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Saturday, October 27, 2012

Raise the Standard High



People running to and fro
Not really knowing where to go
Just living from day to day
With no guide to lead the way
  
To  the left or to the right
People strive for earthly heights
Blind to the end this world will meet
Or to heaven - the promise sweet

Pain and pleasure this world will lend
No, Do not bow, Do not blend
Lift high Christ who died
Live up to His standards high

Tell the world, let them know
Christ in you, to them show
By your words, by your deeds
Plant the truth as precious seeds

Dare to share, be not shy
Raise the standard high
Raise your voice in loud a cry
Raise God's standards high

10.27.2012


Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Pizza, Prutas, Paper Tricks

Salamat, kuya!

ma-gets ra lagi nako ni puhon.

i had to walk part of the way home, but the afternoon was worth it.

somehow you manage to be there when i most need a friend. aaaand, you were more prepared to entertain this time. nagbaon ug paper tricks which, mark my word, i will learn someday.

Till my Palawan pasalubong. Ciao.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

the everyday miracle that is a flower

imagine, from this:
(which I blogged about here)


to this:


to these:



in three months.

flowers are, i think, one of the best examples of God's everyday miracles.





Miracles He is more willing to shower on you.

 Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith? Matthew 6:28-30

May your faith bloom like a hundred pretty flowers.



***all photos taken at Royal Valley Free SDA Church. :)

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

New Friends in the Faith


It's always a joy to find new friends and build new relationships 
centered in Christ.

Behold, how good and how pleasant [it is] for brethren to dwell 
together in unity!
Psalm 133:1

We thank the Lord for the opportunity to meet, study God's word together, and together be enriched and inspired by the knowledge of God's love that cuts across distance to bind His people together in spirit and truth. He does have a way of bringing His people together.

Our guests with the Royal Valley young people



flight of the Jedi
at Skyline Bistro

Final photo-ops at the airport

Bernie and Jaja

JR and Jaja

Jed and Jaja

Rex and Jaja

with Pastor Leve

with Pastor Leve, Pastor Roy, and Sis. Risha

Bernie and the great weigh in.

Bumigat si Kuya Rex ng sampung kilo, lahat yun durian. peace, kuya.

Good to go.

Please know that you'll always have family this part of the planet. See you soon!

And P.S. (to the kids):
"...whatsoever ye do, do it all for the glory of God."



Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Vegetarian Food in Davao City

Perhaps one of the vegetarian’s most common challenges (here in Davao City, at least) is finding a place to eat out in. Since I first decided to become a vegetarian almost seven years ago, eating out has rarely been an option for me. When I do eat out, it’s usually Chowking for their plain fried tofu or one of the pizza places for vegetarian (not vegan) pizza. There are other places, of course, but they all mean the same thing to me: scouring the entire menu for that one dish that doesn’t have animal products in it and long interviews with the waiter about what the food’s made of or if I could have the chicken taken out of my chop suey or the shrimps from my salad, usually ending with me settling for a huge pile of plain lettuce and dressing I wouldn’t have to pay big bucks for if I just ate at home. Sometimes, even the lettuce isn’t available.

So yes, I do resent the fact that restaurant menus on this part of the planet don’t allow vegetarians like me to plan simple lunch get-togethers with friends without having to engage in a lengthy discussion about whether I will have to starve or not.

Did I sound too bitter there?

There’s actually a happy part in this blog post.  I was recently told of a small restaurant in JP Laurel Avenue that started business December of last year. The thing about this restaurant is that they serve all-vegan food. In fact, the very name of the restaurant is Vegan Hygienic Foodhaus.  I could definitely give them a list of suggestions regarding the name, but hey. A vegan place, finally.


