Celebrate joy!

How would you name 2016? Which is the same way as asking how was 2016 like for you -- just more difficult because you're allowed with less words. Hmm.. So nice to meet you, my 2016 name is: ProviTy, short for  Provision and Opportunity (andami kong alam!) In my previous posts, I shared about my dad and how he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer earlier this year. After almost a month in the hospital & 6 chemo cycles, I learned that (1) hospital food is not so bad #sothoughtprovokingeh (2) God allows certain things to happen to accomplish His glory (in detailed here and here ) (3) and that God provides -- ever so lavishly and abundantly. My dad finished 6 chemo cycles and I am typing this as he irons our clothes behind me -- he didn't get bald, aside from the occasional nausea and numbness of joints -- he is up and about his usual self, being productive around the house and even going out every day at lunchtime to run a few errands in Alimall & SM. First time...

This is the trip wherein everything that Ais and I did, we only decided on doing during the trip. No itinerary or plans whatsoever. We were both so busy weeks before our flight, so in the end, we just resolved to fully embrace spontaneity and see what Bangkok has to offer upon setting foot on its soil. #feelingbrave So 3 days were spent shopping and dining in the city and 1 day to be a full-pledged tourist and visit one of Bangkok's popular destinations. So thank you Lord that there were still 2 slots left for the full-day Ayutthaya tour. Yaaaay! Brace yourselves for the tons of photos to follow! :) Quick background: The Ayutthaya Historical Park is located in northern Bangkok and it has temples, monasteries, palace ruins and Buddhist statues. It stood between 1350 to 1767 until it was destroyed by the Burmese. So now, the park is considered a UNESCO World Heritage site and a famous tourist destination in Bangkok. First Stop: Bangpa-In Palace

Our Day 1 in Bangkok was pretty laid back. We arrived early in the morning so after leaving our bags at the hotel, we ate brunch at this casual joint (aka carinderia) named "Im Chan"   which boasts of "very good and very cheap food". Their words, not mine. IM CHAN True to its tagline, it was a great and affordable meal! We made sure we ordered the signature Thai dishes such as Pad Thai, Shrimp Curry and Fried Oyster Pancakes. Win!

Bangkok is known to many as the shopping haven in Asia, and if you like affordable and stylish clothes, bags and accessories, then this city will bring you so much happiness. I love shopping too and I would have been so excited if only we exchanged our peso to baht in other places other than the airport. I know! Their exchange rate in the airport is extremely high so instead of shopping, I just resolved at the end of the day to be really picky if I'm going to buy something and to prioritize food, because... it's Thai food.:) Thai are a lot like Pinoys -- they also like street food!

Recently, I have been stumbling across posts that emphasize one thing: dying to self everyday. It not only sounds difficult but it truly is difficult. Wai Jia (I wrote about her before) in one of her blog posts , talked about how we cannot be anything we want to be no matter how great and seemingly harmless that sound. Dreams are not supposed to be as big as we want them to be but should be how God wanted it to be, at His perfect timing, exactly how He wants it. Rica Bonifacio, on the other hand, talked about the single qualification for a future spouse: he should be able to be willing to die to himself every day. This podcast by Oscar Muriu during the Every Nation World Conference held in South Africa, reiterated what Paul has been talking about in his letters to the churches those days: every follower of Christ must know and understand in her heart that her life is not hers anymore, but it is Christ's. After reading Rica's article, I asked myself: Can I really do ...

For the past few weeks, Gia and I have been going home with aching shoulders and bruised legs because we have been attending -- get this -- Muay Thai classes.  Whoa! Yes, I know. The girly-girl in me is totally bewildered by the idea. But that's why I have decided to do it all the more. The idea of being completely helpless when the bad guys (bad guys talaga, sige na nga, guys with bad intentions) choose to steal my purse or hold me at gunpoint scares me more. I mean yes, you got to choose your battles and one's life is more important than her purse or her cellphone... but I want to know that I can at least defend myself when such unfortunate circumstances arise. 

Here's the last part of our experience in Hanoi! If only I could do this at least once a year, hoping that God would blessed me with more opportunities to go out to the nations :) This is definitely one of the most memorable moments in my life! Clingy-ness and sepanx mode on! Oct 4 2016 We landed in  Manila  last night and after zoning out at past  12am  this morning, I woke up at  11am  giving me almost 11 hours of sleep today! Yahoooo!!! Days were long in  Hanoi . Our team is usually up by  7am  for our morning devotion then we would call it a day by  11pm  or  12am   (pag sobrang kulit namin) after the day’s debriefing. Packed between those hours are spent meeting up with students, engaging them, doing the trainings and events that the church has scheduled. Days are long but the days came by so fast. Is that ironic? I was feeling sad the day before we left. Being in a different nation is like bein...

