Happy Thanksgiving Day! Editor’s Thoughts: ..................................................................................................................... Eddie Zamora
Featured Items: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Grateful, Thankful, Blessed ...................................................................................... Lyn Porteza Tabingo I Am Grateful ......................................................................................... Raylene Ann Rodrigo Baumgart I Am Grateful .......................................................................................................... Sharon Donato Suite I Am Thankful.......................................................................................................... Romy & Lucy Halasan What I Am Most Grateful for This Thanksgiving .......................................................... Willy Sumagaysay I Am Thankful .............................................................................................................. Annie Flores Davis I Am Grateful for LIFE ...................................................................................... Ardys Joy Caballero-Gadia So Much For Which To Be Thankful ................................................................................ Jessie Colegado
SULADS Corner: .......................................... “All Is Well” .............................................. Sulad Randy L. Sagan SULADS Corner: ......................... “These Tiny Little Hands In Mine” ................................ Daryl F. FAmisaran Patch of Weeds: .................................................................................................................... Jesse Colegado Life of a Missionary: .......... “Unique Plants & Animals of New Guinea” ...................... Romy Halasan, BSBA
CLOSING: Announcements |From The Mail Bag| Prayer Requests | Acknowledgements Meet The Editors |Closing Thoughts | Miscellaneous
H
appy Thanksgiving Day, Everyone. By now your Thanksgiving Day activities are in the past. Any leftover food from the dinner may be in refrigerator now. Some of the Thanksgiving participants may still be around enjoying each other’s company. Many might be watching football or reruns of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. Others may have fallen asleep because they ate too much. A few others may have left for home and joined the gridlock on the roadways. Actually, Thanksgiving at this particular time of the year is celebrated mainly in America. It was made a National Holiday so Americans would remember to be thankful at least once a year. This is the day when most families come together. Airports are very busy starting Tuesday when some try to get away before others do. But many have the same idea so they all meet at thee airports. Many freeways are also crowded and jammed for similar reasons. Traffic slows to a crawl. The Automobile Club of America becomes busy answering calls from drivers needing assistance because of varied reasons—flat tires, dead batteries, keys locked inside cars, etc. But today, Friday, everything is quiet. The freeways are almost empty. Waterman Visayan Fil-Am SDA Church in San Bernardino, California held this morning its annual Thanksgiving Service. Several members gave testimonies on what they were thankful for. Some were sad testimonies, others were full of challenges, and others had pleasant things that transpired this year. But everyone said they were thankful for every experience they had. Here are a few quotations that might inspire us to give thanks always: “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson “Silent gratitude isn’t very much use to anyone.” ~ Gertrude Stein “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” ~William Arthur Ward
Let us be thankful for everything, and remember to tell the other person of our gratitude. Our thankfulness does not have to be done today only. Let us be thankful always.
Eddie Zamora Redlands, California
I am Grateful ... to God for His gift of life ... to my parents who provided me with a humble home, simple as it may be, and who taught me how to dream and provided me with the tools to achieve those dreams. ... to my family: Henry, for the love and care he provides our family Kids: Darlynne, Renel & Roy, and their families who bring joy and laughter to our home Grand kiddos: Stefan, Sofia, Ronan, Naleah & Amelie who make the word, “Lola” so beautiful to hear. …. for good health which enables me to appreciate the simple things in life. I am Thankful … for treasured memories with good friends … for the Cyberflashes editorial staff and the special teamwork we have … for my siblings and the love that binds us … for music that allows the expression of feelings … for moments of laughter … for quiet “me time” enjoying a cool drink on a hot day … for FaceTime that connects me with my family … for financial blessings which in turn allows me to help others … for wisdom that comes with age and experience … for the ability to love and be loved I am Blessed … for I am a child of the King and a recipient of my Father's blessings every day … for I am surrounded by people I love and cherish Daylight is slowly fading as I think of the hundred things I am thankful for. I watch the sunset and listen to the busy traffic below. I am grateful for the blessings of today. I am thankful as I look forward to a peaceful night's sleep and be awakened to another beautiful morning by the cooing of the doves. I am blessed indeed.
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illiam Arthur Ward once said, "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it, is like wrapping a present and not giving it."
Most of us can easily enumerate hundreds of things and experiences we are grateful for because God has been so good to us. And I can do the same. But what stands out most to me is being grateful for one stormy night on August 15 of 1982, while onboard M/V Fernando Escano. With a heavy heart, I threw overboard my box of love letters and photos of one person who broke my heart and I made a decision to embark on a journey without him. That decision led me to New York City where I met my not-so-perfect but wonderful husband and we are now blessed with three lovely daughters. It is amazing how one decision on one memorable night can change your life's destiny. I praise God for that decision. I will always be grateful for the courage and confidence God gave me.
I • • • •
am very grateful to the Lord:
For His gentle presence, kindness & unconditional love and forgiveness despite our human frailty and weaknesses; For sustaining us and taking good care of us and providing protection all these years; For guiding us in making important decisions; For giving us the opportunity to see so many places in our lifetime; For His constant reassurance, mercy, and unceasing love for all who request them from Him.