The restaurant really is small and the menu options limited. The food isn’t exceptional, but at least they’re reasonably priced. They offer a value meal of a serving of rice along with two other dishes for Php50.00. You’d wish they included a drink with that meal, but you’ll have to order one of their fresh fruit juices priced at Php80.00 each glass. The must-try is the vegan pizza priced at Php250.00, good for two to four people. Instead of cheese, they use a nut-based (probably cashew) sauce poured over tomatoes, onions, peppers, olives, veggie meat, and a whole wheat crust. Our pizza had more sauce than the one in their picture so it was a bit messy to eat, but the pizza was generally good.

Aside from VHF, there are a few other go-to places in Davao City for the hungry vegetarian. The ambiance isn’t quite as nice, but they do serve good and affordable veg food.

There’s Kong Ai Vegetarian Centrum along Gempesaw Street, which serves a fair selection of dishes from veggies to faux meat. You can also buy faux meat for home-cooking. The products range from seafood to chicken to meat, all vegetarian. And they taste unbelievably like real animal products, too!

Within walking distance from Kong Ai is Vegelicious at Monteverde Street, which is smaller yet very similar to Kong Ai. I used to go there a lot more than I do now, but I plan to visit again soon.

Then there’s Winward, an annex of the Grand Men Seng Hotel in Pichon Street. They serve chop suey and variations of noodles. The food is actually quite good, but you’ll have to be very specific when ordering because the waitresses tend to forget you want everything meatless.

Lastly, for a really affordable vegetarian lunch, you can go to the Davao Adventist Hospital canteen. You can have a full meal for two at Php90.00, complete with a dessert of banana cue. The hospital’s a bit far from the city proper, but if you’re somewhere near, it’s just in Bangkal.

I wish there were more options for me and my people in this city. More than that, I wish people become more aware of the benefits of vegetarianism and that there’d be many, many restaurants to make things easier for them. But for now, I’m happy that I have one more place to add to my slowly growing list. It just feels good to know that in this age of Facebook timelines filled with instagrammed food, we vegetarians have not been completely forgotten.

For a listing of Vegetarian, Vegan, or Veg-friendly places near you, pay the Happy Cow a visit. 



Thursday, August 16, 2012

Adventist Youth Program Ideas

Idea # 4: A Church Ministry for You

Objective: To find a place for every church member in the work of God. This is also useful for Ministry Heads to identify possible recruits for ministry projects.

Materials Needed: A list of all the ministries in your church (Prison Ministry, Radio Ministry, Publishing Ministry, Welfare Ministry, etc.), active and otherwise. Names of the ministries written in individual signboards. You can also have the option to make a list of the activities, projects, and plans of that ministry to go along with the signboard.

Mechanics:  Before the start of the activity, group seats according to the number of ministries in your church and place a signboard at each seat group. Have assistants stationed at each location. It might even be better if you can ask the Ministry Heads to act as your assistants for this activity. Begin by saying that the Church is organized for missionary purposes and that every member is called upon to be a missionary. Briefly introduce the ministries you have at your church. Instruct the congregation to take a tour of the different stations and find the ministry they feel they are best suited for. They are then to stay at that station with the others who chose the same ministry. When everyone is already seated, the assistants/Ministry Heads will begin to ask each person at his station to say why he/she chose that ministry and what he/she thinks he/she could do to contribute to that ministry. Ideas for new projects may also be gathered. Allow about 20-40 minutes for the discussions, depending on the size of the groups. If you have small congregation (like we do at my church), you can skip the regrouping and just ask the members to come up to the microphone one by one. When everyone has had the chance to share, end by saying that there is a place in the church's work for everyone and that God would be very happy if all would enlist and share in the burdens and joys of the church.

And that's it. Everyone participated, everyone found out what they can do for the church, and the ministries found a fresh batch of possible recruits. Make sure to do a follow up with the Ministry Heads regarding projects and activities.

If you try this at your church, I'll be glad to know how it goes.

Enjoy your AY Program!


Monday, August 13, 2012

Who Shall Abide in the Tabernacle of the Lord?