Here's the part 2 of the Hanoi series! Hoping you will be blessed! Sept 28 Wed 12:52PM So many things have been happening here… a couple of days ago, the team had their Victory Weekend. There were 5 participants which was a stark contrast from the usual 80+ people we used to have in  Manila , and yet it was not so much about the number  that made it a different kind of experience but the heart and hunger of these 5 people for God! We teared up more than once as we pray and minister to them…there was even one point when we cried first before the participants!  Nauna pa tlga kaming umiyak! Haha!  But we were so touched because we felt God’s heart for the people here… It reminds you of that first encounter you had with Jesus! There is no such thing as language barrier when the Spirit of God moves… When God reveals Himself to His people, He penetrates and goes straight to their hearts and minds. There are more than a few times when we are amazed on ...

Celebrated my 29th birthday two weeks ago and hey look at that, I didn't even had to think twice about putting in my age! Haha! I don't know what it is about 29, and while it's my last year to say that I'm in my late 20's, it's also the time where you just care less more (did I confuse you with those 2 words?)... One of my friends asked me how old I was, to which I answered 29. and she joked to say, " dibale nasa kalendaryo ka pa!" This may have come off as offensive to me months ago but I just smiled and said "Si Lord na bahala" knowing for certain na Siya na talaga bahala. I guess, being at this age means that you get to see so much of God's goodness already that everything that happened and will happen in the future -- you are able to trust God for. I have seen Him come through so many times already, and I know that He has my present and future in His trustworthy hands. This has also been the most no-fuss birthday ever -- a s...

I know, it's been a long time!  Xin Chao! That's hello in Vietnamese! :) I have learned 4 basic phrases when we were there and the entire 10-day experience was a life-changing one! Grateful for the opportunity to see God's hands and heart for this nation. Here are excerpts of my written thoughts when we were in Vietnam. I wrote 3 parts of it, here's the first one: September 28, 2016 Wednesday 11:57am Kathy and I are sitting here in the buffet area of Western Hanoi Hotel where our TenDays team is staying at. We resolved to write down the things that have been happening for the past 6 days we are in Vietnam . God has been so faithful and amazing! We are overwhelmed on how He is opening our eyes to see the landscape that this nation is in… First impression doesn’t last, I’ll tell you that. We thought that we would just be engaging students, and one of our fears is that the people here would be aloof to foreigners given their history, but they are so open!...

One of the hardest questions to ask a book-lover is, "what's your all-time favorite book?" To which, I am sure would ensue a long and hard look at the ceiling as she ponders the answer to that question... And after much thought, would probably still fail to come up with just ONE. So I would not even attempt to do that. :P What I'll give you, though, are 8 books that really stuck to me through the years. Much like the movie, Train to Busan (if you haven't seen it yet, please do! It's a rocking movie about humanity and relationships... and yes, scary and fast-moving zombies that really bothered me on their speed, why are they so fast??!). These books sent my imagination off to places I never thought possible, whirled me to varying emotions -- including but not limited to -- soaking my pillow wet from tears, laughing out loud from witty dialogues, nostalgic turns that brought me back to memory lane and those poignant moments of just being deeply mov...

It's already August! Time really flies! We're more than halfway through 2016 and our days have been packed for the past month in the ministry. There were several times when I had to push back or altogether cancel my plans with friends because something always seems to come up. This is what happens when adult-ing run in with childhood. Haha! I'd like to stress though that it's fine to be a kid from time to fine and we should never lose that balance between work and fun. Balancing work and fun can be another term for setting a rhythm in our lives. At church, we were taught that there's a certain rhythm to the things that we do. Rhythm is like a pattern, a trend in the things that we choose to do in a period of time. But in order for a rhythm to work for us, it has to be purposeful and it has to be clear to us and to the team that we are part of.

You Make me Brave by Amanda Cook & Bethel Music I stand before You now The greatness of Your renown I've heard of the majesty and wonder of You King of Heaven, in humility, I bow As Your love, in wave after wave Crashes over me, crashes over me For You are for us, You are not against us Champion of Heaven,  You made a way for all to enter in I've heard You calling my name I've heard the song of love that You sing So I will let you draw me out beyond the shore  Into Your grace You make me brave You make me brave You call me out beyond the shore into the waves You make me brave You make me brave No fear can hinder now the Love that made a way You make me brave You make me brave You call me out beyond the shore into the waves You make me brave You make me brave No fear can hinder now the promises You've made

I was praying for supernatural strength on the way to 360 Fitness Club this afternoon. Yup, you read that right. CIRCUIT TRAINING. After more than a year of not getting a regular exercise, circuit pa talaga ang napili ko! lol! Lakas ng loob, men! And just right after fasting too!

