ISSN 0115-0839
The 2021 Book
HEART OF GOLD The Timeless Beauty of Beneficence
CONTENTS
NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2021
REGULARS
4
iContact
Michelle Anne P. Diamante
The Gift of Giving
6
Finance Ellen G. White
The Widow’s Two Mites
10
Home Gardening Saul L. Roylo
Squash
About the Cover Sustenance. As food is to the body, so is generosity to the soul. We usually don’t realize that feeding others nourishes ourselves, too. So, let's give–cheerfully, lovingly, and regularly. Cover photo by Shutterstock/Daria Myronets Photos and illustrations in this issue are from shutterstock.com unless credited otherwise.
COLUMNS
5
Here and the Hereafter
Pr. Leonardo C. Heyasa, Jr.
Heart of Gold
13
Personal Answers
Dr. Sheryll Ann M. Castillo
Giving or Hoarding?
21
Dear Doctor
Linda L. Varona
Failing Heart
27
Consult Your Lawyer
Atty. Silvino L. Sumagaysay, Jr.
Minor in a Contract of Donation
31
Food for the Family
Dr. Miriam R. Estrada
“Confidently Delicious With a Heart”
33
Standpoint Nathanlie M. Baldoza
38
The Root of Kindness Learner’s Lab
Mary Grace L. De Guzman
Why Is Gold Precious?
14
Grace in the Act
16
Education
20
Modern Homemaking
32
Arts & Crafts
34
People & Places
Katrina Isabel A. Abesta
Never Alone Madonna Lourdes M. Felicitas
Staying Connected Online
Royce Bellaire G. de Luna
Virtual Meeting Etiquette
Harold Bryan L. Namoca
Golden Spoon Candleholder Mylene and Melque Dulnuan (as told to John Holbrook)
Treasure!
COMING UP. . . Love Bonds • Architect Father and Daughter • Am I Adopted? • My Love Stories • Longing for Face-to-Face • Romance in the Workplace • Protecting Your Data Privacy
36
Children’s Corner
41
Word for the World
42
Anonymous
Jose of Peru
The Power of Hope Series Julián Melgosa and Michelson Borges
How to Overcome Addictions
44
Health & Home
Pr. Mamerto M. Guingguing II
Biblical Giving
2021 Index
FEATURES
8
Altruism: A Gift Embedded
Dr. Rowena R. Antemano
Helping others lights up the brain
12
Love Is Not Self-seeking
Anneliese Wahlman
One’s self may not simply be in the mirror
24
God’s Food Basket
Nathanlie M. Baldoza
A school-based community pantry
18
How COVID-19 Set My Wedding Date
Jecsoon O. Mariñas
Love in the time of pandemic
28
40
A Future With God: Joy Mendoza’s Silver Lining
Health & Home Staff
Through rape and surgery
22
Kind Things You Can Do for Free
Karen Holford
You don’t have to be rich to be kind
HIV/AIDS: What Is It and What Can Be Done About It?
AMSA-WVSU
Information rather than discrimination
ALTRUISM:
A Gift Embedded By DR. ROWENA R. ANTEMANO
I
t was Sunday morning. I rolled out of bed and sat at my desk, anticipating a lazy day. I just sent off my friend Vivian. Before her flight, I helped her pack sensitive RNA samples in a 25-kilogram icebox for a research fellowship in the US. Turning on my phone, I read the first message: FedEx returned the package. Please check your email. Urgent. I felt Vivian’s helplessness. Were the samples thawed? They were temperature-sensitive! I quickly jumped off my feet, forgetting my lethargy. I checked my email, got dressed, and left to see the box right away. After complying with all the required documents, the box was finally repacked, and I resent it with a prayer. After a few days, Vivian texted: I got the box, finally. Samples still in dry ice. Through those words, I
could see a relieved smile spread across her face. Why is helping our automatic response? What compels us to set aside our comfort and be willing to go an extra mile for others? Why can’t we live without philanthropy, pity, mercy, generosity, sympathy, empathy, and kindness? Why do we respond to a cry for help even in the middle of a busy day or wee hours of the night without prior notice?
