(This was shared during a Special Memorial Service last Aug. 25, 2011 in honor of the late Pearl Gamboa-Doromal. The Service was organized by the Silliman University Alumni Association Dumaguete Chapter headed by Ruben Bokingo.)
We are deeply grateful for the life of Pearl Gamboa-Doromal. It is very difficult to remember Pearl without remembering Dr. Quintin S. Doromal, the sixth president of Silliman University who faithfully served from 1973 to 1982. Pearl and King were inseparable. Their beautiful partnership was inspiring, fruitful and very sincere. On a personal note, they both were part of very special moments in my life- – – my wedding; my graduation from the seminary; my ordination; baptisms and birthdays of my children; and the yearly Christmas and New Year’s Eve Celebrations in my in-laws house in Manila.
Pearl was the wind beneath Dr. Doromal’s wings. She was his most loyal friend, his most trusted ally, his fiercest defender and his most steadfast partner in prayer. Most people find her frail and delicate but those who truly know her would say otherwise. Pearl was strong and immovable – – – in her integrity, in her service and in her faith in Jesus in whom she abided to the very end of her earthly life. She was the only daughter of the late Ambassador Melquiades Gamboa and Tina Jensen Gamboa, one of the original founders of Cosmopolitan Church which spearheaded the Philippine Methodist movement in 1933. Pearl was raised in a family where deep love for country and faith in Christ abided.
To abide means to remain, to be connected, to stay attached, to continue and to endure. Jesus is reminding us today that we must endeavor to abide in him, at all cost because once we disengage – – – once we break away – – – once we cut lose from Christ, we shall die. Jesus said, (The Message) 5-8 “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon.” What does it mean to abide in Christ? Let use the name PEARL as an acronym.
To abide in Christ means being…
…PRAYERFUL — Prayer is not an activity of our lips but the spiritual posture of the hearts. People who are prayerful know how to humble before the greatness of the Lord. They not boast about their strengths and achievements. They never parade themselves before the crowd because genuinely prayerful people, give greater value to the approval of God than the applause of the crowd.
…ENDURING — Endurance is an extremely difficult concept to grasp these days especially in a world that encourages us to quit the moment we feel the slightest discomfort – – – to walk away when we don’t get what we want or to lose focus when the atmosphere becomes hostile and unloving. Enduring people understand that fruits do not grow immediately grow after planting the seed. It will take time, but the fruits will one day come, and they will be abundant.
…ABLE — To be able means to be competent, efficient and excellent in the use of God’s gifts and talents. Ability is not about being the first or the best. It is about being willing and ready to serve others with our gifts knowing well that if we entrust to the Lord our little fish and our few loaves, it can feed a multitude.
…RIGHTEOUS — Righteousness is not an issue of sinlessness or absolute perfection. Righteousness is about a life that is sincerely willing to be ruled and reigned by Christ and his Word. A righteous person is never condescending or arrogant. A righteous person is simply convinced in his or her heart that cannot be fooled. We reap what we have sown. What comes around, goes around. What we do to others, will be done unto us.
…LED by the Spirit of God — When Christ spoke about his death and suffering to his disciples, they vehemently resisted. He was too young. He was too influential. It was too early to go. He had a whole lifetime ahead of him. Later, the disciples realized that Jesus was simply being true to the purpose and very reason for his life — that he would lay down his life and embrace a painful and violent death for the forgiveness of all.
We thank the Lord for the life of Pearl. We are all here today because we have been blessed and enriched by her life. We thank the Lord for her faith in Christ which has become the very anchor of her service and witness in Silliman University. Most of all, we thank the Lord for his blessed assurance that those who abide in him will receive the precious gift of life – – – now and for all eternity.
