This coming year, I want to start a new category/label here on Keeper of Her Home called “Now ya’ know”. I plan on putting in little tid bits of information that I find every now and then. So let’s start the first entry on the last day of the year:
Ever wonder what we sing every New Year's Eve? I do. As I was visiting a friend's blog, I saw this link on his side bar that lead me to a very interesting article titled, "What does Auld Lang Syne mean?" Being the curious type, I googled Auld Lang Syne and found some very interesting facts. First of all, I’ve always gotten the words wrong! I used to say, “Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot and old ang zine?” What in the world is old ang zine?!?!?! LOL!!! To save you (and me) from embarrassment here are the real lyrics (for the complete song just click on the Wikipedia link below):
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?
So what does "Auld Lang Syne" mean? Well...click here to see what Wikipedia says. If you’re not in reading mood, it basically means “old long since” or “long long ago” or “days gone by”.
When that clock strikes 12 and that huge ball starts flashing its bright lights and you hear that sweet song in the background think about the days that have gone by and the many blessings we so undeservingly received. Then send out a prayer and thank God for another blessed year!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Now ya’ know...
Lookin' for something sweet?
Visit my cupcake adventure blog http://littlesweetcakes.blogspot.com/. For those of you who are familiar with it, I just updated the link. Enjoy!
Mad?!
For Christmas (& belated birthday gift), my beloved received a G4 Powerbook from his "Kuya" Walter. He's been fiddling with it all weekend. Yesterday he was able to upload some Podcasts from our church's website, something he's been trying to do for months now. So this evening we're listening to some past sermons from our dear Pastor when out of the blue, ALW says, "Why is he ALWAYS so mad?!" ALB and I just looked at each other then started laughing! We had to explain to him that he's not mad at all, he's just very passionate about the Bible! Sometimes it sounds like he's mad but he's not. LOL!
Merry Christmas to All!
MERRY CHRISTMAS
From Our Home to Yours!
As we spend time with friends and family this Christmas, let's not forget the reason we celebrate in the first place. This past Sunday, our Pastor taught through Titus 3:3-8. Around Christmas time you'll hear messages about the birth of Jesus Christ, the baby in a manger, the miraculous virgin birth, etc. Now I'm not saying that I get tired of hearing this, because I don't. I don't think I ever will! But when I sat there Sunday morning listening to Titus 3, I couldn't help but think, what AMAZING love God has for us. If God never sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be born that cold miraculous night, we would still be enslaved to our sins! We would still be headed to Hell, seperated from Him eternally. But God (I love that statement!), made a Way for us to enter His presence. That Way was wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. His name, Jesus Christ.
May your hearts and souls be filled with joy in knowing that God became a man to set you free from your sins. Jesus Christ was born, knowing that He would die for you.
"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone." - Titus 3: 3-8
PICKLES?!
This is just too cute.....
(Senario: The children wanted me to relax for a little bit after working so hard so they decided they wanted to massage me. Why not? I could use a little relaxin'. So I lay down and little MJ is rubbing my toes, CL is working on my right arm and ALW working out the kinks on my left arm. After a few seconds of that here's what happens next...)
Me: Wow kids, thanks! That was really nice.
MJ: You're welcome, Mama.
ALW: No problem!
CL: We love you Mommy. OK, enough massage. Now we need to get pickles for your eyes.
Me: Pickles?!
CL: Yeah, Mommy. I saw on TV that you have to put pickles on your eyes when your eyes are tired and your eyes look really tired Mom.
What show is she watchin'? The better question is...do I really look THAT tired? :) LOL!
(Senario: The children wanted me to relax for a little bit after working so hard so they decided they wanted to massage me. Why not? I could use a little relaxin'. So I lay down and little MJ is rubbing my toes, CL is working on my right arm and ALW working out the kinks on my left arm. After a few seconds of that here's what happens next...)
Me: Wow kids, thanks! That was really nice.
MJ: You're welcome, Mama.
ALW: No problem!
CL: We love you Mommy. OK, enough massage. Now we need to get pickles for your eyes.
Me: Pickles?!