Psalm 15
A Psalm of David

 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?  
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.  
[He that] backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, 
nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.  
In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. 
[He that] sweareth to [his own] hurt, and changeth not.  
[He that] putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. 
He that doeth these [things] shall never be moved.  

Friday, August 03, 2012

Teaching Reminder #1


You need to learn right methods and acquire tact for the training of your little ones, that they may keep the way of the Lord. You need to seek constantly the highest culture of mind and soul, that you may bring to the education and training of your children a restful spirit, a loving heart; that you may imbue them with pure aspirations, and cultivate in them a love for things honest and pure and holy. As a humble child of God, learn in the school of Christ; seek constantly to improve your powers, that you may do the most perfect, thorough work at home [and school], by both precept and example.

Ellen G. White
Child Guidance

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

rainbow promises


Yesterday I saw the biggest, prettiest rainbow arch over the city where I live, and it made me think of how wonderfully and amazingly miraculous God's grace is.

I found myself explaining to the friend I was with how rainbows are made by sunlight shining through water droplets. It's not a physical object. Nobody's ever touched it. No man owns it. 

In contrast to the dull and hazy artificiality of the city scape, there it was so ordinarily natural and yet so miraculously wonderful or wonderfully miraculous, whichever is most fathomable to you.

I no longer thought it unfair that there never are any auroras in this part of world.

Kids nowadays (or at least the ones I know) rarely use the word "rainbow." It's as if the word and the phenomenon it refers to doesn't exist beyond the nursery books in their reality. It breaks my heart to think such a wonder should slip away unnoticed. Perhaps they're all too busy staring into flat screen TVs, tablets, smartphones, PSPs. Too busy, just too busy to look up.

Together, my friend and I remembered how God first spread the rainbow across the sky after the world's sins and cleansing. The rainbow is a promise. To them, to him, to me. 

Grace, wonderful grace.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

my newest challenge

this quarter, i was given a new challenge at church: teaching sabbath school for kids ages four to six. i did teach Vacation Bible School Kindergarten for two consecutive years, but this new teaching stint is different because of at least three things:

(a) all the kids have prior sabbath school kindergarten experience; i don't.
(b) they have preference for the routine and songs from their previous teacher (which they've had from the day we put up sabbath school kindergarten); and
(c) 90% of the kids will have their parents in the classroom with them

these past two weeks, i spent a substantial amount of time just preparing lesson plans, learning songs, printing and cutting out materials, organizing visual aides, purchasing supplies, and basically just being nervous.

i'm not sure how many quarters i'll be teaching this class. this sabbath will be my third out of the 13 sabbaths in a quarter. so far, i have been able to keep the kids satisfied, but not ooh-ahhh-clap excited. the parents have been helpful, too - singing along when teacher doesn't know the song the kids want to sing and etc.

i have also managed to forget and completely skip major parts of the routine. boo!

so this week, i'm doing more prep work: researching on teaching strategies, organizing my materials better, and studying the lesson harder. i'm also going over their songs and fingerplays and thinking up ways to make our classroom more interesting for them.


my students, designing clothes (like Hannah for Samuel) in our makeshift classroom

in doing all this, i find many helpful places in the internet, such as

http://www.gracelink.net/article/3/kindergarten for lesson helps
http://www.kindergarten-lessons.com/kindergarten-teaching.html and http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/Play/Ktodayplay.pdf for teaching strategies
http://www.youtube.com/user/maranathakids/videos for children's music
http://www.mrprintables.com/ and http://www.activityvillage.co.uk for free printables

but my greatest help, as always, comes from the greatest Teacher. 

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  James 1:5

“For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” Luke 12:12 (NKJV)

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.  1 Corinthians 15:58


so bring it on!






Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Photo Challenge Week 1: Cycles

time's almost up but i still can't choose a decent photo to submit to the photo challenge. theme is 'cycles'. here's a selection:






oh well, there's always this anyway:


thanks for the support, cousins!