Thank you, Lord Jesus for giving us the Sabbath Day so that we can rest and relax from our weekly labor, and to be able to enjoy and appreciate your beautiful nature in the ever-changing seasons where we are.
I Am Thankful Romy & Lucy Halasan
G
reetings! First of all, I would like to thank God for the protection given me in all my travels during the year 2017. This year has been a very challenging year for me, both in my work and with health issues with our family.
I would also like thank God because two of my sons are already working gainfully. One is works as an educator on diabetes and the other one is a Shared Service Specialist for the GC auditing service based in SSD. While a student, I never thought that I would have this privilege of traveling to different countries if not for Mountain View College’s training and God’s help. Lastly, I would like to thank MVC for providing and giving me good education. Without MVC, I would not have enjoyed what I have enjoyed today. Happy Thanksgiving to everybody.r
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lmost each year since having their own home, our son and his family would be at our place for Thanksgiving. But this year it’s different and more meaningful. Their being with us this time gives me a kind of joy that’s deep and gratifying as I deliberately reflect that although I’m away from family and relatives back in the homeland, the closest and dearest ones are just nearby. As I appreciate this family togetherness especially on Thanksgiving, I think of the incidents and circumstances I’m grateful for that have led my family and me to where we are. I’ll share one of them which I believe as life-changing. This item therefore that has to do with thankfulness is about the General Conference. It’s definitely because of this organization that my family and I are here in Maryland. And I’m eternally thankful to the Lord for this. When I think of my son and his family, I admit that here in this country, life is easier and it’s generally less of a challenge for him and his wife to land a job that remunerates them much better than if they’re making a living back in the land of their birth. I remember in 1998 when I first came the US with my wife and son. Elbert Moralde (we graduated together in MVC in 1975) was persuaded from our conversations while visiting the Universal Studio and Goldilocks in West Covina that I was, in his language, a “die-hard nationalist” who would come to America only for a visit, and not to be a resident, much less a citizen, thereof. But when it was the GC who asked me to be here for “missionary service,” it was the purpose of that call that overwhelmed my “nationalism.” It was hard to resist the invitation. As we gather today around the table for Thanksgiving dinner in a foreign land but with the closest people in my life around, I can’t help but whisper my tremendous thanks to my Maker and Provider for a number of things, and particularly for the GC.
I
am happy to share with my fellow alumni my blessings from the Lord for this year 2017. There's so much to thank the Lord for. I'm thankful for my family, my son's graduation from medical school, my husband's unfading love, my family being constantly in God's safe hands, and most of all for His giving me good health as I carried on my life's journey.
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ith the hustle, bustle, and stress of everyday life, it's easy to become fixated on bigpicture worries and take for granted all the little facets of life that deserve appreciation and can be a major boost to one’s overall happiness. That is why no matter how hectic we know our day is going to be, my husband Andy and I pause first thing in the morning to take inventory of what we are each grateful for. Completely unmindful of the ticking clock, we each innumerate at least 20 things that we are thankful for and we close with a prayer of thanksgiving. Then in the evening, first thing we do when we’re finally together, is to touch base on how our day has been and to again innumerate 20 things that we are thankful for. We do this no matter how tired we are or how many chores are waiting to be done. But for this issue of CyberFlashes, let me just mention ONE thing I am most grateful for and that is: LIFE. I am grateful for the extension of LIFE Andy and I are granted each hour. I am grateful for the gift of LIFE God has granted each day to our siblings, their wonderful spouses, and our nieces and nephews – for without that, we will surely miss out on the vividly-colorful life experiences that they bring us. I am grateful for the blessing of LIFE our parents, uncles and aunts, and our cousins have been blessed with for without them our lives would be missing something vital. In the past three months our family has lost five key people. There has been so much grief. • Auntie Naty Sanz (dad’s sister) passed away in Davao City last August after a short illness. She was a strong foundation in our family that helped glue us together. • Aunt Laurence passed away in Ozamiz after a year of illness. A calming presence that our family tended to gravitate to, we had hope she would be around forever. • Lola Asuncion (in-law) passed away in General Santos a few days later; we were devastated • Last month, my 1st degree cousin and close friend Phoebe Cagulada (Mike Caballero’s sis) succumbed to illness at Bagontaas, Bukidnon. I took it pretty hard. We were not prepared. • Then last week, Uncle Jun (Paulino) Nebres passed away in Thailand, he was my dad’s “brother” whose close friendship started at MVC extending it out to us their children. While our grief is big, Andy and I choose to celebrate Thanksgiving this year by celebrating the lives of these loved ones, commemorating the many contributions they have made in their respective communities. We thank God for placing them in our lives, in our family. We thank God that they were allowed to live a LIFE, so full and rich. We also celebrate by thanking God for the LIFE we are blessed with today – LIFE full of hope, love, peace, joy and endless possibilities. And yet we also eagerly look forward to the eternal LIFE promised by God to those who believe. That would certainly take the term “endless possibilities” a few notches off the scale!
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n old favorite from the King's Heralds starts with "There is so much for which to be thankful." Indeed, the Lord has blessed us in so many ways for which we are thankful daily.
