check this one out:

My family and I are currently in this season of gathering all the necessary information we need to make sure the project will push through. Our long-term goal is for the project to be sustainable enough and can be passed on from generation to generation.

It is the project’s mission to promote sustainable agriculture and support the local food movement. The following are the definitions lifted from Wikipedia:

Sustainable Agriculture

“Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways based on an understanding of ecosystem services, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment.

It has been defined as “an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will last over the long term”, for example to satisfy human food and fiber needs, to enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends, to make the most efficient use of non-renewable and on-farm resources and integrate natural biological cycles and controls, to sustain the economic viability of farm operations, and to enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.^[4]

Key Principles

There are several key principles associated with sustainability in agriculture^[5]:

The incorporation of biological and ecological processes into agricultural and food production practices. For example, these processes could include nutrient cycling, soil regeneration, and nitrogen fixation.

Using decreased amounts of non-renewable and unsustainable inputs, particularly the ones that are environmentally harmful.

Using the expertise of farmers to both productively work the land as well as to promote the self-reliance and self-sufficiency of farmers.

Solving agricultural and natural resource problems through the cooperation and collaboration of people with different skills. The problems tackled include pest management and irrigation.”

Local Food Movement

“Local food (local food movement or locavore) is a movement of people who prefer to eat foods which are grown or farmed relatively close to the places of sale and preparation.

Local food movements aim to connect food producers and food consumers in the same geographic region, in order to develop more self-reliant and resilient food networks; improve local economies; or to affect the health, environment, community, or society of a particular place.^[1] The term has also been extended to include not only the geographic location of supplier and consumer but can also be “defined in terms of social and supply chain characteristics.”^[2] For example, local food initiatives often promote sustainable and organic farming practices, although these are not explicitly related to the geographic proximity of producer and consumer.

Local food represents an alternative to the global food model, a model which often sees food traveling long distances before it reaches the consumer. A local food network involves relationships between food producers, distributors, retailers, and consumers in a particular place, where they work together to increase food security and ensure economic, ecological and social sustainability of a community.^[3]”

Aside from conducting our own research, the season demands we also look for mentors. As they say, if you are looking for mentors, seek for thought leaders who have been in the industry for a long time. And thank God for giving us the right ones at exactly the right time.

My brother, sister-in-law, and I are attending a “Farm For Profit” seminar by Semilya sa Kinabuhi founder, Sir Dodong Cacanando, tomorrow. Then next Saturday, I am attending an online seminar entitled “Money Machines: How To Create Passive And Active Income At The Same Time” by Bro. Bo Sanchez.

Ah yes, all I can say is that God has been so faithful to us during this season. He has prepared everything we needed at this point and I know He’ll be with us all the way. 🙂

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” – 2 Corinthians 9:8

I believe, too, that this is not just a plan that He reserved for me and my family alone. This might be the start of collective efforts among the body of Christ (every one of us) in addressing some of the social issues that we’re currently facing such as the recent price increase in commodities.

In this regard, I would like to encourage everyone reading this to consider venturing into the agribusiness sector. And I hope that you will also be able to get a lot of ideas and insights from the opportunities and what I have learned, which I will be sharing in my future blog posts (including our future failures, if there will be any). 🙂

Always Learning

What is constant in every season is that God always provides us with new opportunities to learn all about this new endeavor. When I graduated from college back in 2008, I was able to get a job as a communications assistant for the deaf and mute. Through this job, I learned all about the struggles that persons with disabilities (PWDs) face every day.

It was such an eye opener for me. So when I resigned in 2010, I had a new goal – learn more about how I can help alleviate the challenges of PWDs and hopefully put up my own foundation in the future for special children who can’t afford expensive therapies.

I took a master’s degree in Special Education that focuses on catering to the needs of children with disabilities. This season introduced me to the field of teaching but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish my master’s degree because God brought me to a new season yet again in 2015 – married life.

Before I quit my graduate studies, I used the teaching units I got from the classes I took to get my professional license. I do love teaching but after contemplating whether it is the career for me or not, I felt it in my heart to pursue my first love instead, which is writing.

