SM MOA:IGNITE!-Asia Pacific Discipleship Conference

It was a great privilege to be able to be with the believers from all over the country and some parts of the world this past weekend.It was great to be able to see for myself the people who I grew up with in faith in the singles ministry way back and then through our engagement and young married life period, however short it was before we went on a mission to Lucena. It was so encouraging to be reminded of the fire me and Jesse had when we were just starting out which for me had greatly diminished as encouragement has become scarce for me and is just done during my spiritual birthday.And as I go through life's challenges it is becoming harder to be encouraged even by little things.

It was good to reminisce things from the past in the Maturity Class- the boot camps the activities we had it was all awesome!.It was unbelievable to learn that even Manong Rolan went through struggles with self-doubt and insecurities!and I was like how much more would I feel, as insecure as I am and still coming to grips with how I could overcome difficulties without losing my mind and ending my misery.But, I realized that I would go through these and that's why the Bible is really full of reminders of persevering and focusing on Jesus.In these dark days,I'm glad to be reminded of the the great cloud of witnesses cheering me on to continue fighting the good fight of the faith.

friends from the single's ministry and house hold(house mate)

Maturity Class -from ICOC Philippines 

with our former marrieds group in QC,now most of them have also relocated

with our host in Las Pinas

friends from way back QC Sector

greteful for our awesome stay in Manila

from ICOC Philippines 

Papa couldn't go to MOA soI told him to just watch the Live

Papa is so tech savvy

a righteous man will pray for him too

Day 1 Friday 07/21

07:00 ETD Arias
10:30 ETA BF Homes ,Las Pinas
11:30 Lunch with Maureen,Baby Kaitlyn,Ate Ana and Jesse!
12:30 ETD BF Homes
14:30 ETA National Museum (Date)
18:30 ETA IGNITE! Opening Night
23:30 ETA BF Homes sandwich dinner
24:30 my shut eye

Day 2 Saturday 07/22

05:30 Cooking time with Ate Anna
06:30 Preps/QT
07:30 ETD BF Homes
08:20 ETA SM MOA IGNITE! Conference
09:00 Ignite Faith:Women's Class -Jennifer Lopez& Saun Galang
10:40 Married's Class Chester & Sirikit Umaguing/Charlie & Meek Young Yi
12:00 Lunch Together with friends from former QC Marrieds House Church @ Classic Savory MOA
14:00 Ignite Hope:Maturity Class 35-59 yrs old Koko & Farida Enrile/Roy Soriano
15:30 Ignite Love:Spiritual Growth 15 & Up Rolan Monje & Rommel Casis/Eric & Lisa Sismaet
17:30 Ignite Fellowship: Cultural Presentations
19:30 Dinner with the Wolfs @ Tapa King
22:30 ETA BF Homes
24:30 my shut eye

Day 3 Sunday 07/23

05:30 cooking time with Ate Anna
06:00 Breakfast socials
07:00 Preps/QT
08:30 ETA IGNITE! Ignite the Dream Worship Service / also on FB Live!
12:00 Lunch with former QC friends now in Rizal and Dumaguete -Rachel&Werlin,Chepie with Baby Grant,Jane and Lance with son @ Burger City MOA
14:30 ETD Buendia Terminal bound to Caloocan
18:30 ETA Bagong Silang ,Caloocan

15 years of experiencing the work of God's Grace

The past few months have been frantic for me.I'm walking through a tempest of anxiety,uncertainty,discouragement,insecurities,loneliness and hormonal imbalance : ) (I don't know, it just feels like this most of the time :p ).Mid-life perhaps?The seven year itch?I'm a horribly sinful person and I cannot save myself from myself, kind of like this passage:

Romans 7:15 ESV For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

In the same chapter, Paul inspires me to have hope like he had:

Romans 7:24-25
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Through this tempest,I experienced the work of God's grace and the passages in the Bible jumping out at me: There are many,but I will only list some:

1. Only Jesus saves!He redeems me,rescues me-in the Present Tense, as He does this even now,again and again,without limit.- However,this is not an excuse to sin.

2.I understand that all the resources available to me-books,counselling,even the Bible itself, would not be enough to get rid of entanglement. Just reading good books,avoiding the cause of sin,beating myself up trying to forget,-these only offers temporary relief- (like just for a few minutes)-it would not be of any help if I am not in step with the spirit,broken before God and waiting on Him to vindicate me.I have to set my mind on things above.I had to go deeper than just asceticism.

Colossians 2:20-23
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings?These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

Colossians 3:1-2
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

3.I can be so hopeless and depressed,my self-defeating thoughts can be paralyzing.But this is not God's will for me.I have been washed,sanctified and justified by Jesus' blood.Again ,no one can do this but Him.

