Hope and a Future

Posted on April 20, 2012 by nawata

Our Real LIFE scholar graduation is always the highlight of our year. This year, we had lots to celebrate, with 19 university graduates (20 including one scholar who will graduate this October) and 14 high school graduates!

On April 11, we held our Real LIFE graduation banquet in the Fort. The highlight of the night was the testimonies from three of our graduates and one of our alumni.

Mark, one of our graduates from Pasig, shared how, when his family could no longer support his education, he sacrificed just to be able to continue his education:

“This was a season I can never forget, when I would go to school with an empty stomach
for up to 3 days at a time. I was more than thankful enough if I could eat even once a day.”

With determination like that, Mark not only became a Real LIFE scholar, but also became the president of the student council at Arellano University, and graduated with a degree in BS Business Administration.

Erick, our graduate from Bacolod, shared how he almost lost hope:

“I was a municipal scholar in my freshman and sophomore years getting by with some allowances from
my father’s pension and mother’s earnings from odd jobs. Approaching my junior year my mother
suffered a mild stroke. To pursue my education now became impossible.”

Fortunately for Erick, he was able to become a Real LIFE scholar and continue his education. Erick shared that,

“Being part of Real LIFE is the greatest gift I received from God.”

Last month,  he completed his degree in BS Information Systems and already has a full time job in Bacolod. Ruth, who graduated on the President’s List, thanked all the scholars’ parents for their love and support.

Our guest speaker, Raquel Bag-o, is a Real LIFE alumni who not only graduated “Cum Laude” with a degree in Banking & Finance, but just completed her MBA while working full time with the Central Bank of the Philippines. She is our first Real LIFE scholar to obtain a post-graduate degree. Raquel is a true example of leadership, integrity, faith and excellence, and she inspired all of the scholars to hold on to the promise in Jeremiah 29:17,

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE.”

Thank you to everyone who supports Real LIFE Foundation…your support helps us to empower dreams.

Categories: Scholarships | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Experiencing CrossRoads

Posted on March 2, 2012 by nawata

Last February 20-24, we were very blessed to have hosted Vicki & Graham Jeffs from Dovetail Consulting who did a “train-the-trainer” training for 11 of our Real LIFE staff and volunteers. The training was for a program called “CrossRoads,” and I just have to say it was “AMAZING…!!!”

Vicki developed CrossRoads as a poverty intervention curriculum over a ten year period and it has been successfully delivered to populations as diverse as African refugees, Roma in Slovakia, and welfare recipients in the US. It  is truly a life-changing experience — as was evidenced last week by the participants, who came expecting to be trained how to transform other peoples’ lives and, as a bonus, had their own transformed as well.

CrossRoads has been so successful that it has been endorsed by the governments of Hungary, Slovakia and Norway, as well as the UN High Commisioner for Refugees.

CrossRoads is one of those programs that can’t really be explained; it has to be experienced. In a nutshell, however, the program aims to help people discover and fulfill their purpose in life, in a way that will benefit both them and others. We are very excited to launch this program as part of the LIFE Coaching and LIFE Skills training we provide for our Real LIFE scholars, as the applications for CrossRoads are endless. We are looking forward to being able to take our scholars through the CrossRoads program and, eventually, hopefully the parents of our scholars as well.

Our sincerest thanks to our good friends, Vicki and Graham, for sharing both CrossRoads and your lives with us. We know the seeds you have planted will bear much fruit and be a tremendous blessing to the Philippines.

by: Lynn Nawata (Executive Director)

Categories: Community Service, Events | Tags: | 2 Comments

I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness, to the Blindside, and Beyond

Posted on January 25, 2012 by nawata

I remember the first time I watched the Sandra Bullock movie, “The Blindside.” I think I was already crying about 5 minutes into the movie…it was a one-pack-of -pocket-tissue kind of movie…

Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for her portrayal of feisty Leigh Anne Tuohy, the mother of a family who took in a homeless, African-American teenager and made him part of their family. “I Beat the Odds” is the story before (and after) “The Blindside” – written by Michael Oher, the young man and central figure of the movie.

If “The Blindside” was five stars out of five… “I Beat the Odds” is a six.

As the title implies, Michael Oher really did “beat the odds.” Michael was born in a ghetto in Memphis, Tennessee to a crack addicted mother who had 12 children from a dizzying revolving door of fathers (none of whom ever stuck around). When she was doing crack, she would lock her children out of their apartment, even when the youngest was just a year and a half. Michael and his brothers and sisters were left to them to fend for themselves until, eventually, they were all taken away from their mother and put into the foster care system.

I really can’t explain to someone who hasn’t lived in poverty what it’s like to struggle to find some kind of hope.

What makes Michael’s story so inspiring – and why it is one of my favorite books of the past several years – is that despite growing up in the worst of circumstances, he somehow managed to maintain a positive attitude and to hold on to the HOPE that he would make it out of the ghetto.

Just because your life begins in a bad place doesn’t mean it has to end there.