CL: Yeah, Mommy. I saw on TV that you have to put pickles on your eyes when your eyes are tired and your eyes look really tired Mom.
What show is she watchin'? The better question is...do I really look THAT tired? :) LOL!
I guess they do look like pickles. :)
Happy Anniversary!
On December 7th, my Beloved and I celebrated 12 years of marriage! It really does not even seem that long. That day is still a vivid picture in my mind.
Honey, I know you're a simple man so I'll make this a simple post....
Honey, I know you're a simple man so I'll make this a simple post....
Y I LOVE YOU! Y
(I'll be posting some pictures soon)
Sorry for the delay
I have so many things I want to share but so little time. I apologize for removing my latest post, for those of you who were wondering, I wanted to redo the post but ran out of time to redo it. So here we are a week and a half later and it's still not updated. But do not fear, I see more opportunities for me to sit and type coming really soon.
Until then, enjoy the new layout. Merry Christmas!
Until then, enjoy the new layout. Merry Christmas!
Our Wedding
On December 7, 1996 we became husband and wife. We had planned on having our ceremony at our home church and the reception at another church in Napa. But God had other plans. 1 month before our wedding date, I was notified that we couldn't have our reception at the church in Napa. With anxiety running through my head, my Beloved and I sat down, prayed and asked God to provide a new place for us. Since our wedding day was only 1 month away and it was in the middle of the Christmas season (which meant every reception hall within a 20 mile radius was all booked up for Holiday parties) we decided to change the location for the ceremony and have the reception at CBC. God worked it all out! 12 years later, God still works out every moment of our lives as we continue to trust him. Oh...and we're still deeply in love.
Our Engagement
Before ALB and I started dating, he mentioned to me that his next girlfriend would be his wife. So you can imagine my gittiness when we started dating. When he would take me out to different restaurants and parks I kept thinking was this it? After many dates, I finally stopped being anxious and just waited on the Lord. Then on August 28, 1996 he took me out for a "Walk in the Clouds", a hot air balloon ride over the Napa Valley. Unfortunately our ride was cancelled right before we were about to go due to weather conditions. With his plans foiled, he had to think quickly. We walked over to the Domaine Chandon Winery and walked around for a bit. It was early in the morning so the winery wasn't open yet. He found a perfect secluded area near the bridge, got down on his knee and sweetly asked for my hand in marriage. Guess what my answer was...
Our First Date
After our classes were done at Napa Valley College and we droped off all the carpoolers, ALB asked me if I'd like to get some ice cream at Baskin Robins. He bought me a Caramel Cappuccino Blast and a little foldable Baskin Robin spoon. I asked him what the spoon was for. He said, "So we'll have something to remember our first date." 'Til this day, I still have that spoon.
Our First Meeting
I can't remember the first time we met but I remember very clearly the first time I saw ALB. He was on Youth Staff at Campus Crossroads (our church's Youth Ministry) and I had just started coming out. I was told by a friend of mine, who will remain annonymous, that there was a really "fine" staff guy there. Just like a young teenage girl, I was anxious to see him. BTW, that wasn't the main reason why I was there nor the reason why I continued to go. So the night I saw him, the group was playing a game kind of like sit down soccer but with a beach ball. Well, ALB and our friend Eugene were gripping the ball so hard that it popped and ended the game. That was the first time I saw him. And YES! He was "fine"!! He is and will always be the "finest" man I ever met!
We have SO MUCH to be thankful for!
For our family, Thanksgiving was celebrated early this year. Last night we had a small Thanksgiving dinner with just our family. Since my beloved has to be away at work on Thanksgivng day, we worked things out so that we could celebrate Thanksgiving on his day off.
So as people were shopping and getting things ready for Thursday, we sat down and enjoyed a yummy filled dinner. We choose not to have a whole turkey since it was just the five of us and the children and I were still going to have dinner with our extended family on Thursday. We bought a delectable turkey breast that was so juicy and just enough for our family. I made my "famous" garlic bacon mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, corn muffins with honey butter and for dessert the girls and I made pecan tarts. As with every Thanksgving there were lots of leftovers. We packed it up so Daddy can bring it to Manteca with him.
