God’s blessing…a wonderful mom, an inspiration to many

I thought I'd devote this entry to my mom, who has just been confirmed as what she likes to call it, "An Ambassador for Christ." Yes, after her very colorful work experience in Abu Dhabi attending to Sarah Balabagan, after tackling some problems with her bosses in Cairo, after a drawn out war in Iraq and making the statement, "I will be the last to leave...", my mom is indeed in line to become ambassador.

Tomorrow, she will be awarded the Lingkod Bayan (Public Servant) Award by the Philippine Civil Service Commission for her outstanding work as a public servant.

She was nominated by a fellow diplomat who won the award last year.

This is a most awaited award which when won grants an automatic promotion and a cash prize. But it is the promotion that is worth it. After 13 years in service at the Department of Foreign Affairs, mom will finally receive what she deserved - the rank of ambassador. Truly, she is not only a radiant and dedicated public servant but she is also a missionary of God, thus, the name "Ambassador for Christ."

She is never just Vice-Consul, Consul, Consul-General or Career Minister, she is foremost a follower of Christ. Wherever she is, she makes sure that people know that. She does everything for His glory and for His glory, she does her best to help her fellowmen.

Oftentimes, she would cry over the situation in the Philippines. She would pray in earnest for our country which have received so many blows and which always seems to be at the doors of failure. She has never given up hope. As a diplomat, she represents the country with great diligence and pride. She knows how to show the good side of the Philippines even when fellow Filipinos are quick to criticize it. She is always willing to go the extra mile and to lend a helping hand. She foregoes her diplomatic title most of the times and serves the Filipino community as a sister, an aunt, a surrogate mother, and as a friend.

She has worked as a public servant for a total of twenty some years. She used to work for the University of the Philippines, a state university, then as a legal clerk at the defunct Ministry of Human Settlements before joining the elite corp of diplomats at the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1987.

Tomorrow, she will be at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, in a great production number to share the light with many other outstanding public servants.

There, in front of her fellow public servants, her family, her friends, and possibly the whole nation if it's televised, everyone will see that she, Grace Relucio Princesa, is a blessing, an inspiration and a gem, not just as a mother but a true follower of Christ, whose work does not end when the clock strikes five, but when she's done her best to make another life better.