I found an opportunity in the digital marketing industry. It was in 2017 when my writing career started. Everything was new to me, but I was eager to learn because I love what I am doing.

After a year, I have decided to let it go because God brought me to yet another season – focus on the family project which is the agribusiness.

God’s Plans

We really can’t see what God’s plans are and only God can tell. I have assumptions, but I can’t claim that these are God’s plans as well. What are my assumptions?

God gifted me with a talent in writing. From grade school until college, it was all a preparation. So, why take SpEd? It will satisfy some of the objectives of the family project which will include putting up a social enterprise that will teach young entrepreneurs and a foundation to help those in need (special children, orphans, etc.). The main objective of our project is for other people to benefit more.

As a licensed teacher, I can teach young students and it might not be in the area of my expertise which is English. But, it can be in the field of agriculture, farming, and entrepreneurship applying everything I will learn on our farm.

Why digital marketing? That is the trajectory of the future of businesses. Marketing using the traditional way can benefit a lot alongside digital marketing. The latter can boost the growth and development of a company not just in finance but in terms of creating partnerships and remaining competitive in the global market.

Writing plays a huge role when establishing the company’s online presence in the digital world. Businesses have to be at par with the rapidly evolving digital technology and storytelling is just one of the ways.

My brother’s comment before when it comes to my writing is this – you have such a flair for the dramatic. I told him that well, I was created to be a poet. 😉

My writing appeals to the emotions. This appeal is the reason why I love persuasive writing. I persuade my readers to know the Truth. But if they can’t find out what the Truth is after reading my posts, then I believe I haven’t persuaded them enough. 😀

Going back to God’s will and plans over my family’s endeavor, hubby and I were having thoughts to transfer homes back in 2017. We already have plans to start investing in our own home even if it is a small one. I shared it with my brother who then suggested we stay at my sister’s condo instead. He said that we can save more this way and get a house later on that is located in a place that we love.

We agreed that we will pay the association dues since my sister waived the rental fee (thank you so muchos, Ate Ayn!). At the same time, we will look out after the place for her since she and her husband live in Norway.

God’s Favors

I am extremely grateful for all of these because they were all favors from the Lord. Yes, my brother is right that this new season of us living in yet another new home will help us save a little. But we can do it even if I don’t have a full-time job. This means I can concentrate on learning all that I need to learn for our farm projects.

My other siblings don’t have the time to learn them all so it is my task to fill them in with all the info I can gather from my research. My other sister in the province will be my partner in applying what we have learned from the e-courses when I go back home. And yet our other siblings’ careers are important, too, in helping fund the project’s expenses.

My other sister and I have the time to learn so much but we don’t have well-paying careers and our other siblings have high-paying careers but they don’t have enough time. Combined together is now a perfect team to make the project work. I bet God is really the best project manager ever He knows the best persons to delegate certain tasks with. 😀

But then again, 5 heads are better than 1 or 2. So yes, I need all of my siblings’ wisdom in this endeavor. And I am glad I have their full support and cooperation. (Love you, my dear sibs!)

Put God First

With all the info overload I gathered from my research, I am estimating that it’ll take about more than a year to study all the business concepts when it comes to agriculture and farming. I am always seeking for God’s wisdom though on what to do with all the collated info.

As we all know, learning how to do something is actually very different from doing exactly what you learned a.k.a. theories vs. application. I realized we have a lot to learn in this endeavor and if we want our projects to be sustainable, we need to be equipped with the right business and farming concepts and be able to apply them well.

If you are to ask me why should we pursue this endeavor, it is because of this: how we build the world today is how we set the course of the future. That is, I don’t want the future generations to eat very pricey vegetables due to the high demand and low supply. Even if I don’t have kids, I still have high hopes that what we do now will impact the world later on for the better. That is, with God’s guidance as our “chiefest” CEO. 😉

To end this article, here’s a very inspiring message (the best commencement speech for me) from none other than one of the Academy Award-winning and most acclaimed actors, Denzel Washington:

P.S.

