COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT *CDO Stake in Partnership with The Philippine Society of Pathologists, Northern Mindanao Chapter

The Cagayan de Oro Philippines Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

 In Partnership with

 The Philippine Society of Pathologists, Northern Mindanao Chapter

Community Service Project

October 16, 2010

The Cagayan de Oro Philippines Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in partnership with the Philippine Society of Pathologists, Northern Mindanao Chapter, conducted a Community Service Project at the Macasandig Elementary School, Macasandig, Cagayan de Oro City last Saturday, October 16, 2010.

Participated by members from the 5 Wards of the Stake, the community service project started with a short program organized by the school administration. After the opening exercises, the feeding program followed. 100 underweight elementary students who were pre-qualified by the school administration were given Chicken Congee prepared by members of the Relief Society of the Stake. Youth, single adults, primary children, stake and ward leaders, members of the Relief Society, and missionaries helped serve the food to the participants.

The feeding program was then followed by a clean up drive. The school vicinity was swept clean and the fence posts, the concrete benches and tables were repainted.   

For many of the members who participated, it was a great way to usher in the Family Day celebration which followed immediately that same day, in the afternoon, at the Ramon Chavez Stake Center.

Happiness is a Choice ♥

Happiness Formulas:

o   Being happy is a choice people make right here and now, by living joyfully. It is not a place to reach in the future.

o   There are ways to measure subjective well-being and thinking about what such formulas mean for us is even more important than the numbers we get out of them;

o   We get happier by making other people happier 

o   There are several "fringe" benefits to living joyfully:

        

§ Happy people are more sociable, energetic, more caring, and cooperative;

§ They are better liked by others;

§ They are more likely to get married and stay married;

§ They have wider social networks and receive support from friends;

§ They show more flexibility and creativity in their thinking;

§ They are more productive at work;

§ They are recognized as better leaders and negotiators, and so earn accordingly;

§ They are more tenacious when times are not pleasant;

§ They have stronger immune systems;

§ They are healthier both physically and mentally, and

§ They live longer. 

Now, the choice is yours. 

I hope it's not that difficult to make. 

After all, you are the "navigator of your life"and the "captain of your soul"!

Keep the Love Alive ♥

Courtship does not end in the altar of marriage. It should only be the beginning. 

When was the last time you went out on a dinner date, just the two of you?

Most likely, if you have kids, and you’re working hard, going out on dates was a thing of the past. Besides, you always tell yourself the money could be used to pay for your bills.

Maybe you have a baby and you don’t have a baby sitter; or you simply don’t have enough time with all the work that needs to be done; maybe you’re too exhausted after having done all your laundry and house cleaning and cooking the whole day; or maybe you just don’t like nor see any significance of going out anymore. 

You should be alarmed!

Second to money issues, couples who take their spouses for granted are more likely to end up unhappy, miserable, then separated or divorced. This is because there is truth in the saying that if one can “fall in love”, one can also “fall out of love”. Hence, if you want to “stay in love”, you better do something about it!

To keep love burning, married couples have to take their commitment to marriage seriously. 

How?


Make romance a part of your continuous courtship efforts. 

Romance is a necessity and not a luxury, therefore it is essential to make romance a lifestyle. It can be fun and exciting, and just like all of the other aspects of marriage; it requires thoughtfulness, communication and attention from both parties involved.  

Here are 7 Tips on How to Nurture Romance in Your Relationship

1. A Romantic Picnic 

Get to know each other all over again! And do it with style! 


Use your imagination. Find an excuse to spend an evening together, just the two of you. 


Stop by a grocery on your way home from work: buy some "chichirya", or a pack of hopia, or potato chips (be sure to include dips like mayonnaise or cheeze whiz ;D),or fruits if you like. Pizza would be okay too! Then, once you get home, light some scented candles, load up the DVD or Mp3 player with some great jazz or your favorite love songs. Spend the evening dancing or simply talking like you may not have in a long time. 

2. Speak Love for 30 days (as a starter) 

Send a different sexy, loving message each day.  Mix it up. Send a text message one day, call the next day. 

3. Do Something New or Different Together 

Once a week or as often as you like, do something else, do something new and different, anything, as long as you do it together. You may, for example, give each other a foot massage. Take an evening walk. Take turns doing it. 

Or go on short vacations, just the two of you. 

4. "How Do I Love Thee?" or Try "Why Do I Love Thee?"  

Write each reason on a separate piece of paper. Put them in separate boxes and pull a different one each day, to brighten your day and remind you of your love for each other. You can secretly put these love notes in between his shirts, or on the table top for her as you leave to house for your office. Anywhere, as long as the element of surprise is there. It’ll surely bring a smile in your face, and will keep it there until he comes home from work.

