UPDATE ***All I want for Christmas is my...

You guessed it! A few days later, the other tooth came out! Way to go, Coco!!

...two front teeth.

OK, I know it's almost Spring but that's the song that came to my head.

We've got some news...Princess lost her 3rd tooth today! Yay! Poor girl has been trying to get it out for some time now.  After weeks of waiting, praying and pulling it's out.

Hooray! Praise God!

This experience of hers got me thinking about a certain situation that God has put us in  lately.  We've been waiting and praying for God to answer some prayers of ours.  Because I'm so inpatient and wanting things done my way rather than waiting patiently on the Lord (yes, I'm willing to admit that for the sake of sanctification), I end up hurting myself.  Maybe not like the physical pain that Princess felt while she waited for her tooth to fall out but something close to it.

Anxiety and worry...they only lead to distrust in what God is doing.  I need to just wait and allow God to "pull and tug" on me so that His good and perfect will can be accomplished in my life.

1 Peter 1:6-9 comes to mind,

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."


I'm thankful that even though there is suffering in our trials, He can still make me full "with an inexpressible and glorious joy" as I wait for Him to answer my prayers in His perfect time.  Praise the Lord!


BTW, did I mention that her other front tooth is loose too?

Much Tribulation

One of the "books" I've been reading for my times with God is Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon. I have books in quotations because I actually was able to find it online here.  I've been so blessed reading Spurgeon's words of encouragement.  One of the entries that I was greatly comforted with was on March 8 (morning).  All of us at one point or another will go through some sort of trial.  I know that my beloved and I have had our share.

Instead of me trying to retype what Spurgeon wrote, I'll just paste it.  I hope that it will encourage you as it did me.  So here it goes...

Acts 14:22

 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, 
"Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

God’s people have their trials. It was never designed by God, when he chose his people, that they should be an untried people. They were chosen in the furnace of affliction; they were never chosen to worldly peace and earthly joy. Freedom from sickness and the pains of mortality was never promised them; but when their Lord drew up the charter of privileges, he included chastisements amongst the things to which they should inevitably be heirs. Trials are a part of our lot; they were predestinated for us in Christ’s last legacy. So surely as the stars are fashioned by his hands, and their orbits fixed by him, so surely are our trials allotted to us: he has ordained their season and their place, their intensity and the effect they shall have upon us. Good men must never expect to escape troubles; if they do, they will be disappointed, for none of their predecessors have been without them. Mark the patience of Job; remember Abraham, for he had his trials, and by his faith under them, he became the “Father of the faithful.” Note well the biographies of all the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and you shall discover none of those whom God made vessels of mercy, who were not made to pass through the fire of affliction. It is ordained of old that the cross of trouble should be engraved on every vessel of mercy, as the royal mark whereby the King’s vessels of honour are distinguished. But although tribulation is thus the path of God’s children, they have the comfort of knowing that their Master has traversed it before them; they have his presence and sympathy to cheer them, his grace to support them, and his example to teach them how to endure; and when they reach “the kingdom,” it will more than make amends for the “much tribulation” through which they passed to enter it.

So soon?!

***sigh***

Today, during school, the children sat down and I helped get their school work together. Our school desks are gone now so we end up on the sofa, floor, dining table...anywhere (ahhh...the beauty of homeschooling). I tended to each child and gave them an explanation of what they needed to accomplish today. When I got to our Sunshine, I had to pause. I realized that she'll be in Kindergarten this September!

***sigh***

My heart sank. I realized that all our children will be in school. Can this really be happening? I knew this day would come but so soon??

***sigh***

Poor Blog * sniff-sniff *

My poor neglected blog! I don't mean to be negligent :( Maybe I've spent too much time visiting Facebook and I apologize for that. I have so much I want to share! So many memories to record. So many pictures to upload. I have some posts in my "draft" folder so hopefully soon, I'll finish them.