Please don’t blame me if ever you ventured into agribusiness and failed. 😀 Endeavors like this require consulting with God first and foremost because we all have our own God-given purposes.

Writing this postscript actually made me realize that pursuing the things that we don’t have can become only that – an endless pursuit. But if we pursue an endeavor by making good use of what God has already given us, we might actually find our purpose in and through them. 🙂

*Update as of 9/15/2018: “Farm for Profit” seminar was cancelled due to typhoon Ompong.

When All We Can Ever Do Is Wait

Posted on April 28, 2018 by Christine Lailani

Image copyright: Global Medical Co.

I was invited to be a guest speaker for this year’s graduation in my grade school alma mater. Our batch is the host and as a former valedictorian of the school, I felt inclined to say “yes.” Unfortunately, this is also the time when we are scheduled to move out and move in to 3 houses. No kidding. 🙂

My other reason for being hesitant to accept even if it’s considered as a privilege and an honor, I need to reveal all my accomplishments. Nope, don’t get me wrong. It is not that I haven’t accomplished anything. If I can list them all down, I have a long list. But then again, as a born-again Christian, I have learned to never give light on your achievements if they will never shed light on God.

Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.”

– 1 Corinthians 1:31

I am not sure my alma mater will like it if my speech will be more of a faith-based testimonial pointing everything to God. 😀 Ah yes, I have learned to say “no” to a lot of things at this point including a promotion which are the standards of this world. But I also believe there will come a time wherein God will say “yes” and instruct me where I go, what to choose, and what to do.

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.”

– 1 John 2:15‭-‬16

Yes, God also appointed leaders through promotions and yet those leaders He appointed all have greater tasks assigned to them all for God’s glory and not ours. It is all between you and God and all about things happening in His perfect time if you’re tasked to lead. Just keep in your heart that it’s God as the motivation always and nothing else.

Another reason is that my parents requested that all 5 of us, siblings, keep a low profile. In fact, I am the only one in the family who is very active on social media. 😀 So I am sure my Mom will kill me now if she reads everything here. lol Love you, Mom. 😀

Anyway, when it comes to waiting, sometimes it can be grueling. I guess patience and endurance are indeed among the characters God would like us to develop aside from having this attitude to serve. While you wait, you serve God. But for the record, my husband and I can attest to this when it comes to God’s provisions: “God is always on time. Never late but always on time.” Delays are a part of this though and knowing when to act on something.

Right now I am waiting for His instructions because decision-wise, I have so many on my plate right now. Deciding is easier if I am in complete control of everything. Unfortunately, there is God whom we need to consult first and foremost. 🙂

One thing that I am constantly asking God is His wisdom and discernment whether my husband and I will stay in my hometown for good. I can see a lot of reasons now including taking care of my parents (ages 78 and 72) and my 94-year-old grandma. Another reason associated with their old age is that they need a helping hand in managing the farm. Dad manages all the farm work while my 3rd sister helps around at home together with my Mom.

My 4 other siblings, meanwhile, are all here in Manila. My eldest sister is the directress of a SpEd school, her husband is an international law professor in UP Diliman, and they have 2 kids. My second sister is in Norway working as a head nurse in a nursing home and her husband is also working as a head nurse of another department in the same facility. My brother is currently serving in the military as a pilot in the Philippine Naval Air Group and gets deployed every now and then to different places and the same goes with his wife who is a flight attendant team leader in Cebu Pacific. My husband also has supervisory roles at work which leaves the spotlight on me.

My siblings will also kill me, btw, for mentioning all that stuff about them. lol Love you all too, siblings. 😀 But I just need to share it for the sake of making my message go through and never about bragging their credentials. My work’s nature as a brand journalist is remote work meaning I can work anywhere. Though it entails heavy writing, extensive research, and editing tasks as well, I get to arrange my schedule depending on the priorities of my tasks. This is the very reason why I pursued a writing career.