One of the core messages of this book is that it is possible to get out of poverty and to change your life. Contrary to what the movie presented, Michael always believed that he would make it out of the ghetto – the Tuohy family (and many others) helped him to not only make it out, but to make it all the way to the NFL. However, if they hadn’t come along, he still believes he would have made it some other way, because he was determined to make it happen. He also knew how he would get there – by getting a good education, by choosing to hang around with positive role models, and by never letting go of his dream to be a pro football player.

Having some kind of a goal is absolutely essential for kids trapped in poverty and bad family situations, because if we can’t hope that things might be better someday, then we basically lose a reason to live. It’s a lot easier to fall down, or to stay where you are, than it is to fight gravity by trying to pull yourself up.

“I Beat the Odds” is a true story and, even more than “The Blindside,” will inspire you to live your life to make a difference in someone else’s.

I always felt that God had something special planned for my life… He wanted to use me to show the world anybody can be successful, no matter who they are or what their history is. But I had to trust in that plan and be an active, real part of making it happen. I had to believe that it was possible even when it seemed it wasn’t, and work for it even when it seemed pointless. I did, and I think that’s what made the difference. (Michael Oher)

by: Lynn Nawata (Executive Director)

Categories: Recommended Reading | Leave a comment

Hope in the midst of disaster

Posted on January 13, 2012 by nawata

December 19 was the date when Typhoon Sendong hit Cagayan de Oro (CDO) and Iligan City and all Filipinos grieved for the massive loss of life. During this time, God prompted me to go to Iligan and help out in the Disaster Relief & Medical Mission organized by our good friends at Operation Blessing. By faith, I said yes  even if i didn’t have any idea where to get my budget for the trip. But God provided everything.

January 2 is when we went to Iligan. The moment I stepped out of the plane and saw the areas that were affected by the flood, my heart cried out to God, asking him to help the victims. Whenever I would hear children crying because rain was coming, even if it was just a drop, my heart grieved for those kids who had had such a traumatic experience, losing their parents, relatives and their homes and livestock.

The highlight of my 6 day stay in Iligan was the hope I saw in the lives of 2 high school students: Rafael and Clifford.When we went to Iligan National High School, we were shocked to find out that 90% of the students were greatly affected by Typhoon Sendong.

Rafael is the eldest among 3 siblings and works at the school as a janitor. Everyday he walks around 7-8 km to go to school and the only baon (allowance) he has in his pocket is 5 pesos. Amazingly, in the midst of his circumstances he is still dedicated and persevered to walk this distance every single day just to finish high school. Clifford, on the other hand, is in his 4th year and is also 3rd among his siblings. He too would walk 10-12 km just to go to school and would only eat kamote as his baon. In spite of this, he goes to school everyday. In fact, I was told by his teacher that he is a candidate for valedictorian in their school this year. With that, my heart melts and hopes for the best for them, and as we parted ways, I told them that they should not lose HOPE, because God is the God of HOPE.

I’m so honored to have been given a chance to witness such great faith from the students and children we encountered. My hope and prayer is that they will continue to HOPE in the Lord and find refuge in Him.

But those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
( Isaiah 40:31)

by: Vince Bitana (Program Director, LIFE Scholarships)

Categories: Community Service | Leave a comment

Getting REAL, Having Fun & Changing Lives

Posted on December 13, 2011 by nawata

There are 12 more days til Christmas, and I have already received one of the best Christmas gifts ever…

They say this is the season of giving, and this past weekend, I witnessed a group of ordinary people band together to do something extraordinary. I flew to Singapore on Saturday because a group of my friends from EN Central had put together a concert to raise funds for our Real LIFE scholars. They were not doing this because they had nothing better to do. In fact, they are some of the busiest people I know.

Mike is a HR manager with the Intercontinental Hotel Group by day — and a local tv celebrity by night. Ethel works for Deloitte, jetting back and forth between New York, Singapore and Manila — stopping only to prepare 4 course meals at her condo a la Martha Stewart. And the busiest of all is Tina, Superwoman and mother of Singapore’s biggest baby – whose facebook profile very fittingly states that she “works at Nazareth, Zion and Jordan” (the names of her three super-sized children).

Sometimes people want to help but are too busy, and some people help in spite of the fact that they are already too busy (a fact about which they choose to remain blissfully ignorant!). But the thing I love about my crazy friends is that, no matter what we are doing — whether gift-wrapping Real LIFE merchandise till 3am, planning out logistics via BBM, or celebrating our wins over dimsum at 1am (wearing our Santa hats!) — it is always FUN.

Last Sunday, my friends staged an awesome concert — with artists like Alarice and ENCS Music donating their time and talent; everyone had a great time; and we were able to raise sponsorship for 21 Real LIFE scholars.

21 scholars will receive the gift of a good education. 21 young men and women will have hope that their dreams for their futures and their families will yet come true. And 21 lives will be forever changed because busy people were willing to HELP, and generous people were willing to GIVE.

