Bisita Iglesia Throwback

A throwback with one of the culture/traditions that we do during Holy week.

Bisita/Visita Iglesia for me is literally visiting the Church (as to how it is translated).  I never had an idea on how it feels like to visit several churches, to reflect and to pray more especially during Holy Week (Semana Santa). I heard about how it was done and usually people do it after Palm Sunday until Maundy Thursday. They say when it is your first time to visit the Church, you should make a wish. I remember doing it the first time with the YFC community last 2008 and I really enjoyed the trip. I learned new things and gained experiences and from then on, I loved doing it and was looking forward for the next years to come.

YFC CAPIZ 2008 - 2010 - 2011

During the year 2009, we had our Bisita Iglesia with the family and we rode the tricycle. We visited Cathedral, Mt. Carmel then Panay, Bailan, Pontevedra, Pres. Roxas and we went to Estancia. It was a fun adventure with the family, though tiring it was worth it. We were able to reflect and at the same time had a bonding with each other.

Last 2010, I had the chance to organize the activity for YFC in Roxas City. I remember myself promoting it via sms and we were like 15? We were able to rent an L3 van. Ayra and my sister Carla was with us during that time. It was a great moment to remember. We started at Cathedral then Panay Church, then Bailan Church, then Hipona Church, Pontevedra Church and then Pres. Roxas Church. We had lunch at Agtalin, Pilar and we did the Stations of the Cross there. After that we went to Panit-an Church, then Loctugan church, VB Alba chapel and lastly was Mt. Carmel Church. I remember coming home and we had a family version and visited the same churches as mentioned but we also went to Carmelite church near Lawaan. No matter how busy, tiring and challenging the day has been it’s still worth it because you spent it entirely with the people closest to you.

2011 came and again we organized a trip. This time we rented 2 jeepneys since many joined us. From the previous years we were few but then God is indeed good for we have doubled our numbers and we have inspired people to come and join us. As usual we started at Cathedral then the famous Panay church, then Bailan, then Hipona, Pontevedra and Pres. Roxas. We still had our lunch at Agtalin, Pilar. After that we passed through Panit-an church, Loctugan, Cristo Redentor (Ivisan) then VB Alba and lastly was Mt. Carmel.    

I had my first Bisita Iglesia in the UAE last 2012 and it was during the peak of summer. It was very hot. We went to Jebel Ali to visit St. Joseph Church then went to Abu Dhabi which was St. Francis Church. We then head off to St. Mary's in Al Ain then we had lunch at Jabel Hafeet (don't know if right spelling) and our last stop was St. Mary's church in Dubai. It was the first time wherein I shared an experience of mine since I was new in the UAE and also in the community. We were asked to share once we picked up a verse. I felt happy since I told them the story why I was here. It was good since I get to meet new people and witness how God works even in the Middle East which is far away from our homeland.

2 years later here I am blessed and working even if it's Holy Week. I can't complain but just be thankful because I am able to practice my faith and still have the freedom to do what I want unlike others who cannot. Thank you Lord for everything! You are a great Almighty Father! Praise God for your love that never fails and never ends. I have missed what I used to do and I hope to do them again in God's time.

Have a blessed Maundy Thursday!
Deo Gloria!
4/17/2014

Happy birthday Ayette!

 My beloved best friend Ayra / Aye / Aying / Miaka / Tomoyo/ Yette / Hersheys and lastly Ayette,

Wow mag amiga na kita sang 2001 pa asta subong nga 2014 na! Imagine? Praise God gd ya! Maayo gd si Lord kay naka abot ang aton pag-ulupod sang tinuig kag maga trese (13) na kita subong!

Kada madumduman ko ang aton updanay sang high school days kung sa diin mga nene pa gd ta, nagahatag sya kasadya kg kalipay sa akon. Mahilig ta mgpapicture kg biskan iba iba aton section, still naga upod ta gyapon. Di ko man malimtan ang textnay kg forward sang quotes since unli ta pirmi. Natandaan ko man aton obsesyon sa anime like Fushigi Yuugi even sa Card Captor Sakura, Inu Yasha, Ghost fighter, Sailor Moon, Ayashi no Ceres kg madamo pa nga iban. Kanami lang balikan pati ang dream naton nga magkadto isa ka adlaw sa Japan. Matabo pa ayhan ina? Kag aton chikkahan about sa crushes, teledramas, food trip, computer sa café,  mga uso, lagawan kg iban pa. Nakakamiss balikan ang Capiz National High School kay didto tanan nag umpisa lalo na ang section naton sang first year kita. 1 Antares di ba? And then nag-abot pa gd ang madamo nga friends plus si Jane. Unforgettable moment pa gd ang aton pag graduate kay birthday mo. WOW CNHS Batch 2005. I can definitely remember 041605.

