That Monday after my visit to He Cares Mission (see previous blog here), we have this weekly company meetings via Zoom. These company meetings is where the HR will assign a speaker every week to do a prayer and their respective sharing of whatever. Then if the highest officer is present, they may add additional insight or call someone else whoever they feel like calling to share whatever the topic the speaker decided to share that day. Or if they felt like the message is extremely clear, they'll wrap it up and say have a great work week and bade their goodbyes to us.
Backstory: Sharing was never, ever my forte. For some reason I felt like I couldn't inspire people. Like what article or story am I going to share to inspire my colleagues? I tried to do a different route when I was asked to do the talk for the first time, but I felt like it was not accepted well. So I just find some random sharing to fit the norm and I just focused on refining my prayer instead. I think it was funny that there was one time I was assigned to be a speaker on an Easter Monday and instead of my COO commenting on the story I shared, he commented on the prayer. That's probably how bad the stories I shared with them.
Then came in pandemic, I was like why don't we take advantage of the Zoom? So by the time I was assigned as a speaker, what I did this time was to sought permission from the HR that I'll be doing this or that activity and if she would permit me to use a PowerPoint presentation. I'm glad that she permitted me to do so since she also mentioned that it was kind of getting boring in addition to it would be nice we we utilize the application since they paid for it. Aside from this, I also got a blessing from the Chief Design Officer (who now presides the Monday meetings should the CEO not be around that day).
So basically if I was the speaker, I could never, ever find a suitable article or story or even a quote that would make people relate, cry, or become emotional. I just have to play with my strengths - as long as the HR head gave the blessing of course.
Okay back to the main topic.
So that day (September 2, 2024), it was one of my assistant department managers who was assigned to do the sharing. She shared a story (see the full story here) highlighting Mother Teresa's quote of
“It is not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”
After her talk, the CEO was surprisingly present that day and he didn't share much since he mentioned it was Mother Teresa. So what he did was he asked the assigned speaker to call somebody else to share. I'll be honest, for some reason I felt like I'll be called. The funny thing was he was never present in all the times I was assigned to be a speaker for the past 11 years and probably counting. Also, he only heard me talk twice during Monday meetings for the past eleven years (first day at work to introduce ourselves in front of our new colleagues, and September 25 of last year where the topic is about coffee being associated with life and I was being called to share by someone that was initially called by the assigned speaker).
I was indeed called by my assistant department manager to share insights about what she shared. To be honest, I didn't remember the rest of the sharing. The quote she mentioned already struck me enough to know that I would have something to say about it.
So I told them my experience in doing outreach that Saturday - it was recent - very recent and fresh. I explained what I wrote in my previous blog that I said I usually just give money, but that time it was different. I was giving time and effort. If I am not mistaken I was about to break into tears and I think it was good that I didn't turn on my Zoom video that time so nobody could see that I was about to cry. Of course I never forgot to mention He Cares Mission and the street children.
After I shared my story, I thought it was like a quick acknowledgement or thank you and we move on or I call on the next one who can share; well I think what happened was even the CEO was extremely surprised with what I shared to them. So surprised that he actually asked further questions such as how did I end up there and where is the place located? So I have to give him (and the whole colleagues in attendance) a background story that I joined a Fil-Chi Catholic community and there's an activity where somebody just wanted to celebrate her birthday and inviting people who will join her blah blah. Then I said according to Google Maps it's located in Quezon City (see He Cares Mission Website here).
So after back and forth Q&A with the CEO on that Monday Zoom Meeting, I ended with thanking our assistant department manager for allowing me to share only to be told by your CEO that I was really meant to share that day.
After the Monday meeting, I immediately shared what happened to that Monday meeting to the CIRVYS group I formed and also to the birthday celebrant (I mean if it wasn't for her inviting me, I wouldn't even be sharing the story to the whole company so she has to know too). I realized that the new found Filipino-Chinese Catholic community I found was so amazed that the company that I'm with was doing something that perhaps deep in their hearts they would have wanted to - which is for the bosses to acknowledge God in the workplace. I guess they always say you take granted of the things that other people are yearning deep in their heart.
After that Monday meeting, I also realized that I shouldn't be like super surprised that I was called that day. It entered in my head that I actually posted on Facebook that I was in an outreach that day. It wasn't as detailed as the previous blog, but it dawned on me that I saw that the assistant department manager saw my post and reacted on it. I mean if I'm the assistant department manager, I would call that person too if I saw their post that's related to the story you're about to share.
That day I also needed to report on site, so when I reached the site, it's so amazing that even if the meeting was already over, my two C-suite members were talking about it with me. Of course I could now expand things without worrying if you would put an inconvenience in the time of other people. Only my COO knew that I've found a place where I could freely practice myself being a Filipino-Chinese Catholic so maybe if there's someone who was least surprised with what I shared on that Monday meeting, it was him - since he knew my journey from life, love and faith. He mentioned that he too also had the same sentiments as the CEO where they opt not to discuss or expound further about Mother Teresa - because it's Mother Teresa. He also said that he really thinks that it was meant for me to share that day. I mean I rarely get called anyways.
So days have passed, I wasn't able to clearly share the happenings to my assistant department manager as the only thing we did was a quick exchange of text from her thanking me that I shared and that's it. I didn't know that a lot of things would still happen after that exchange of messages. So fast foward to that day when the assistant department manager and I happened to leave the office together that I shared everything. She told me you know I was about to call this employee until I saw your name on the Zoom meeting and I thought it's better if I'll call you instead.
Her words made you further conclude that everything really falls according to God's plan. Perhaps God knows that people wouldn't focus much on posts related to outreach except for people who is into God and helping people. He probably also knew that I my untypical wiring of my brain wouldn't even think of sharing that in front of my colleagues because you're so worried that you will always be an inconvenience and they are also so impatient like if only they can be exempted in not attending, they'll freely do so... and then there's I'm already done with my sharing part for the year or cycle so they cannot ask me to share again. 😅
All I can say that God indeed works in mysterious ways. If you think that you are incapable of doing it, He would find a way to technically force you to do something you would never imagine. I mean it wasn't like an implusive action that would crush your heart into a million pieces. It's a matter of God ensuring me that there is nothing for me to be worried about in sharing my experience to my colleagues. That it's okay to share what God entrusted you to share that day even if some of them might get annoyed at you prolonging every second of them listening to what you say instead of them focusing what they deemed important, or even if the sharing turned into a quick dialogue between you and the top boss as they are curious about what you shared, it assured me that it's okay. It's the top boss that's asking. If he is impatient and felt what I said was unimportant, he would have wrapped up the meeting after I spoke.
If there is something I learned from the outreach experience and sharing it to the whole company was that you'll realize that perhaps God used me as an instrument to share or probably inspire someone. Whoever it was, I don't know. Aside from this, I realized you shouldn't take something for granted. I mean how blessed you could be that you can still manage to practice your own faith in a place where whatever your religious belief was, they would allow you to share and inspire other people? Like some people said, not everybody is given an opportunity to share something without holding them back. You just have to know how to use or take advantage well.
