Updates…

Freedom...

God blessed the Freedom Concert 2! Thank You, Lord! All glory to Jesus! And thank you for all your support and prayers for us and the ministry. Modesty aside, we literally filled the venue! I will write a separate entry later… I am very, very busy right now!

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Rants…

Work has become more and more pressing as days pass by. It’s really tough to put all the pressure onto yourself. This one I’m working on is, in a way, bigger than the Congress. It drains me. And I think my boss is somewhat “out of context” at times. I don’t think I’m responsible for this tight schedule in the first place. Huh.

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Personal…

I’m weak and broke. I feel like my head is ready to explode. I’ve been having troubles calming myself lately, and so with breathing well… even when I wake up in the morning. So many things are making me anxious—work, home, life. I pray for God’s peace. I need to keep my faith high. I need to trust God whole-heartedly. Forgive me, Lord whenever I feel neglected. Please help in prayer. Thanks.

The Freedom Concert II

On Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007 @ 6p.m. at the C.E.U. Centrodome, City of Malolos will be the much-awaited FREEDOM CONCERT II!

Praise God for all He's done in the lives of the young people and in the MYF ministry for the past five years. We are forever grateful to our Lord Jesus Christ!

Last year, Freedom Concert I was swarmed by 4,500 young people from all over the place. This year, we are expecting 6,000 souls to fill the arena. Lord, may Your will be done. We wanna see Jesus lifted high!

Please pray for all the MYF teams as we embark in this ministry for Christ. And most especially, for souls to be saved in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ.

I will head the Ushers' Team. Please remember us in prayer. Thanks.

I'm excited!

for us

received from a friend....

Being Twenty Something

They call it the "Quarter-life Crisis." It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.

Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person.

One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic.

You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

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Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

prayers please

I’m suffering from indigestion and it hurts a lot! Ohh.... (sniff)

Testimonial Dinner Pics

Here's the link to the pics at the dinner last Friday. Well, yeah, I wore a dress.

The Dinner

Last Friday night we went to the awarding ceremonies of the outstanding career executive officers in the Philippines. I believed I was the youngest guest until I saw a three-year old girl (smile). As you know, it’s a formal gathering and they required people to be in so-called formal attire. Thank God I got one.

It was nice to be at the venue...very elegant. The awarding ceremonies actually came at the end of the program; the CESB was also celebrating their anniversary that evening. One bonus of the night was the chance to hear my favorite chorale, UP Concert Chorus. They were invited to perform.

Like I said, I was one of the search validators. My validee won and I got a chance to personally congratulate her. She remembered me. What I’m actually excited about was the part when the presentor read the biosketch of the winner. He was reading an excerpt from MY REPORT. The exact words I’ve submitted to the awards committee. I felt so honored. I could still remember how hesitant I was to take this assignment at first. It’s a great feeling for a first-timer like me.

It was quite an experience and I got a chance to fellowship with other partners from the CESB and other departments. I will probably post some pictures here later.

A wonderful church day

I was elated of yesterday’s service at church. For one, the worship was very filling. Praise God! Another thing, I was blessed by the message preached by Pastor Aries. It was words of comfort and assurance in the Lord. Also, I am happy to see how bold Pastor Aries was in preaching the word. He shared it with remarkable confidence and sincerity; and you can feel the power of God’s words speaking to your heart. I thank God for every blessed day spent in church. May it always be.

Women's Language: Read between the lines

I stayed for four years in the dormitory while in college. One of my roommates sent me this today.
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If I don’t call you
[ It's because I’m waiting for you to call me ]

When I walk away from you mad
[ Follow me ]

When I stare at your mouth
[ Kiss me ]

When I push you or hit you
[ Grab me and don’t let go ]

When I start cussing at you
[ Kiss me and tell me you love me ]

When I’m quiet
[ Ask me what’s wrong ]

When I ignore you
[ Give me your attention ]

When I pull away
[ Pull me back ]

When you see me at my worst
[ Tell me I’m beautiful ]

When you see me start crying
[ Hold me and tell me everything will be alright ]

When you see me walking
[ Sneak up and hug my waist from behind ]

When I’m scared
[ Protect me ]

When I lay my head on your shoulder
[ Tilt my head up and kiss me ]

When I tease you
[ Tease me back and make me laugh ]

When I don’t answer for a long time
[ Reassure me that everything is okay ]

When I look at you with doubt
[ Back yourself up ]

When I say that I like you
[ I really do more than you could understand ]

When I grab at your hands
[ Hold mine and play with my fingers ]

When I bump into you
[ Bump into me back and make me laugh ]

When I tell you a secret
[ Keep it safe and untold ]

When I look at you in your eyes
[ Don’t look away until I do ]

When I miss you
[ I’m hurting inside ]

When you break my heart
[ The pain never really goes away ]

When I say it's over
[ I still want you to be mine ]

When I repost this bulletin
[I want you to read it ]

Something formal

I got this invitation today. It’s actually the awarding ceremony of the country’s top executives (If you recall I was one of the validators during this search and my validee happened to be one of the five winners.). Now, my concern is…this is a formal dinner! Pwew! I would not want to wear a dress…. Now I got to find myself a decent Filipiniana. I’m sure I’m the youngest guest here. Oh…

Prayer for a friend

Dear God,

You are our loving Father. I come to you today in behalf of my friend PC. He needs you. He’s been having some concerns about the church and at home. Please give him wisdom and discernment. And most of all send him peace. Keep him still—calm in the knowledge of Your love. Be with him today. Thank You, Lord. I trust in You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Long vacation

I was able to enjoy a long vacation recently. There’d been many holidays starting from the Barangay Elections to All Saint’s Day.

I’m very happy to have lots of sleep while at home—that’s got to be the best reward.

Besides Tan winning solo from her slate, we enjoyed fun times with the rest of the family. Ate and I had to finish the bulk of laundry that the kids couldn’t catch up on (yeah, that’s where big sis’ role come in), and of course other household chores. What’s fun were not really the chores, but the bonding moment and sense of accomplishment together.

In the MYF, both Ushers’ Training sessions went well. This year, we had a good number of volunteer turn out (Praise the Lord!). Red and I are very encouraged with the ushers’ response. It’s a tough job for 55 people ushering for 6,000. But I’m happy that they are willing to take the challenge. Our theme verse: 1 Corinthians 15:58 “…Your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

Our time at the cemetery on All Saint’s Day was also enjoyable as it also became an occasion to be reunited with several relatives—especially my cousins. It’s been a while since we stayed late at the cemetery.

During the past few days I was in active inspection of the plants at home. The rain still come-and-go which delays the flower season in our yard. But before I came back to work this week, I noticed the buds starting to come out. That’s a pretty good sign. I guess early December would mark the blooming season. Tatay is very positive about it. I feel bad that some plants did not survive the flood; anyhow, there are still others left to look forward to blooming. Oh, the euphorbias are already in bloom!

I got a new assignment at work. My boss assigned me to spearhead the public lectures on the assessment of the country’s constitutional bodies. I have to call the chairs/heads of the respective commissions now to follow-up schedules, etc. We’ll publish another book after this.

Please continue to pray about the Freedom Concert II and the MYF teams. We are less than three weeks away before the concert. Please pray that the glory of the Lord be lifted up amidst the young crowd. We really pray that God would bring in 6,000 souls to hear His word. Thank you.

Personal: On Tuesday morning, I heard the gecko in our room again. Please pray that it goes away. It’s my nemesis. Thanks.