1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

To the outside world,I may look put together(kind,brave,positive,intelligent-like how my sister describes me)-but inside I have a fierce battle of putting to death the misdeeds of the body and keeping the fire burning to please God by having my mind set on what the Spirit desires and having faith in Him.

4.My church family helps me-with their prayers and encouragement.God uses people to teach me with the help of His inspired word that teaches,corrects,rebukes and trains.

This year I am committing to memory Romans 8.

I'm also currently reading In His Steps by Charles M. Sheldon (html version from Project Gutenberg) with the challenge- What would Jesus do? and do it regardless of the result.

while it is still dark

umbrellas lend to the tropical feel

hmmm I like this angle 

it's not a painting-it is a framed fabric

Sariaya, Quezon:Dalampasigan Beach Resort trip 2017

Texting 'til late night,can't wait to meet and be together just the two of you even at wee hours of the morning, drawing that beautiful face on a notebook, so eager to know a lot about the other's hobbies and wanting to do things together, impressing each other,making comments about how the other one looks,often disguised as a rude remark-which is often the opposite,watching movies in the living room, copying the other's style and can't help but give gifts and sweet-nothing notes and like every single post on Facebook and tag one another or call each other with words of endearment,spilling deep secrets without boundaries til dawn and forsaking other friendsand then repeat it all over again the next day- this is not US actually.

I chose the title from the famous movie because of the uncanny similarities (except for the situation of course!LOL) - so much details - the age,The Picture of Dorian Gray,a doll -Marilyn Monroe,Richard Sherman's overactive imagination-I'm kind of like him,I should be a novelist.

If you are in love you will always want to be with that person.You find them perfect,without flaw-so infatuated.You pine for that person.

Song of Songs 3:1-3
All night long on my bed
I looked for the one my heart loves;
I looked for him but did not find him.
2 I will get up now and go about the city,
through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my heart loves.

So after being married for seven years and still without a child,with all that we have been through-the ups and downs,sickness,and busyness...They say that the infatuation stage only lasts about 3 years (I went to the I Choose Us marriage seminar).Also based on the book with the same title, God wants us to move toward Love Connection-like that described in Corinthians 13.

verse 4 says:

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

So celebrating anniversaries is really crucial-just the two of you...this year though Francis brought Black Forest Ice Cream so I'm not sure if he should've gotten away with it!

This year we went to Dalampasigan Beach Resort. I just heard about it and I just really want to go to the beach!It has black sand, lots of cottages ,I mean a lot ,there are even horses! I'm stoked.But didn't ask if we could ride them.The whole resort was like all to ourselves and we had to pay Php500 for it.We only get to stay for about 2 hours though because there is no public transportation at night and we got there around 3:30 PM already and such and such.

Marriage sure is a lot of work-stroking the fire of relationship again and again.You can be attracted to anyone,but love is a choice.God's power is made perfect in my weakness.His design and will for marriage is very profound and it must be held in high honor (Hebrews 13:4)

not so deep ,just enjoy the dip

all to ourselves

fountain

there are horses right there

black?gray sand?

snacking in the cottage

play-ground area

function rooms

Groot tripped Jesse

Finally Got the Certified True Copies !

Based on the General Documentary Requirements for filing Tax exemption,we need to submit Certified true copies of the Income tax Returns and Financial Statements for the last three (3) years.

I have been trying to secure these from the BIR office here in Lucena for the past 2 years!I tried to secure the 2011,2012 and 2013 however I failed!So after years,I was able to secure the 2014,2015 and 2016.Finally.

However,I think there is a long way to go as I am now having problems with non-remittance by Authorized Agent Banks.I have the receipts and was told to go back and forth-something that government agencies subject the citizens to do.

Anyway,while looking for information on how to go about this problem of non-remittance,I stumbled upon this link-Banks now liable for delayed tax payments

I also sent an email to the bank and I also wanted to send the same to BIR but there are no emails for me to send it to so I have to contend with the people in the office.

Agdangan, Quezon:Monte Carlo Resort 2017

My summer won't be complete if I don't go to the beach, so this year ,the married's group decided to go to Agdangan,Quezon after scouting other places in Quezon. It was different this year because I'm with the all marrieds group -from Cavite,Laguna and Pasig.