Nancy and I are blessed with three children who are now on their own, by God's grace. Jyn, with husband Eddie, make their home in the Bay area in northern California. Our only son, JJ, works in Bangkok where he feels more at home than in Manila. Joy, our youngest, is happy and contented with her job in Manila that she will not entertain the idea of working abroad. Between us, we have six siblings who with their respective families are wonderful to be with, particularly during our latest family reunion in Samal Island last July. "There are gifts so abundant each day" -- and our families are abundant gifts that we thank God for and remember each day in prayers. They make us who we are. "So we thank Thee, dear Lord, for Thy mercy that attend us along life's way."
Thanksgiving Quotes Let these Thanksgiving quotes remind you to count your many blessings all year long. If your focus is one of thankfulness rather than one of looking at your troubles your life will be much happier. We all have lots to be grateful for!
It is when we stop thinking about what we don't have or what we lack, and become grateful for who we are, that we can gain access to true unlimited inspiration. Frank Arrigazzi, TIP TOP Spiritual Lessons
Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season, and represents food, family and moments of sharing and professing gratitude. Sarah Moore, Thanksgiving Recipes: Easy and Delicious Recipes for Celebrating Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season
Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. Oprah Winfrey
There is no racial or ethnic involvement in Thanksgiving, and people who may be very distant from the Christian system can see the beauty and the positive spirit that comes from the holiday. John Clayton Thanksgiving is a time to give, a time to love, and a time to reflect on the things that matter most in life. Danielle Duckery, Thanksgiving,Christmas & New Year Greetings
The best of all blessings is to give thanks for at a family gathering than the family and the gathering. Pedro Carvalho
When did you last thank God for someone important in your life, such as your husband, children, family, or friends? Renee Swope, Encouragement for Today: Devotions for Everyday Living
Thanksgiving Day is a perfect day to share the love and companionship of family and friends at the Thanksgiving table. Cheryl Leonard, Thanksgiving Day Recipes
SULADS’ Corner: “All Is Well” By Sulad Randy L. Sagan, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” – Roman 8:28 It was 2013-2014 when I joined SULADS and I was assigned to the Lambila Mission School among the T’boli tribe. But sadly, even being a missionary, I had in me my precious vice. This vice I could not really let go. In the year 2015, I was diagnosed with TB (Tuberculosis). The doctor asked me to be back after some months of medication. When my treatment was completed, I returned as ordered and was checked. I was declared healed. But I felt no change inside me; I still felt very sick. I knew even if I were to seek a second opinion I would receive the same answer and be told I was fine. With this in mind, I decided to stop my vice. In June 2017 when the SULADS missionaries came and I decided to go with them to Datal Kadi Mission School. During my stay with the missionaries I learned that there was something going on in the village and that the missionaries needed to be reassigned to another mission school. My job was only to drive for them. But there was this problem in the village and I felt so bad seeing the disappointed looks of the children who had been very excited about school. I immediately felt it was God’s will for me to be back in the mission where I came from so I decided to stay. Now I am in Datal Kadi Mission School serving my own people and living a new life in Jesus. I want to live with these words in my life, if I am in the Lord everything will be all right because in the LORD ALL IS WELL. © SULADS International, Inc. If you would like to support this mission program dedicated to taking the Gospel to the people of Mindanao, please write a check to Gospel Outreach. Mark it for the SULADS and send it to: Gospel Outreach P.O. Box 8 College Place, WA 99324 You may also donate to the SULADS using your credit card by logging on to Gospel Outreach's donation site (http://www.goaim.org/) and follow the directions. Again, mark it for SULADS. If you would prefer, you may write your check to the General Conference of SDA and mark the donation for SULADS and send it to: General Conference of SDA Donations 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904 Thank you for your support of this very important project. If you do not want to receive any more newsletters, Unsubscribe To update your preferences and to unsubscribe visit this link Forward a Message to Someone this
“These Tiny Little Hands In Mine” By Daryl F. Famisaran
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y wife and I have been married for 31 years; we have no children of our own. We used to pray, “Lord, please give us even just one child. We would be very happy and forever grateful.” In response, He gave us six … and still counting. Isn’t He a gracious God? “Not bone of our bones, neither flesh of our flesh But are children of our hearts for our happiness. A gift of heaven, a blessing from God. So special children to care and love.”
