Your Turn

Dear Mr Leonides ‘Junby’ Saguisag Jr,

Greetings to you!
First of all, let me introduce myself to you. I am Jennifer Yupangco, a third year high school student from St Scholastica’s College Manila. If you would ask why I wrote to you, it’s because I was inspired by Misyon magazine, specifically your sharing, Christmas Away From Home in the November-December 2006 issue. I was very inspired, to the point that I almost cried.

My father is in the States for almost five years now. He has not been able to come home due to our pressing need for money. I have to say that those five years that I spent without my dad made me feel as if God had deprived me of having a happy life. I’m not really sure why certain things happen to my family. I’m not even sure why God allows things like this to happen.

I thought I’d never get to see my father again, but just a few weeks ago, he had a plan, a way of bringing me to him as soon as possible. He was telling me that this year or early next year, I’d be able to go there and possibly, spend the rest of my life there. I didn’t know how to react. I was happy. It’s like seeing someone whom I have never seen for almost a lifetime (it feels like that at times). But part of me wanted to die. I thought of things that I would miss. I would miss everything, including my friends. Never in my 15 years of living have I thought of leaving my life here and going somewhere far. It would really be a big change for me to go somewhere where I barely know anyone.

I had a good cry before sending you this message. I was really confused with how things are in my life. Sometimes, I feel as if I’m not the person I was a week ago. I feel completely different. Now, all I want to do is to spend each moment I have here in the Philippines like I’d never do it again. I’m in my Junior year, I want to experience getting an application form for Ateneo, UP, La Salle and UST, I want to know what it’s like to get nervous because as people say ‘Future ko andun’. But now that I’m faced with the option of not taking any of those tests, I feel as if I’m missing a big part of my life. I grew up trying to make as many friends as I possibly could. For me, I’d rather see my friends happy than see myself happy. That’s why my friends have been a very big part of my life. I wouldn’t know how to live life alone with just my dad.

I know I’m already assuming that I’ll be there by next year but come to think of it, everything is possible when God allows it to happen. Your article made me realize the importance of the smallest things that make my life complete. Christmas for me this year felt just like an ordinary day. A day without my father. A day composed of silence. I was so ungrateful for not being able to celebrate Christmas the way it should be celebrated. But with your article, I realized, ‘What if that’s the last Christmas I would spend here in the Philippines?’ If I had thought of that a bit earlier, I might not have done what I just did and instead, I could have stayed up all night and became happier. But I let it pass me by

. Thank you for making me realize all of those things. I may not be that experienced in life but it gave me lots of realization about myself, my family and God. I hope that you’ll continue inspiring people like me. I really appreciated your article. Thank you for taking time to read my email to you. May God bless you and your family.

Sincerely Yours,

Jennifer Yupangco

bumble_cutie_bee77@yahoo.com