The next hard thing

I never would have imagined that no sooner than the ordeal below, would God have enabled me to yet again strike out for the next hard thing:

The Cebu Nihongo Speech Contest

It was no piece of cake.
The 3 weeks that led to the event were marked with me having to overcome a lot of my inhibitions. Plus 2 ambush impromptu speech presentation in front of our very own managers. Believe me, those 2 impromptus were harder than the real thing. And so, it was exactly on those two that I got clammy, slightly forgot some lines, and totally allowed my nervousness to get to the audience rather than what I was saying.

But in the end those 2 impromptus were the best from this experience.
I was so amazed at how the Japanese managers were supportive of the contestants, me and Boss Ches. Their corrections and comments were precious. In our brief interactions, they gave us invaluable encouragement and insight. I am truly grateful for them. One manager said, that if I truly believe in myself, if I would be confident, then definitely something good will come out of it.

That was exactly the thing that God knew I needed.

In an overnight, right up to stepping on that stage was a battle won at the start of the speech, where my nervousness felt totally absent despite the loud thumping in my ear. Thank you Lord.

I didn't forget a line.

Which was amazing.

And as I delivered my speech in front of all those Filipinos and Japanese alike, seeing the spark of understanding in their eyes (well, mostly for the Japanese), it was awesome! It would have been a great loss indeed if I gave in to my fears, weaknesses, and especially comfort zone. I am so glad that God enabled me to take "That first scary step". This was the 2nd step and I hope there be more steps to come.

Sure I might have to really work for it...but having one person said to me after the speech "The most important was the message you conveyed". I totally agree. Because I know that God has greater things in store for me - something that involves learning Nihongo and I don't want to miss out on that.

P.S. Me and Boss Ches both got 2nd prizes in our respective divisions. (^_^)v