Friday, July 20, 2012

thank you Lord for the mangoes



lately, i've been feasting on the luscious mango produce of the tree we have at church. it seems i've been having mango for breakfast, lunch and supper for the past two weeks.

just this afternoon we collected over 70 mangoes. two of our brethren climbed up the tree and shook the branches while my friend jade and I collected every fruit that fell to the ground. such happy times made only happier by the wonderful feast afterward.

these past few breakfasts have made me realize that mangoes are my favorite fruit.

thank you so much, Lord for the treat you threw in with the church property. You really are the best.

to brethren who are reading this, don't worry, we left you some.

Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.  
Leviticus 25:18, 19

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Photo Challenge

I recently invited a friend to join an online photo challenge with me. We're both beginners at photography (he claims to be a beginner, i'm not really sure) who both can't seem to get ourselves to give our cameras value equal to their prices. So maybe joining a photo challenge will compel us to take the camera out of the bag a little more frequently - at least once each week since it's a weekly challenge.

Every week, a new theme is announced and participants submit photos according to the theme. The participating photos are posted on the site for other people to view and comment on. So there's also the pressure for me to do better than the candid shots of friends.

This week's challenge is themed CYCLES, in honor of the ongoing Tour de France. It'll be my first entry so there's a bit of pressure. Photos don't really have to be about bicycles, just anything that comes to mind at the word cycles, but i've never really tried themed shots before, sooo....

Ideas, anyone?

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

winter's end, the beginning of spring


For winter's rains and ruins are over, 
And all the season of snows and sins; 
The days dividing lover and lover, 
The light that loses, the night that wins; 
And time remembered is grief forgotten, 
And frosts are slain and flowers begotten, 
And in green underwood and cover 
Blossom by blossom the spring begins.

-Algernon Charles Swinburne-

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

How to Be Happy

The lives of some are without peace or gladness because they never get out of the range of self. VSS 137

Monday, July 16, 2012

Forgiveness



How can you seek mercy from One who is above you if you can't show mercy to one who is below you?

The story of the unforgiving servant comes to mind. Perhaps someone has owed us that way - hurt us, used us, treated us wrong, lied to us, betrayed us, cheated us out of something. Perhaps it's the boyfriend who had another girl, or the father who abandoned you, or the jeep driver who insisted on one more passenger, or the teacher who hated your guts, or the stranger who carelessly stepped on your toe. Have you forgiven him?

If not, then how can you ask God to forgive you in the name of Jesus Christ who died for your sins? When you really think about it, Jesus didn't really have to die for you and me. They could have gone on and created another pair of humans.

But He did die a humiliating death for us. He walked the earth, taught us to make the most of this life, and gave us the way to the better life. Jesus loves us. He loves me, He loves you, and He loves the "moron" who stepped on your toe.

So now you think how you've failed Jesus time and again, and how each time,  He opens His arms to you. Think of all the wrong you've done in your life and multiply that by the number of people on this earth. His love covered all of those. How much has your love covered so far?

Maybe you've forgiven but haven't really forgotten, all the while not knowing that forgiving IS forgetting.

So free up some space on your memory, and make room for more of Jesus in your heart.

 Forgive.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Adventist Youth Program Ideas

Idea # 3

Music is a huge part of any worship service. It is a gift that God wants us to use and enjoy to His glory. These days, the gray area between good church music and otherwise has widened along with the musical generation gap. It probably also happens in your church: the older members complaining that church music now just isn't as good as in the old days. But God has bestowed musical talents just as wisely on this generation as in previous ones. So this is what today's AY program idea is about: bridging the musical generation gap.

MUSIC: OLD AND YOUNG

Materials: writing board and chalk or papers and pens (for copying song lyrics)

Mechanics: Group the congregation into two or more (depending on the size of the congregation). Make sure that each group has enough young members as well as older ones. Instruct the older members of the group to teach their younger members a song from the old days - one that the youth are not familiar with. Also, ask the youth to teach their older members a song that is from their generation. Allow practice time. Now, each group will be given time to perform both songs - the older ones singing the new song, and the younger ones singing the old song.