My siblings here have greater responsibilities at work and with their families. But if I am the one who will go home for good, I have to make sure my husband can go with me. When I consulted with my husband, he is all good with it and said that wherever I am, there he will be. 😀 Ah yes, one of the things I thank God for is having a husband who just supports you all the way in everything you do. 😉

But we need to think of an alternative when it comes to hubby’s employment there. In the province, the opportunities are limited. But I know if this is part of God’s will and plans for me and hubby dear and for the rest of the family, I believe He will provide and equip us with everything we need lacking nothing along the way.

But for now, it is all just a matter of waiting and waiting what He wants us to do next while serving Him in other ways. And so we wait. Let the waiting game begins. 😉

In this season of waiting, here are my guiding verses:

Ecclesiastes 13: “A Time for Everything”

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

A time to be born and a time to die.

A time to plant and a time to harvest.

A time to kill and a time to heal.

A time to tear down and a time to build up.

A time to cry and a time to laugh.

A time to grieve and a time to dance.

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.

A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

A time to search and a time to quit searching.

A time to keep and a time to throw away.

A time to tear and a time to mend.

A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

A time to love and a time to hate.

A time for war and a time for peace.

What do people really get for all their hard work?

I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time.

He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him.

What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.”

– Ecclesiastes 3: 1-15

Always waiting on God,

NewBlogSignature_edited_edited

P.S.

When I texted Dad a few days back, he told me this and nostalgia hit me:

And when my 3rd sister sent us these photos of them harvesting mangoes, so much of my childhood memories came flooding in:

Ah, yes. If it is God’s will too, I’d like my future kids to experience the same thing I did back when I was a kid. But for now, I guess I’ll just wait what God’s plans are. 😉

A Day in the Life of a Writer

Posted on September 14, 2017 by Christine Lailani

(Featured image credit: StockSnap)

And so I’m back. ☺ Hi there beloved reader of this post!

As promised, my next article will be about my “remote working feels.” God gave me the grace to have just a few hours to squeeze this in.

To those who will be reading this for the first time, this is a “sequel article” to my previous articles about remote working, freelancing, telecommuting, and the likes. It was a total career shift for me from the field of education to my first love which is writing. If you will ask me why the shift from being a teacher to a writer, let’s just say classroom management is my waterloo. But I do love teaching. Yet, I love writing more. It was actually one of my prayers to God to give me a career opportunity where I can pursue both my passion for teaching and writing.

The answer? GOD MADE IT POSSIBLE. (Yay!)

How did it happen? I’ll explain later. 😀

This will be my first-hand experience on remote working and if you are already a remote worker like me, maybe you can relate. But if you’re still considering the option to work remotely, this might give you a heads up.

So, how do I go about my day being a writer/remote worker?

1. Start with a routine.

When I wake up, I do my devo first, do household chores, take a bath, then have my breakfast. I sometimes start working on my articles while eating breakfast. Or sometimes, I don’t eat breakfast and start working right away.

2. Weigh your tasks.

This will mean prioritizing what you are going to do for the day. If I need to do errands on that day, for example, I have to assess if that errand will consume more time. If yes, I would need to finish my pending articles first. But if the errand has a time deadline too i.e. banks, bills payments, etc., then I would prepare everything I needed for the article the night before so I wouldn’t have to cram in finishing it the next day.

3. Create a deadline for yourself.

This is, by far, the most difficult. Because if there’s one challenge that any remote worker faces every day, it would be this – procrastination. So yes, beat yourself to that deadline and practice discipline at all times. Even if that bed looks so comfy and the weather is all gloomy and pretty much a bed weather, never forsake work over comfort. 😉

4. Check your productivity.

This will make it possible for you to keep track of your work’s progress. Always make sure you’re getting towards your goals and not falling behind.

5. Always look for online crash courses which could help you advance your skills in your area of expertise.

Ah yes, this, I totally love. And I just discovered this with LinkedIn. Yup! They offer a “free” trial period of their online courses and I haven’t used mine yet. 😀 Let’s just say I am still waiting for that right online course.

6. Continue to challenge yourself to do not just the given tasks but be proactive in what else can you do to help in the betterment of your team’s performance.

