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| Joel Monsalud proves that with faith and perseverance, Pinoys can excel in any field anywhere. |
They don't necessarily seek media mileage but manage to warm
our hearts anyway through their courage and simple acts of kindness.
Just like Joel and Heidi Monsalud, our new-found Victory
Church (San Diego) friends.
"Have a bag of cherries. Baka lang po gusto nyo," they messaged early Monday morning.
Just when I typed "yes" and our house address to guide their GPS,
Joel was at the door, bag of fully-ripened berries on hand. What, a virtual freeway?
I go gaga over cherries, so a plump purplish berry immediately
found its way into my belly, side-stepping my ritual caffeine fix. It started
with a light chika before church worship last Sunday. Our conversation turned
to arthritis and how cherries help relieve its symptoms.
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| Joel and Heidi with their girls Jouie and Mikee |
We've not known Joel and Heidi that long but from the very
start, their heart for volunteerism surfaced:
Always the first to come on Sunday mornings to set up a container-full
of equipment needed for worship service in a rented school gymnasium. Greeting
attendees and directing traffic at the parking lot. Freezing our wacky poses
into complimentary Fathers' Day photo souvenirs. Even caring for others' babies.
They clearly model Christ's attitude of servanthood and
humility.
But there's more to this couple than meets the eye. Joel's
life is cinderella-esque.
This Pinoy of modest beginnings (Olongapo City, Zambales) is
a hovercraft pilot with 23 years of service with the US navy. At this writing,
he awaits confirmation of his retirement―ceremony
slated at the historic Midway aircraft carrier, now a museum, permanently
docked in San Diego.
Always keeping in mind God's promises—his favorite being
Romans 8:37 "... we are more than conquerors through Him who loved
us," Joel considers himself blessed to have passed (out of thousands of
applicants) the US Navy's rigorous requirements when it recruited Pinoys for
service.
Though he was a college graduate (BS Psychology), he didn't mind starting as a mechanic, later becoming maintenance man, then as
hovercraft pilot—expertise he acquired through hands-on and bits of formal
training.
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| Joel and his hovercraft team |
"It's all about God's grace," he admits, that he
and his team, Assault Craft Unit 5, have conducted successful missions, some of
them so life-threatening they miraculously escaped death. He recalls their most
dangerous—the 2003 Iraq invasion, and their subsequent retrieval of Navy Seals
when his hovercraft's engine died, its propeller lost, as scud missiles flew
above.
Joel gives us a glimpse of the Navy's role: "Whenever
we sail off, everything—military tanks, ambulances, war equipment, humanitarian
assistance, disaster relief, etc.—comes along."
The hovercraft is the fastest of all military sea-going
crafts. It runs through land, water, mud, ice and other surfaces. A hybrid US
navy-marine first responder unit, the hovercraft team is always the first on
the scene, either to deliver tanks and personnel, supplies or relief goods in
typhoon-ravaged sites.
"We come right in the eye of the storm," says
Joel.
Jesus' apostles experienced being in the eye of the storm
too. They feared for their lives. But in one instance, Peter volunteered,
(Matthew 14:28) “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” And
he walked on water.
Joel must have taken Jesus' words (v 27) to heart: “Take
courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
He may not have walked on water like Peter, but Joel's faith
has nonetheless emboldened him to look the storm squarely in the eye and
believe, "I can do this!"
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,"
Philippians 4:13.
Lord, give me a
servant's heart, esteeming others higher than myself. Holy Spirit, guide me, protect
me and teach me not to fear even in the face of danger. My life is in your hand.
There will I find rest.
What a blessing to meet Joels in our lifetime! May he continue to inspire others.
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