After graduation, d ko maka decide kung ano kuhaon nga course. Mayo na lng nag suggest sila BSN kg nag-upod pa ta sa section 1D. Grabe nagdali dali ko enroll sadto para lang makaabot kay manug dedline na eh. Also naging masadya aton pag-updanay biskan kisa may tampuhay kita. I know kis-a pasaway man ko kg insensitive. Salamat sa pag comfort sa akon lalo na nga crybaby gd ko sadto hehe I also remember didto na nabuo ang barkadahay ta nga Blupirz kg aton tawganay pa nga Beezst.. Pasensya ka na kung may pagka masabad ko kung kis-a kg permi ko b curious. Blessed man ko na mameet imo family kg makapamyesta sinyo sa Yabton. Heheh Also napaka blessed gd ko kay truly ikaw gid ang nag inspire sa akon kg naging rason kung ngaa gusto ko magjoin sa YFC. Kung nabal-an ko lang sadto pa then tani nag-upod pa gd ta sa community. Pero biskan too late na since mapa Manila ka na that time pero still thankful ko gyapon kay didto ko ng grow, didto ko ngbag-o, didto ko wla ngdepend sa imo but sa kaugalingon ko, didto ko ng learn and didto ko mas na enjoy ang buhay young adult. I won’t be the same kung hindi mo ko gn influence mag join. I remember very well nga nag attend kita youth city kung sa diin wala tulugay and then proceed sa youth camp. Di ko gd to malimtan. It was when my journey sa YFC started. Thank you gd ha.

Natapos naton ang 1^st year then here comes summer of 2006. Nakibot ko sa balita nga hindi ka nag li mg enroll. I remember the moment sa CR sang SACR. Grabe ya! Feeling ko ako ang pinaka last to know pero inexplain mo kg I tried to understand. Nagkadto ka sa Manila pra didto ka ma school. I was sad pero ok lang. I remember nga gbonding ta before ka maglakat and even gnhatud ko sa barko simo. Tama ba? Hehe natandaan ko man nga gnhatagan taka teddy bear..hahah corny pero love ta ka b. and I will miss you gd..

Years have passed and communication ta lang was FS, text, email and call. Until sa ngkitanay ta sa manila kay nag affiliation kami. Then nag graduate ta. Then nag board exam. Then sa pag upod sa MOA kay nag oath taking ka. I miss our manila adventure biskan short and sweet lang pero enjoy sya! Then nag start ka na work sa hospital. I admire you for your dedication sa career even sa pag abroad for your family. I salute you coz of your love for your nanay and siblings even pamangkins. Siguro ang last naton nga kitanay was  March 2011? Or d ko na maremember..  good thing may skype/wechat/facebook kay nakaka istorya ta man ka gyapon biskan layuay na. Mostly LDR kita kag madamo na nag-bago sa aton pero aton friendship is still there.. stronger as the years go by. I can’t believe we made it this far Aye.

Praise God gd. Congrats! Thank you for being with me all through these 13 wonderful years. Salamat sa understanding, guidance, love, correction, advices, encouragement and for blessing me through your prayers of hope. Sana naging good friend ako sa imo biskan pasaway ko hihihi..

Happy happy birthday Ayr. I hope God blesses you the desires that you pray and deserve. Keep the faith. Remember that you are God’s beloved. The Lord loves you so much no matter what you are going through. Be strong. God is always with you all along. Ari man ko di when you need me. I miss you. I love you dear. Take care always. See you soon.. Mwaahhhugs! Enjoy your day!

Lablab,

Sarah / Sakura / Kailyn / SL

 

 

God's signs are Promises (Daily Manna 151012)

God's signs are Promises (Daily Manna 151012)

October 15, 2012 at 10:44pm

Date: October 15, 2012 
Title: God's signs are Promises
Sharer: Sarah Lauren Lim

Gospel: Luke 11:29-32

This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nin'eveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation.
Luke 29-30

Reflection:
The present generation looks and observes signs. They say that signs are indications of something to happen in the near future or may have happened in the past. Signs can explain a thousand implications but the greatest sign will be of Jonah stating about Jesus' resurrection. Signs are often used by the devil to mislead us. It can make us believe things and perceive like they're from God. I guess people nowadays believe more in signs rather than God's word from the Bible.

