SPIRITUAL ASSESSMENT In Partial Fulfillment for the S.Y. 2012-2013 In ELECTIVES1 Submitted to: Mrs.

Laila Guarin Submitted by: Arlyn Castro N302

S SPIRITUAL BELIEF SYSTEM What is your formal religious affiliation? We were born and raised as members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo. But as soon as I had the privilege to choose my own religion, I chose to be a CHRISTIAN. Name and describe your spiritual belief system. I am a Christian, or at least I try to be. I pray whenever I can and talk to Him. When my family has time, we visit the church together to pray. I doubted the existence of our God during my teenage years and I became agnostic (defined as a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena). But now, as a changed Christian, I know that God is always there guiding us and whenever I have the opportunity to pray like before I eat or while Im driving, I talk to Him. P PERSONAL SPIRITUALITY Describe the beliefs and practices of your religion or personal belief system. Christianity is a very broad religion and in my perspective, it has the most freedom. Among their few restrictions to worldly lifestyle are drinking alcohol, smoking, drugs, pre-marital sex, etc. It is more defined in the web as a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior. I also believe in Jesus Christ and I agree with this religious belief and try to follow a Christian lifestyle. But with the busy lifestyle and environment that I have, I seldom go and visit the church like what Christians are supposed to do. I believe that God is a forgiving and understanding God and I know that He will understand with any situation that I have.

Describe the beliefs or practices you do not accept. I have nothing against the beliefs and practices of Christianity. What I dont agree with are the religious leaders who manage their church like it is a business. I have nothing against giving offerings for the improvement of the church. What I dont like is when they make offering mandatory like it is an obligation. I give back all the blessings that I received by being a blessing to others through financial help, moral and emotional support. What is the importance of spirituality/religion in your daily life? Religion and spirituality teaches us to be human. Spirituality strengthens our morals which guide us to be fairly just. When theres nothing or no one that can help me with my struggles in life, I ask for guidance and help by praying. It uplifts my soul and morale and somehow gives me courage and strength to surpass any problems that come my way.

I INTEGRATION WITH A SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY Do you belong to a spiritual/religious group or community? In my search for a religion thats right and perfect for me, I have been a member to various religious groups like the Charismatic community, Victory Fellowship, and Filipino Catholic groups in Japan. But as of now, I no longer join any groups of such kind. Does or could this group provide help in dealing with health issues? Even when I was a member of those religious communities, I dont depend my health issues on spiritual groups. My strong personal relationship with God can help but I seek help with my health issues from a medical practitioner.

R RITUALIZED PRACTICES AND RESTRICTIONS Are there specific practices that you carry out as part of your religion/spirituality? Christians strongly believe with the power of a prayer. It is an invincible bond between me and the Supreme Being. As a Christian, I pray all the time. While Im walking or driving, eating, and before I go to sleep. Whenever God gives me blessings, I make it a point to always thank Him. I ask for guidance when there are times when I no longer know what to do. I go to church on Sundays to pray or hear a mass when time permits. I light a candle in the altar for my aspirations.

Are there certain lifestyle activities or practices that your religion/spirituality encourages or forbids? Drinking alcohol, smoking, drugs, polygamy, and pre-marital sex are few of the worldly lifestyle that Christianity forbids and which I dont practice. I strongly believe in these prohibitions and strongly agree with the sanctity of our body and of marriage. All religions encourage their members to attend their fellowship service. I can if I wanted to, and it will be spiritually uplifting if I did. But my life as a student and as a career woman, I cant find the time to attend with these kinds of events. I IMPLICATIONS FOR CARE What aspects of your religion/spirituality would you like me to keep in mind as I care for you? I respect any religion or any spiritual practice. And as long as you respect my spiritual belief and as long as you do your job properly, well never have a problem on that. I believe that God has given as the freedom to choose and the gift of making decisions for ourselves.

T TERMINAL EVENTS PLANNING As we plan for end-of-life care, how does your faith affect your decisions? Death is inevitable. My faith is not affected since death cant be avoided. We all dont have the power to stop someone from dying. What we can do is help them have a peaceful and painless death if possible. I experienced death in my family. I can share this experience and help them make it through recovery but my personal belief and faith in God cant be shattered.

SPIRITUAL ASSESSMENT Do you have a way of making sense of the things that happen to you? I proved Gods love for me by even if I sometimes forgot to pray for Him to guide me in my driving; I still manage to be in my destination safe. I have dealt with so many difficulties in life, and I know God was with me all throughout those dark times. I know that it is His way of making me the strong person that I am right now.

What sources of support/ help do you look for when life is difficult? My family is my most important treasure that I have. If I cant cling to my family and depend on them, I pray to God to be with me (like he always does) and help me get through my problems.

Would you like to see someone who can help you? A spiritual adviser can help. But I have my family and God to help me. When the need arises for me to talk to a spiritual adviser, our community is always accessible.

Would you like to see someone who can help you talk or think through the impact of this illness/life event? As of the moment I dont want to see someone who I can talk to or think through with the impact of my lifes events as I dont see the need for me to seek one. I might want to in the future, but as long as my faith in God is strong, I know He will be there to guide and protect me and my family.