Others first Altruism is an incredible characteristic deeply etched in the human brain. Derived from different languages including French altruisme, Italian altrui, and Latin alteri, altruism means “other people,” “somebody else,” and “antonym of egotism.” It’s a mental state of putting the welfare of others above oneself. It’s a lifestyle of empathizing with the distressed and being content with alleviating suffering. It’s being happy when others’ needs are met before our own. But where exactly is altruism in the brain? Who implanted it? What can it do to a person? What do scientists know about it?
Lighting up The frontal lobe has a region called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).1 It registers and controls our emotions and rewards anticipation, impulses, and decision-making. In one study, a specific part of ACC, called subgenual ACC, lit up on brain scans when participants learned how to help others but not when they learned actions that benefited themselves.1 Those who had higher levels of altruism and empathy showed higher activation levels in the subgenual ACC (see Figure 1.) This is why God emphasized, “‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 19:19). Helping others activates and brightens up our frontal lobe. The Dalai Lama said, “Love and compassion are necessities,
Health & Home ︱ 8 ︱November–December 2021
Grace in the Act
By Katrina Isabel A. Abesta
Never Alone
I
Compromised While the world is asleep, nurses are awake to make sure that our patients are safe. While
everyone is running away in fear because of the pandemic, we face it with boldness. While families are hiding in safety, we expose ourselves to give the best care to our patients. We take care of many patients with different illnesses, from the mildest to the most infectious. That is why healthcare workers like us have our health compromised. It is, therefore, very alarming to know that inside hospitals, the patients are not the only ones dying but also the people taking care of them.
Outbreak I can still remember the first meeting we had with our Infection Control nurse. On that day, we learned about SARS-CoV-2 and how contagious it is and what to do to control the spread of infection. Our hospital, Adventist Medical Center-Valencia City, Inc. (AMCV), quickly made preparations for the admission of COVID-19 patients. The government started strict lockdowns. People grew anxious. Not a few got hysterical, buying everything in bulk. Soon we ran out of essential medical supplies like alcohol and face masks. Our nurse supervisors had
Health & Home ︱ 14 ︱November–December 2021
photo courtesy of Adventist Medical Center-Valencia City, Inc.
can still remember my 6-year-old self delivering a speech on stage about how definite I was that I would become a nurse someday. Back then, if you asked me why, my straight answer would be because I wanted to be seen wearing a white uniform with a white cap on my head and holding a chart. Who would have thought that I would live the dream? Yet, little did I know that my white uniform would not be as spotless as it should be; that it would be stained with sweat and tears from restless days and sleepless nights. The white cap on my head would not give me the feeling of royalty, but that every day it would humble me with the thought that I am a servant whose calling is to save lives. The chart that I would hold would reflect how endless human needs are, and how my limited being should meet the unlimited demands of the sick and the suffering.
HOW COVID-19 SET
My Wedding Date By JECSOON O. MARIÑAS
J
une 28, 2020, was one of those typical days, except I was with someone very special to me. Denise and I were seated by the window, enjoying the intermittent whispers of the wind. The cold breeze felt fresher. The golden rays of the sun looked brighter. The sofa felt cozier. Everything felt more beautiful than usual. Our animated conversation blossomed with nostalgia for the past and anticipations of the future. The prospect of a life together. The beautiful dream of building a home and having children. At the enchantment of the moment, my lips spoke what my heart has been yearning for. “Let’s get married.” There was a moment of silence. I looked into Denise’s eyes and saw how they sparkled. She beamed with joy and excitement. It was a yes, and I didn’t have to hear it. Her expression spoke more than words could. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight. No flowers. No candles. No romantic music. But the appeal was bold, coming as it did, at a desperate and critical time. Just amid the looming uncertainties of the pandemic and its threats. But that was it. We were engaged. The wedding date was set to December 13, 2020.
Before COVID Our paths crossed when common friends started teasing and “shipping” us. We were college students then—young, immature, and naïve. But that was when we chose to ride the same wagon. We graduated, pursued our own careers, and talked about settling down. In fact, the first date we set was March 2018. We informed our parents. We saved money. But nothing happened. To console ourselves, we just thought of focusing on our careers first. That proposal in June 2020, however, was different. It was more urgent, more solemn, more determined. It was born from a tragedy so sudden, so serious, so unpredictable. It was aggravated by a fear that the world would soon come to an end.