Let’s admit it. Your team leader and the rest of your teammates are balancing priorities left and right too. So, it’s not just about getting things done but making sure you are also contributing to your team’s progress.

#1 and #2 are interchangeable depending upon your current needs. For example, in my case, I am currently juggling two jobs as a remote worker. Yes, the answer to my prayers. ☺

But before I get on with the how, the when, and the what, I just want to mention that before I finally got what I prayed for, it required me to seek first and foremost God’s wisdom over my plans. Honestly, I went through several job rejections too. I had a hard time balancing my priorities. I also had to give up my master’s degree. And a whole lot more of struggles left and right.

There were also things which I insisted I will do and I so wanted to have for as long as I put my 100% effort and will-power and yet, God closed those doors a thousand times too. So I finally got it that that door is not the one that God intended for me no matter how much effort and sacrifices I make just to have it. This verse reminded me of that:

“Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” – Proverbs 3:6

So I came to those moments of placidity – a moment of idleness. Those moments where I had my “serious” heart-to-heart talk with my Father.

“What do you want me to do? Where do you want me to go?”

Answers did not come as fast as I’d expected. The enemy played a part in it too by deceiving and tempting me with other opportunities. Sometimes the temptation comes in the form of my own motives.

But it’s a good thing the Scripture is around and the Spirit is greater than he who is in this world. So, God won, of course. 😉

You may read another similar article/testimony here in this link: “Is God Wasting My Life?”

I waited patiently. Always keep in mind that when you seek God’s will in your life, it requires patience. Why patience? Because patience is required for you to have faith. And faith is believing in the things that you do not see. If you aren’t “seeing” any outcome and you don’t have patience, your prayers, sad to say, are useless. Because most likely, you’ll easily give up and move on to your next prayer request.

As they say, believe in the power of your prayers, seek for God’s wisdom and His will over your plans, and lastly, be patient. This, I guess, is the formula in making sure in everything you do, you are assured that you are honoring God with everything.

So let’s now proceed to the job opportunities and I will lay them down one by one according to how each one has played a role in my decision-making.

First, I have a high tolerance for traffic congestion, long lines in the jeepney and taxi stands or walking far just to get to work and to get home. For me, they all require will power. As they say, “if there’s a will, then, there’s a way.” Unfortunately, my body can’t keep up. 😦

The first time I tried going back to the corporate world, my first week at work welcomed me with a cough and flu which went on for about several weeks and I had to take antibiotics for a week because it became severe and it just won’t go away. Another thing, I am a possible candidate for breast cancer. Yup, you can read more about that here in this link: https://thejourneymansmoments.wordpress.com/2016/02/16/the-borrowed-life/.

Last Friday, my husband and I went to this mall in Makati’s business district to buy birthday gifts. When we were about to go home, heavy rains poured, and as expected, the traffic jam was a killer. It was also around rush hour so our usual 15-minute travel coming home was extended to an hour and a half. Pretty saddening, right? Oh, and so exhausting too. While inside the jeepney, I was staring at all the corporate employees and all their haggard, tired, and sullen faces and I was praying silently to God for more options to us working and commuting people.

Better options.

I cannot speak for all as we all have our own reasons why we work, why we chose that kind of work as well as our goals and dreams. We’re all different but for me, my decision to be a writer and work remotely certainly falls for only one reason: health.

I am not really the pro-promotion kind of employee as I am aware that promotions are most often equated to heavier responsibilities which require more of your time and more of your effort. It requires you make your career as your #1 priority. However, there are those who were really called to be in higher positions at work. But personally, I do not see myself as one of them. It is not even my main reason why I pursued a master’s degree.

My goal as to why I work is to earn money to provide for our needs and to use the extra money to help those in need also. Now, the latter is part of the reason why I can say that one of my jobs right now answers this. I am a content writer for the Emerging Business team of an e-commerce company. I have never thought about writing business articles or anything related to business.

