Into the Dawn of 2012

I am  thankful at the sound of my keyboard as I type. Its thrilling! I intend to write more regularly. I have decided to not wait for the 'perfect words'. I am no longer writing for art. I am writing to testify. And somehow, my love (and struggle) for artful writing has hostaged my testimonies. When you read, I hope you find LIFE not just art.

My last update was in November and I’d like to pick up where I left off.

So the 11^th of November came and we all were hauled to Balai Isabel, a very picturesque venue for the wedding of my cousin Sherl. It was raining the whole time, with forecasts of typhoon. But God was so great! The sun smiled at us when Sherl walked down the aisle.

That day!

Speaking of her walking down the aisle, that in itself is a miracle. She almost didn’t make it to the altar. She was dehydrated the day before due to a stomach malfunction (if that’s an acceptable term..hehehe). She ate a plateful of shrimps and it wasn’t too friendly for her stomach. She was on IV from the car to the resort and slept through the day, missing her own rehearsal dinner. So, when we saw her walk down the aisle, we were in tears.

Cousins with Lolo

Family time after the wedding was awesome. Nothing beats having 30 plus people sleep in one big house. I had to take some Jacuzzi time just so I could nap. Seriously! It was my version of ‘no room in the inn’! haha!

Then, Christmas came!!!!!

Our Family picture after the church choir cantata!

I had a less-busy holiday schedule this year compared to last year. No speaking engagements, no parties. Yeah, the perks of being unemployed includes:  no shopping for office exchange gifts, no rummaging the closet for what to wear, and no worries of what to bring to the party. In other words, no spending! I went to a quiet dinner with friends and the annual high school homecoming. So far those were my two social events. Haha!

Leading the kids during games.

Our high school class, PNULHS Class of '98, had an outreach program again. This year, we teamed up with batch '86. I am thankful for this opportunity that God has given us to bring His love to kids. this year, we also launched our 'RACE to DECEMBER 2013' campaign. Its an effort to get the PNU Alumni excited for 2013, the year when our class hosts the homecoming. 

The girls with the LOGO on our backs.

New years was great! While my side of the world was busy chasing bad energy away via fireworks (so, animistic!), I was tucked in my bed reading an article in a book entitled “Einstein and Faith”.

I felt empty. I wanted a big-bang realization. An Aha! Moment to start the year. A miraculous phone call from a long lost person. A spinning. A thrill.

NONE.

I closed the book. Then,  my ears were suddenly accommodating the sounds of the firecrackers. One by one, as if they come in layers, I peeled them off my system and found myself following  a trail to my soul. My quiet soul.  Yes, a quiet soul I found. No realizations, no spinnings, no thrills. Peace. Just peace.

Peace. And it was enough for me.

Philippians 4:7 “…and the PEACE of God that transcends all understanding will guards your minds in Christ Jesus.”

No firework could beat the grand explosion of peace in my heart. 2012 had some welcome!!!!

I do this when I'm surprised. Just with wider eyes. Hehehe! 2012 will see lots of this! :)

What Happened in October

I prayed hard that God would give me the time to write this post. Thank God this is happening. 

My October was stuffed. Stuffed in a good kind of way.  Way back, I had imagined that October would be my busiest month. I just didn't know to what degree. Today is the 3rd of November. I had known.

I had anticipated that I would be directing two productions so somehow, I have mentally planned my schedule and mapped out a plan on how two juggle these two. However, there was an interruption. Or, was it really what I think it is?

My grandfather got sick early in October. No, not just sick. HOSPITALIZED. And since I was the only person with a freer schedule, the lot fell on me. I stayed with him for more than a week in the hospital. My grandfather is 84, active, mentally fit and stubborn . In other words, a difficult patient. He had Pneumonia so he had to be hospitalized.  I will stop right here and just say that during the time that I was with him, I recited over and over again "For the trying of your faith worketh out patience but let patience have its perfect work in you tha tyou may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." Patience was a priceless commodity. God faithfully supplied in great measures.

Asian Center for Mission in Western Visayas celebrated its 16th Anniversary last October 21-23. I was privileged to direct the musical production that showcased the talents of Kairos Graduates from different churches and missionaries who are now at home. It was a story of the expansion of world missions. God's presence filled up the place. People were moved. Glory was God's. It was so spectacular that right after the show, a dedicated Christian who is of prominence in the city, invited us to do the show again at a bigger venue and promised to bring a bigger crowd. The next show would be on December 4th.

