I almost did not make it to the submission of the application requirements for UP Manila College of Medicine. I lost track of the time. I became lax. I was preoccupied by a lot of things before the first semester ended. I was busy with my thesis because my submission for Philippine Society for Cell Biology Poster Presentation is fast approaching. I also have academic requirements, exams and papers which came all at once. And I also have responsibilities as the chairperson of my organization (UP Dormitories Christian Fellowship). The org had been very busy from August to October in preparation for the annual Missions Exposure Trip. It was a week-long event for the students to have a personal experience of sharing the Gospel. We went to Tagkawayan, Calauag, Lopez and Gumaca, Quezon Province to conduct community evangelism, campus evangelism, beach missions and True Love Waits seminar. Being part of the Missions Team was a very blessed and fulfilling experience.
After the Missions Trip, the second semester of the school year started and I'm back to my normal routine. This time I continued with my experiments for thesis, do my responsibilities in the ministry like leading fellowships, Bible studies and preparing for the annual DCF Camp. Time fled so fast that I did not notice that it was already December. The deadline for application is December 17 which is approximately 2 weeks from then. I feel zapped by bolts of electricity when I remembered that I still don't have a copy of my Transcript of Records (TOR). I felt frightened because I know that it will take a month before the Office of University Registrar (OUR) can process my for TOR. But I still filed my request for TOR and prayed that the OUR can process it before the deadline.
I was worried back then. I asked for prayers and intercession from all my Christian friends. I got words of encouragement from them. My friend Kia told me that if this (Medicine) is really where God is leading me, His provisions and favor will follow. Ate Del Exconde messaged a very timely and uplifting verse from Isaiah 55:8-9:
Isaiah 55:8-9
Neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Indeed I was reminded that God is sovereign, He is always in control, that I don't need to worry because it will not do any good to me. I stopped worrying and started resting in God's faithfulness. I laid down the whole application process to Jesus Christ. I am prepared for whatever will happen. I praise God for He is truly the Prince of Peace. During the waiting time for my TOR to be released, I had the assurance that God will give what is best for me. December 13 (Friday), my mother called the OUR to check on my TOR. The staff of OUR said that they will not be able to process my TOR before the deadline. When I received this news, I did not panic at all. I am so peaceful and calm. I just prayed to God that Thy will be done.
December 15, Monday, two days before the deadline for the application. Right after my class, I went to the OUR to personally check if they already have my TOR. I was in the attitude of prayer the whole time of walking from Institute of Biology to OUR. I talked peacefully to the staff in the OUR and asked if there's a way I can get my TOR before the December 17. The staff asked me to wait for a while and she'll check the pile of TOR's. I continued praying and waited patiently as the staff searched for my name. After few minutes, she handed to me two copies of my TOR. Praise God! The Lord has been very faithful. He is really in control.
December 16, Tuesday, I went to UP Manila to submit all the requirements needed for the application. I arrived in UP Manila around lunch and the submission was already cut off. I was asked to return by 1PM. I asked Kia to eat lunch with me. So we ate, we talked, we laughed and we prayed. We just missed each other. After lunch I returned to Calderon Hall to submit my application requirements. There I also met Ate Aiah, a friend from Biology Christian Community. I am very blessed to see them there. I was encourage to know that they are praying for me and that they are claiming that I will make it to UP Manila College of Medicine. They left when their class was about to start. I After an hour, I was able to submit all of the requirements. Praise God! And so the waiting begins.
Just last Friday, January 24, we were sorting the insects that we collected in Ecology lab when someone from the class shouted that the results for the qualifiers for interview in UP Manila was already posted. My mother also texted me that I was one of the qualifiers. I was very thankful to God for His grace. For now, I am still waiting for my schedule for interview but I am rest assured that God's grace is sufficient and will overflow. God is more than enough. With Him by my side, I know that I can conquer all challenges. He knows the desires of my heart and I know that He will answer it according to His will.
Before I end this blog. I just want to quote a verse from the song "How He Loves Us by Kim Walker". The lyrics of the song goes like this:
"We are His portion and
He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption
by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking"
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