Written by Event Sponsor, Ate Marjory Sy
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38
I usually celebrate my birthdays in the company of family and friends in small intimate gatherings. On special numerical milestones, I would prefer either spending the entire day alone to catch up on my personal errands or traveling to other places abroad. In short, the past celebrations were centered on myself to feel special or entitled to the limelight, which I then felt I deserved.
When GOD spoke to me in a church service early this year while I was deep in my highly-functioning depression state, He impressed upon me the core values I need to live by, aptly spelled as LOVE: L as in Love for GOD and others, O as in Obey GOD’s commandments and His Appointed Authorities, V as in Volunteerism and E as in Engaging the Family. While L and O seemed easier to fulfill, I stopped at the letter V and realized how I have lived my life so far with myself at the center of the universe.
GOD, in His Sovereignty, would not stop reminding me that I have been selfish with my 3 Ts – time, treasure and talents, as I would almost always have a ready excuse not to participate in any outreach activity. “Marj, if you truly love Me, you will share what you are blessed with, instead of seeking and being generally unhappy for what you do not have.”
This truth hit me spot on and I was challenged to do what He has prodded me. But where would I start?
The amazing and distinctly humbling experience about my encounters with our good Lord is that He provides answers in His most unique ways and right on time. I was browsing through Facebook feeds from friends when I came across U! Happy Events who helped a high school classmate organize her birthday party in early July.
Curious on what U! Happy Events does, I browsed through its Website, and was inspired by its advocacy on kids and the concept of being the catalyst to bring together the sponsors and the beneficiaries. It did not take long that I signed up to bring the kids to my preferred adventure, Mystery Manila at the Century City Mall Makati.
It was a fun-filled pre-birthday revelry for me last Aug. 12 with the kids from AHA Learning Center. Looking at the excitement written on their faces, I had to admit that I missed being enthusiastically anticipating on what the “future” awaits. I joined Ate Chessika and the 4 kids to unravel the mystery of Pym Particle, which the guide said was one of the easiest, while other teams with Ate Yeh, Ate Iane and Kuya Richard tackled the Crime of the Century, Virtual Voyage and Sinister Sensorium, respectively.
In the Pym Particle game, the goal was to prevent evil Dr. Cross from accessing the Particle, which has the capability to shrink and expand objects. Finding the Particle was no easy task as the group should unlock medium, large and small rooms to locate the Particle by solving riddles with limited instructions and clues. Admittedly it was also a challenge for me to let the eager kids rummage for answers, as it is my usual self to take over the situation, grab the control knob and be the hero. This game truly taught me to be calm and patient, and to keep the kids’ momentum by encouraging them to engage and not quit the game. We almost solved the puzzle with the 2 help clues from the guide, and managed to reach the small room and get hold of the Particle.
The team who got the Crime of the Century was able to solve the mystery. Happy smiles emerged as the kids were awarded with Mystery Manila T-shirts for garnering the fastest time.
Seeing how the kids enjoyed the games and listening to their conversations about the strategies they employed made me feel so blessed to take them out on this kind of field trip. It made me recall how I enjoyed school outings during elementary and high school days, spending some time off from regular school activities to be with friends and learn something new.
After the games, Kuya Harvard, who graciously led this event on my special request, ushered us all to a hearty lunch gathering at Burger King, with the kids singing me Happy Birthday along with a cute candle-lit cupcake. U! Happy Events core team assisted me in distributing the school supply gifts to the kids, and the kids in turn gave me warm hugs, making me feel so loved.
For me, this year is one special celebration of Life. Since then, I have dreamed of celebrating my birthday with a fairly larger crowd of familiar faces; but this time, I enjoyed special bonding with kids who barely knew me. This event also paved way for me to (finally and personally) meet Harvard, whose blog and Instagram accounts I follow closely and whom I admire for his contributions in the society, along with new friends Chessika, Yeh and Iane. I would also like to thank Ms. Weng who has patiently accommodated my inquiries during the pre-event coordination.
I can truly say that Life is best experienced by deriving inspiration through sharing GOD-given resources to the least of our brethen, surrendering our human-defined plans to His Design, and choosing to be grateful and thankful every time and in everything.
