Halo-Halo THE SWEET MIX OF EAST AND WEST

IN FILIPINO CULTURE

Editor's Thoughts ……………………………. “Halo-Halo” ………………...……….. Evelyn Porteza Tabingo

“Victories, Celebrations: Graduates Sharing Their Thoughts” ………………………………… Class of 2016

“Alumni Thoughts & Memories” …………………………….…………………………………..………. Selected

SULADS Corner ………………………………….…………….… “ Baby For Sale” ……………. Selpha Velasco Sabas. SCHSL Teacheer Patch of Weeds: ………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………….…………… Jesse Colegado LIFE of a Missionary: …………………………………………….”Central Java” ..…….………………………….……. Romulo M. Halasan

CLOSING: Prayer Requests | Acknowledgements |Meet The Editors |Closing Thoughts

Editor’s Thoughts by Evelyn Porteza-Tabingo

alo" is a Filipino word meaning “mix." One of the favorite Filipino desserts or snacks is called "halo-halo." Basically, it is a mixture of sweet preserved ingredients such as red beans, chick peas, slices of saba bananas. Other ingredients may include macapuno, jackfruit and sweet corn kernels. These are usually placed in a clear glass container and mixed with the meat of

young coconut called buko. Then it is topped with crushed (isn’t shaved better than crushed?) ice, evaporated milk over leche flan and ice cream. Halo-halo can give relief from the summer heat, (and in my case...add a number of unwanted pounds!). This week's issue is a "mixture" of experiences and interviews from MVC Alumni and Friends. I was at MVC during their 2016 Graduation weekend. I looked for familiar landmarks. It was like treasure hunting during my childhood days: the arch gate which was a welcome emblem to the campus, and the bell whose sound echoed across the distant hills. Yes, I found what is left of the arch gate in an obscure section of the campus. The bell, sad to say, no one could definitely tell me where it was stashed away. I’m still searching for it. On commencement day, I watched the parents and sponsors, their faces beaming with pride as they stood next to their graduate. The graduates in their regalia—black robe, cap and hood, stood in line waiting for the cue to march to the music of "Pomp and Circumstance." Read about the thoughts of the 2016 graduates and some MVC alumni I met during my travel. So find a comfortable place and imagine yourself sitting under the pines and enjoy reading the “halo-halo” of memories shared by MVC graduates and alumni as they recall their college days. Sabbath greetings from the Philippines.

Lyn Tabingo

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“Victories, Celebrations: Sharing Their Thoughts” by Evelyn Porteza-Tabingo

fter the graduation ceremonies at MVC April 3, I quickly went to meet the graduates and their family to congratulate them and to ask them how they felt at that moment. Here is what they said:

Carina Glenn V. Alvarez, BS Business Administration major in Financial Management: “At last!” Yvonne Heart A. Valle, BS Medical Technology: “Mixed emotions. No more stress from quizzes but I am sad because I wll be parting with my classmates.”

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Neal Realson P. Jimenez, AB Thelology: “I am happy, honored and blessed for God has been so good to me these past 4 years. He sustained me with His blessings.” Adlai Wilfred M. Tornalejo, AB Theology: “I feel happy and accomplished. A little bit sad. I will be missing my friends.” Mrs. C. Santisas, mother of Phatric Santisas BS Agriculture major in Crop Science: “I hoped and prayed that Phatric will study at MVC and my prayers were answered. As a full time working student, he finally has fulfilled his dreams.” Ivar Lincoln C. Catalan, BS Medical Technology: “Excited!” Sharlene Dawn P. Valenciano, BS Nursing: “I feel relieved that my load is lighter. I can’t say ‘finally’ because I still have to prepare for the Nursing Board Exam. This is just the beginning of my nursing journey.” Irene Pasco Arguido, BS Accounting Technology: “I feel so blessed and happy that God has given me a chance to be a part of MVC’s class of 2016.”

Lexille Grace Salinas, BS Nursing: “I feel happy and fulfilled, yet somewhat nervous for the upcoming Nursing Board Exam.”

