WHEN ANGELS CAME DOWN!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009, I was told that those who will be manning the table on Sunday Feast, May 17, in Valle Verde would be wearing a costume of angels. Whaaaaat!?! I was shocked. I was told to read my email, the request was there.

When I got home, I immediately read that email. Voila! It was there. Oh no, I honestly didn’t like that. Wearing costumes, never in my life had I done that. But I couldn’t back out my name or find somebody to replace me just because of this reason. Well, I am the head of our ministry, if this was my only reason not to serve, I had to do it.

The next day, I had to think of how to encourage my three other sisters in the ministry, Nell, Erlie, and Joy, who will also man the table. So, I text them to wear all white and for once in our lives we would be angels here in this world, even for just now as we wear angel costumes. They liked the idea, they said that they had never did that but it was an exciting thought. There, problem solved . . . ummm but you know what? With our text exchanges, I was also encouraged myself and if we were going to do it, why not with the best we could . . . ;-D

Friday night . . . ahhh, we were so sleepy and tired already. It was around 10:00 p.m. Nell, spent the night in our house. We were making angel halos and wings. We started since 6:00 p.m.

We had used a thick wire for the outside skeleton and a very thin one for the support inside the wings. I shaped 2 sets of wings, Nell wrapped them with white cartolinas, then pasted cut out white crepe paper for feather effect.

My fingers were aching and my arms were tired because of the pressure I had to use in bending the thick wire. Its ends sometimes even pinched my fingers. After the skeleton, I made the halos with the wire then wrapped them with white ribbons. Wow! They looked so nice. Nell and I smiled. When she finished one wing, and one side of the other three wings, we were so happy and excited. ;-D

But we didn’t finish them that night. As I took a glimpse on Nell, she looked so tired and sleepy. I was feeling the same and the next day we had to wake up early.

Come Saturday, from a seminar in Makati, we went to our CG meeting in Meralco Ave. When we arrived home between 10:00 – 10:30 p.m. we rested awhile, then started doing again our angel wings.

We finish by 1:00 a.m., We were plastered, but excited. On Sunday, when we met Erlie and Joy, we put on them the wings and the halos. Wooooow! They looked beautiful. Picture! Picture! . . . souvenir . . . ;-D

Of course, during our turn, our pictures were also taken. It was an enjoyable day of service. For once in our lives, we became angels on earth . . . hahahaha! Wearing those costumes was not bad after all.

You know what? Friday night, when we were so tired and my fingers were hurting because of the thick wire, a wonderful thought came in my mind. That very moment, I questioned myself, “Why are we doing this? We were told that it was okay even if we did just the halos.”

But then again, since we knew how to make wings and halos, and we could make time to do them why not. In our little way, this was the help we could contribute in the ambience we were creating in the Feast.

Then I told Nell, “Making this wings and halos are not easy. It’s really hard to be an angel. It’s hard to be holy in real life. As we live our life, we get hurt. We encounter problems, difficult people and situations. There are times we want to give up or ask ourselves, why we are doing this or that. Why do we give more when this amount is just enough?

When God asks us to do something, at times we don’t want to do them. We have to sacrifice something. There are times, we get really tired and want to give up. When temptations come, whew, some are really irresistable. Haaaay! It’s real hard to stay holy . . . but it’s worth it. Heaven is worth it. Being with God in eternity is worth it. Loving God is worth it.”

Yes, at the end of everything there is joy and peace in the heart. Knowing that you’ve done something in the works for God, in all humility and obedience, even in just the simplest way, all your efforts are worth it . . .

What keep us going? . . . Love . . . It is also what can keep us holy no matter what . . . It can make our life enjoyable in spite of challenges with angel smiles . . . ;-D


COLLOSSIANS 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people . . . For Christ is the real Master you serve.

PSALMS 112:1 Praise the Lord! Happy is the person who honors the Lord, who takes pleasure in obeying His commands.

-luisadelacruz