A Tribute To My Pastor

Seeing a smile on this formidable old man brings joy to my heart.  He is the pastor appointed by the Lord to take care of my soul.  I heard him preached the first time when I was five years old but the message about rapture is forever etched in my young mind.  I guess that message quickened my heart, book of Proverbs states the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Later on in my teen life I sought God and I was directed to Pastor Fidel's church.

I have seen his high and low points in the ministry and he continued walking with God.  He was humble enough to say sorry to the congregation when there were bad decisions made.  As a church member I stood by him even when we accepted another doctrine for I know that if I am predestined bride of Christ He will make sure I end up in the right track.  God steered the pastor in the right direction and the church went back to preaching and living the absolute Word of God which is the Bible.

During the low points of my life, I seek God's wisdom by getting an advise from my pastor and I request to be prayed for.  I am grateful that God gave me a pastor who really was in love with Him and has burden in his heart to make sure the flock he is ministering God's word to will go to heaven.

Tonight Pastor Fidel celebrated his 65th birthday.  All four children are all grown up and professionals now organized the event for their dear Daddy.  

It's my birthday!

Thank you Lord for adding another year in my life.  Grateful for all the spiritual and material blessings you have given me.  I am amazed with your unconditional love to me. I am sorry for murmuring and complaining during the times I was having a valley experience as I get shortsighted and focused only on pain.

***

 I spent my birthday with my precious sisters and brother in Christ and relatives.  I had lunch with two sisters and early late lunch/early dinner with a different group on same restaurant (Mang Peping's).  For the first time in my adult life, someone else other than a family member bought a birthday cake for me. :) Sister Malou and Brother Emer brought me a carrot cake.

Feeling Grateful

Tomorrow's my 39th birthday and can't help to reflect what God has done in my life and how I fared.  Well, I made some good decisions and bad ones in life but the latter still turned out to be blessings in disguise.  I am so glad to be a Christian.  I thank God for all my journeys in life. 

Supergirl, am not! But I know that God is with me in all my journeys.  He said "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

They say life is not meant to be lived in one place.  When I was a kid I never dream of seeing the world outside of Philippines but God has given me the opportunity to travel and I never stopped making my bucket list of must-see places.  The inset smaller pics in the above was taken in 2004, my first ever trip out of the country.  These were taken in Isle of Man.

God is our Healer

Two years ago, I was diagnosed with adenomyosis at 9 cm. After 18 months the fibroid tissues grew into 12 cm.  With the growth of the fibroids pain followed.  My monthly period were heavy and painful.  I decided twice to undergo surgery since the doctors I consulted all recommend surgery when am ready but circumstances and faith changed my mind.  The doctor will not only take the fibroids out but including uterus and ovaries.  It means no more chances of becoming a mom and scares me losing internal organs.

I hold on to faith that God can heal me without going thru surgery.  I prayed hard and my brethren also prayed for me.  Lately the symptoms are becoming more unbearable but I keep praying to God.  I know that God has put in my heart to stand firm for my healing request.  God is the author and finisher of our faith.


I begged and cried to God last night and this morning to increase my faith and heal me now because my condition gets in the way of serving Him.  There are times I could not attend church services because of pain.  This morning I saw a change in me.  I begin to ignore the doubts and keeps reaffirming God's promise for God will always fulfill His words.  God has given me a verse. Luke 7:13 "And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said unto her, Weep not."

I lift my praise and gratitude to God for healing me.  My days of pain and discomfort are over.  The battle with fibroids is over.  Thank God!

Falling in Love

Had a great time at the church today.  While we were singing and praising God, I felt joy in serving God.  I am so glad to be called Christian, a follower of Christ.  As I go through this journey, the Lord is making things an experience to me not just knowledge.  Lately I keep thinking how good it is to be dedicating my life to Him and serving Him. I can't imagine a life outside Christ.  I am so glad He called me and chose me.