But I am very eager to learn some business concepts even before I started this job. I have this feeling God is leading me towards this field from opportunities to interests. I cannot see clearly now what His plans are for me in this area, and yet I trust Him that I am right where He wanted me to be. 🙂

I have one guess why it has to be in the field of business. When we say “business,” oftentimes it has something to do with money. Yes, money is the root of all evil, as they say. And yet, it will only be regarded as such if you have the wrong reasons for having it. But if you are using the money to honor, glorify, and expand God’s kingdom, then money, in that sense, cannot be regarded as something evil.

I want to sponsor one or even more scholars in the Real Life Foundation in our church; I want to help send missionaries all over the world; I want to take part in every community outreach/medical mission event; I want to put up my own SpEd school which will cater the needs of Special Education students here in the Philippines; I want to put up a foundation for all the children with special needs who cannot afford to have the therapies; and a whole lot more of other advocacy.

I cannot do all those if I lack in finances. Volunteering, for me, can only do so much. I want to help in a way that I can see these people slowly reach their dreams and see them aim towards better opportunities in life.

The recent killings of juvenile delinquents here in the Philippines are very alarming. If only the spiritual family can reach out to them before another young life becomes a collateral damage again, the better opportunities for these kids to have another chance in life. Poverty is not reason enough why these kids should resort to crime, robbery, and drugs and vice versa. Poverty has an end. Education can be a tool for that – financial education, family planning education, livelihood education, and regular schooling. Faith makes it all happen.

If money is the problem, there are foundations willing to provide scholarships to students as long as students meet a certain criteria and fulfill a set of obligations. Just to mention a few, we have in church the Real Life Foundation. World Vision and Operation Blessing also provide that. These kids don’t actually need a one-time volunteering outreach event. What they need is serious mentoring making sure they’ve been given the right opportunities towards a better life through empowerment.

I am never a fan of spoon-feeding when it comes to succeeding in life in general. Just the way my parents have taught me, it is all about personal effort which consists of persistence, patience, and resilience. And yet faith has taught me too that it is only God who provides EVERYTHING we need and to trust in God alone.

So this, I am guessing, is one of the reasons why I am learning a lot from all my research in business, finances, and entrepreneurship. As much as I hate money when it becomes the root of all evil, I also know I needed it that much to help others. I did tell my husband a few months back that I wanted to take up a business management course. He told me that we are not financially capable for that. So he asked me why. I told him that one day I might have to take over our family business in Bicol along with my other siblings.

My guess again is that this job sort of hit two birds with one stone: I get to do what I love and I get to learn all about business and finances for free from all my research.

So I did mention that I love teaching. I love literature. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in this field and I have the passion to share knowledge or pass it on to anyone who is willing to learn. The next job opportunity came in the form of an English content specialist for an e-learning platform. This job is project-based and it gives me the opportunity to impart what I learned from the academe to the younger generations and help them achieve their goals as a student through additional learning supplements in the form of lesson plans. Teachers also get to benefit from these lesson plans (calling fellow teachers out there to check it out). 🙂

Now isn’t God amazing? All it took was persistence in prayers, more personal time with Him, more immersion in the Scripture, and complete trust in His leading alongside disappointments, failures, and sacrifices.

As this verse goes on to say:

“Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be established.” – Proverbs 16:3

Those were the good opportunities. The not-so-good ones came, for example, in the form of a teaching opportunity abroad. I am not saying that working abroad is a bad opportunity. But let’s just say that it isn’t for everyone. I, for one, can’t see myself working abroad if my husband will be left here all alone. I will be going against my marriage oath and commitment to God to be with my spouse AT ALL TIMES. The compensation is far greater than what I’d be earning here but I am also thinking about the collateral damages and the consequences.

This now brings us to priorities. As a wife, the mandate from God when it comes to priorities is God first, second is the spouse, third is family, fourth is the career, and last is the ministry. One of my prayers to God during the whole decision-making process is to help me align my priorities right and balance everything making sure each priority is getting its intended attention, time, and effort. The article below is a favorite of mine as it shares how women can both be successful in their careers and their family lives.

