“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me..." - Matthew 16:24

Hi guys! I know we haven't heard from each other for a while, but I honestly miss you guys!

In the gospel, to make it short, Jesus preached to Nazareth. All of us know that it was His hometown. The people there were infuriated and brushed Jesus out of Nazareth once he started to preach. They did not want Him there; even when they needed Him so badly and even when His presence, teachings and ideas were supposed to be like water to a parched throat. They rejected Him, resented him, and refused His whole being. How could they, when they knew that Jesus was the Son of The Almighty. His hometown did not want Him. His hometown wants him out. And so, Jesus left.

Jesus was wholly human, and wholly divine. So I bet that his human part felt a bit sad when He was rejected; as we all are when we are rejected too. I could relate to this gospel because it tremendously resembles what happened in my life just recently. As your kuyas and ates know, I used to live in Davao, so it follows that I attended school there. Being a student in that particular school, it was tedious and I keep on coming home with no energy at all to mingle with my family. As school progressed, my time with my family dwindled down to an hour of dinner time. I was not growing as a person, because I was being estranged from them as my studies pulled me closer. I hit rock bottom at third year second semester. I didn’t want to eat, I didn’t want to sleep, and I didn’t want to spend time with my family even for just an hour, just so I could study. And even after all my efforts were given, that school did not let me proceed with the fourth year.

And in a way, that school was my Nazareth and I was Jesus. I'm not bragging but they knew that they needed me and yet they rejected me. They saw my efforts but they regarded it as nothing. And so I traveled here in Manila to pursue my dreams. Then I realized I'm happy here and that I wasn't in Davao. From that, as cliché as it may sound, when a door closes on you, there's a window that is opened. Don’t let fall backs discourage you. Sabi nga, kapag binato ka ng bato, gawin mong stepping stone. Hahaha! Sabaw siya guys, pero alam ko na magegets niyo. Aja! Fighting lang! Marami pang opportunities na di mo akalaing darating sayo, kaya kayod lang at manalig sa Panginoon.

God Bless brothers and sisters! May your ventures be blessed.

-Bea del Fierro