A new year has come upon us. Can you believe it's 2010?! I don't know about you but I really thought that there would be flying cars around or teleportation or at least visiting other planets, you know like in the scifi movies. OK, maybe, I'm dreaming way too much.

Anywho, it still amazes me that another year has passed soooo quickly. 2009 came and went just like that! I hope that you and yours had a wonderful Christmas and New Years holiday. Here's to another year of God's faithfulness!

Where Credit is Due

I recently came across a craigslist advertisement and a new blog that caught my eye. It wasn't anything too flashy (except the blog had the same layout as I do from thecutestblogontheblock). What caught my eye was a picture of something that I had done and the person who put up the advertisment made it look like it was their own. WOW! I couldn't believe it! I didn't know what to do. I was upset. Later on that day, I talked to a close friend of the gal who owns the "company" and asked her if she can ask her friend to remove those pictures. I don't even want credit for the work, I just want it removed. We'll have to wait to see what happens. In the mean time, God has given me a heart to forgive her because Christ has forgiven me of much. Praise God for that!


This got me thinking. Do I always give credit when credit is due? Truthfully? No. When I find something cool or interesting do I say, "This isn't my idea...I got it from so-and-so"? Probably not. I do my best to but I'm sure I don't do it ALL the time. It's gone both ways too. The instance above isn't the first time that someone else took credit for an idea or suggestion that I had suggested to them a few days back. The instance above is just the first time the public can see it. Anywho, back to my point. So many times throughout the day God himself gives us things that we pray for and things that we didn't think we needed. Do we give God "credit" for those things? Do we "...boast in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:31)? I'll have to say, majority of the time. No.

So, then, who are we to demand "credit" or acknowledgment when we ourselves neglect to acknowledge Christ and His work on the cross for our sins. Who are we to demand acknowledgement when we fall short in acknowledging God's hand working in our everyday lives?

Oh, Lord forgive me for not giving you the praise that's due your name!

Encouragement for Homemakers a.k.a. "Stay at Home Moms"

" You are as much serving God in looking after your own children, and training them up in God's fear, and minding the house, and making your household a church for God, as you would be if you had been called to lead an army to battle for the Lord of hosts."

I saw this quote the other day. I was treamedously encouraged when I read that! It comes from "The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit" by Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

As a stay at home Mom (interesting...didn't that title used to be referred to as a Homemaker?), I would often get discouraged because I wasn't able to be invloved in "the ministry" as much as I was before we had children. Just because I wasn't "in the trenches" I felt unused by God. But I know now that ministry opportunities comes to me everyday when I wake up to pray for my children, feed them, bath them, serve my husband by washing his clothes, trying to keep the house clean, etc. Don't get me wrong, though, we ought to still serve the church body to advance the Kingdom of God. By the way, one of the greatest ways we can serve one another is to interced for one another through prayer. So back to my point, my "missionary field" doesn't start out there, it starts here in our home.

I hope this encourages all you HOMEMAKERS out there. Keep serving the Lord!

The Peace of God

It's been almost 8 years now since we lost our first baby to a miscarriage. I was about 3 months pregnant when we were given the news that our baby had died in the womb. I don't know how to describe the feelings I had. I was in tears, heart broken. But at the same time I had a sense of peace that surrounded me. As if I could feel God holding me as a Father would hold their daughter, telling me that it'll be alright. Tears streamed down my face as I quoted the only verse that I could remember, Phil 4:8-9 "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."

Why that verse? Because He knew what I needed to hear. The God of peace, my God, is with me. I wish I could tell you that the next few weeks were easy but I'd be lying. After a series of appointments and doctor's visits we opted to have the baby surgically removed. The healing process began. Not just physically but emotionally. My heart was broken. Only God, who knitted my heart together, could heal my broken heart. A month after, we found out I was pregnant with our Young Padawan. Praise the Lord! Although when he was 7 months old, we underwent the same trial again. Praise God he wrapped us with His incredible peace once more.