Signs can lead and mislead us depending on the status of our hearts and minds. Before I would believe that everything is related to signs and that they would matter. For me, even watching movies or dramas and relating them to real life is something that I would look forward to but then I didn't know that it will lead me to believing in lies, hurts, disappointment, and confusion. I admit that I don't know much before I entered YFC.

Everything changed when I said YES and committed in serving the Lord. I started believing in His words rather than the signs I would see and experience. It happened during three days and three nights like Jonah who was in the whale. I admit it was one of the best signs that God has revealed to me. He has resurrected and renewed my heart and spirit. He has uplifted me from shame, pain and guilt. He forgave me and gave me a lot of reasons to rejoice and discover my purpose here.

Years passed by and as I grow and stay in the community, I continued learning more about life, that it's not just about me or others but it's about God. I may have failed and lost focus at times but He manages to lead me back to the right path. It was April 2009 when I started the CLP for CFC Singles for Christ together with Francis and Carlo. Our leaders encouraged us to crossover to SFC. I was able to listen to the talk every week except the last one which was the Talk 13 and Dedication ceremony. I was late together with Francis because we attended a meeting for a Provincial Conference and that we had to be there.

I guess it was the Lord's plan and sign why we had to miss the talk because maybe He knew we weren't ready to leave the community and move on to SFC. I felt disappointed when the kits were given to those who really finished the CLP and I realized if I was ready to move up. I admit YFC has become my comfort zone and it's difficult to really let go of it. It has become a part of me and leaving it will be the greatest decision that I'll make. I was asking myself questions before if I was worthy of it and that God made me stay longer in YFC. I know I won't forever be a YFC and soon I'll be moving on to the next level. I guess I wasn't ready and I feel that I haven't invested much to my fellow YFCs enough to leave them standing on their own.

3 years later, January 2012, I was already working in Dubai. I decided to leave my comfort zone with the hope of a higher calling in mission and perhaps help in supporting my family. I had to be broken in order to grow up. I find myself being online just to talk to them. My world stopped when I went to Dubai. I was clinging to them that I forgot that I have a life a live. I felt the homesickness, the longing for love and attention, the absence, the differences, the time zones, and other distractingly negative feelings. I was struggling emotionally and spiritually. I was affected and depressed and that nobody had a clue what I was experiencing because I would try hard to convince them that I was ok. I find it so hard to communicate to God and that I drifted away from Him.

1 day when I was walking along St. Mary's carrying my backpack, somebody gave me a flyer about a CLP. Upon receiving it I realized that it's a sign that God is calling me back to serve Him. I was lost, broken, and hopeless but God gave me a chance and even welcomed me back. I attended the CLP and was advised to be endorsed rather than repeating the CLP. But I decided to restart the CLP to refresh myself, renew my faith and meet new friends.

Praise God! Because with God's grace I was able to finish and complete the CLP! Being able to finish the CLP gave me relief and happiness. I felt satisfied and complete because I've been waiting and longing for this. God has heard my prayer and it's been 9 months since I came back to the community. I can say that I am so blessed and grateful that I have learned a lot and I am striving to be better. God is so great because He transformed me, changed me and inspired me to keep going and to serve Him again. Indeed He never fails. He has been with me and He never left me. God's signs are promises that He will surely fulfill and that God's words are always based from the bible.

It's been a year since I came here and God amazingly changed me. He is not done with me yet. I am still struggling, learning, coping, healing, living, changing, serving, hoping and holding on with His grace. I will never stop claiming His promises for they will all come true in God's time.

May God be praised!

Noon laking YFC. Ngayon proud SFC.
Sarah Lauren Lim

Holy Week 2014

Reflect because Jesus needs respect.

H- Halt! Stop of slow down.

O- Off with your worldly pleasures and concerns.

L- Listen and be silent.

Y- Yield to God.

W- Warm up your relationships.

E- Erase burdens of sin with a good, honest and humble confession.

E- Express your love.

K- Kneel down in prayer before God, say sorry and thank Him.

Stay happy, holy and healthy this Holy Week!

God bless you!