My prayer is that He will draw me closer and that I will fall in love with him more and more.  Even in the midst of my trial I will continue to thank and praise the Lord.  Walking with God is not always a walk in a smooth road; there are humps and rough road along the way but at the end is a great reward.  The pastor said during our previous communion service that following the will of the Lord is easy if we fall in love with Him first.  Yes, like in a natural relationship you can look beyond the not so good characteristics of a person if you are madly in love with Him.  Not that God has not so good characteristics but what I meant is that there is no tough act if  you are doing it with so much love in Christ. :)

Here is a nice worship song.

It's September!

Christmas carol played on radio station woke me up this morning.  It hit me Christmas season has set in and this also signals my birthday will come up soon. 

Philippines never missed to start celebrating Christmas on September no matter what is the condition, rain or shine, economy up or down, war or peace.

However, I started it earlier because I watch movies with Christmas themes as early as June. :)

Exploring Bohol Province

**Updated**
From Cebu City we traveled two hours to go to Tagbilaran City, Bohol via Supercat Ferry.  Unlike my experience in going to Batam, Indonesia the sea was very calm that day we traveled to Bohol.  The ferry was air-conditioned and had big LCD showing Hollywood films.

My Cebu trip was more of revisiting Filipino Heritage as most of the places we visited are historical sites.  On the other hand, Bohol trip was a nature trip.  We visited famous places - Bohol Chocolate Hills, Tarsier Conservatory Park, Butterfly Garden, Loboc River, Man-Made forest in Bilar, Bohol Bee farm in Panglao Island and Chocolate Hills Adventure Park (CHAP). We also visited a musuem and the Blood Compact monument.

In Bohol we hired a tour guide to drive us to these sites.

May 21 - Our first destination was Chocolate Hills since our plan was to go to the farthest place first but we had to make stops in between because we can't resist to take snaps of the wonderful green scenery.

Passing by Loboc River

Green, green....

a foot bridge damaged by the earthquake in 2013

Opposite the foot bridge is an old church also ruined by the quake

We have been traveling for more than an hour already and I noticed there are very few vehicles on the road.  There are no tricycles as well.  I did not see a single sari-sari (small grocery store) store. I engaged in a small chat with our driver cum tour guide to get to know better the Bohol way of living. Mang Tony said people buy their stuff once a week in the market and all other needs/foods can be taken from their backyard or farm. It was simple living.  And that also explains why there are no giant malls like Robinsons and SM in Tagbilaran City.

Bohol's main source of income is farming and tourism.  However, when earthquake hit the province last year tourists influx declined according to Many Tony.

If you feel like engaging in a little adventure go to CHAP.  You can do bike zipline here and also view the chocolate hills from a viewing deck. Try also their resto.

Next stop was Butterfly Garden where we experienced to be like the beautiful butterflies. :)

 You can't missed this 5-kilometer stretch (more or less) of huge trees on your way to Chocolate Hills - man-made forest in Bilar, Bohol.  It was relaxing to drive thru canopy of trees.  We wanted to stop for a while but Mang Tony told us we will do it on our way back to Tagbilaran City.

Finally, we reached the famous Chocolate Hills.  According to folklore tale, the hills were tears of a giant man who was jilted by his loved one.  Wikipedia said those giant mounds are made of limestone covered with grasses which turn to brown during summer (hence it looks like chocolate from afar).

Loboc River Cruise - you should never missed this.  We went for a cruise while having lunch and enjoying short entertainment from locals. One of the boat staff regaled the tourists by singing pop, rock and country music.  At night, dine in Loboc River while fireflies lit the surroundings (we skipped this as we only availed of 8am - 5pm tour).

My Cebu Trip

For almost two years I didn't go out on a long trip, it was all work or just plain rest from work due to health issue. Last week I visited the Queen City of the South (Cebu City) with a friend and we also traveled to the City of Friendship that is Tagbilaran City. However, I made a mistake in booking the return trip to Manila via Mactan Island (Cebu) so we had to return to Cebu again. Now I learned my lesson that if I will do backpacking or visit other nearby provinces, I will surely check out if there is an airport and if I could exit via that place.

