Paradise on Earth

I’m back in China and I have time to blog again. Back home, I was swamped with backlog at work and my schedule was just chaotic. I had a few days off from work though when I went to Boracay for a short vacay. Stayed at Shangri-la’s Boracay Resort & Spa. And true to it’s name, I did go to a faraway haven of idyllic beauty and tranquility. Truly a paradise on Earth. God has been so good to me for all the blessings I’ve been receiving and favors I’ve been getting even from people I don’t really know. God rocks! =)

 Doesn’t this look like paradise on Earth? 
This was the view from my room. Click photo to enlarge.

Looking at that photo and reminiscing my experiences there, I can’t help but be in awe of God’s love for me in spite of all the painful experiences I’ve gone through in life. I know in my heart and in my spirit that God hasn’t forgotten me yet. He is mindful of me.

 Anton, me, Io & May

My friends and I on board Shangri-la speed boat that brought us to the island.

Enjoying the sun with my shopping buddy, Anton.

 Enjoying the water with friends

  Fun!!!

These things were results of my hard work and God’s favor last 2010. I wouldn’t have achieved all these without God’s help. He was not just my provider. He’s also my cheerleader. I couldn’t thank the Lord enough for everything He’s done.

  30th Macaulay Club Marketing Congress

 30th Macaulay Club Awards Ceremony at One Esplanade.

I believe that this is just the beginning of all the beautiful things that will be happening in this season of my life. There's so much more to come, and I'm praising God in advance for them.


Thank you, God, for making me happy. =)

Thankful Thursday

Hi, bloggy friends.  I'm participating again on TT. I've missed this.

I thank the Lord that He remains FAITHFUL, even if at times I do things that hurt Him. I mean, if that is not LOVE, I don't know what is.  I'm so grateful that I serve a God that answers prayers.

Thank you, Lord!

What are you thankful for this week?

For more Thankful Thursday, visit Iris over at Grace Alone.

A Prayer Rejected

I'm sorry for blogging less and less lately.  I have so many things I wanted to write about, but I felt too lazy to put my thoughts in writing. I also haven't been blog hopping and I know I have a lot of catching up to do.  Blah!

Since I got back from China, I felt like I was running after time.  In a few days, I'm leaving again.  Oh boy... 

Anyway, last September 1st, I was invited by my friend Manisha, to attend an Indian festival celebrating their Elephant god Ganesha at one of their fellow Hindu's condo unit in Guangzhou, China.  I had two reasons why I agreed to go.  First, I was curious about this so called festival and, second, I wanted to know how Indian food tasted like. And so I went.

 Spicy Thepla - Flat bread

Puri, Sabzi, Basmati Rice & Dal

Me, trying out the food...

I wonder, do they have anything that's not spicy?  My tongue's burning!  =)

I was also in a room full of Hindus.  They chanted as they prayed... I think. I couldn't understand a word they're saying.  Anyway, I took some photos to share with you.

 The one in yellow, in front, is their priest

These are their gods. The one in the middle, in front, is Ganesha, the Elephant god.

Aside from trying out new food, I also met new friends.

 Me & Diviana

Manisha & Diviana's Mom, Neeta

 
While we were there, a three year old boy from Egypt arrived at the hospital with his parents to have his neuroblastoma treated. Unfortunately, the doctors asked them to go back home after barely a week because the doctors cannot treat the boy anymore. The boy wasn't responding to the chemo.

When I learned about it, I went to their room and asked the boy's parents if I could pray for the boy. They didn't know that I was a Christian.

So, I went on and prayed. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I prayed because I really felt bad that his condition could no longer be treated.

Then, I asked for permission to bring the boy to the other room so my other Christian friend who happened to be  a patient, too, can pray with me for the boy.

The father said okay, but on one condition: he didn't want a Christian praying for his son.

I was a bit shocked, but I agreed.

I brought the child to the other room to show my friend the little boy, but didn't tell my friend what my purpose for bringing the boy there was. Then, I brought the boy back to his parents and said "I didn't let my friend pray because she was a Christian."

I guess the father didn't know at first that I was a Christian, but realized that I was one after I prayed.

