 Dear Friend,Hello! How have you been? I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying the Christmas season. Here’s some updates on me:  It has been a truly blessed & memorable
year! I had the chance to really celebrate it being a Jubilee year, a year of grace.
We went on pilgrimages to
several churches in & out of Manila with families and with the Young Adults program
where I’m serving. I attended the very first (& hopefully not the last) Jubilee
Youth Congress where young people from all over the country gathered together to pray,
sing, celebrate God’s goodness.
Our community, Ligaya ng
Panginoon (Joy of the Lord) also celebrated its 25th Anniversary this year, which we did a
lot of preparation for.
One of the highlights of
this year for me is meeting the kids at Verbo, a Spanish-owned restaurant which was
actually a mission for streetchildren. I went to teach crafts, reading, math, even songs
to the kids there every Friday until the kids were able to go back to school.
In the summer I got to go to
a dream place, Coron, Palawan with 20 new friends (meaning I just met
them all on the boat getting there). I was able to soak up a lot of sun, visit Calauit
wildlife reserve and snorkel in Club Paradise! I got to touch a Palawan bear cat and a
porcupine and feed a giraffe in the wilds! Going back to Manila, it was an exciting first
time ride on a small 19-seater airplane.
Bringing a new millennium
age to my work is the continuing development of our business website www.papemelroti.com.
We joined myAyala.com’s e-mall venture which receives online payment and delivery by
FedEx. This is a promising new window of opportunity for our shop.
Also with webtech, I
developed a site for the He Cares Foundation, which is basically a caring center for
street children. If you have time, visit it at http://clik.to/hecares
-it’s got true to life stories from the kids themselves and what the foundation is
doing to help. I was so glad to receive responses through the website from people who
agreed to volunteer time every month for the street kids or to give financial support!
 Out of my year though, nothing beats my 1 month European vacation
last August. I was part of the World Youth Day 2,000-strong delegation in Rome. We had 2
weeks (of pure bliss) in Italy. The first week, I stayed with an Italian family, the
Dancalis. They were so hospitable that I thought they were Filipinos! 
The second week we spent
with 2 million other youth from all over the world - and with the Pope - a truly
unforgettable experience!
I was also able to visit the
heavenly cities of Austria, Germany, Belgium and France. We even got to Lourdes and I
prayed for everyone there. My friends and I travelled through Eurail with our backpacks
and staying at hostels - what an adventure it was.
 I loved the culture, the food (ooh la la!),
the daily walkathons to see all the sights we possibly can - the funny interaction
episodes we have with the locals. Like there was this one time in Paris when our little
group was approached by a man. He said, "what country are you from?" and we said
"Philippines". Apparently they were guessing among themselves about it and he
said to me "I lost because you you!"
I think I can fill 50
newsletters with the blessings I received from that trip - what with all the new experiences,
the enchanting places and the kind people we’ve met during the 1 month we explored
Europe.
This year was also very
special since it A was the 20th year of CYA (Christ’s Youth in Action) - the org I
was active in way back during college. We conducted a congress celebrating all these years
of friendship and service. I also designed our new Alumni logo and CYA website.
(http://welcome.to/cya)
Another highlight of my year
is my first ever visit to a prison during the Jubilee of prisoners last October 28. It was
quite a shock for me to find so many people crammed in one small area - and to see many of
them line up to be operated on right then and there in the multi-purpose area without a
sterile environment.
My job was to prepare the
medicine they needed badly to stay healthy - since they lived in such a cramped
environment, disease spread rapidly.
 This November, another first for me, my
sketches came out in a book entitled "Something to Tha(i)nk About" and its
already out in the market. The author is already talking about a sequel.
You are probably familiar
with the current political and economic crisis our country is going through right now. I
did my share to stand up for what I believed in by attending rallies for Pres.
Estrada’s resignation. Even if he said he will "never, never, never
resign", I think it’s already a small victory for us to be able to have free and
peaceful rallies like this. One thing’s for sure - news here certainly isn’t
boring! Click to www.elagda.com for more info.
Last year, my newsletter started with the progress of our new office building - sad to say it’s still not finished. Hopefully it will be by the this time in 2001. At the moment, the first 2 floors are almost done. In the meantime, stocks of items are piling up here at home (yikes!!!) This year I also joined Haribon Foundation - their group organizes several animal protection programs which I believe are in dire need of support. Next week I will be joining their birdwatching group at the Candaba Swamp in Pampanga. We will need to wear dark clothing so as not to frighten the birds and we’ll be out as early as 5:30 on sight to see them nesting. Maybe I’ll learn a thing or two. I’m also excited about our carolling project this Christmas. Along with some very talented friends of mine, we are planning to sing at the PGH charity ward and at other institutions to bring good cheer to those in need. I think it’s really one way where we can really experience true Christmas. (I earned the nickname "Tina Tenor" since I always get high voice parts.) This year was also a very good one for my family - we spent a lot of vacations together up in cool Baguio and in sunny Batangas. And my 2 nephews and 2 nieces are getting so big! Elyse is 10, Mark and Josh are 5, Isabel 3. They are such a happy, confident and articulate bunch of kids! I’m always surprised at how they get to grow up so fast! Elyse is getting to be so tall and she actually gave me 2 pairs of shoes she didn’t like anymore! Imagine we have the same sized feet? Josh and Mark are inseparable and always talking about either Batman or Buzz Lightyear. They also love to tell stories and play the "Who am I?" Isabel always surprises her with her antics and astounds me with her insatiable appetite - I once asked her if she will work in our shop when she’s big and she said "No, Selecta." (Yumm yumm ice cream tester!) She likes eating carrots with Kentucky chicken gravy! (go figure) My dad and mom are doing
fine - it’s such a blessing that they are very healthy and active. Mommy is still
very busy with making flower arrangements for the shop and does nightly inventories aside
from many other things for the business. And Daddy still makes badges for selling and
awaits the next trip to the beach to have the chance to go sailing. He’s practically
a sailing consultant considering all the people who ask for his advice from boatbuilding,
supplies to repairs. My sisters Patsy, Peggy and Meldy have been active in the business - and we’ve been able to come out with so many wonderful products this year! Robert on the other hand has a new twist in his career - that of being a regular news reporter for "The Probe Team", Channel 7! We’re very proud of him (his Tagalog is much improved!) Well, I guess that’s all for my year - it’s been much more than I ever expected and certainly a fulfillment of what I’ve set out to do. (Except my plan to be fit and have a regular exercise program... oh well, maybe next year.) Here’s to another year filled with peace, joy and blessings and long-time dreams come true! With affection, :) tina p.s. keep in touch!
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