Before we filled our tummies, we went around the table and said what we were thankful for:
Daddy: I'm thankful for Christ and His provision for our family.
ALW: I'm thankful for playing video games and being born.
MJ: I'm thankful for Mom and Dad.
CL: I'm thankful for Mommy cooking dinner and for my family.
Me: I'm thankful to God for my wonderful husband who works so hard for us.
We had such a wonderful time together! Thank you, Lord for your goodness to us!
May your Thanksgiving be filled with joy as you celebrate the many blessings that the Lord has given you. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Happy Birthday to the Man I Love
To My Beloved, My Best Friend,
This song says it all...I'm crazy for you!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Handsome! I LOVE YOU!
More Than Meets the Eye
Last year we were inspired by a couple of videos we saw on You Tube. Being transformers fans, guess what Young Padawan wanted to be...you got it... Optimus Prime. So with a few boxes, paint, tape and a gift he received, here's what we came up with (BTW, this was done in less than a week)...
"Autobots, transform and roll out!"
The cousins
Princess: "Save the cheerleader, save the world!"Cousin Tati: "I am Lava Girl."
They just love to dress up. I wonder where they get that from.
Here are a couple of costumes from a few years back...
My beloved as Rey Mysterio
Sunshine as the original Cheetah Girl
(This is my favorite costume because we've had it since Young Padawan was a baby...I'll miss it.)
Moving On
It sure seems like the past few months things have been so busy and there's no letting up in the near future. Many of you know that God provided a new home for our family. This move was somewhat unexpected but something that my beloved and I have been praying for. Is that an oxymoron? I don't know...anyway...
For a few months now, he and I have been praying for wisdom regarding our living situation. We were renting a huge house that had enough room for everyone and everything we had and then some. Our landlords were wonderful, in fact, they are very close friends of ours and we love them dearly.
So why would we ask God to provide something different?
Well, during these difficult financial times we were going over our budget and after cutting back on everything, except for our giving, there was only one other area where we could cut back. That was our rent amount. So we started to pray. We prayed for God to give us wisdom and for Him to give us direction. Oddly enough, I can only remember praying one time for a certain amount. But my beloved kept on praying for that amount.
A few months had passed when we received word of a house that may be available for us. It was still in the remodeling phase but it would be ready a few weeks later. So again, we got our knees. We asked God to close the door if this is not His will for us. We informed our future landlords of our budget and I was sure that they would say "Sorry, it's not going to work out." But to my surprise, they came back to us and gave us a new number. Guess what that number was...the exact same number we prayed for! WOW! Even then, we wanted to make sure that this was exactly where God wanted us to be, so we asked them to give us a couple of days to pray and we'll give them an answer. By this point I was excited and ready to say yeah, let's do it. But thankfully, my beloved wanted to pray and make sure this is where God is leading us. To make a long story short, we thought God had closed the door but He didn't. He opened all the doors for us to move into our new home that's more within our means. The new house is much smaller than the other house but it doesn't matter because I know what this house means. It means that God is providing for us.
I unintentionally tested my husband during this time. I didn't meant to but with my urgency to make a decision I tested his patience without knowing it. I praise God that my beloved wanted to pray, seek counsel and just be still to hear God speak. We've made too many rash decisions in the past and this time, he wanted to make sure that it's where God is directing him to lead our family.
Thank you, honey, for being an example to me of what it means to "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6). Because of that you helped me to experience the next verse, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). I love you for leading me to to seek Christ!
So now we embark on new adventure....unpacking. We're so blessed, we have so much stuff!
For a few months now, he and I have been praying for wisdom regarding our living situation. We were renting a huge house that had enough room for everyone and everything we had and then some. Our landlords were wonderful, in fact, they are very close friends of ours and we love them dearly.
So why would we ask God to provide something different?
Well, during these difficult financial times we were going over our budget and after cutting back on everything, except for our giving, there was only one other area where we could cut back. That was our rent amount. So we started to pray. We prayed for God to give us wisdom and for Him to give us direction. Oddly enough, I can only remember praying one time for a certain amount. But my beloved kept on praying for that amount.