We left Manila past 3pm but flight supposedly was at 2:15pm. We boarded on time but takeoff was delayed due to traffic congestion.

We reached Mactan Airport nearly past 4pm. Mactan Island to Cebu City proper is 30 minutes drive however if there is traffic it can take you 45 minutes to an hour. It took us 45 minutes to reach Maxilom St.

You can chose either metered taxi or fixed rate taxi. Mactan - Cebu City is Php475 if it is the latter. However, I selected metered taxi because I am optimistic traffic won't be that horrendous. Yes, there was traffic along the way but meter fell only up to Php302 overall. Riding metered taxi was a good choice.

Took this snap while we were stuck in the traffic

The first order upon arrival was to find a decent hotel in Cebu City (Sampaguita Suites and Palladium Hotel are affordable ones) and next one is to have a taste of Cebu Lechon. :) I was told by a colleague to try CNT Lechon but our hotel was nearer Zubuchon at One Mango building.  Off we went to the latter.

Cebu Lechon, Ginataang Langka and Lemongrass with Lime Juice

Can you resist eating lechon?  Looks yummy!

To be honest, what I really enjoyed from this meal was the Lemongrass juice.  The lechon was tastier than the lechon in Manila or Pangasinan but it was a bit salty.

May 20 - We made plans to have day tour of Cebu City.  Most of the places to visit are of historical or religious sites.  We opted to check out historical sites only since we are non-Catholic.

We checked out tour agencies on their  day tour rates and it is quite expensive.  They charge Php2000-Php2500 per head.  So what we did is negotiated with a taxi if he can tour us for 3 hours only for Php900. Boy, we nailed the deal. :)

Here is our itinerary.

Cebu Heritage Monument - quickly revisit Philippine History by visiting this site.

At Cebu Heritage Monument Park the caretaker was kind enough to take our photos and explain each side of the monument.

Next stop was Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House.

Another tour of musuem was Casa Gorordo.

Go to Intramuros of Cebu City, that is Fort Sn Pedro.

Last stop with our three hours tour was the Taoist Temple.

View from the top of the temple

I recommend KaonaGrill near Lapu Lapu Camp.  Food and customer service was great in this resto.  We capped our half day tour in this resto.

We went to Tagbilaran City in Bohol via Supercat Ferry at 3:15pm same day. We continued our Cebu Tour on May 22.  We hired the same cab driver to tour us around Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova. Don't miss out in trying Lantaw, floating resto in Cordova.

Dine with this amazing sea view.

I can't resist having my picture taken in front of The Big Foot building.  I dream of working in an animation film.

Don't miss out in checking the Guitar factory in Mactan Island.  Cebu produces best guitars in the country.

My New baby!

Yey! Happy to finally own a DSLR! I bought my first camera last May 15, took me a long time to get one. I had to choose between Nikon D5100 and D5200. After reading dozens of reviews and seeking some professional photographers' advice I settled for D5200 which is newer model.

I bought the camera from an online store and personally picked it up in their office last Thursday. While the sales clerk was opening the box and putting out the contents for me, I have great feeling because I can finally pursue one of my passions which is photography. I am thinking of giving her a name because she will be my companion in my travels and adventures :) Just watched the Hallmark movie "Lucky in Love" and got this idea to name it Peggy. Jonah, one of the main characters in the film became a writer and he wrote a book entitled "The Story of Peggy."

"Peggy" traveled with me to Cebu and Bohol. I will be writing soon about my trip to these provinces.

Another Journey

I am entering another journey in life. It will be a test of faith and patience, waiting on God's answers. Fear and worry I cast aside. God is my provider and healer. He is my refuge.

I will walk by faith and not by sight.

Wohoo! I have my new passport now. I am looking forward to more travels this year. :) I will also get a Nikon D5100 DSLR next week. I can't wait to capture in camera the beauty of nature and human nature.