Now you have young people learning and singing old songs and older people learning and actually singing new songs! This may just start everyone on a road to appreciating music from different generations. Plus, you   just gave them an avenue to interact and work with each other toward a common goal.

At my church, everyone enjoyed the activity, especially the older ones as they sang their newly-learned song while their young teachers looked proudly on.

The important thing to emphasize here is that the sacredness of the musical gift cuts across generations. God designed for music to be as much a part of worship as is prayer. In the words of the Apostle Paul:

I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. 1 Corinthians 14:15

What do you do to bring out the good music at your church?


Check out other AY Program Ideas in this blog by clicking here.


Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Friends Reunited



Gladys Ethel Ana Ronora circa 2003




Gladys Ronora Ana June 2012
(no worries, Ethel's still alive. just married)



we also chanced upon dear friend Jeffrey with Lendle.


Happy Evening. :)



Monday, June 11, 2012

seeds and sunflowers

i'm vegetarian.

i've been asked why. 

humans aren't supposed to kill for food.

but plants are living things too, right? when you eat a plant, then you kill it too, right? right?

wrong.

the difference is that, when you take an animal -say a chicken- for food, you end its life and take away all possibility of it reproducing ever again. okay so this arguable. you take away all possibility of it reproducing naturally ever again.

but when you take a plant for food, what usually happens is you leave out the reproductive parts allowing the plant to live on and die its natural death. like in an avocado. you take a fruit from the tree, the tree lives on to produce more fruit, you eat the flesh of the fruit, and plant the seed, thus making way for another avocado tree just like it.

see the difference?

great! because that really wasn't what i was planning to share. haha

what i did want to share are photos of the sunflower seeds the inmates at jail gave me. i put them in a little seed bed and just two day later, they've sprouted!





a fresh batch of seeds 

i can't wait till they're full-grown sunflowers with bright yellow heads that follow the sun!

p.s.
did you know? after a sunflower blossom withers  and dies, that's the time you get to "harvest" the seeds from the blossom head and plant them to get a whole bunch of new sunflowers. 


Tuesday, June 05, 2012

what i've been up to

we've been so busy this past summer that i almost can't believe it's just been two months.

early April we had our first ever Bible Boot Camp for the youth at church, and was it fun! it seems that the boot camp opened so many doors to learning that we never knew existed. we saw a glimpse of just how much we want to study and learn and teach the kids. we had classes on cooking, arts, prophecy, gardening, church history, health, and music. and the kids bonded so well and just had so much fun.

of course, it wasn't all fun for us teachers. but it was a boot camp we wouldn't mind having again next year. in fact, we'll make sure to have it again next year. i'm already starting on my lesson plan. :D


just a week after boot camp, we had our camp meeting - the most interesting part being the presence of Pastor Patrick and Dr. Diane Herbert. having them is always a huge, huge blessing to us. theme was "No Time to Lose: Be Ye Holy" which brought so much needed reminders to everyone who attended. for the young people, there was a presentation about a God-approved boy-girl relationship. there were also hydrotherapy lectures and lots of singing.

on Sabbath, we had baptism and child dedication. and the ordination of our new church pastor.


two weeks after camp meeting, we had to be ready for Vacation Bible School. the kids from the community were all excited and eager to learn. some of them come to the church grounds so early their older brothers would come fetch them so they'd get to bathe first. lol





so that was boot camp, camp meeting, and VBS - each a week-long activity. and we did it all in six weeks. God is so wonderful.

the sad parts were that one of our older members passed away just before camp meeting started. but we rest in the hope of the resurrection of our brother through our Lord Jesus. also, one of our members had a stroke during the camp meeting. he's now recovering in his home and we all continue to pray for him.



so yes, it has been a wonderfully stressful two months. and we needed to have a good break afterwards. so we retreated toward our highland campsite. more on that and the details of the summer events in the next posts. ciao for now!