COVID and my decision Our busy planet suddenly came to a standstill when the new virus snapped its ugly finger. Locked down at home, I suddenly had much time to contemplate. To think about life, the future, and the things that I must accomplish. I would often sit down in front of my apartment,
Health & Home ︱ 18 ︱November–December 2021
God’s Food Basket By NATHANLIE M. BALDOZA
H
e had cooked the last cup of rice for supper. He didn’t know where to get food for breakfast the following morning—nor for the rest of the day. Beyond that, he still had academic requirements to prepare and papers to submit. Rafael “Rafa” Bampi de Oliveira, a young Brazilian pastor who was a self-supporting graduate student at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS)* related his story. “For a few months in 2018, I had struggled to have three
meals a day and to have fruits and vegetables to eat. The money I could raise from work and donations was barely enough to pay for my tuition fees. I asked my family for help, but they had their own financial burdens,” he recounted. When it felt like life was spiraling downward, Rafa turned to God and prayed. And God answered—albeit in a rather unconventional way. Rafa couldn’t forget the day he received an email inviting him to be one of the recipients of the campus “God’s Food Basket” project.
“It was so unexpected, but I remember that the email brought me relief from anguish!” Rafa recalled. “God had answered not only my prayers but also the prayers of my parents,” he responded. Rafa isn’t alone, though. Numerous students at AIIAS, both local and foreign, go through a financial crisis in pursuit of academic upgrades, even before the pandemic. Juggling many roles and responsibilities makes their struggle for day-to-day provisions more arduous.
Health & Home ︱ 24 ︱November–December 2021
A Future With God J oy Men doza’ s Silver Lin in g
By HEALTH & HOME STAFF
J
oy Tan-Chi Mendoza blogs about marriage, parenting, and homeschooling on Teach With Joy. She shares practical tips, inspiring stories, and beautiful photos of her and her husband, Edric, and their three boys and three girls. This healthy, happy, and well-off Christian family seems to have it all. More people, however, got to know Joy when she granted an interview in May to Toni Gonzaga-Soriano. The video on YouTube bore the caption: “How Joy Mendoza Forgave the Seven Men Who Raped Her | A Forgiveness Story.”
Stolen innocence
Health & Home ︱ 28 ︱November–December 2021
photos courtesy of Joy Mendoza
On the night of February 7, 1992, several heavily armed men robbed their house in Antipolo while her parents, Pastor Peter Tan-Chi and his wife, Deonna, were conducting a Bible study in Makati City. With a gun to her head, Joy, only 15, was raped by seven men in different rooms of their house. Fear for the life of her younger siblings kept her from screaming for help. The Bible promise to “not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul,” (Matthew 10:28) lifted her above her hellish ordeal. The Tan-Chi family struggled together emotionally and spiritually, but they decided not to press charges. They chose to move on in faith instead.
Learner's Lab By Mary Grace L. De Guzman
A
Why Is GOLD Precious?
gold shirt costs USD240,000; a gold iPhone, USD15 million; and a gold watch, over USD24 million.1 One troy ounce of gold, about the size of a military dog tag, is worth over USD1,700 today.2 Explorers crossed oceans and fought wars to find lands rich in gold. Alchemists conducted endless experiments to turn ordinary metal to gold. Miners rushed to strange new corners of the planet when they heard of new mines being discovered. Why is gold prized? Because gold is useful, rare, and beautiful. Most importantly, it is valuable because everybody thinks so.3
Usefulness Gold is a bright, rich yellow metal with the chemical symbol Au. It is easy to turn into any object because it can be melted at a high temperature. It is malleable or can be pounded into different shapes. It is reusable, recyclable, and even edible.4 Gold also barely reacts to other elements, so it stays the same even after a long time. It does not even react to magnets.5
Good money People past and present have been using gold to pay for things. Before paper bills became popular, the value of each country’s money depended on how much gold could be exchanged for its currency.6 Since gold can be melted without losing value, it is fungible. This means that gold can be exchanged for another gold.7 Gold is also a dense metal so it cannot be faked easily. One ton can be packed into a one-foot cube.6
Rarity
Health & Home ︱ 38 ︱November–December 2021
illustrations/Vecteezy.com
Another reason gold is precious is because it is rare. It is estimated that all the gold that has been mined can be melted down to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool. Gold is also difficult to extract. A metric ton of earth can yield just about a gram of gold, about the mass of a paper clip.8 It takes a lot of money, time, and effort to extract and purify gold.
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