I like how the ocean breeze can make one feel sleepy in this place... so calm...because when we were just checking it out ,there were not a lot of people.However,since it was the Holy Week Holiday,the place was also packed with people from all over come Friday.Of course,there was Karaoke until late at night,but I was still able to sleep.It was really hot and humid inside the tent - everything was damp with mist the next morning though.The water is very shallow,like most of the beaches I have been in Quezon,so kids can enjoy it.The sand is fine,you can walk for  several meters and the water will still be knee deep.It was also the "salabay" (jellyfish) season so people are just advised to stay within the netted part of the swimming area. Oh, our food is so unforgettable in this trip because Jesse I. somehow was able to whip up gourmet dishes : ) so we were so happy and there were lots of food and even house hold appliances abound!We got burgers, frozen-fresh grilled fish, seafood ,soup etc., and rightly so because there were many kids to feed.

Resort: Monte Carlo Resort ,Brgy,Kanluran Calutan,Agdangan,Quezon
Entrance Fee:100
Pitching Tents:Free
Room Accommodation:Available
Paluto/Use of stove/utensils: Available /Price:depending on usage

well maintained surroundings

the outrigger people 

long coast line love love love

starfish

sea grass 

shallow waters 

tent pitching for free

woke up like this

good morning

relaxing with great people

cooking area

available stoves

family room

room

Baguio City:Summer Capital of the Philippines 2017

We went to Baguio for the APLA Church Discipline and Sound Doctrine and some APLAcation because it is the Panagbenga Festival too.

Day 1 Feb 22 Wed

0200H ETA Manila left at around 11pm from Lucena via flying bus : )
0900H ETA Baguio  Pine Breeze Hotel 40 Bokawkan Road cor. P. Burgos Street,
Baguio City Check-in
1030H Lunch Good Taste Cafe and Restaurant Bar Carino St.
1200NN  Cafe by the Ruins
1300H  Burnham Park roaming ,biking
1500H  SM City Baguio
1600H  Pine Breeze
1800H Fellowship
1830H Devotional Pine Breeze Conference Hall
2100H Spend time with Amor from Cambodia Church
2300H my shut eye

Baguio houses on a hill

Devotional

Day 2 Feb 23 Thursday

0700H Meet up for Baguio Tour
0800H Tam-Awan Village Entrance Fee 50Pesos
0900H BenCab Museum
1100H Strawberry Farm La Trinidad,Benguet -Strawberry Picking 1 Kg 500Php
1200H Marosan's Restaurant (starts at 70Php/pax)
1300H APLA Half-day class, 1 PM – 5 PM Gestdan Centrum
1930H Silab Welcome Bonfire Night Pine Breeze
2230H Spend time/Prayer Time with Cecil (Batangas)
1200H My shut eye : )

Tam-Awan Village entrance

BenCab art work

 Ate Jasmin from ICOC-Isabela

                                                       

Strawberry picking

Bencab Museum 

APLA class Day 1

Day 3 Feb 24 Friday

0500H  My Wake Up call/QT

0600H Washroom Line up : )

0800H Breakfast

0900H APLA Class Day 2 Gestdan Centrum

1830H Dinner at Sizzling Plate Carino St, Baguio, 2600 Benguet with ICOC-Isabela team

2200H Doodling /Drawing "The Ant"

2300H My shut eye : )

Day 4 Feb 25 Saturday

0500H  My Wake Up call/QT

0600H Washroom Line up : )

0800H Breakfast

0900H APLA Class Day 3 Gestdan Centrum
1830H Roaming around Baguio with K Rolly,Jesse and Tita Annette
1900H Ili-Likha Artists Village with Baguio and Dagupan disciples
2030H Dinner at an eatery
2130H Ukay Ukay
2300H My shut eye

PC ni Juan 

Ili-Likha 

forgot the name of this eatery -affordable and --salty and burnt hehehe

Ukay -ukay night

Day 5 Feb 26 Sunday

0500H Panagbenga gang meet up : )

0600H NBI breakfast : )

0800H Panagbenga Grand Float Parade

1300H Lunch together McDonald's

1400H ICOC Baguio Sunday Worship Service Pine Breeze
2000H Pine Breeze Cottage spend time with T. Annette
2200H Roaming around Pine Breeze area with hubby enjoying the weather
2300H My shut eye

Panagbenga Festival Parade

Noodles,movies and stories

Day 6 Feb 27 Monday

0500H  My Wake Up call/QT

0600H Washroom Line up : )

0800H  Baguio Tour
Mine's View Park
Good Shepherd for the Strawberry Jam
The Mansion
PMA
Camp John Hay
Cemetery of Negativism
1200H Pasalubong
1800H ETD Baguio
2430H ETA Manila
0500H ETA Lucena : )

Mine's View Park first time together

Baguio 2007

Good Shepherd

The Mansion

with Leziel ICOC-Naga

with Marivic ICOC-Cebu

PMA Museum

The Mansion

trying out the traditional clothes 

PMA-ers