“Alumni Thoughts and Memories” by Evelyn Porteza-Tabingo

uring our visit home to the Hilltop, I also asked various alumni members what they enjoyed most about her student days at MVC and their thoughts in general about MVC. Here’s what I gleaned:

Evelyn: What did you enjoy the most about your student days at MVC? Joelyn: “The experiences I enjoyed during my student days at MVC were:

- The atmosphere of spirituality - My participation and involvement in the Ministerial Seminar - The privilege of being a student Literature Evangelist for the 4 years I was a student

at MVC.” Joelyn Catane-Asoy (BSEEd’97) is married to Pastor Carmelito Asoy the Education Superintendent of Zamboanga Peninsula Mission. Together, they have 3 children.

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Evelyn: What did you enjoy most at MVC? Rhonda: “I enjoyed spending time with my friends and walking around in the campus. The social life at MVC is different compared to the social life in the city." Rhonda Klair Solis-Tabaranza (BSN’11) as a post-graduate (medical) intern at the Visayas Medical Center in Cebu City. She is married to Jeam Byran Tabaranza. They have 2 kids.

Evelyn: What experiences at MVC helped you in your mission work?

Ledado: “The experiences I had with the Ministerial Seminar activities at MVC helped me to work as a missionary. We will soon be going back to the mission field!” Ledado Ang (BSC’75) as the Vice President of Finance for the Adventist Hospital in Cebu. Formerly Miller Memorial Sanitarium & Hospital. He is married to Wilma Tajoda-Ang (BSC’78). Both business majors are MVC graduates. They have 3 kids: Liz, Donnaly and Lenard. The Angs have accepted a call to teach at Pacific Adventist University at Papua New Guinea.

Atty Ramier G. Batbatan is a AB Theology graduate of MVC who is currently serving as the prosecutor of Cagayan de Oro as appointed by President Nonoy Aquino. This is what he shared: “If I were to recall, I favored Mountain View College when convince that it affords equal opportunity for the underprivileged who desires to obtain a professional, vocational and other course of discipline. Without accommodating any doubts, after hearing testimonial accounts from different successful working students who graduated from the said college, I penciled my own quest on how to reach the hilltop which is close to physical impossibility for a penniless but highly motivated person like me. Unexpectedly, one of my high school mentors at Matutum View Academy (Ms. Selidio) who might sense my yearning to pursue a college degree brought me and shouldered all my travelling expenses to Mountain View College. Eventually, I entered the college working-scholar program and yielded to its academic and spiritual discipline. I gave credited to this particular mentor who did not only share her meager resources but initiated a road map for me on how to start a journey towards a meaningful success.

“At the campus, I engaged in manual labor in exchange of my college bills and other personal and immediate necessities. I learned to value and manage my time vis-à-vis with my study.

“Thereafter, the hilltop college did not fail my expectation. When I left the campus, she instilled a lasting rule of moral uprightness, simplicity and probity of life. Most importantly, an imprint of divine reliance.

“Summing up, those six (6) years of manual labor, academic challenges and spiritual discipline at the hilltop, little did I realize then, that they are shifting gear devices, if one decides to go at full speed in obtaining higher aspiration, they serve as boosting power i.e., if I made six (6) years of physical labor at MVC while at the same time studying, why would I give up for this another year of endeavor. In another proverbial saying, they also serve as dockside structure at bay where one may lie alongside to obtain relief from the complexities of life.

“In hindsight, a fulfilled and an accomplished life is one who finds joy in serving others regardless of their standing in the community”. Shun hypocrisy, deceitful and immoral conduct to avoid not only legal trouble but also misfortunes. “

Synopsis of Ramier G. Batbatan’s profile : He obtained his law degree at Mindanao State University. His legal experienced includes, among others, 1) works at the law firm of former DOJ Justice Secretary and Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals, Justice Demetrio Demetria (ret.) , 2) Regional Court Attorney of Comelec, Region IV; 3) Court Attorney V of Justice Mario L. Guariña (ret.), Court of Appeals, Manila; 4) Public Attorney III of the Special and Appealed Cases Service of the Public Attorney’s Office where he handles numerous appealed cases to the Office of the President, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court; 5) District Public Attorney at Biñan City, Cabuyao City and Santa Rosa City, Province of Laguna where he personally handled more than 1,000 (active) cases; and 6) On March 8, 2016 he was appointed by His Excellency Pres. Benigno C. Aquino, as assistant city prosecutor of Cagayan de Oro City. He now resides in Cagayan de Oro City.