All five boys that we took into our home in Mountain View College were orphans from the Talaandig and Manobo tribes of the mountain. Sickly, skinny, dirty, you name it. These were boys nobody wanted. I remember one day when a student guard at MVCcame running to me exclaiming, “Sir, your boys! They are swimming in the college reservoir!” Oh BOYS! I also remember one concerned faculty member at MVC, a well-meaning neighbor of ours, who came to our home one morning puzzled. “Why must you feed so many mouths Daryl? One is enough!” I replied calmly, “Sir, the Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.” He left. Time flew so swiftly. Today these five boys are men. The eldest is a teacher, a graduate from ACT Adventist College of Technology. He is now supervising the Mangyan tribe mountain schools in Mindoro. He married a fellow missionary teacher and they are expecting a baby next month. The second is biology major, he completed his Master’s Degree and is doing his post graduate studies in Central Mindanao University major in research. The third unfortunately dropped out but he is a newly installed tribal leader back in his mountain village. The fourth is in his last year as a major in Medical Technology at AUP (Adventist University of the Philippines). He plans to pursue Medicine. The fifth is in the tenth grade at SCHSL SULADS Comprehensive High School for the Lumads. Then God called us to Mindoro to pioneer the work to the still unreached Mangyan mountain tribes. Though Mangyans are a peace-loving people and have a very good culture, their tribe has one cruel practice: they bury their unwanted children alive. To them, babies born out of wedlock, babies born with deformities, breach babies are unwanted babies. Because they cannot afford them anymore, they bury these infants alive. They believe that if they don’t bury them calamities will come and wipe out their village. Today we have our sixth adopted child, a five-month-old baby girl. She was born at three o’clock and was supposed to be buried at sunrise. She was rescued by our volunteer missionary teachers and was brought to us. When this baby arrived my wife and I prayed. “Lord, what do you mean by this? What do you want us to do?” Right away we were impressed to put up an Orphanage to save
many more babies from the hands of this cruel culture. It is only now that we understand why God called us to Mindoro this urgently! Little did we realize that God had been preparing us for this big ministry because our home in Mindanao has actually been a little orphanage. You may wonder: why bother so much to care for them? Why don’t we just leave them to their culture in the mountains? That was also the attitude of no-less-than the disciples who did not have the heart for children. When they saw the mothers carrying their children to be blessed by Jesus, they rebuked them and told them to stay away and not to bother the already tired Jesus. “But when Jesus saw it he was much displeased and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” Mark 10: 14. Unlike the usual orphanage where childless couples come to adopt, this one will be a school itself to train and prepare these children to be missionary teachers back to their own people or wherever they are needed. They will be the ones advocating that there will be no more burying of unwanted babies alive. That “little lad” gave his own lunch to Jesus and it fed the hungry crowd - five thousand men aside from the women and children. “Baby Moses” was the son of a Hebrew slave. Hadassah who became Queen Esther was an orphan. King Joash was only eight years old. Little Captive Maid was a domestic helper. Baby Jesus too was threatened by a death decree of King Herod. The Pharisees and church leaders who were annoyed by the presence of children didn’t like them in the temple. But Jesus overturned the tables of these supposed worshippers who made themselves vendors making the temple a market place. Jesus emptied the temple of these noisy vendors and let the CHILDREN in to the temple . . . for of such . . . is the kingdom of God!
I don’t know exactly what will become of these children in this new Orphanage Project. What I am most certain of is that God will use these children in a special purpose and mission in these last days. How do we sustain this project? I don’t know. Crazy isn’t it? What I am just certain is, as this is God’s ministry to “Suffer the little children to come to Him” I am sure that He will supply all our needs according to His promises and riches in glory. I will only trust Him just like when we started the SULADS without money but with big FAITH and prayer. This too will be “Financed by Faith Supported by Prayer” Would you want to join hands with us in this project? Please contact Project Director Daryl Faderogaya Famisaran at sharylvem@gmail.com
Thanksgiving Wisdom May your stuffing be tasty May your turkey plump, May your potatoes and gravy Have nary a lump. May your yams be delicious And your pies take the prize, And may your Thanksgiving dinner Stay off of your thighs! “You can tell you ate too much for Thanksgiving when you have to let your bathrobe out.” - Jay Leno “Best of all is it to preserve everything in a pure, still heart, and let there be for every pulse a thanksgiving, and for every breath a song.” - Konrad von Gesner
“One single grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer.” - Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
“My father said there were two kinds of people in the world: givers and takers. The takers may eat better, but the givers sleep better.” - Marlo Thomas
“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” - W.T. Purkiser
“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” - William Arthur Ward
“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.” - Henry Van Dyke
“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” - William Arthur Ward
Elderly Flyer Today in the Arthritis Pool Exercise Class, a 90-year-old lady said, "I'm flying to Chicago for Thanksgiving, and they probably will charge me extra for being an 'old bag'!" (from Doc's Daily Chuckle)
Thanksgiving Delights On Thanksgiving Day we're thankful for Our blessings all year through, For family we dearly love, For good friends, old and new. For sun to light and warm our days, For stars that glow at night, For trees of green and skies of blue, And puffy clouds of white. We're grateful for our eyes that see The beauty all around, For arms to hug, and legs to walk, And ears to hear each sound. The list of all we're grateful for Would fill a great big book; Our thankful hearts find new delights Everywhere we look! By Joanna Fuchs (As seen in Weekend Encounter)
Thanksgiving Preparation We visited my parents for Thanksgiving, and even though she was over 80, Mother was determined to put on a traditional dinner. After having spent the day preparing all the food, Mother was getting ready for bed, and we noticed she had set her alarm clock to go off at 4 a.m. She explained that she had to turn the oven on to cook the turkey. We knew her oven had a timer and asked her if she knew how to use it. "Of course," she told us, "but I've been getting up for over 60 Thanksgivings to turn the oven on, and it just wouldn't be the same to have the stove do it for me!" (from Da Mouse Tracks)
Power of Thanksgiving Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
"University psychologists recently conducted a research project on gratitude and thanksgiving. They divided participants into three groups. People in the first group practiced daily exercises like writing in a gratitude journal. They reported higher levels of alertness, determination, optimism, energy, and less depression and stress than the control group. Unsurprisingly, they were also a lot happier than the participants who were told to keep an account of all the bad things that happened each day. "One of the psychologists concluded that though a practice of gratitude is a key to most religions, its benefits extend to the general population, regardless of faith or no faith. He suggested that anyone can increase his sense of well-being just from counting his blessings." As William Shakespeare said so eloquently: "Let never day nor night unhallowed pass / But still remember what the Lord hath done." To those words I would add a very hearty amen! Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me a thankful heart and may words of thanksgiving be always in my heart and never far from my lips, and help me always to live in an attitude of gratitude. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
Child Blessing Last year on Thanksgiving, the childless farmer and his wife prayed for all their blessings. But, they also prayed that their loneliness of having no children be relieved. Their prayers were answered and the wife became pregnant. She gave birth to triplets! A friend remarked, "See, prayers are always answered." The farmer then then replied, "Yes, but I never expected a bumper crop like this!" (from Doc's Daily Chuckle)
Top Ten Signs You’ve Eaten Too Much 9.