Sharing this illustrated book by Wai Jia, on relishing and enjoying every moment in our lives. She is a woman who redefined success. Climbing the corporate ladder for years but sensing that something is missing, she went on a a completely different route with the heeding of Jesus... and now she lives a meaningful, fruitful and Christ-centered life, serving the poor in Africa with her husband, Cliff. Such an inspiring, easy read ! Read her blog entries too , you will be blessed! Enjoy, happy Friday everyone!

Just after praying for my dad to be cleared of cancer by year end, we found out last night that my dad's MRI results showed metastasis. Metastasis is the spread of cancer from one part of the body to another. The results show his liver to be ill-defined which means that the cancer must have spread from his colon to his liver... When my sister told me last night on the way home from the prayer meeting, I was stunned. I was already elated and I thought that my dad's health was going uphill since he was discharged from the hospital. His other results showed good signs, but the MRI showed a different one -- the metastasis is an indication that from stage 3 cancer, it's possible that it's now on stage 4.

Today is the first day of our church's mid year prayer and fasting. My friend told me a few weeks ago that fasting is the one thing he never thought of doing... I think it's because as much as he loves Jesus, he also really likes to eat hehe! And that's fine, I love to eat too! But while it's not something that we impose on others, it's always great to purposefully seek God in a deeper way as we look back on the first half of the year (time flies really fast!) and with eyes fully focused on Jesus, to realign our will to His. My sisters and I started joining prayer and fasting a couple of years ago and we can attest that it's a spiritual eye-opener unlike any other because you're right smack at the feet of Jesus... by denying ourselves physically, we are better in tune to hear from Him and see Him clearly.

"This Is What You Do" by Bethel Music It's always like springtime with You Making all things new Your light is breaking through the dark This love it is sweeter than wine Bringing joy, bringing life Your hope is rising like the dawn This is what You do This is what You do You make me come alive You make me come alive You make me come alive You make me come alive It's like I'm living for the first time Finally living for the first time

Yesterday at Kids Church, this one kid was asking for another round of biscuits during snack time... But to be fair to everyone, I said, "*insert name of kid here*, only one biscuit for each kid." This kid then started stomping his feet, pouting and even resorted to opening the cabinet of snacks behind my back... So I had to be stern about it and reiterated what I just said. This went on for about 10 minutes, until one of the little girls went up to me and told me she didn't want to finish her biscuits anymore. Whew! Thank you God! A teaching moment right there: the act of giving, an opportunity of gratitude and the importance of obedience. So I gave the biscuit to the kid who was in a biscuit battle with me... and asked him to say thank you to the little girl who gave hers. He didn't say thank you, and when I thought he already had enough of biscuits for the rest of the afternoon, he went up to me again, repeating this 2-syllable word "BIS-CUIT". Oh b...

My nose was running as I wipe tears from my eyes. Slumped on the bed, with a pillow under my chin, I was watching the last few episodes of Descendants of the Sun. Kala mo seryoso noh.  Haha!

Friends sometimes tease me on my "Oriental palate" because I really do like the taste of tea. While others would cringe on its somewhat bitter aftertaste, I would take delight as I hold a cup in my hands and take a sip. It's probably the clean taste and the health benefits of the drink that I have grown to love over the years. Thus being a tea person, it's no surprise that the idea of authentic tea landing in the country tickled my taste buds. :) These folks from TenRen just opened their first branch in Manila last Saturday and what they promise is a tea experience like you've never had before.

I have a confession to make: I sometimes read my entries in my old blog to be encouraged, inspired... and push myself to write like before... because I don't feel like I'm writing like I used to. Hmm... I am not going to be melancholic about the whole thing, but truth be told,  parang mas may sense ako magsulat dati! Haha! Now, I am not blaming anyone else but myself on this because my mind has been all over the place lately. I am just not THAT reflective anymore, which brings us to the fact that this whole multi-tasking bug kept biting me time and again... that instead of focusing on one single task, so many things kept popping up as I do one task. Do you experience that?

