Working in a shell craft factory as he went through night high school, Romy Loay dreamed of becoming a professional. Born of a farming family, as a young boy, he often gazed at the distant Cebu City longing for a life beyond the rugged mountains.
It was difficult when he went to the university. The meagre earnings of his parents were barely enough to sustain the daily needs of his 8 other siblings, but that did not deter Romy. He toiled in dusty factories during daytime, and spent the evenings studying to gain an accountancy degree. “It was not easy, but ambition kept me going,” Romy shared, “My parents believed in me, and I left my fate to God.”
Romy can now look back, as he sits in a sofa in his home in Auckland. His love for the earth remains, as he has planted roses, mostly blooming in spring, around his house. His becoming a Certified Public Accountant had allowed him to work in private companies in managerial capacities. In New Zealand, he is content with his work that has allowed him to enjoy life, to provide for his family as well as loved ones in the Philippines, to help others, and to give valuable time to the Lord.
In many verses of the Bible, ambition is looked upon with negative notion. For instance, “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25) Yet ambition has a positive side as well. When Romy was gazing towards the city, he exemplified what Louisa May Alcott said, "Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them and try to follow them." When he toiled in the factory floor, he lived the quotation, "Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in." (Bill Bradley)
What I admire about Romy is that every time that we meet, he always asks me how he can help in charitable projects that we do. He has a giving heart. Henry Van Dyke wrote, "There is a loftier ambition than merely to stand high in the world. It is to stoop down and lift mankind a little higher."
In the very early hours of Sunday at 1:00am, Romy alone prays in the St Mary’s Catholic Church, Titirangi for his weekly schedule in the 24-hour vigil of the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the altar. He tells that this devotion is in thanksgiving for the gifts and blessings in life, in the conviction that God will bring good to his family, to the community and to the world. Such is the strong faith of Romy. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” (Hebrews 11:1-3)
by Mel Libre
It was difficult when he went to the university. The meagre earnings of his parents were barely enough to sustain the daily needs of his 8 other siblings, but that did not deter Romy. He toiled in dusty factories during daytime, and spent the evenings studying to gain an accountancy degree. “It was not easy, but ambition kept me going,” Romy shared, “My parents believed in me, and I left my fate to God.”
Romy can now look back, as he sits in a sofa in his home in Auckland. His love for the earth remains, as he has planted roses, mostly blooming in spring, around his house. His becoming a Certified Public Accountant had allowed him to work in private companies in managerial capacities. In New Zealand, he is content with his work that has allowed him to enjoy life, to provide for his family as well as loved ones in the Philippines, to help others, and to give valuable time to the Lord.
In many verses of the Bible, ambition is looked upon with negative notion. For instance, “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25) Yet ambition has a positive side as well. When Romy was gazing towards the city, he exemplified what Louisa May Alcott said, "Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them and try to follow them." When he toiled in the factory floor, he lived the quotation, "Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in." (Bill Bradley)
What I admire about Romy is that every time that we meet, he always asks me how he can help in charitable projects that we do. He has a giving heart. Henry Van Dyke wrote, "There is a loftier ambition than merely to stand high in the world. It is to stoop down and lift mankind a little higher."
In the very early hours of Sunday at 1:00am, Romy alone prays in the St Mary’s Catholic Church, Titirangi for his weekly schedule in the 24-hour vigil of the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the altar. He tells that this devotion is in thanksgiving for the gifts and blessings in life, in the conviction that God will bring good to his family, to the community and to the world. Such is the strong faith of Romy. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” (Hebrews 11:1-3)
by Mel Libre
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