That's me carrying the Ugandan flag. Me with  Garicel, a missionary to China
then there's us who joined the missions manifesto signing

TOP: The Missions Cupcakes.
Bottom: Scenes from the Musical Production

My previous boss, Haw Tiu, invited me to assist the school in the celebration of its 35th Founding Anniversary. The closing program was a talent show that was meant to be a Tribute to the Creator. Not only did she ask me to direct the show, but also to be its host. As I am writing this, it still blows my mind how we were able to pull that show off. God was generous of His favors. We couldnt have had a blast if it were not for His promise " I would never leave you..." 

I wish I had taken some pictures. I was too busy to have not had the time. I am now scouring the Facebook walls of those people present in these events to see if there are any I could grab and share.

(By the way, let me just set it straight. I did not take Theatre classes in college. I just learned the craft through experience and training. Another reason why I keep saying " Nothing on my own...nothing on my own". There has to be a Higher force who enables me.)

In between practices and panics, I traveled back and forth to attend the invitations to speak. I was graciously asked by Ikthus Bacolod, an inspiringly growing church, to help equip their ushers. I spoke about Effective Communication for Ushers. Also, I was invited to speak to public school teachers in my hometown about the use of public speaking and its importance to teachers. I am glad I have these opportunities to grow as I help others grow.

My most favorite part, if not the best, was when I was invited to speak at a morning devotion during the 1st CPBC Missions Congress on the 26th. It was an unspeakable feeling to be a part of that historic event. I challenged them through the word of God to respond to God's call. What was awesome was it was attended by pastors, ministers and theologians and God used me, an ordinary, non-seminarian, curly haired young woman with red nails to deliver God's message to them. I was literally hearing myself speak. I was speaking words I didnt plan and they saw beyond my youth. God got the glory.

A wedding took place on the 29th. You guessed it, I was the emcee.

October closed with Family Matters. My Aunt and Uncle arrived from the states to attend the awaited family wedding which will be in 9 days. Nothing beats the joy of having a loving family. Looking forward to more of that in the days to come.

I came to know God in a deeper lever this month. Tonight, at church, I spoke about how God described Moses in Numbers 12 "With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. " I long for God to say the same about me.

Here I am waiting for November to set in. It is my favorite month of the year. All the more now that my best cousin-friend is getting married on the 11th. Expecting a blast!!!


I am grateful for the prayers that sustained me. Thank you for granting me a spot in your list. I am thankful also for my offline friends who take the time to tell me they read this blog. I am blessed beyond measure!

No, I Am Not Employed

I used to work 8-5, sometimes beyond 5, and called myself an employee. That’s because I got paid for my hours, although, what I was doing was something I love: Be with children everyday. After leaving that job, to go full-time in ministry (please allow me to use the word full-time on these terms), I find myself busier than when I was employed. No, my job is no longer 8-5. Its FULL-TIME.

If by employee, you mean, you work with a boss, you work for an institution, and you get paid, then I can call myself one. I work with THE Boss. I work for THE Kingdom. And I get paid MORE than what I deserve. (not necessarily on a flat-rate, twice-a-month basis)

While waiting for my deployment, to Only-God-Knows-Where (and I seriously mean that), I see to it that I keep myself busy. And busy is what I am. I pride myself that I am busy with ministry, doing this and that ‘for the Lord’. Volunteering in church, taking every opportunity to equip other Christians, tell stories to kids, all in the name of Ministry. I get a certain kind of adrenalin when I am ‘booked’.

I felt good about myself.

Not until God dealt with me. The conference I attended was a Divine Appointment.  As I mentioned, going to Singapore never crossed my mind. I never heard of the IDMC conference until the day my friend told me about it. But when we were there, I knew, God wanted us to be there. (I was even more convinced when, a few minutes after the promotion for the next year’s conference, the slots were ALL booked. That’s how ‘hot’ it was…and how impossible to get a ticket. How we got the tickets this year is a long story that can be summarized in one word: Miracle)

God spoke to me about my intimacy with Him. How, in my efforts to get busy, I am no longer aligned to Him. No wonder, sometimes, the work gets tiring, the labor is fruitless.  I forgot what David’s sole desire was:

Psalm 27:4 One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. 

David just wanted to seek God’s presence, to be in His presence, to enjoy looking at Him and to inquire what He has in mind. It’s all about HIM. No wonder, David is called, a man after God’s own heart.

Activity replaced my Affection. Routine overshadowed the Reason. Guilty.

God also convicted me of my mindset. You see, when people ask me what I do, I tell them “Oh, I volunteer at church, I do this and that…” I give them an array of all these seemingly ‘good’ things I do. Little did I know that deep within my heart is a motive : To let them know I am ACTUALLY Doing something.  See, I made what I do now a replacement of what I used to do.