SULADS CORNER: “Baby For Sale”

By Selpha Velasco Sabas. SCHSL Teacher

woke up early in the morning. My little boy and I were preparing ourselves to go down to town to buy our needs and supplies for the whole month. We started our hike singing, filled with joy in our hearts. When we arrived in my mother-in-law’s house, she asked me, “You want a baby?

There is a pregnant woman who wants to give her baby to anybody who is willing to own a baby. They’re wanting to sell their baby now for 50,000 pesos (about $1050), but nobody was interested so they decided to just give the baby away after the delivery.” I was so shocked after hearing about a baby for sale. I laughed and told my mother-in-law, “If that’s true, then I will tell my husband and ask him if he is interested to get the baby.” When Novindyl my son heard that message; he was very happy and said, “WOW! That is a blessing! Let’s take that baby, Mama, please.” A month passed by. We never expected that the news of this baby would come true. My mother-in-law called me and said that the baby was already in her arms. The baby was born at 8 o’clock in the morning, and my mother-in-law got the baby at 11 o’clock in the morning on that same day, Sept. 21, 2015. I prayed silently and asked for help to guide me and help me to be a good mother for this little baby. We brought the skinny baby to the Doctor for the baby’s screening and for her birth certificate. My son was extremely happy. He accepted the baby as his real sister and chose a name for the baby. He called the baby, Princess Lane Velasco Sabas. She’s now nine months old -- a happy and healthy baby. I thank God again for giving me a ready-made baby. We are looking forward for her to become a missionary to her own family someday.

© 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

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Title of “Weeds” items

“Central Java”

entral Java is a province of Indonesia. This province is located in the middle of Java. The

province is 32,800 km2 in area, approximately a quarter of the total land area of Java. Its

population was 33,753,023 at the 2015 Census; it the third most populated province in

both Java and Indonesia after West Java and East Java.

Due to its active volcanic history, volcanic ash makes Central Java a very fertile agricultural land.

Paddy fields are extensive, except in the southeastern Gunung Kidul region partly due to the high

concentration of limestone.

When I was in high school, I first learned about Central Java in our class in Antrophology. Java has

been inhabited by humans or their ancestors (hominina) since prehistoric times. In Central Java

remains known as "Java Man" were discovered in the 1890s by the Dutch anatomist and geologist

Eugène Dubois. Java Man belongs to the species Homo erectus. Scientist believe Java man is about

1.7 million years old.

Java Man (Homo erectus erectus) is the popular name given to early human fossils discovered on

the island of Java (Indonesia) in 1891 and 1892. Led by Eugène Dubois, the excavation team

uncovered a tooth, a skullcap, and a thighbone at Trinil on the banks of the Solo River in East Java.

Arguing that the fossils represented the "missing link" between apes and humans, Dubois gave

the species the scientific name Anthropopithecus erectus.

Recorded history began in Central Java in the 7th century AD. The writing, as well as Hinduism and

Buddhism, were brought to Central Java by Indians from South Asia. Central Java was a center of

power in Java back then.

The 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake in the south and Yogyakarta devastated many buildings and

caused thousands of deaths and more than 37,000 injuries. Today, some areas are still under

reconstruction.

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entral Java is famous and well known for its exquisite batik, a generic wax-resist dyeing

technique used on textiles. There are different styles of batik motifs. A centre of batik

production is Pekalongan. Other centers are Solo or Surakarta and Yogyakarta.

