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Paalam, Sa Aking Kababata

'Kababata'. Childhood friend. What would pop in your mind? hmmm.... Funny haircuts? Play dates? Songs of Westlife (uso yun sa panahon namin!), innocent smiles, funny moments you'll never forget coz their one of your earliest memories.

Tonight or rather last night since it's already early in the morning, is the last night of wake of one of my "kababata"- Lope T. Dapun, Jr. but everyone knows him as "Jong2x". Today will be his burial as he finally ended the almost 3years battle with cancer. Since I wasn't able attend the wake, I had the urge na magkalkal ng maalikabok at luma naming mga photo albums. At eto ang nahalungkat ko;

Oh! nakaholding hands pa! hahaha...

 'Pandanggo Sa Ilaw'- My dance partner

'It made me smile. And Cry at the same time. It's slowly sinking in. Di ako masyado umiyak yung nalaman ko na wala kana. I know that you knew it's the end. But now, it's sinking in. Wala ka na talaga Jong. Sa aking "Kababata". Yung naging "Partner" ko (napilitan ata kami nun? import from private school nag crown bearer lang sa public school), sa dance partner ko sa 1st ever dance sa school- Pandanggo sa Ilaw, sa nagiisang bata na tinukso sa akin kasi pareho daw kaming cute..jajaja..at chubby..jajaja...sa kababata ko na iniiwan ako sa bahay nila para maglaro lang. Ang "Mr." nung naging "Ms" Intrams ako- 1st time ng school ng Mr and Ms nun..jajaja..."

Funny and sad. It's my first time to experience this. That a very close friend of mine died. I may not have witness the times he suffered esp during his treatments, but he never did. He never did show to us the pain of what he was going through. He always had that smile. He was one of the most optimistic person I've met. And very, very, very persistent. When he wants something, he will give his best to get it. And he achieved it, that I think he set a record in Ateneo De Davao Univ in passing the CPA board exam despite of everything. It's God's Grace moving even if he was not aware of it. 

Then as I was looking for more pics, i found this in my FB page. Reunion by our original barkada/ kababata taken just last year Dec. 2010. His leg was amputated earlier that year and we were celebrating another year for he was declared that time as "clean' of cancer cells. 











This pic caught me off guard. I didn't knew we had this pic. #tears

I had the opportunity to pray for him, to receive Christ as his Lord and Savior at the hospital 2 weeks before his death. He was already asking for confession that time. I was with my sister in Christ and also one of my kababata- Barbie that time. We prayed for him and led him to prayer. And you know what? it's more difficult to pray for someone you've known your whole life than for strangers I've evangelize . It's so heart breaking and the moment he closed his eyes to pray I cried. I was speechless seeing him at that time. And from that time on, I never missed a day to visit him. I'd just sit at the corner, we would talk and reminisce. Laugh. Watch him sleep everytime he would be injected with sedative. And i would pray. I always wanted to pray for him for healing but everytime I would do that, the only thing in my heart the Lord would tell me is that Peace. Just peace. Pray for peace that he is going to a better place. Then i remembered in Revelation 21: 4:

4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  

No more pain Jong. Just comfort. No more suffering. Just rest. No more Crying and mourning. Just joy.  A day after we prayed for him, I saw a vision of him. He was running- restored leg, and i felt his thrill, joy of being whole. Running to someone, I saw a spotlight that turned on and off. It turned off when he was already running at the beach. I know in my heart he is there with the Master. 

We will miss you Jong. 

Paalam sa aking Kababata.

The Verse that hung and seen in his wake.  A verse that clearly showed his life- Short (21 years) yet Full:

 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7


#RestinPeace
#Nomoretearsandpainthere
#Wewillseeeachotheragain

#tears












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