An Architect's Home

“Angge, BFF. Kamusta ka na?”

I smiled at her as I heard her gentle voice calling my name and greet me. I didn’t know when she started calling me this endearment but I am, yes I am, much pleasured to be called in that way by her since she is one of my leaders in church and one of those women I admire.

Cool. Sweet, loving and caring. Inspirational. A role model for everybody. A working but a hands-on mom at home. A wonderful leader in church. She’s Imelda Pineda Santiago-San Diego, a mother of five kids – Stephanie, Stephie, Stefen, Scottlee and Sharlee. And one of those I consider as one of my second moms in church, who touches and inspires my life during my youth and now in my adulthood.

Sister Imelda, who she prefers to be called as Sister Imee, is the youngest in her family and who grows up in Manila. Even though she grows up in an urban city, she is raised and taught by her parents to be a good girl and to be a respectable lady. She’s not your ordinary girl who goes to parties every night. She is even being fetched by her parents from her school in her college days. She also doesn’t wear those spaghetti-strapped blouses and short shorts or skirts and put make-ups on her baby face. She even calls herself as one of the boys. She has graduated college with the course of Architecture and spent it in FEATI without having those luxuries in life.

As for her career, she has successfully graduated college, she has worked hard and she’s been to different places. And she can say and me as well, I can say that she’s successful in her career. She becomes the Regional Manager of Southeast Asia. She had some conversations with many people, which she states as her asset. As mentioned earlier, she’s been to different places, actually fourteen countries and she considers it as one of her achievements in life.

I can say that a mother’s greatest achievement in life is the family she builds. Sister Imee makes it clearer to me. During on one of our conversations, she declares that her kids and his loving and supportive husband are her biggest achievement in her life. It’s the best thing that has happened to her.

“Seeing them (her children) growing in the church and living the gospel and having a supportive and faithful husband make me feel that I’m blessed,” she explains.

On the other hand, she adds that one of her achievements in her socio-civic life is becoming and elected as the very first President of a Filipino, socio-civic organization in Bahrain, which they call as PBB. Their goal is to empower every Filipinos in Bahrain. As the leader of the said group, she establishes programs that will help her fellow Filipinos regarding on finding jobs and skill trainings. Even our ambassador in Bahrain also supports their programs. She also makes sure that the programs they have conducted will be successful.  She does the best she can do.

Yes, she gives all her effort in doing something and she makes sure that everything is perfect; it is her motto, personally. She even tells me, “If you’re doing something, you must give all your bests and efforts in it.” (This is the perfect advice from her which really hits me.) She even says that you’re already doing it, why don’t you make it beautiful? You’ve consumed your time and efforts with that project, why don’t you give your best? She’s definitely right!

While in family, their motto is, “One for all, all for one.” The decisions that they make must be agreed by each member of the family. But if one doesn’t agree, they will have the voting system. They also go together with household chores and different family activities. These also serve as their bonding within their family.

Yes, even she’s working and at the same time, a leader in our church, she always does have time with her family. Her secret? “It’s time management, my dear,” she reveals. She leaves and makes a schedule before leaving for work, and tells her children that before she comes from work, they must finish their home works. So that, she will just check it when she comes home and they will have their bonding time before they go to sleep. They play board games and have dinner together. She also tells me that she’s like a friend or just like in their age who they can share their secrets and stories with, just like her with them and her husband.  They are very open in their family; she knows every story and every problem of her kids. She’s very grateful for what she has, her kids and her husband.

She has met him during those times with no electronic gadgets around and with just pens and papers is being used as communications (I wish I have experienced those times.) Pen pal as they call them. She tells him all of her experiences in church – about being the teacher in seminary, how her day was in church, how happy she is during activities in church – making him feel uncertain. She even sends her ugliest photos to him. Who would do such things as those? Her. These unusual things make him fall in love with her. After few years, she tells him that if he’s not willing to be a member of the church that she has been into, they have to stop their relationship. What’s next? They get married. And after some years, they have been sealed in the Manila, Philippines Temple. What a great love story, right?

Speaking of the sealing, she claims that it’s the most unforgettable moment in her life. What’s sealing? She explains that it is an ordinance in church that you will be with your children and husband always and forever, until the next life. And because of that she can say now, “These are my children. I own them and I can be with them.”

Now who will not be amazed with this woman? Who will not admire her? Who will not be lucky to be as close as best friends with her? Tell me. I have only known her and been with her for almost one and a half year but she can affect my life as my mother does. Sometimes when I was talking to her, it feels like I’m listening to my own stories. She’s kind, sweet and caring that can make her touches your heart. She’s a friend of everyone. She’s amazing. She is, she is extraordinary.