A few months had passed when we received word of a house that may be available for us. It was still in the remodeling phase but it would be ready a few weeks later. So again, we got our knees. We asked God to close the door if this is not His will for us. We informed our future landlords of our budget and I was sure that they would say "Sorry, it's not going to work out." But to my surprise, they came back to us and gave us a new number. Guess what that number was...the exact same number we prayed for! WOW! Even then, we wanted to make sure that this was exactly where God wanted us to be, so we asked them to give us a couple of days to pray and we'll give them an answer. By this point I was excited and ready to say yeah, let's do it. But thankfully, my beloved wanted to pray and make sure this is where God is leading us. To make a long story short, we thought God had closed the door but He didn't. He opened all the doors for us to move into our new home that's more within our means. The new house is much smaller than the other house but it doesn't matter because I know what this house means. It means that God is providing for us.
I unintentionally tested my husband during this time. I didn't meant to but with my urgency to make a decision I tested his patience without knowing it. I praise God that my beloved wanted to pray, seek counsel and just be still to hear God speak. We've made too many rash decisions in the past and this time, he wanted to make sure that it's where God is directing him to lead our family.
Thank you, honey, for being an example to me of what it means to "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6). Because of that you helped me to experience the next verse, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). I love you for leading me to to seek Christ!
So now we embark on new adventure....unpacking. We're so blessed, we have so much stuff!
Costumes of the past
Serving in the Youth Ministry at our church, we have a variety of different costumes. So when this time of the year comes around, we're usually ready...usually.
Young Padawan has alreay told me what he wanted to be (since July, he's told me) so all I have to do now is put it together. Princess will most likely match Young Padawan. And Sunshine will wear something special.
I wanted to share some photos of past costumes that we've have had. Hope you enjoy them.
Always two there are, a master and an apprentice.
Baby Princess Leia
The cousins.
Princess wanted to be a Princess.
Young Padawan ready for battle.
I have more pictures to post so come back and visit us again.
Young Padawan has alreay told me what he wanted to be (since July, he's told me) so all I have to do now is put it together. Princess will most likely match Young Padawan. And Sunshine will wear something special.
I wanted to share some photos of past costumes that we've have had. Hope you enjoy them.
Always two there are, a master and an apprentice. 
Baby Princess Leia
The cousins.
Princess wanted to be a Princess.
Young Padawan ready for battle.I have more pictures to post so come back and visit us again.
Wha cha gonna be?
(a phone conversation today between CL and her cousin Nadia)
Nadia: Wha cha gonna be for halloween?
CL: A sinner.
Nadia: A what?
CL: A SINNER!
Nadia: Oh, a singer. I'm gonna be a Cheetah Girls.
Nadia: Wha cha gonna be for halloween?
CL: A sinner.
Nadia: A what?
CL: A SINNER!
Nadia: Oh, a singer. I'm gonna be a Cheetah Girls.
Farewell Cybershot!
What a sad, sad day! My digital camera finally bit the bullet, so to speak. I turned on the camera one day and all I see is a colorful blur. *sigh* Oh...well...no pictures for now. So don't be surprised if I ask you to take a picture for me. Now you know why.
Sony Cybershot DSC-T1
2001 - 2008
I guess this means we get a new camera, Yeah! I mean...we can now save for a new camera...yay!
We'll Never Forget
In Remembrance of 9/11
Let's not forget to pray for those families who lost loved ones during that horrific day.
And for those who continue to fight for our freedom.
"First day of school, First day of school!" - Nemo
Bye, bye summer vacation....hello to a new year of school!
God has graciously allowed us to continue to homeschool our children this year. Our Young Padawan will be in 2nd grade, Princess will start Kindergarten and Little Miss Sunshine will continue with Pre-K.
I'm so excited to start this new school year! At the same time, I fear the many challenges that will come our way. With homeschooling, there will always be challenges. One of the biggest challenges I have is balancing my time. How can I teach the two older children who are in two completely different grades and still manage to give attention to the little one? Two words...through Christ! "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" - Philippians 4:13. Only by the strength that God provides, through His Son, can I take on this task of homeschooling head on.