I remember telling my friend the other day that of all the jobs I've had, this one in the ministry was the one that made me doubt my ability to excel. In my previous jobs in the corporate world, I knew that I can do it. I am just THAT confident. That silent confidence may be a good thing, that self-assuring pat on the back is not necessarily a bad trait (self assurance is even one of the themes in Rath's book, Strengths Finder) but I realized that there was also this sinful seed growing in my heart every time I receive recognition at work... It was the kind of pride that doesn't parade itself, but grows silently and could be more dangerous because only a few could see it.

When scrolling and light reading is your game, these ladies may just be what you are looking for. Here are my four favorite local bloggers... *drumroll cue* 1.  Sab Magalona I like how Sab's posts are so real and candid.  Hindi talaga siya  best foot forward! She says what she means and she means what she says. Ranging from her band and radio jock adventures to her just-got-hitched experiences, you'll find yourself nodding in agreement and being amused with her posts.

...and that's a wrap for our summer activities at Victory Greenhills Kids Ministry! Thank you Jesus for strengthening, helping and equipping us from start to finish. There are many lessons learned (in short, things to improve on hihi!) but we're also giving ourselves a big hurrah and good job as a team! Very thankful that Kids Ministry is a team ministry so many hands are helping us hold and tighten the rope for the next generation. :) Another great news that I'd like to share is that I'll be joining the ten days team going to Vietnam this September. God started placing this desire and burden in my heart for missions just last January during prayer and fasting. It wasn't part of my faith goals for the year and yet, God really does make one's will align to His. I've heard stories from the rest of the ten days team and their journey that made them sign up for missions is different. God is a very personal God, and that's what makes Him so amazing...

You know you're holding a classic when you have to dust if off after years of sitting on your bookshelf, and despite the yellowed pages... you find yourself excited to dive into the words that you've read years ago. Every woman should read this! It cuts to the core of God's design of a woman. Instead of striving for you to be this and that, it affirms our longings as longings and desires from God. Our desires to be romanced and to be part of a great adventure are not outdated or old fashioned... it is exactly how God intended for us to  be. What this book does is to affirm women's identity and security in God: you are captivating! PS. The counterpart of this book for men is "Wild at Heart" written by her husband, John Eldredge :)

My dad is finally out of the hospital! He was discharged 2 weeks ago and we couldn't be happier because he has been praying and praising God since. It's a picture that I couldn't describe apart from it is only by God's grace that THAT happened. We have been praying for the assurance of my dad's salvation for years and this was the year that I just knew it would happen. I remember telling friends and prayer partners, "feeling ko talaga this year na yun." And God really does make the impossible possible and His ways will always be higher than our ways.

My dad has been in the hospital for 2 weeks now. He was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer... We've been praying and claiming healing and God is still good. There are just sad moments, well I'm not the kind of person to bawl out and be crying every waking hour but last night, as we were taking in what was happening and what needs to be done, that wave of realization and sadness just hit me.

It was my first time to attend a prophetic presbytery event last Thursday and it was so encouraging to witness how God empowers His people to tell you things that you need to hear... Prayers that were uttered in secret, your thoughts and worries that only God knows, even forgotten dreams and desires.. It's right there in the open, being spoken by someone whom you just met for the very first time. Remember my last post and how I was asking for your prayers because this is a time of stretching for me in the ministry? Well here's the first half of what was said to me during the event and you'll see what I mean when I say just how amazing our God is. :)

Staycation is my game (or lack thereof) for the holy week and maybe this is a sign of aging but I'm actually looking forward to rest more and more these past few years... I can see you nodding your head that this is in fact a sign of aging. Oh noooo! Just a few random updates :) Summer season is beckoning so our April and May calendar is jampacked in church! This season is really a time of stretching, I need the Holy Spirit to empower me with supernatural power, strength, wisdom and just moment-by-moment dependence on Him. Would appreciate your prayers for us and the team. Thank you! 

Here are our other eats during the event... Yes, there's more! While Crisp on 28th Crisp Street was there offering grilled corn and burritos, Pink Panda was there to represent Asian Cuisine and Bait's was there with their sliders.

Just as the name implies, Eat Street is a stretch of gustatory delights that range from the streetfood crunchy belly to  the Italian classic cannoli (no this is not the pasta we eat at Amici, which was my initial thought! :P). Bettina was gracious enough to tag me along to this event 2 Fridays ago and what ensued was a cycle of eating, sitting and taking photos of the food and the scene.

With more than 10,000 leaders and interns, the 2016 Discipleship Conference took place at MOA Arena last Saturday.

