Household

31 Jan 2009

I hate that this has been becoming a rare sight, but for that night, the entire household was complete. We sat at the hidden balcony of the Yuchengco building where we just had our worship. It was a few days before finals for the first term, but I couldn’t really share on any of finals anxiety because I was on internship for the term, plus I had just passed my thesis proposal defense (take two), so I couldn’t be any happier or baggage free.

We sat on the pebblewash floor, basking in the soft yellow glow of the small spotlights lining the side of the balcony. Papers, books, reviewers were spread all around us while we waited for the actual household to start. I looked around the group and counted the entire Execom by partners: Rico and Andy for Evang, Pats and Jhasy for Finance, Marco and Bea for SocPol, Coach and Melai for Special Activities and Niki and me for Documentations. Ces, our surrogate mother sat beside Andy, playing with her hair while Rocky, her partner, sat beside Coach, cracking jokes all the time. Greg and Tuesday, our household heads sat at the head of the circle, and Tuesday was pulling at her Bible for the household notes that Bea and I watched her write yesterday while we hung out at her place.

I never thought I’d be part of this group again. I was inactive for almost two years and if Engel didn’t catch me walking around school last year and telling me I was her “simple joy” (really now, who wouldn’t soften with that?), I wouldn’t be a part of YFC in campus right now. I never knew how it was to be a part of a household where everyone was accountable to each other, and where we rang each other everyday for our prayer time. I don’t think I would have survived the first term without them.

We all went our rounds of sharing, and I felt my heart go out to everyone in my household. I was blessed enough to be free of any other school stuff until the next term, but everyone else were still struggling with their finals and other personal things. There’s always a lot of things to be finished, a lot of things to be done and to catch up on. Nevertheless, they were all happy for me when I announced once again that I passed our take two of thesis proposal. Our group would not have passed without their prayers.

Finally, it was Tuesday’s turn to talk. Even if we have discussed this last night at her place, her talk still hit me in the places that needs to be hit, and left me a bit teary-eyed. Bea, however, had tears flowing after Tuesday had finished.

Finally, Tuesday reached for her iPod and stuck it to the speaker. “Brothers and sisters, let’s remember that we are God’s children, and we are in His grip of grace.” She clicked on play and we all listened as the Shawn McDonald started singing:

Little child don’t cry,
Cause our God knows why.
Little child don’t fear,
Cause our God is here.
Do you know the promise
That He has given to you?
To never take His love away,
You are in the grip of grace.
To never run, oh never run away,
Cause our God will never desert you,
His love will never fade.

I leaned back, raised my face and closed my eyes. The night was silent, except for the music playing from the speakers. I know it’s not going to be easier for the next two terms, but with these people, I know I’m not alone.

[615 words]

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