This year we’re going to start a new curriculum, Five in a Row or FIAR. FIAR is a unit study based on literature. You can find more information about it here. We’re going to try our hand at lapbooking again since the children really enjoyed it. Some of the other curriculum we’re planning on using to supplement FIAR are Saxon Math (K&2), Sing, Spell, Read & Write (1&2), Starfall.com, msnucleus.org, BrainPopJr.com and a few others.
Last year we did an experiment with uniforms. The idea was inspired by the Duggar family who dress their children in colored polo shirts. Having the uniform helps them (and me) differentiate school time with regular home/play time. It worked last year so we decided to continue doing it. Another benefit is that the children are always dressed and ready to step out if necessary. And they look super cute too.
God has graciously allowed us to continue to homeschool our children this year. Our Young Padawan will be in 2nd grade, Princess will start Kindergarten and Little Miss Sunshine will continue with Pre-K.
I'm so excited to start this new school year! At the same time, I fear the many challenges that will come our way. With homeschooling, there will always be challenges. One of the biggest challenges I have is balancing my time. How can I teach the two older children who are in two completely different grades and still manage to give attention to the little one? Two words...through Christ! "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" - Philippians 4:13. Only by the strength that God provides, through His Son, can I take on this task of homeschooling head on.
This year we’re going to start a new curriculum, Five in a Row or FIAR. FIAR is a unit study based on literature. You can find more information about it here. We’re going to try our hand at lapbooking again since the children really enjoyed it. Some of the other curriculum we’re planning on using to supplement FIAR are Saxon Math (K&2), Sing, Spell, Read & Write (1&2), Starfall.com, msnucleus.org, BrainPopJr.com and a few others.
Last year we did an experiment with uniforms. The idea was inspired by the Duggar family who dress their children in colored polo shirts. Having the uniform helps them (and me) differentiate school time with regular home/play time. It worked last year so we decided to continue doing it. Another benefit is that the children are always dressed and ready to step out if necessary. And they look super cute too.
Also, to help keep their work organized, I've given them each a "school work" binder where they can keep all their paperwork. I let them decorate the fronts of their binders with a little bit of my help. OK, I did most of the cutting :) My scrapbook stuff finally came in handy.
It’s going to be a busy year! So my posts will be kept to a minimum but I will try and post new events and adventures that come our way.
Happy Learning!
Ni Hao Kai Lan!
Kai Lan & Sunshine
Charis, you look like Grandpa G
Uncle Reg being artsy.
Kai Lan lending a helping hand.
Grandpa, Grandma & Sunshine
Cool gift from Uncle Reg (Back)
Cool gift from Uncle Reg (Front)
Cindy & Mike
(Read what happened to poor Cindy here)
The Boncato Klan
"Happy Birthday to you, cha cha cha"
No...they're not picking their nose. They're playing Kai Lan says.
"Thank you Kai Lan."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUNSHINE!
Oh...my baby is growing up so fast!
Trash to Treasure - UPDATE
Hi everyone. I just wanted to give you an update from the yard sale we had 3 weeks ago. LOL, I'm so late in posting.
My Beloved and I prayed that God would allow the yard sale to be successful and He did. God allowed us to raise some extra cash. I won't go into detail about how much but let's just say it's....more than what we expected.
We had so much help from my Nana, Cheston, Star and Cindy. Thanks so much guys for helping us out!
Wet Wednesday
Today my beloved took the whole family to the Antioch water park for some wet fun in honor of Sunshine's birthday. This was our second time there. We had such a great time. Since today was the first day of school for alot of schools there weren't too many people there.
They have an area just for tots to play in but we moved on to the bigger part of the park. To my surprise Sunshine loved going down the waterslides by herself! She's so brave. Princess on the other hand was so scared to even try once. Then I showed her the double innertube that ALW and I just rode and she agreed to go down, just as long as I went down with her. To my surprise, she really enjoyed it. We ended up going a few more times then she went down with Daddy a few more times too. There's this one tunnel slide that we all liked but Princess was too afraid. After she tried the innertube one, she gathered enough courage to go down the tunnel slide. What happened after that? She loved it.