Forbes: “Five Ways Working Women Really Can Have It All” by Candice Lu

That is now my current prayer – to be able to balance all my priorities well as a wife, as a content writer, as a content specialist, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a sister-in-Christ, including weighing of tasks and managing of time. I know God has brought me in this certain season for a purpose which includes serving Him and others and though I may have a few doubts and worries, He will lead the way for sure. 🙂

As God has promised:

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. – Jeremiah 29:11

And as my life verse says:

“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4: 13

P.S.

My special thanks to my family for all the support and to my sisters in Christ for all the prayers. ❤

#Goal

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Christine Lailani

Photo credit: http://www.viraheinz.pitt.edu/

Dahil kahit sira ang aking laptop, wala pa ring nakapigil sa akin na mag-sulat sa blog lalo na’t ilang araw na akong natengga sa pagsusulat ayan na’t puro drafts sila at kahit pa tinatyaga ko ang mabagal na pag-type nito sa aking phone. 😉

Madalas kong maalala ang nabasa ko sa libro ni Pr. Joey patungkol sa buhay mag-asawa sa libro nyang pinamagatang “The One Thing That Saved My Marriage.” This was what he shared about remembering an incident where he learned that one lesson that changed their lives as a couple:

We were visiting a church in snow-covered Washington, DC. Though it happened in 1988, I can still remember the moment vividly in my mind. The pastor said, “At the end of your life, you will find yourself in a hospital bed somewhere and the people surrounding your bed will not be your business partners and associates; they will be your wife and children. The saddest day of your life is when you look into her eyes and both of you realize that you did not love her and your children the way you should have.”

Kung interesado kayong mabasa ito, married or not, you can download this sa website nya (joeybonifacio.com) and you just have to subscribe and look for the book in the e-books bar section.

Parang tulad din ng sinabi ni Pr. Dennis sa seminar on careers sa Singles’ Getaway noong 2012 kung saan ako nagkaroon ng altar call. This was about his wife noong ito ay nagbabalak i-pursue ang pagme-medisina para maging doktor at pinapili nya kung buhay may asawa o pagdo-doktor pipiliin nya. He told his wife na kaya ba syang damayan ng kanyang medical career sa mga gabing naiiyak o nalulungkot sya dahil sa isang problema. His wife chose to prioritize him and the family.

I met my husband nasa katapusan na ako ng masteral ko. Ngunit pinili kong unahin ang pag-aasawa thus we got married kahit ‘di ko pa tapos MA ko. Now I jokingly asked my husband, “Hon kung matapos ko MA ko and pursue my PhD, papayagan mo ba ako?”

He seriously answered/asked: “Wala ka na panahon ‘nun sa amin ng mga anak mo. May gusto ka bang patunayan sa sarili mo, Hon?”

And I was silent. Smiled. Then laughed. It was really a joke.

Oo, tama sya. Para saan pa nga ba ang pag-pursue of “greater” things when God wanted us to be content with what we have taking into consideration things that really matter – if you are married, it is your spouse and family. When we claim for greater things then it also means greater responsibilities which as we all know requires these – more time, more effort, and more resources. I guess we never really can have the best of both worlds thus we have to choose and prioritize. Ngunit sa mata ng Dios, what comes after Him if you are married is not your career but your spouse.

Tama sila Pastor na sa pagtanda mo o kapag ikaw ay naaksidente o nasa ospital, it is not going to be your co-workers, your friends or your boss who will be there to stay with you 24/7. Lahat ng iyong kaibigan ay magkakaroon din ng mga sarili nilang pamilya ganun din mga kapatid at kamaganak at ang mga ka-close mo sa trabaho ay magre-resign din ‘di kalaunan.

Though it is nice to get achievements, it will become of no use when you get home and you have nobody to share it with who is there with you cheering you all the way from start to finish. There is a possibility though that your spouse will leave this world sooner which would prove that indeed, things of this world are only temporary.

Yet this will prove too that because life is short and everything is temporary, it is a must we give the necessary kind of love to the significant other that God has appointed to us if it is our calling to be married.

Maybe the best question we should ask ourselves now is to whom or to what are we investing most of our time now here on Earth? Are we using it to forge meaningful relationships living out the greatest commandment of God which is loving someone with a Christ-like attitude and preparing for life in eternity or we are just living the life within this world and conforming to its patterns?

