My mom grew up in the Philippines on a small farm with her mother, father, and siblings. Growing up, she woke up early, worked all day, and slept late. From an early age, she had decided for herself that she was going to do better for her family. Also, she feels that Christian education is an integral part of why she became the person she is today. When she was a child she established a relationship and her schooling in an Adventist school helped to shape that. When she got into college, her relationship with Christ remained with her. At this point in her life, she felt he role was to be a provider to other people. While paying for college, she was raising money to support her family and save money for a plane ticket to the United States. Once she got to the states and finished her degree, she felt it was time to get married. She was looking for someone who had similar ideas as her, and above all, a seventh-day adventist. That's when she met my dad because he fit her criteria. When she had my sister and I, her new purpose became to raise us as God loving children who would help be a vessel of his love, but along the way, she would also help anybody she could.
Dad
My dad grew up on a small farm in the Philippines along with his mother, father, and siblings. Although he lived similarly to my mother, he did not have the privilege of going to an adventist school. At the public school, since the Philippines is mostly Catholic, he was mocked for being a 7th day Adventist. It was often daunting for him to go to school sometimes, but his peers were able to over look that eventually because of his charm and “good looks”. Throughout his education, from elementary through college, his goal has been to excel at whatever he does, regardless of whether he begins terribly or incredibly well. In this pursuit of perfection, God was lost from the picture for a bit, until his father was struck with cancer, but he was a survivor. He then realized that God was still active in his life, though indirectly, by way of helping someone else, still active. When he went to the states, he immediately searched for a church to begin attending. When he finally settled on a church, he met my mother. With his return back to Adventism, they were well suited for each other, and they met each other's criteria. When I was conceived, my father wanted to instill in me his desire to succeed, and my mother with her desire to help others. Thankfully, they've both successfully instilled their principles in me, and I am a hybrid of the two of them.
Dad
My dad grew up on a small farm in the Philippines along with his mother, father, and siblings. Although he lived similarly to my mother, he did not have the privilege of going to an adventist school. At the public school, since the Philippines is mostly Catholic, he was mocked for being a 7th day Adventist. It was often daunting for him to go to school sometimes, but his peers were able to over look that eventually because of his charm and “good looks”. Throughout his education, from elementary through college, his goal has been to excel at whatever he does, regardless of whether he begins terribly or incredibly well. In this pursuit of perfection, God was lost from the picture for a bit, until his father was struck with cancer, but he was a survivor. He then realized that God was still active in his life, though indirectly, by way of helping someone else, still active. When he went to the states, he immediately searched for a church to begin attending. When he finally settled on a church, he met my mother. With his return back to Adventism, they were well suited for each other, and they met each other's criteria. When I was conceived, my father wanted to instill in me his desire to succeed, and my mother with her desire to help others. Thankfully, they've both successfully instilled their principles in me, and I am a hybrid of the two of them.