Now ALW, he just loves swimming. He would go down all the slides by himself with no worries. Did I mention that he's never taken a swimming class his entire life. He just goes and starts swimming under water!
BTW, did I mention that I forgot to bring my camera? So no pictures to share but that's OK. Here's a picture of the crew the last time we were there:
Afterwards, we were suppose to go to the Concord drive-in to watch Clone Wars but just as we were going to exit, I looked back and everyone fell asleep. Best thing to do now is just go home and rest.
Can't wait for Sunshine's party on Saturday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUNSHINE!
Our little Sunshine turns 3 today! I can't believe our youngest isn't a baby anymore. She's grown up so much faster than the other two did. It's probably because she has to keep up with them. Let me tell you a few tid-bits about our little girl:
- A few days after she was born, she had to spend a week at John Muir Hospital because she had jaundice. That was a real tough time for our family.
- On the doctor's chart she was always at the zero percentile even though she nursed and drank an 8 oz bottle of formula.
- She still wasn't gaining much weight even though she ate 2 jars of baby food and an 8oz bottle durine ONE feeding! That's why we started feeding her table food at 6 months. Since then her favorite hobby has become eating.
- She has a chipped tooth from running after Daddy during a "chase" session.
- She's just as clumsy as her momma.
- I love this one...she potty trained herself in ONE DAY! I still can't believe I'm not buying diapers.
- She can be the sweetest and stinkiest little girl all at the same time.
- She hates it when there's dirt on her. Of course she doesn't realize that her whole face and hair is covered with the food she's eating.
- If she spills something she has to clean it up with every clean kitchen towel I have. She's doing better, though, she's using paper towels now.
- She drives her Daddy crazy when she talks in full sentences. He just has to gently tackle her and squeeze her for about a minute.
- Every few minutes she'll come up to me to tell me that she wants to tell me something. So I bend down and she whispers, "I love you so much." I hope she never stops this. I love it!
These are just a few things that our little baby does that's super special to us. We love her so much! 
Happy Birthday, Sunshine!
Trash to Treasure
We're finally doing it! Yay! We're having a YARD SALE on Saturday, August 16th! Come by if you can. You never know what "treasures" you'll find.
God's Googly Part 2
In the game of cricket a "googly" is a pitch which is thrown with baseball's "curveball" grip.
I first heard this term while visiting our sister church, The Cornerstone Bible Church in Natomas. It was such a sweet time of worship and fellowship there. Even though it was our first time visiting, it felt like home.
God allowed us to sit under Nick's preaching that morning. The title of his sermon, "Trusting Christ when Life gets Confusing - Part 1", his text John 13:18-30. I won't go into full detail but the meat of the sermon was to stay trusting in God, when you're given "curveballs" or "googlies" in your life. You may have a plan for your life to go one way, then God allows something else to happen that directs your path somewhere else. Often, we're not content with just knowing God has a plan for us. We want to know what that plan is and we want to know it now. God does not give us anything we cannot bear (1 Cor. 10:13), so is it possible that He doesn't reveal His plans for our lives because we can't handle it? Sure! God protects us from what we can't handle. I praise Him for that.
I can go on but it's probably best to visit their website and hear Nick for yourself. I'm sure you'll be encouraged too.
I'm so glad we were able to visit them. We were so blessed to be there. I hope God would allow us to visit again. Let's not forget to lift these brothers and sisters up to the Lord. If you're reading this, let's take some time right now to ask God to bless their ministry. I'll be praying with with you.
I first heard this term while visiting our sister church, The Cornerstone Bible Church in Natomas. It was such a sweet time of worship and fellowship there. Even though it was our first time visiting, it felt like home.
God allowed us to sit under Nick's preaching that morning. The title of his sermon, "Trusting Christ when Life gets Confusing - Part 1", his text John 13:18-30. I won't go into full detail but the meat of the sermon was to stay trusting in God, when you're given "curveballs" or "googlies" in your life. You may have a plan for your life to go one way, then God allows something else to happen that directs your path somewhere else. Often, we're not content with just knowing God has a plan for us. We want to know what that plan is and we want to know it now. God does not give us anything we cannot bear (1 Cor. 10:13), so is it possible that He doesn't reveal His plans for our lives because we can't handle it? Sure! God protects us from what we can't handle. I praise Him for that.