It's 2am Manila time, the whole flat is quiet and just the humming sound of aircon dominates the air. From 23rd floor of Olympic Heights Tower 3 I can see from my windows a panoramic view of Marikina and Quezon City. It was a good view and every time I look at my window I feel grateful to God. I am in awe with how God works in my life. I thank God I wake up every day and have reached this age. I thank God for my job at Accenture. I thank God for nice housemates. I thank God for my safety and protection. I thank God for His providence and healing. Most of all, I thank Him for my salvation.

Years back, I could not imagine working in Manila but when there is no choice you just have to plunge and trust God He will keep you safe. Metro Manila is a jungle where nobody cares for anybody. To each his own. Riding public utilities is unsafe. Food unsafe, etc. That so far is the image that media has shaped in my mind.

However, all of these have changed as I learned to appreciate this metropolitan place. I got to meet nice people. I enjoyed dining in good restos. I ride taxi without nervousness and just trusting I will reach my destination safely.

Where I am now is a small central business district in Quezon City which I described as a city within a city. I live and work in Eastwood City where all amenities are within walking distance. Banks, restaurants, malls, grocery, church, police station, fire station and satellite clinics are within walking distance. I can walk freely and safely at whatever time of the day.

I am thinking of quitting my new job and am going to miss this place.

This is the view from my window.

I walk around the mall park this morning around 5am.

Letter to God

Dear God,

You already know the thoughts and desires of my heart without me verbalizing it but I want to put my thoughts written down because I want to share my journey to the readers of this blog. For so many years my faith is not that strong. I doubted where am going if in case curtain calls. I have fears, so many fears but as I go along in this life you continue to mold me. I have been through circumstances in life that tested my faith in you.

Two years ago I found myself unemployed. It took me almost two years to find a good job. This journey brought me abroad, bonded with my elder brother, and spiritual brothers and sisters. Anxiety enveloped but you sent people to keep me going and you put in my heart that no matter what happens I should continue serving you. Day and night I prayed and cried to you. I was drawn closer to you during this hard time, I was able to attend prayer meetings and Sunday services. One day in my dreams you gave me a sign that this trial is over. After a month, I found a job.

A few months after resuming work, I got diagnosed with uterine fibroid. My desire to be a mother someday was threatened by this health issue. And as I suffer from pain my desire also to become a mother grows. I have decided to undergo surgery but you put circumstances to hinder that and you made me stand on faith and claim my healing. You exposed the works of satan. For four Sundays, Ptr Ian taught about how demon influences Christians. You empowered me how to cast out these evil spirits tormenting my body. You are teaching and molding me to be a woman of faith. You increased my faith and taught what is divine healing and its phases. Faith is believing something even when there is no physical proof yet. There were days I suffer in pain but I endured it as you whispered to me that I am already healed. There is no ultrasound or medical exam to prove that uterine fibroid is gone but I claimed by faith that I am healed. Thank you for the divine healing. Thank you for healing me.

It isn't in providence and healing alone that you are manifesting thy love and guidance to me. You are molding my character as well. You opened my eyes and made me aware to pray for my weaknesses. You continue to nurture Love and Forgiveness in my heart. You made circumstances at work to test my character. I remember praying for people to realize their mistakes. You didn't answer those prayers but when I prayed for love and forgiveness to abide in my heart you responded immediately. I understand then that it was me that you are trying to change not the people who offended me. For me that is a manifestation of love from my father. You wanted me to become a better Christian. I thank you for that.


Your child,
Katie

Grateful

Happy 2014!

It's the start of the year again and time to make to do lists and wishes for 2014. My heart is filled with gratefulness to the Lord for everything He made me experience as it molded my character. I am a work in progress and I am happy with who I am today. The experiences are so rich. I look forward to a better year.

I did not travel abroad or domestic last year and this year I intend to go places. Here is my list of must see places.
1. Bali, Indonesia
2. Taiwan
3. Backpacking in South East Asia
4. Iloilo - Guimaras - Antique backpacking
5. Cebu

I want to continue the following
1. herb gardening
2. Mandarin tutorial
3. guitar lesson