Hundreds of volunteers have started to stack sandbags around you. 9. Doctor tells you your weight would be perfect for a man 17-feet tall. 8. You are responsible for a slight but measurable shift in the earth's axis. 7. Right this minute you're laughing up pie on the carpet. 6. You decide to take a little nap and wake up in mid-July. 5. World's fattest man sends you a telegram, warning you to "back off!" 4. CBS tells you to lose weight or else. 3. Getting off your couch requires help from the firedepartment. 2. Every escalator you step on immediately grinds to a halt. 1. You're sweatin' gravy. (from David Letterman's Top Ten Lists)
French Horn When a music student brought his French horn to my shop for repair he complained that the instrument "felt stuffy" and he couldn't blow air through it. It's not unusual to find partial blockages in brass instruments if small items get lodged in the tubing, but when I tested the instrument, the horn was completely blocked. After much probing and prodding, a small tangerine dropped out of the bell. "Oh," said the musician when I handed him the fruit. Seeing the bewildered look on my face, he explained, "My mom used the horn for a cornucopia in a Thanksgiving centerpiece." (from Doc's Daily Chuckle)
You’re Probably Overdoing Thanksgiving if ‌. * You spill more food on you than the local soup kitchen dispenses. * Paramedics bring in the Jaws of Life to pry you out of the Lazy Boy. * The gravy boat your wife set out was a real 12' boat! * The potatoes you used set off another famine in Ireland. * You receive a Sumo Wrestler application in your e-mail. * You set off an earthquake seismograph on your morning jog on Friday. * Pricking your finger for cholesterol screening only yielded gravy. * You have 5 TV sets all side-by-side to catch all 5 football games. * Representatives from the Butterball Hall of Fame called twice. * Your arms have gotten too short to tie your shoes. (from Doc's Daily Chuckle)
Waning Golfers A foursome of senior golfers hit the course with waning enthusiasm for the sport. "These hills are getting steeper as the years go by," one complained. "These fairways seem to be getting longer too," said one of the others. "The sand traps seem to be bigger than I remember them too," said the third senior. After hearing enough from his buddies, the oldest and the wisest of the four of them at 87 years old, piped up and said, "My friends, just be thankful we're still on this side of the grass!" (from Pastor Tim)
Wish After a big family dinner a grandfather and his grandson broke the wishbone from the turkey. The boy was bitterly disappointed to find himself holding the small end of the bone. "Don't worry," the grandfather comforted the child. "My wish was that your wish would come true." (from Da Mouse Tracks)
Unique Plants & Animals of New Guinea
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his week, let me share with you more fascinating facts about New Guinea. Indonesia being the largest archipelago in the world with almost 18,000 islands is unique because of its diverse animals and plants.
Puncak Jaya, located in the central highlands, is 4,884 meters above sea level and is the highest summit of Mount Jayawijaya or Mount Carstensz. It is also considered the highest island peak in the world. The highlands surrounding the peak were inhabited before European contact. The peak was known as Nemangkawi in Amungkal. Puncak Jaya was named "Carstensz Pyramid" after Dutch explorer, Jan Carstenszoon who first sighted the glaciers on the peak of the mountain on a rare clear day in 1623. The sighting went unverified for over two centuries and Carstensz was ridiculed in Europe when he said he had seen snow near the equator.