I can go on but it's probably best to visit their website and hear Nick for yourself. I'm sure you'll be encouraged too.
I'm so glad we were able to visit them. We were so blessed to be there. I hope God would allow us to visit again. Let's not forget to lift these brothers and sisters up to the Lord. If you're reading this, let's take some time right now to ask God to bless their ministry. I'll be praying with with you.
FINALLY!
Finally I get to sit down and post about all the happenings in my life. I'll do my best to post as much detail as possible but I've got lots to catch up on. So here it goes...
Battle of the Bands
Every summer our youth ministry hosts a Summer Camp for Junior High and High School students. For at least 8 years now (probably more), other churches from different cities join us. We've met some great brothers and sisters in the Lord this way.
I'd have to say, this is the highlight for our youth ministry. We get to spend a whole week hearing from the Bible, fellowshiping with other believers, enjoy some super fun games, build relationships with new people and draw closer to the Lord without the everyday distractions of life. What REALLY makes this week worth all the months of preparation and labor is to witness a young adult give their life over to our loving Savior!
God granted me the priveledge to witness a young lady who started off the week as one who's life is on the path to eternal seperation from God, to one who will inherit the Kingdom of God. Her original intention was to go to summer camp for the fun experience. Little did she, or anyone else, know that God had other plans for her soul. As she sat there in the chapel, listening to another student give her testimony, she couldn't help but to think of the sin that separated her from God and the freedom she has in Christ. After our discussion group time, we sat outside and talked more about the Gospel. With tears of joy streaming down her face, she prayed her first prayer as a child of God. I'll never forget her words, "Lord, please don't ever leave me! Please!"
PRAISE GOD! This is what our ministry is all about. I'm not just talking about the youth ministry, I'm talking about the ministry that God has given all His people. He's given us a command to go out and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). May we never lose sight of our purpose here on earth.
I'd have to say, this is the highlight for our youth ministry. We get to spend a whole week hearing from the Bible, fellowshiping with other believers, enjoy some super fun games, build relationships with new people and draw closer to the Lord without the everyday distractions of life. What REALLY makes this week worth all the months of preparation and labor is to witness a young adult give their life over to our loving Savior!
God granted me the priveledge to witness a young lady who started off the week as one who's life is on the path to eternal seperation from God, to one who will inherit the Kingdom of God. Her original intention was to go to summer camp for the fun experience. Little did she, or anyone else, know that God had other plans for her soul. As she sat there in the chapel, listening to another student give her testimony, she couldn't help but to think of the sin that separated her from God and the freedom she has in Christ. After our discussion group time, we sat outside and talked more about the Gospel. With tears of joy streaming down her face, she prayed her first prayer as a child of God. I'll never forget her words, "Lord, please don't ever leave me! Please!"
PRAISE GOD! This is what our ministry is all about. I'm not just talking about the youth ministry, I'm talking about the ministry that God has given all His people. He's given us a command to go out and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). May we never lose sight of our purpose here on earth.
Honoring Milagros Evangelista
As you know my grandmother (a.k.a. Nanay) celebrated her 75th birthday on July 4th. My mom planned a spectacular surprise birthday dinner for her at the Front Room (local Italian Restaurant in town). Attendees included family and friends that we haven't seen in a while.
The great-grandaughters performed a sweet little hula number. Thanks to Auntie Star here's a clip:
She was so happy that night, she couldn't stop smiling. In fact she still talks about it til this day.
Here are a few more pictures from this memorable event, enjoy.
WE LOVE YOU, NANAY!
The great-grandaughters performed a sweet little hula number. Thanks to Auntie Star here's a clip:
She was so happy that night, she couldn't stop smiling. In fact she still talks about it til this day.
Here are a few more pictures from this memorable event, enjoy.
WE LOVE YOU, NANAY!
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