No, that shouldn’t be. What I do now is supposed to be a response to God’s call. God’s specific call for me to fulfill His specific purpose for me. We are all called to a purpose. That purpose is to Glorify Him . And our purpose does not necessarily require a ‘doing’. Our purpose requires a ‘being’. Take for example Lazarus. He didn’t have to do anything, He just had to be dead!!!

I realized it is not what we do that constitutes God’s purpose for us. It is what we are that reveals whether we are being obedient to Him or not. 

Intimacy precedes Ministry. ‘Being’ precedes ‘Doing’.

So, are you going to ask me what I am doing now?

No, I am not employed.

Here are two of my favorite songs from Avalon. They sing a whole lot about what is in my heart.

SG: Singapore Grace

A few months ago, I got a call from a friend telling me about the "Intentional Discipleship Making Conference 2011" in Singapore. She asked if I wanted to go. Before I could even answer, she volunteered to sponsor the whole trip.

Singapore is not on top of my 'Places-I-Want-To-Go-To' List. I could not afford even just a one-way ticket to Singapore. But, God wanted me to go so there I was, last September 1-4, strutting cruising the railways of this first world country. 

Considering that I come from a third world country, not to mention that I live in a third class city, I grew wide-eyed at almost everything. Not that I have never seen tall buildings. I have. I just had this sense of wonder at things. 

The Conference was amazing. It was a blessing to hear Rev. Edmund Chan. The anointing was evident. God's glory overflowed. It was a great time of introspection and re-aligning of our inner lives. It was awesome to witness God rain down His truth to us, rebuking and restoring us at the same time. 

As I mentioned, I couldnt afford this trip, I never had plans of visiting, but I so wanted to eat Indian Cuisine,  my best cousin-friend, Sherl, happens to work there, and God wanted to SHOW me SOMETHING. Thus, I call this trip, Singapore Grace.

Taking the Scenic Route

A Date with My Gravity ( Sherl )

Gastronomic Delights: African Read Tea, Spicy Sting Ray, Eggs Benedict,
La Mian with  Minced Chicken and the $1 Ice Cream. 

Pratta and Mutton. I ate it for THREE straight days! hahaha!

Covenant Evangelical Free Church and my Conference companions,
Emily, Gervilyn, Isis and Fred

Traversing the Streets..and the MTR

Icing on the cake:  Lion King Experience. Awesome, Awesome show!!!!

Responsible Parenthood?!

RESPONSIBLE Parenthood?!

I think there is redundancy in that phrase. I believe that you can not be called a parent if you are not responsible. However, in this generation, I have witnessed painted pains because some people just enjoyed the baby-making part and didn't want to have anything to do with child-rearing.

Lately, I conducted a workshop on Storytelling to Compassion teachers and volunteers. I've always been passionate about Storytelling and I make it my mission to spread the secrets of the craft, tell unforgettable stories and make other people yearn to be storytellers themselves. That's my answer to the call in Romans 10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing...". This way we can saturate this world with the wonderful story of salvation. That is my main goal.

In addition to that, I see that by storytelling we train our kids to be responsible. See, storytelling (with minimal or no props)  gets their minds working; they imagine, analyze, decide. That is how we want our kids to be when they grow up - men and women who will be creative enough to find solutions, to analyze situations and then decide and take ownership of the decision. When we raise them that way, that's responsible parenthood.

I am not a parent but I desire to be one someday. I don't have kids but i have worked with kids for many years. I discovered that parenthood, though it is a lot of work, is actually just mastering the simple stuff that make up the bigger stuff. Like, if I want my kids to grow up organized, I just need to let them be comfortable with following systems and procedures.

When coming in from school, (1) take off your shoes (2) put them on the rack (3) put soiled socks in the bin. A three-step system is not complicated but once they mastered it, you can build on it the 'big' chunks of your daily work that usually stresses you. That is why again, I have considered storytelling as essential. It is a fun, no stress activity, yet the benefits are long term. That's IF, you take your storytelling session seriously.

Our parents :)

Maybe I'm idealistic. Or maybe, I have just been around people who sunk at parenthood. Or maybe, I just appreciated very much the way our parents raised us (3 girls). No, we didnt always have a clean living room, or bedroom. Yes, we did pressure our parents to 'save' us because we needed to submit a dollhouse project the NEXT DAY!!! But, NO, we never tiptoed around the house, we never mixed fresh school uniforms with sweaty PE shirts and we never heard our parents sigh when we asked them questions. Yes, my mother is a worrier and complains a lot but in all her complaining, not one bit did we hint that it was about raising us, THREE Girls. No, not even a hint of worry that we'd come home pregnant! (By God's grace no one has and will remain that way!)