Bishop Juray said this: "Faith makes sense with a good God." It makes sense because who would be at ease to trust in a God who has moodswings, whose standard of right and wrong is relative, and who could be making bad decisions? Can you imagine what if our God is not good? You wouldn't know when it's the best time to pray and talk to Him... You will always be tiptoeing around God's feelings because He may be having a bad day and you wouldn't want to be the recipient of His wrath simply because He is in no mood to dispense His blessings. You also wouldn't know how He will answer your prayers because He may be showing favoritism to the other person and He is partial to evil and wrongdoings...

Certified otwolistas! We watched pay-per-view last Friday for the finale episode and we were shouting in  a volume that is...bother-your-neighbors high... but we can't help it! Sobrang kakilig tong dalawang 'to! What's great about these 2 is they were upfront about their just-friends status for years so for them to finally admit that they are officially together... just makes one want to shout "may forever!" Their Lake Tahoe video, during which James admitted to being in love with Nadine already.

How's this for a read fave tag? Haha! Well you read a marriage vow naman diba ? :) So here it is, one of the most beautiful marriage vows I have heard... and I don't even know these 2 personally. #medyostalker  Belated Happy Valentines Day dear readers!

Neil Gaiman does it again. Many times while reading this book, I wondered, where does he get his imagination?? All characters just seemed to come together for this one... And when I say all, I mean ALL. There’s the girl who has the gift to open any doors, the marquis de carabas who you’re never quite sure is good or bad, the majestic thousand-year old angel, the woman hunter whose goal in life is to defeat the fiercest beast in town, and the rat speakers who well, interpret rat speak to people… and amidst these interesting and out-of-this-world characters is your-average Londoner named Richard Mayhem who was unknowingly thrown into an adventure to save another world.

We just got back from Teachers Summit last Saturday and it was a great experience. I went as a full-time staff this time (so much happened in a year's time! Last year, I came as a participant.). And yes, while  I saw it through different lens, I recognize the same hunger in me to join and listen in on the discussions. We learned so many things from the speakers! Bishop Manny Carlos, Pastor Paolo Punzalan and Pastor Jojo Henson were there! I missed Pastor Joey Bonifacio's session though but I'm glad that I got to join for the most part of the sessions. Despite that crazy photo above, we really are serious in  reaching out to the next generation. Hiiiiiiii from Greenhills team!  So what did we learn? Here are the highlights for me and the Greenhills participants:

Thanks to Jona Bendicion for this video! This sums up my Mt. Pulag experience last November. Enjoy watching and hopefully this will inspire you to go plan that climbing trip soon!

Day 2 sees us wiping the sleep off our eyes, strapping our extra gears for the climb... and peeing at the sidebushes just before we descend from the Ranger Station... #confession The Mother Earth crew divided our group into teams of 7-8 with one guide each. The trip was around 4 hours one way so we can get to the summit by 5am, just before sunrise. That was the goal and our eyes were set on it. We were excited to see the sea of clouds! Let's go! It was really dark when we left so the headlights were necessary so we can see the trail. We had stops at Camp 1 and Camp 2, wherein we munched on our trail food (M&Ms and nuts for the win!) and refilled our bottles at the au naturel water stations.. Although as much as we would have wanted to rest a little longer, we cannot stay in one place for long because our body temperatures will drop... so we had to keep moving especially since needed to get to the summit before sunrise.

Finally! It's time to write about my adventure at Mt. Pulag :) The Preps Weeks leading to the trip, we were prepping our gears and our bodies for the climb. Since it wasn't the usual getaway wherein we could just put together our own itinerary, we decided to get a travel package from  Mother Earth Adventures  for the entire trip. There was a pre-climb orientation wherein they will brief you on what to expect and the things that you need to bring to ensure that you get out of there alive. Gasp!

I stumbled upon this site after googling, "God plants desires in our hearts" and I was surprised I haven't seen it before. This site is brimming with honest-to-goodness thoughts and inspiring articles of Christian women. I found myself reading one after the other, as my heart wells up with the grace of God being spilled over from these women's stories. One woman talked about being encouraged by a reader halfway across the world even before she asked God for it, another talked about doubting if she married the wrong guy and another gave tips for introverts on how to build relationships... Talk about a wide array of topics, right? So I'm sure whatever season you are in, you will find something there that just speaks to you. :) Let’s face it, sometimes the daily grind of life leaves us discouraged. We desire to effectively serve God, our families, and our communities, but we often feel like we aren’t doing enough. Well enough. We find ourselves in desperate need of...