Isa sa mga goals ko ang mabuhay ng simple, working to live and not living to work. I need money for survival and yet I rely on God for the rest of my needs. If we are getting everything we need and want thru our own efforts then we would become lukewarm in our faith thinking we don’t need Him to supply our needs.

Now this is contrary to what God wants from us dahil ang gusto lang Nya is for us to seek Him with all our hearts. ‘Yun at ‘yun lang kung tutuusin ang only goal natin in this world dapat.

With this in mind, I contemplated about not finishing my masteral. I prayed real hard about it and got an instruction from God to finish it in His perfect time. Plano kong mag-shift ng courses noong college at itong Special Education na course sana lilipatan ko. But I was advised na ituloy ko na lang undergraduate course ko and i-pursue na lang as master’s degree ang Special Education kung plano ko mag-aral ulit.

Matagal na panahon na ang lumipas pero hindi pa rin ako makausad sa masteral thesis ko to the point na tinanong na ako ng Kuya ko kung ito ba talaga gusto ko. Sabi ko oo, dahil gusto ko tumulong sa mga batang may kapansanan o special needs. Nararamdaman ko na dun malapit ang puso ko. Kung ‘yun daw ang purpose ko ‘di na kailangan ng master’s degree dahil marami namang paraan para tulungan sila.

Sagot ko naman hindi lang kasi ‘yun. Plano ko magtayo ng isang Special Education school at magiging maganda credibility ng school na ito kung alam ng mga magulang na ang may-ari ng school ay may alam sa Special Education. Plano ko rin maging hands on sa school na ito kaya dapat may alam ako sa Special Education, training at experience nang sa gayon masubaybayan at magabayan ko rin ang mga SpEd teachers na magtuturo sa aking school.

At hindi lang dito nagtatapos ang layunin ko dahil kasabay ng school ay plano ko magtayo ng isang foundation/therapy center na mangangalaga ng libre sa mga batang may kapansanan ngunit kapos para makakuha ng sapat na serbisyo sa kanilang mga needs doon muna sa aking hometown sa Bulan, Sorsogon sa Bicol region. Alam ko na sa mga plano na ito, malaking effort, mahabang panahon at malaking pondo kailangan kong bunuin.

Ito ay isa lamang sa mga long-term goals ko kahit pa ngayong ako’y may asawa na. At palagay ko magpapatuloy ito hanggang sa pagtanda ko. Alam ko malapit ang puso ng Dios sa mga bata at alam ko rin na ang Special Education ay isa sa mga paraan ng Dios para matulungan ang mga batang nabuhay ng may kapansanan. I know the Lord sees the challenges, the frustration and the pain that these kids, who are innocent, go through pati ng mga magulang nila. Ngunit sa kabila ng lahat ng ito, ito rin naging reminder ko:

“Many are the plans of man, but it is the Lord’s purpose that will prevail. (Proverbs 19:21)”

Sa ngayon patuloy akong nananalangin for the Lord’s instructions, guidance and provision. And yet I have faith na saan man ako dalhin ng Dios kahit pa sobrang kabaligtaran sa mga plano at pinapangarap ko ang mangyari, buo tiwala ko na it is for my own good at ‘di lang para sa akin, kundi para na rin sa asawa ko at sa mga magiging anak namin. Nagtitiwala ako na hindi man matupad itong pangarap ko in my lifetime, I have hope na nariyan ang opportunity na ang magiging anak ko ang posibleng mag-sakatuparan at tumupad ng mga pangarap na ito kung ito ay alinsunod sa will ng Panginoon at kung ito rin ang kanyang calling o misyon.

Sa ngayon, binigay sa akin ng Dios ang asawa ko. This means that whatever happens, sya ang pangalawa sa priority ko after ni God.

Ikaw kapatid, anong mga plano mo sa buhay ang inaalay mo sa Dios na bigyan ka ng gabay? Continue praying, God hears and answers. 🙂

“And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” – Romans 8:28

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