I felt so sorry for them because prayer could be the boy's only chance to get healed, but the father denied him this because he wouldn't allow a Christian to pray for his child.

Nonetheless, I will still include him in my prayers.


Back home, my family and I went to Zensho, a Japanese restaurant to celebrate my two nephews' birthdays. Andre celebrated his eighth birthday last September 1;  Frederic turned seven last September 5.

Happy birthday, Andre & Fredric.

Just As He Said!

Hi standers! It's Monday once again. Here's another devotional written by Bob from Pennsylvania. Read on and stay encouraged!

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"The LORD has kept the promise He made: I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the LORD promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.” I Kings 8:20

Have you noticed that when God tells His people what is going to happen, things happen just as He said they would? Throughout the Bible, over and over, we see how faithfully everything happens just as He said it would. Before the Last Supper, Jesus gave Peter and John specific instructions and they found things just as He had told them.

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover." "Where do you want us to prepare for it?" they asked. He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?' He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there." They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. Luke 22:7-13

God is so faithful that often those who penned His word only tell what He said would happen. We can know for certain if God said it, then that is exactly the way it happened. For example, after Peter was accosted about the temple tax, Jesus made provision for paying it as told in Matthew’s Gospel.

After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?" "Yes, He does," he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own sons or from others?" "From others," Peter answered."Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. "But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours." Matthew 17:24-27

That is all we are told. We don’t have to be told that Peter went and threw out his line, caught a fish, opened its mouth and found a four-drachma coin. We KNOW it happened just the way Jesus said it would. Imagine if any other person in the world’s history made such an outrageous suggestion as to how to obtain the required money to pay the tax! Would we need to be told whether the suggestion worked out? Of course! But when our Lord makes us a promise, we can be certain it will happen, and it will happen “just as He said.”


Unfortunately, I must confess that I sometimes allow circumstances to cause doubt to grow in my heart and mind. That’s when I know I have started to walk by sight rather than by faith. Recently I had a particularly difficult day with difficult interactions. When I was alone again at the end of the day, I cried out to the Lord to help me. Then I took one of my Bibles in hand and asked Him to encourage me and open a passage that would speak to my troubled heart. The Bible fell open to Joshua 21. It is 45 verses long, and most of the verses provide the names of towns that were given to the Levites. As I was reading, my heart began to be disappointed because I could see that this wasn’t the kind of chapter that was going to build me up. Still, I persevered in my reading and the chapter ended with three incredible verses that I want to remember for the rest of my life, verses to remind me of the unfailing and perfect faithfulness of the awesome God that we serve. I hope these verses encourage you as they did me – to stand firm and wait for the fulfillment of every promise that God has given. Without a doubt, every one of His good promises will be fulfilled!

"So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of all the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled." Joshua 21:43-45

 

Amazing Favor

Dad's chemo went well.  He's on his second day of infusion today.  His face got a bit dry though, probably because of the chemo medicine. So, I applied some of my moisturizer on his face.  It worked!

I slept way too late last night, so I got up very late this morning, too. I've been having trouble sleeping lately. Anyway, I was awakened by Dr. Chen's voice talking to Dad.  He informed Dad that somebody with a good heart left a huge amount of money here at the hospital and instructed the president of the hospital to choose Filipino recipients to receive a free ¥15,000 ($2,348.70) worth of Combined Immunotherapy for Cancer (CIC) which normally costs ¥48,000 ($7,515.85).  Dad was chosen as one of the recipients. This CIC will help boost Dad's immune system to fight cancer even after the chemotherapy sessions are over. 

Isn't God totally amazing?  God has been showing us favors ever since we got here last Wednesday.  Praise God!!!

We met new friends.  They were referred here to Fuda by the same man who referred Dad here.  Small world.

Dad with Sarah and Edison

Amjd and Reema's mom gave me this. It's from their country and it is called Fatira. It is bread with white cheese.

They are leaving tomorrow morning, and will be back after two months.

Dad with Amjd (with his new do)

I continue to marvel at how amazing and faithful God is.  Thank you, Lord!