Why am I sharing this with you? Why now? Well...I just saw the most incredible video. If you haven’t visited Bring the Rain, this is the time to go and visit her blog. This sister (even though I’ve never met her) has an amazing testimony of faith and hope. Her and her husband recently buried their youngest daughter who was only 2 hours old. They knew that baby Audrey Caroline would not live to see a full day. She recently posted a video for everyone to witness and see their baby (click here to go straight to the post). I wanted to share it with you because you see the hope that she has in God. You see the peace that God bestowed on them! Even though they knew she was going to pass away, they had hope! They had hope because of Christ! It’s amazing!

May you be encouraged as I was.

Musicals

I love musicals! They can be on stage or on the big screen. No matter how I view them, I'm always captivated by the music. I wish I can see more musicals on stage but tickets are so pricey! The last one my beloved and I experienced was Phantom of the Opera but that was years ago. We had an oportunity to experience it again but I turned it down. Now I wish I didn't. To be in that theatre! To feel the thunder of the orchestra in your heart! To watch and listen to the actors sing puts you right there in the middle of the story....WOW! I get shivers up my spine just thinking about it.

When our family goes on long trips one of our favorite things to do is pop in a soundtrack from one of our favorite musicals and sing along. ALB's favorite, Phantom of the Opera. Mine, well, I'm torn between Miss Saigon (even though I've never seen it), Les Miserables and (yes, I know this one isn't theatre but I still like it) Moulin Rouge. Can you tell I have a thing for tragic love stories?

If you haven't heard of any of these musicals, I've posted some here. If you're interested just click "Play" on the musical you want to listen to. Don't forget to pause the music way down below. Enjoy!

Phantom of the Opera (Soundtrack)

miss saigon

Les Miserables 10th Anniversary

Moulin Rouge

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

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!

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

Answered Prayer

For the almost 2 years now we've been praying for God to provide ALB with a new job. Praise God! He answered our prayers in His perfect time. Today is Al's official day at his new place of employment. He is now a Kaiser Permanete employee.

This has been a long trial. And even though there were times that our trust in God seemed to slip a bit, the Lord continued to be faithful to us. He kept reminding us that He is our Great Provider.

Thank you to those who've kept us in your prayers. The Lord has heard you!

Psalm 34: 17-19

"The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all."

Busy Bees

What a busy weekend we've had. It was jam packed with Youth Ministry events. For over a month now Jennie, Liz, Janine M. and I have been planning our 2nd Spaghetti Feed fundraiser for our Youth Ministry. So Friday night was set up of the tables, Saturday morning at 7:10 am was our Discipleship meeting (that we ended up not being able to go), then we had staff meeting at our house, then Saturday afternoon til the evening was filming for our annual Movie Night. Of course when Sunday came we had service then the Spaghetti Feed. So you can imagine when we got home Sunday afternoon we were wiped out. But you know what? Since Al and I are on staff break, this weekend was a wonderful reminder of our purpose here. We here to give up of ourselves (which includes our time) to serve our Lord. Al and I got to talking after everything slowed down and said, "What a great weekend!" What an honor it is to serve our King!

1...2...3...THEY'RE OUT!!

photo courtesy of Real Simple

Yes family and friends, the flu bug bit us again! I'd have to say, we've been sick every month this year. ALB, ALW, MJ and I all have the flu. Surprisingly CL isn't showing signs...yet. With so many people out with the flu, the best thing to do is just to stay home and rest. OK, I'm officially keeping this family under quarantine until we get better! Please pray for us...

The Suffering Servant

"He was despised and forsaken of men,

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

And like one from whom men hide their face

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,

And our sorrows He carried;

Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

But He was pierced through for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray,

Each of us has turned to his own way;

But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all

To fall on Him.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He did not open His mouth;

Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,

And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,

So He did not open His mouth."

Isaiah 53:3-5 (NASB)

Remembering the sufferings of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to save a wreched sinner like me.