5. Remember Letter's to Juliet? Never under estimate the power of a  Love Letter!

Write a love letter and share something you are really proud of your mate for. A few ideas you can write about are: an accomplishment, a selfless act of kindness, what you love the most and why. Ladies seal it with a kiss and a dash of his favorite perfume. Guys, a spritz of her favorite cologne will do. 

6. Read Together

Turn off the TV, computer and phones. Take turns reading poetry or anything that interests you both. Just be sure it’s not about someone killing somebody, or something that would invite negative vibes. In short, make sure your reading materials are inspiring and will bring in happy thoughts and feelings. 

7. Flower or Green Leafy Vegetables? 

There's a joke that goes around married couples. Early on in the courtship, would-be boyfriends shower the lady love flowers of every color imaginable. After marriage, things change. Husbands would say: "let's buy vegetables instead"! 


Of course this is just a joke. But hey! Inside every married woman, 17 to 99, is a lady and a girl ... who wants to feel she is special ... still.


So bring a different kind of flower home each day for 30 days. Trust me, it‘s not difficult.

  

What Makes a Mother a Mother?

I hope you're not confused with the question.

Really, what makes a mother a mother?

Oh, you carried each of your children in your womb for nine months, that makes you a mother all right!

You gave birth to all of them ... normal delivery!

Remember the pain when their heads "crowned"?

Or via CS, and you had to be careful for months because of your operation ...

Or you may be someone who did not literally nurture them in your womb

but nonetheless is a Mother to them in all other aspects ...

When they were small, you bathed them every single day,
until the time arrived when they could do it themselves.
 Then all you had to do was prepare the towels and the change of clothing ... and pray that they rinsed their hair well, or that they scrubbed their elbows and knees and heels ... 

You fed them every time they cry!
You either had to wash your "automatic baby bottle", if you know what i mean,
or you had to make sure that the bottles were sterilized ...
and the water was sterile ...
and the milk, that it's not too hot nor not cold ...

You had to hold the bottle while they sucked, which took a few minutes to an hour ...
sitting up so they won't choke
and watching and waiting till they're finished
so they won't suck in air
and suffer from colic pains.

You did this morning, noon, till night time
even when all the rest of the household are asleep;

Many times you find yourself alone in the house
carrying the baby everywhere
for you can't just leave him or her lying in your bed alone
while you try your best to do your chores at home
while he sleeps - which he does so irregularly ...
Remember the time call of nature came, and you just had to go?
You had to leave the door open so you can hear the baby ...

Day in and day out
you smell like sour cream or spoiled milk because you just did not have enough time
nor the motivation
to change your house dress into something more fashionable;
Who needs to be that trendy anyway? So you tell yourself!

You smell of "weweee" and of "pawis" and of "dul-ay" all mixed together.

As they grew older ...

 It was normally you who stayed late when the children were sick ...

When they started to crawl ... and as they took their first steps ...

When they fell off the chair, or the table, or the bed, or the stairs ...

You cleaned wounds on knees and elbows
kissed them with your lips
whispered sweet assurances so your children will know
the pain will soon be gone...

You sang to them all sorts of songs, English or Visayan
written or invented (hah!)

You recited the alphabet with them ...

Told them stories - true and make-believe ...

Taught them how to fold their socks, how to tie their shoe laces, how to tuck in their shirts ...

You woke up early to prepare their breakfast, iron their uniforms, shine their shoes ...
Simultaneously while cleaning the house and preparing yourself
so you can bring them to school on time,
and wait for them outside their classrooms when they were in Nursery, Kinder 1, Kinder 2 ... Praying that they will participate ... cooperate ... and stay awake ... and not quarrel with their classmates;

You took time to face teachers during Parent-Teacher Conferences ...
took in wholeheartedly reports of them misbehaving in school ...
of your boy reading his favorite book during classes;
or your daughter punching the class bully in his nose
(and you find yourself silently saying to yourself ...
YES! that's, that's my girl!) 

and a million other things you did (and still do even today)

... day in and day out ...

What makes a Mother a Mother?

All these and so much more ...

The sacrifices, the heartaches, the fears, the excitements, the worries, the anxieties ...

the joy, the happiness ...

and a million other things that make you as you are ...

Selfless ... 

Sacrificing ...

Hoping ...

Praying ...

Who fed me from her gentle breast;

And hushed me in her arms to rest;

And on my cheek sweet kisses prest?

My Mother."

~Anne Taylor

♥Evelyn and Leila ♥