Thank you! Praise God! ;)

Deo Gloria

Last October 2013, I was privileged to attend the YFC Middle East Leaders Summit not as a participant but as a stage runner. I feel blessed because I never expected that I would be called to serve Him there. Oh how I missed being in the YFC community because it was where my journey started. The experience I had was more of a throwback of the memories I had in the past and it was God's sweet reminder of how great He has been through the years. The event was "Deo Gloria" which means Glory be to God in the Highest and was inspired by the verse taken from 1 Peter 5:1-11. It was attended by YFC leaders and couple coordinators coming from different countries in the Middle East. Indeed, God really works wonderfully despite the distance, hindrance and even our past experiences.

During the last session, Kuya Ernie, FTW of YFC, talked about the realities that the youth of today experience. We become confused, persuaded, afraid and sometimes those things hinder us from glorifying God. The session was an eye opener. "How do we bring glory to God?" He simply said by obeying the will of God and becoming a witness of His greatness because it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20). God is in me, in you and in everyone. Let us allow our own self for God to work through us and that's more than enough to bring Him glory. He is the King of all the Kings and the Lord of all the Lords! Being glorified in our own self is nothing for God alone deserves all the glory because He is praiseworthy.

There are many ways to bring glory to God and it can be through our families, studies, talents, service, career, struggle, community, relationships, church, and by living our life that's pleasing to Him. Worship is also a way of glorifying Him because we are able to praise, pray, sing and express our true self to Him without fear. I found out the reason behind the strumming of guitar before the worship. And it is to awaken/stir the Spirit in us (that sometimes sleep). We also raise our hands, we dance, we shout, we may cry, we open our arms wide, we kneel and we jump for joy because it's a piece of Heaven for us and how amazing it is to know that the Spirit is really working in our lives. Now it's clear why we feel hyped up because the Spirit is alive in us like a fire burning.

Bringing glory to God is not easy but it's going to be worth it. It's challenging but life changing. God teaches us not to be afraid because He is with us and that He will never fail us. He pushes us to go on mission, to evangelize, to spread the word of truth, to go out of our comfort zones, to serve, to become His instrument of peace, to become a source of love, to imitate Christ and to live a life by glorifying Him.

And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will He Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power forever and ever. Amen.
-1 Peter 5:11

How are you going to bring back the glory that God deserves?

DEO GLORIA!

May God be praised!

Lessons learned from Kish Island

I wrote this post before I left Iran (about 2 months ago) but because of the busy schedule I have and things have been doing, I wasn't able to post it. So here I am sharing to the whole world the amazing experience through the realizations I have staying there. Better late than never hihihi!

This is my 2nd time to visit Kish Island after 2 years since I got my first job in Dubai, UAE. I can't believe that time flies so fast and here I am again exiting for change of visa from cancelled to tourist. This happened last January 27 until February 1, 2014. I stayed for 5 days as I wait for the issuance of visa.

We were in an island wherein most of us have been there for quite a while and there was nothing for us to do. We decided to go to places together, talk about random things/situations, had an experience to attend a bible study and we usually ate our meals together. We had fun because we enjoyed our stay there.

I have learned 10 things during my 5 day stay there........

1. Build RELATIONSHIPS through FRIENDSHIP with other people because no man is an island..

2. Sharing your burdens with others. In return, listening to their stories and learning from their mistakes.

3. No worries, less stress. Enjoy life. Relax. Take it easy. God is in control.

4. Try to learn something new. 

5. Be open to various possibilities. Get ready for the (unexpected) surprises from God.

6. Enjoy and savor your simple joys.

7. Overcoming fears and surrendering to God.

8. Waiting takes time. Great things come through patience.

9. Being distant is hard and communication is important to maintain relationships. Trust is essential.

10. Letting go of bad experiences, unwanted feelings and burdens then allowing God's love 

and forgiveness to heal you and take over. (Letting go and letting God)

At some point we were lonely because we felt isolated from the world but it was a chance for us to reflect and realize the importance of time for others, the presence of our loved ones and our time for our own self. Busy as we are with the priorities we have, we usually fail to realize that we are blessed. Sometimes we take for granted the persons whom we loved and the time we spent with them is almost too little.

Going to Kish was like a retreat for me since I don't spend my time wisely because I'm too busy with some things. I am happy and proud because meeting people, listening to them and journeying with them there was a bonus. I had fun and I didn't regret going there. God taught me to build and strengthen relationships and that I will put in to practice with His grace in time.