Puncak Jaya
While Puncak Jaya's peak is free of ice, there are several glaciers on its slopes, including the Carstensz Glacier, West Northwall Firn, East Northwall Firn and the recently vanished Meren Glacier in the Meren Valley (meren is Dutch for "lakes"). Being equatorial, there is little variation in the mean temperature during the year (around 0.5 °C) and the glaciers fluctuate on a seasonal basis only slightly. This is the only mountain in tropical setting that has snow. New Guinea has mystified, terrified, and surprised travelers for hundreds of years – it is famed as a remote, rugged place covered in thick tropical rain forests, home to strange and wonderful wildlife, and cannibalistic cultures. Its seas are filled with some of the world’s most pristine coral reefs. In fact, this place is still so little-known that it is one of the few places on Earth where biologists still routinely discover new large mammals. Expeditions in the Foja Mountains and Bosavi Crater have discovered 2 new species of Giant Woolly Rats and a new specie of wallaby known as a Dorcopsis, thought to be the smallest member of the kangaroo family on Earth. Unfortunately, this reputation has become under threat recently as these forests have been under huge pressure due to logging and hunting. This has caused many of the island’s weird, most wonderful, and endemic species to grow rarer and rarer. It is impossible to give exact numbers of species found in New Guinea. Many species, particularly invertebrates, remain unnamed and even more are yet undiscovered. It is like an ecological extravaganza. There are about 190 species of mammals in Papua New Guinea. However, as Papua New Guinea falls East of the Wallace line, there are no African animals in the country. Marsupials such as the Tree Kangaroo, possums, wallabies and rodents dominate the mammal species. There are at least 25,000 species of beetles and 6,000 moths and butterflies here. There are also grasshoppers, earwigs, termites, bees, wasps, ants, dragonflies, damselflies, lacewings, cicadas, mayflies, aphids, ubiquitous mosquitoes and about 160 species of frogs alone. New Guinea has 2 species of crocodile. The estuarine or saltwater crocodile is widespread throughout the Indo-pacific. It lives in marine habitats and coastal river systems. The New Guinea crocodile is found in freshwater rivers, lakes, marshes and swamplands. The two species actually co-exist in many of New Guinea's rivers. New Guinea has a rich lizard fauna with about 170 species that includes the geckos, legless lizards, dragon lizards and monitor lizards. There are about 100 species of skinks and approximately 110 species of snakes including sea snakes, tree snakes, pythons and (more rarely) poisonous frontfanged snakes such as the death adder and taipans. A 23-kilometer lake in Sentani is really very beautiful with clear waters. It was tempting to take a swim but I was told that there are many crocodiles in the lake.
Tree Kangaroo
Some sort of insect?
A Cuscus
Stripped oppossum
Long-beaked echidna
Echidna
Please watch these videos of Papua New Guinea side of New Guinea Island https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGZZBzT8rmI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNEJif8a5qo
Matschie's tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei), also known as the Huon tree-kangaroo is a tree-kangaroo native to the Huon Peninsula of northeastern New Guinea island, within the nation of Papua New Guinea. It was only last week when I learned that tree kangaroos exist in New Guinea. I thought they were only found in Australia. I would have seen a tree kangaroo. It was taken captive by a local family but it did not survive. The animal died 3 months ago having been away from its natural habitat and source of food. Please watch this video of tree kangaroo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NJNlwDcbAU With a body and head length of 20 to 32 inches, Matschie's tree-kangaroo are much smaller than Australia's well-known red kangaroo. An adult male weighs between 20 and 25 l. An adult female weighs between 15 and 20 lb. The average life span of the Matschie's tree-kangaroo in the wild is unknown, but is at least 14 years. The life span of the kangaroo in a zoo is about 20 years. The most distinctive trait of all tree-kangaroos is the hair whorl they possess. It is a patch of hair that goes out in many directions and its location ranges from up near the shoulders all the way down to the tail. The Matschie’s tree-kangaroo is golden on its ventral side, lower parts of its limbs, ear edges, belly, and tail, and the rest of its body is a chestnut brown color, except for usually having a dark stripe down its back. Their faces are typically an array of yellow and white colors. I was amazed see animals here in New Guinea since I first saw the picture of these animals last week.
Nepenthes Ampullaria
Bat Flower
Corybas Muluensis
Toilet-Bowl Plant
Bottle-Brush Orchid
Hoya Calycina (for perfume)
a different specie of Corybas
Bat-plant-cat-whiskers Plant
Parrot Flower
Parrot Flowers
There are many plants that are unique in Indonesia. Have you heard about the toilet bowl plant in Sumatra? Please find the picture of this plant in this issue. Another unique plant is the bat flower. There are also many kinds of pitcher plant which are carnivorous in nature. SDA church in New Guinea
Papua Mission is the biggest mission in East Indonesia. It is also the richest mission since the major income comes from big mining companies. The government provides each family with cash assistance amounting to IDR 100,000,000.00 which is equivalent to USD 7,500.00 each year, thus people in the mountains do not need to find work. They travel by plane for free when they need medical assistance. I witnessed several passengers arrive from the mountain in our Adventist Aviation place still wearing their traditional attire. In the government official records, there are 1,000,000 church members who claim to be Adventist. However, in our official records, we have at least 250,000 members. While in Fiji, I met all the presidents of our missions and conferences in Papua New Guinea. I was delighted to hear that in Papua New Guinea, one of the remotest islands on earth, we have so many Adventist Church members. Please continue to pray for our Adventist church members in Papua.
Romy Halasan New Guinea
In Closing … Announcements | From The Mail Bag | Prayer Requests | Acknowledgment Meet The Editors |Closing Thoughts
MVC Alumni Asso. Western USA When
What
2017 Dec 15-17 2017 Nov23 NEW 2017 Nov30 2017 Nov24 NEW Fri. Dec 15 Sab. Dec 16 Sat. Dec 16 @6PM
MVC +MMA Joint Alumni Association Reunion Expires Group Rate Discount for Hotel Accommodations Deadline to submit photos for Souvenir Book Ads Deadline to order alumni souvenir T-shirts Alumni Reunion Vespers Alumni Reunion Worship Service Alumni Reunion Banquet – book ASAP! Limited Seating.