Categories: Events, Scholarships | Leave a comment

The Hole in Our Gospel

Posted on December 1, 2011 by nawata

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns is probably the book that has had the most impact on my life in the past ten years. It is the true story of Rich, who is living out the American Dream. He works his way up the corporate ladder, becoming the CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation at a young age, complete with seven-figure salary and company-provided Jaguar. Then, a headhunter asks him to take a massive pay cut to become the president of World Vision USA…

Rich puts up a good fight — continually reminding the headhunter (and God) that he is: a) not available, b) not qualified, and c) not interested. The tipping point comes when Rich is faced with the fact that, despite being a “good” christian, he has become the “rich young ruler” of Luke 18.

[SPOILER ALERT!] Well, as you can imagine, God changes Rich’s heart and he is thrown into the world’s most desperately needy places — coming face to face with African children orphaned by AIDS… and face to face with the God of Compassion.

One of the reasons Rich’s story had such a huge impact on me was because I saw myself in him. I knew at a very young age that I wanted to work with the poor but allowed myself to be talked out of it. I was also climbing the corporate ladder — having become the country manager for a US Fortune 500 company in the Philippines at the age of 28, with a full ex-pat package, company car & driver, etc. But despite all this, I longed to work for something I could believe in…

Then, in March 2007, I was asked to be one of the founding Board of Trustees for Real LIFE Foundation, a christian NGO that provides high school and university scholarships for the poor. A few months later, I was researching the work of Real LIFE and several other compassion ministries for a conference I was working on. During this time, my heart was gripped by a song that just would not let it go… the song was “Hosanna” by Hillsong and the lyrics that replayed endlessly in my mind were, “Break my heart for what breaks yours, show me how to love like you have loved.” I played this song over and over again for more than a month, and each and every time I heard it I would cry. And cry. And cry…

Six months later, I became the executive director of Real LIFE Foundation.

But I only fully understood what had happened to me when I read the story of Rich Stearns. He recounts how the founder of World Vision, Bob Pierce, would pray:

Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God… He prayed that God would break his heart again and again, because if he didn’t, Bob knew that he could not love somebody else’s kids the way God did. No man or woman can unless God breaks that individual’s heart.

When I read those lines, I knew that was what God had done (and continues to do) in my own life. He breaks my heart… for the poor, for the oppressed, for the persecuted, and for the downtrodden.

I often tell people that before I became a Christian, I rarely (if ever) cried. But shortly after I gave my life to Christ, I prayed and asked God for the gift of compassion (mostly because I knew I didn’t have much). More specifically, I prayed that He would give me eyes to see people the way He sees them and a heart to love people like He does. I don’t think I even knew what I was asking for at the time, but God answered me anyway. As the saying goes, be careful what you pray for! Now I cry all the time… but I feel somewhat better knowing that Rich cries as much (or more) as I do.

The sub-title of The Hole in Our Gospel is, “What does God expect from us? The answer that changed my life and might just change the world.” As Rich Stearns shares in one of my favorite quotes of all time,

What do you see when you look at the pain and suffering in the world? Do you see a malnourished child — or a future farmer? A child without schooling — or a potential teacher? When you look into the faces of the poor, the marginalized, and the downtrodden, do you see hopelessness — or people made in the very image of God, with the prospects of a hope-filled future ahead of them? We can look at our broken world and say, “that’s just the way things are.” Or we can embrace a vision of what could be — if we’d each pitch in. Isn’t it better to light a candle than curse the darkness? And what could be accomplished if we lit not one candle but many? The light of even one challenges the gloom, but the light of a million could obliterate it.

If you want to light a candle in the fight against poverty… please read this book.

by: Lynn Nawata (Executive Director)

Categories: Recommended Reading | Tags: , | 2 Comments

Putting the FUN back in run!

Posted on November 29, 2011 by nawata

Saturday, November 12 was our fourth Race for LIFE… the annual fun run of Real LIFE Foundation. Sometimes (most often when we are not getting any sleep on the eve of the race) I wonder how we got into the race management business…after all, we are an NGO that provides high school and university scholarships for the poor…not race organizers.

While we initially came up with the idea of doing the race as a fundraising activity, it quickly grew into much more than that. One of our goals in Real LIFE is to always try and make our activities meaningful, memorable, and fun. Thus, we came up with the tagline, “Putting the FUN back in run.” We decided that, if we were going to do a “fun run,” it really better be FUN!

I love it when people tell me that they look forward to the Race for LIFE every year, because it is the only race they ever join. I get so encouraged by the fact that the majority of participants in our race are not really runners but still they run, walk or crawl 10K, 5K, or 3K because they believe in what we are doing and want to support Real LIFE Foundation. And I’m happy when people tell me that our run actually is…FUN!

Two days after the race, I was still physically and mentally exhausted, and still wondering why we put ourselves through this every year. But then I started reviewing the more than 7,500 race photos taken by our 15 volunteer photographers. Picture after picture showed happy, smiling faces. Men who usually run 21K or 42K running our 3K version of the “Amazing Race” with their children. Moms pushing their toddlers in strollers. Kids riding on their parents’ shoulders or being carried in their arms, happy to be in a race designed just for them (and whose loot bags were full of chocolates).

After looking at all the photos, I remember again why we are now race organizers, and somehow the stress of the past several weeks seems forgotten.

by: Lynn Nawata (Executive Director)

Categories: Events | 1 Comment

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