And here's what I think are the essentials to parenthood:

1. A deep commitment to Christ - No order is possible without Him at the center
2. A deep commitment to each other - No one should bail out
3. A deep commitment to joy - No one should say it is missing

Those three things are core to parenthood. The rest just stems from them. Being a parent is a gift. I don't think we cannot refuse that gift when given to us. So, "Let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." Galatians 6:9 (NLT)


*Note: I recently am on the 30-Day Blogging Challenge with my other blog A November Miracle. Ha!!! this is my second day and I was to write about something I feel strongly about. Here's the first thing that came to mind. I thought I'd share it with the readers of this blog.

When We Wait

Thank you for waiting. Finally, a post! *big smile*

Waiting is a theme that is hard to write about. Scratch that. It is easy to write about but hard to live through. It’s an active – passive activity that requires a lot of patience. In fact, to make waiting legitimate, PATIENCE is the only requirement. If your fuse burns, you stop. Then, waiting is terminated.

If you wait, however, you get the reward for waiting. What’s the reward? The exact thing you’ve stood in the line waiting for!!!

The coffee needs a few minutes to brew. Instant coffee never, never tastes like the freshest brew.

The caterpillar needs to cocoon before it becomes a butterfly. Butterflies look better than cocoons.

A mother waits for 9 months to birth a baby. Nothing is more beautiful than a new born baby.

Recently, I had an experience of waiting for two and a half hours outside of YakiMix, a restaurant, to be seated. Why, it served the best Japanese Eat-All-You-Can in the country!!! There were of course some restaurants nearby, but my companions and I waited. I tell you, I had the most unforgettable sushi experience that night! Imagine if we walked away after seeing that we were 32^nd on the list of reservations?

A photo I took of them last week :)

Last week, I had a great time with my cousin, Sherl and her fiancé. They were beautiful to watch.  Sherl is a happy woman. A few years back, she started cross stitching a design on a cloth, which to us meant that she was happily resolved to being single. (You know, that "sewing-on-a-rocking-chair-with-a cat-by-her-foot" scenario!) And then HE came! She told me, she has no reservations about splurging for her honeymoon because she waited…THEY waited. In November, everyone in the family is coming home to witness their union. Imagine if she whined when she was single, or ran off with the first guy who was ready to prey on her singleness?

I only have one hobby I am having a hard time controlling – rummaging through second-hand book stores! I failed again yesterday. Well, almost! I’d like to believe buying THAT book was the right thing to do. You see, ten years ago, there was one book I visited very often at the bookstore and never had the chance nor the money to get it. It costed more than a student could afford. At least, the student that I was. It was DC Talk’s Jesus Freaks. I was also then, very much of a DC Talk fan, thus, the desire for the book.  Yesterday, it laid on the corner of the bookstore, about 90% cheaper than its original price!!! Second thinking was not my option. I bought it, with a very wide grin at the cashier! Same words, same power, same stories…just at the right time! Imagine, if I insisted on getting it at that particular time ten years ago?

Jesus Freaks!!! Ayomide Akinkugbe will hate me for posting this! haha!

Waiting outside Yakimix with an angry stomach and the lure of the Indian Resto beside was not enjoyable. For Sherl, cross stitching and waiting on God to send her man was slow paced. The "rocking chair" kept her moving but got her nowhere. Well, waiting for the book was not that of a big deal…I never even thought I’d come across it again!

But, if we walked away from YakiMix, if Sherl pitied herself, if I got the book despite my finances, then this post would not be here. ( God knew I’d be writing this…I see Him laughing in amusement now! )

When we wait for the things we can hardly wait for, we build the appreciation for their worth and the capacity to have them for a very long time.

Yeah, I ate Maki for what felt like 2 hours!

The YakiMix Smiles. That's Mark, Eirene and I :)

I suggest Francesca Battistelli's "Hundred More Years". Kinda like what I am saying. Enjoying at at the moment :)

p.s. Thanks for the encouragement Sir LDP!!! 

A BLESSed Affair

This is long due post but I'm posting the pictures anyway! God worked miraculously in the lives of the 9 children we had at our center for 6 months. They are now enrolled in public elementary schools. May God continue to make them shine.

Our graduation was last May 14, 2011. I know, this is a very very late post. But hey, God's goodness should be retold. God's goodness is always good news..it never become late news. Enjoy the photos. Thank you for your support, prayers. I continue to be encouraged!

Wonderful Smiles, arent they? The blue shirts are from my friend, Jumoke :)

Add caption

Zoren gave them a reading :)

Above: With Ma'am Arlene  and Gladys, my Assistant; Below, with Church Elders

Above: With their happy parents; Below, with the volunteers and Church Elders

Praise God for His work and for the JOY it brought to everyone who took part in the ministry. We are starting a new batch in November. Praying again for God's hand on it. 

Soli Deo Gloria!!!!