• MVC ALUMNI REUNION @2017. December 15-17 will be held jointly with Mindanao Mission Academy Alumni Association at the OMNi Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa at 41000 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage, California 92270. You and the friends of MVC and MMA are invited to come and join in the fellowship and festivities! • Hotel Reservations: Group Rates$119/night. Reservation Code: 121517MVCREUNION. That is excluding tax. We were just informed that Group Rate Offer Expires on Nov23 (not Nov30 as we were told last Friday). After Nov23, the cost will be $159/night. So book today! To book, go to https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/palm-springs-rancho-laspalmas/meetings/mvc-reunion • Tickets for Alumni Banquet. Limited sitting (200). Contact Ben Rosas to get your tickets. • Souvenir Book Ad – Deadline to submit a page was moved to Nov30. • Souvenir T-Shirts and/or Hoodies – available for purchase until Nov 24. • For More info – see the flier in the next page or contact the officers Elbert Moralde (951) 452-2631. Email: elvimor@aol.com Jennilee Luceñara (909) 991.5927. Jerelyn Bocala (310) 866-1671. Email: nenebocs@yahoo.com Ben Rosas (951) 350-3527. Email: rosas.ben5@gmail.com Bing Baliton-Ambaan 909-965-3130. Email: rivyn88@yahoo.com
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT AD was extended to: November 30,2017 For Inquiries: Call Ben Rosas (951-350-3527) Email: rosas.ben5@gmail.com Jerelyn Bocala (310-866-1671) Email: nenebocs@yahoo.com
SOUVENIR PROGRAM ADVERTISEMENT CONTRACT Mountain View College Alumni Association-Western USA We/I hereby authorize the following advertisement to be placed in the Souvenir Program of MVCAA.
( ( ( ( ( ( (
) ) ) ) ) ) )
ADVERTISEMENT RATES: In full Color Full Page (Back Cover) $300 Full Page (Inside Front Cover) $250 Full Page (Inside Back Cover) $200 Full Page (Business) $150 Half Page (Business) $100 Full Page (Personal) $100 Half Page (Personal) $ 60
Advertiser’s Name: ____________________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________________ Phone Number: ______________________ Email Address: ____________________________ Message: ____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ No. of Pictures ( ) are enclosed/emailed (Maximum of 4 pictures for full page, 2 for half page) or ( ) Please use attached layout ( ) Enclosed CD ( ) I’ll email it Please send this FORM together with your Check payable to: MVCAA-Western USA by October 15, 2017 to: Ben Rosas. 36243 Clearwater Ct Beaumont, CA 92223
Solicited by: ____________________________Ck No. _____________Amount: ______________
MVC School of Nursing Alumni Association When
What
2018 Aug30-Sept2
REUNION. MVCSN Alumni Association North America Orlando, Florida, USA. THEME: Unveiling His Presence Lodging: ParkInn Radisson, a mile away from the entrance of Walt Disney World For more info contact any of the officers in Facebook: Ed Eresmas, Nonoy Hablan, Judith Teves, Darlene Ruado, or Connie Calica 50th Anniversary Homecoming & Reunion at MVC Campus. For more info: contact Devaney Bayeta in Facebook
2019 July 15-20
MVC 65th Annivesary Reunion When
What
2018 July 3-8
65th HOMECOMING & REUNION. Mountain View College MVC Campus, Valencia, Bukidnon, Philippines For more Info: Gladden Flores
SULADS Reunion Update When 2018 June 24-July 1
What SULAD 50th Anniversary Homecoming Reunion at MVC Campus
SULAD HEAD COUNT NEEDED – In preparation for the upcoming Sulads’ 50th Anniversary Reunion (June 24 - July 01, 2018) which will be held at MVC Campus, we need a general idea of how many sulads and their families to prepare for. Housing, meals, etc. If you are planning on coming, please drop us a line? Thanks. • Facebook – Melchie Sison Tonog; Joy Caballero-Gadia • Email – watermankids@yahoo.com SAVE THE DATE! PLAN to be there! June 24-July01, 2018. Next year. 7 months to prepare. SULADS Connection – Are you a sulad? Want to be part of the ongoing discussions, planning and reminiscing throughout the week? If you are a sulad and not yet part of the Facebook group “SULADS Connection,” message either of the following FB accounts and ask to be added to the group: Joubert Falcunitin, Dams McFall Mari Ray, Joy Caballero-Gadia, Editha Daguman.
MORE Announcements … When 2017 Dec 30
What DEADLINE: To submit your stories for the Junior Devotional that MVC is putting together.
2017 Dec 28-31 2019 Aug 12-17
GYC. Phoenix, Arizona. www.gycweb.org International Pathfinder Camporee at Oshkosh, WI. www.camporee.org
STORIES FOR JUNIOR DEVOTIONAL – still needed by MVC. The DEADLINE has been moved (once again) to Dec 30, 2017. Send your stories to sdajuniordevotional2019.ph@gmail.com WHO CAN WRITE? No age requirement. Does not need to be an alumni member. All that matters is that the story written…. 1. Does not contradict SDA beliefs and practices. 2. Is written for the juniors/early teen audience. 3. Is not too preachy 4. Does not invade other people’s privacy. 5. Meets the number-of-words requirement which is 350 words or less. SUGGESTED TOPICS: spiritual matters, family, friends, studies, values, health, dating, social concerns, hobbies, technology, answered prayers, and nature.