There are several interesting places in Central Java. One is Borobudur, a 9th century Buddhist

temple. Borobudur, which is one of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites of Indonesia is

located in this province, in the Magelang regency.

Another popular site is Candi Prambanan or Prambanan temple. It is also a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. In the region around the Dieng Plateau, one could find several temples. These are built before the era of the ancient Mataram. Two interesting palaces, the Palace of the Sunan (Keraton Kasunanan) and Pura Mangkunegaran, are located in Solo, which is considered one of the centers of Javanese culture.

The Borobudur Temple

Some details of Borobudur Temple

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The Prambanan Temple

The GCAS Group (left) and Romy Halasan (right), with an interpreter.

The Evangelistic Team

Children participating

Singers – an important part of the crusade

GCAS Crusade ast week, we finished our GCAS Evangelistic crusade which was supported by 6 SDA churches. We are overwhelmed by the support of our SDA churches in the area in Central Java.

We visited several SDA businessmen who are very supportive of our work. One is Bro. Sutrisno –

an exporter of quality furniture to Europe, the US and Asia. He told me of the trials he

encountered when his business was still small and struggling financially. If not for his faith in God,

his business should have been taken by the bank.

A visit to a Factory

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n Sabbath day, 12 individuals accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Many of

them cried for happiness. We are satisfied with the result of the crusade as it is not easy

to convert people to Christanity in a country that is dominated by devout Muslims.

The candidates for baptism

Please continue to pray for our newly baptized members in Central Java. Romy Halasan Bandung, Indonesia

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PRAYER REQUESTS

Prayer for healing for

Atty. Jonathan Navales

Connie Asumbrado-Maquio

Demi Garduque

Elmar Bingcang

Flor Samson

Galileo Villaflores

Lola Ellen Sigue (mom of Mars Sigue, Willie Sigue and Sennie Adolfo).

Pastor Israel (dad of Dr. Jun Israel, Lala, Julie and Lyn Ferrer).

Pastor Oseas Zamora

Pastor Rudy Bermudez

For the bereaved family of

Alvin Romanes

Cocoy Jimenez

Eng. Eugeno Porteza

Jonathan Serenatas

Nanay Rachel Sacala (mom of Sonny,

Roger & Aida. Tatay Sacala used to teach

instruments at MVC)

Also pray for

God’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven – especially during the upcoming Philippine elections.

The leaders, faculty and staff, and the students of MVC and their families.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT My "thanks" to the following who shared their thoughts

2016 graduates and a parent: Carina Gleen Alvarez, Irene Pasco Arguido, Ivar Lincoln Catalan, Neal Realson Jimenez, Mrs. C. Santisas, Adlai Wilfred Tornalejo, Lexille Grace Salinas, Sharlene Dawn Valenciano and Yvonne Heart Valle. MVC Alumni: Joelyn Catane-Asoy, Rhonda Klair Solis Ledado Ang and Ramier Batbatan.

My heartfelt appreciation to Joy Caballero-Gadia and Eddie Zamora who helped me put together this week's issue of the Cyberflashes.

Without their help, this issue would be definitely an unrecognizable "halo-halo.

MEET THE EDITORS

This week’s issue of Cyberflashes is coordinated/edited by Evelyn Porteza-Tabingo. Next week’s will be by Raylene Rodrigo-Baumgart. Please direct all entries to her or to any of the editors.

NAME: EMAIL ADDRESS: Eddie Zamora ezamora594 at aol dot com Evelyn Porteza-Tabingo etabingo at gmail dot com Jessie Colegado Cyberflashes at gmail dot com Joy Caballero-Gadia watermankids at yahoo dot com Lily EscaraLare Lily_lare at yahoo dot com dot ph Melodie Mae Karaan-Inapan melodieinapan at yahoo dot com Raylene Rodrigo-Baumgart raylene.baumgart at gmail dot com

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CLOSING THOUGHTS The Editor

It’s not the challenges that define you, it’s how you push through them.”

Nikki Haley

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your

strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”

Unknown

“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and

your joy and you shall firm an invincible host against difficulties.”

Helen Keller