GUIDELINES from the PPH: 1. Write in a conversational manner. 2. Write to describe, not to prescribe. 3. Be specific. 4. Dwell on a single lesson, trait or action. 5. Creative title, no more than 6 words 6. Include a Bible Text. Suggest using NIV, NKJV, NLT, ESV, and NASB 7. Include your biodata. 8. Observer proper citation. Contributors whose articles are chosen to be included in the devotional will receive Php 350/article upon release of the devotional book.
GYC FIVE MORE DAYS until the early bird registration price expires and price of registration goes up! If you haven’t registered yet, save $40 and register now HERE Click here to see the PROMO VIDEO Click here to book your HOTEL room. Group discount rates expire on Dec 4 (Hyatt) and Dec 15 (Renaissance) but rooms are filling up quickly!
INT’L PATHFINDER CAMPOREE Did you know? Over a dozen Pathfinders from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, have already registered for the camporee? And more than 80 Pathfinders from China are praying/planning on coming. What about you? Are you registered to go? Is your Pathfinder Club registered? If you haven’t, hurry! It’s first come, first served.
In the past International Camporees held at Oshkosh, the tickets (registration) sold out and thousands were turned away. Visit the website to register and/or get more information. www.camporee.org Registration questions? Call (269) 471-8380
Announcement: Changes Coming to CyberFlashes After some deliberations, the CF editors have come to an agreement that the current practice of putting out an issue every Friday, 52 issues a year, is creating some stress among editors. Finding materials to write about has become a burden because not too many alumni and friends are willing to share stories about their experiences both while at MVC and at work as alumni. The work of doing the layout is basically handled by one person, and her regular work which is already quite heavy plus the CF layout which she does so well, takes so much of her time. So we decided to lessen the frequency of putting out the CyberFlashes. Starting in January 2018 we will mail out an issue of CF every other week. So please do not be surprised if you do not receive the CF on alternate weeks. Hopefully this will lessen the pressure on the editors and result in better content in the issues you receive. For the Editors—Eddie Zamora
Meet The Editors This week’s issue of CyberFlashes was by Eddie Zamora. Next week’s issue will be by Melodie Mae Karaan Inapan. Please direct all entries to her or to any of the editors. NAME: Eddie Zamora Evelyn Porteza-Tabingo Jessie Colegado Joy Caballero-Gadia Lily EscaraLare Melodie Mae Karaan-Inapan Raylene Rodrigo-Baumgart Romulo ‘Romy’ Halasan
EMAIL ADDRESS: ezamora594 at aol dot com etabingo at gmail dot com Cyberflashes at gmail dot com watermankids at yahoo dot com LyLare at Hotmail dot com melodieinapan at yahoo dot com raylene.baumgart at gmail dot com romsnake at gmail dot com
If you wish to subscribe to Cyberflashes, to unsubscribe, or if you changed your email address and want Cyberflashes to be sent to your new address, please send your request via email to any of the editors. We spell out the @ and dot signs in the email addresses to prevent worms, viruses, and robots from harvesting them. If you would like to correspond, simply substitute the correct symbols
Acknowledgment A special thank you to the following who contributed Thanksgiving Thoughts to this week’s issue of CyberFlashes: Lynn Porteza Tabingo, Raylene Baumgart, Sharon Donato Suite, Romy & Lucy Halasan, Willy Sumagaysay, Annie Flores Davis, Joy Caballero-Gadia, Jessie Colegado and to • • • •
Romy Halasan for “LIFE of a Missionary” Jessie Colegado for chuckles in “Jessie’s Patch of Weeds”, The Sulads and Gospel Outreach for “SULADS’ Corner” Evelyn Porteza Tabingo for help in the editing; Joy Caballero-Gadia for the layout
Prayer Requests FOR THE CONTINUED HEALING OF: Marie Bingcang, Ching Rivera, Jerusalem Era, Ruth Fabella & Ellen Fabella (wife and daughter of Dr. Armand T. Fabella), Felix Sareno, Elmer Aguro, Rayelch Modillas, Rebecca Antemano, Roxie Pido, Virgie Osita, Pastor Oseas Zamora, Pastor Remelito Tabingo and members of the MVC Alumni & Friends who are sick. COMFORT FOR THE BEREAVED FAMILIES OF: Paulino “Jun” Nebres, Lemuel Mantua, Pheobe Caballero Cagulada, Alan Magie, RJ Buada, Naty Caballero-Sanz, Anabel Quilog, and other families who recently lost their loved ones.
Closing Thoughts The Editor I would like to close this issue with the song often sung by The King’s Heralds--
There is so much for which to be thankful, There are gifts so abundant each day, So we thank Thee, dear Lord, for thy mercies That attend us along life’s way.
A Happy Sabbath to Everyone!