therecordbook

To Be Like Jesus

2012-02-03T05:21:00.000-08:00

Well, hello again, my recordbook! Last time I get to hang out here & made my last post was July of last year! Tsk Tsk! Pardon my laziness! So, I'm determined to make a new post tonight. My first for this year 2012!

Tonight, the choir practiced the song, "To Be Like Jesus" and my housemate, Sarai, loved the song & played it a couple of times when we got home. So, the lyrics of the song is kind of stuck in my mind right now.

To Be Like Jesus

words and music - Dick & Mel Tunney

A little boy is crying for affection.

A little girl needs a hand to hold.

And oh, how He loves those little children

How He longs to be a friend to young and old.

His tender Spirit welcomes all who seek Him.

His giving heart asks little in return.

And I have found His promises faithful.

I seek to live my life that I may learn…

To be like Jesus, To be like Jesus,

To be the one I was created to be.

To be like Jesus, To be like Jesus,

May all who see my heart find Him in me.

When I received His supreme salvation,

His Heavenly love fills my earthly soul.

And I became His new creation.

My brokenness He made completely whole.

And through the darkness of this world

I’ve been commissioned

To be a light that shines for Him alone.

Surrounded by His infinite mercy,

May my life always be known…

To be like Jesus, To be like Jesus,

To be the one I was created to be.

To be like Jesus, To be like Jesus,

My only earthly goals fulfilled

When I'm centered in His will.

May all who see my life find Him in me.

It's actually a nice reminder and I think the message of the song made me re-evaluate myself. Am I a good example to the people around me? Am I a good friend, neighbor, or co-worker? I know I have my weaknesses and personal struggles, but I do want to be like Jesus. I want to strive to be a good example to the people around me. I want to have a "tender Spirit", a "giving heart", and "be a friend to young and old". I know I have to work on so many things to achieve that. But, I'm hoping that, in my own small way eventually, "may all who see my heart find Him in me."

"But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:16

Happy Sabbath, everyone!

Everything Happens For A Reason

2011-07-15T06:09:00.000-07:00

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God." Ecclesiastes 3:11-13

Lord, In The Morning...

2011-05-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

"Lord, in the morning Thou shalt hear
My voice ascending high;
To Thee will I direct my prayer,
To Thee lift up mine eye.
Up to the hills, where Christ is gone
To plead for all His saints,
Presenting at His Father's throne,
Our songs and our complaints..."
~Isaac Watts

It's just 4am and I'm already up and can't go back to sleep! This has been the weirdest day, so far, this year! So, instead of tossing and turning on my bed, I decided to do something productive and write an overdue blog post!

A lot has happened since my last blog post and I don't even know where to start, or if I should do a summary of events that lead to now. I should mention, though, that a couple of weeks ago, I got to go home after 2 years! It was only about 2 days, but I am so happy I got to see my family! It was also great to be able to travel again and see the Philippines, see old friends...and shop!!!

It's already the month of May!!! It's crazy!!! I can't believe this school year's almost over! Things are starting to wind down at the school and preparations for the summer and next school year are already taking place. I knew May will be a bittersweet month for me. Bitter because I know I have limited time left with my housemates and sweet because I will be planning my summer vacation (sweeter if I didn't have my quick seminar in the Philippines a couple of weeks ago). The next few weeks will definitely be a rollercoaster ride of emotions, but for now, I'll take it one day at a time.

The song above just popped into my head because the usual reason why I'm up around this time was for morning devotionals and usually singing this song. Maybe I do need some early morning devotional today and the lyrics of the song is a reminder to me that today, and every day, I need to "lift up mine eye" and "direct my prayer" to Him before I start my day and empty out all the burdens of my heart and let Him carry it for me.

"Casting all you cares upon Him, for He careth for you." 1 Peter 5: 7

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4: 6,7

Whatever it is that woke me up early this morning, I am glad I got to reflect on those verses. My heart is, indeed, lighter...

My Guardian Angel

2011-03-15T01:43:00.000-07:00

I have never been in a serious accident...never broken a bone, never had deep cuts nor serious scrapes. It has always been minor accidents and "almost accidents", and for some reason, I have always been spared from getting badly injured. I have always felt this strong presence protecting me. I strongly believe I am assigned to one of the best guardian angels because I was sickly as a child and, therefore, will need special attention. I am also accident-prone so, I believe I have one of the busiest guardian angels, as well.

I remember almost falling off a cliff when I was in high school. A group of us were doing church visitation every Sabbath to promote SDA education and on our way to one of the churches up in the mountains, our teacher's truck skidded and ran into a tree alongside a cliff. The tree was the only thing keeping us from falling off the cliff. We were hanging there for quite some time until the rescuers arrived and pulled us out to safety. I also remember driving one night and skidding 180 degrees in an intersection. There was only one car waiting for the green light on the corner to my left and my car stopped right before the lane where the car was! There were several other somewhat scary driving incidents and all of them I got out of miraculously...because of my guardian angel.

This weekend, I felt the strong presence of my guardian angel again and I feel so blessed and grateful. Especially grateful this time because several people dear to me would have been affected by it if it actually got serious and I would have had a hard time getting over it. I am definitely glad His protection never fails!

It is not a matter of luck that I get spared all the time. It is because of God's protection. I firmly believe in that. I have always claimed His promise in Psalm 91:11, "For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways."

Thank God for my guardian angel!

Quotients!

2011-02-21T05:27:00.000-08:00

I haven't watched television in a while now which is very unusual for me since I can say I am or was a TV addict. So, when we ate at a Filipino restaurant the other night, I was glad to watch The Filipino Channel (TFC) again on their TV screen. I was soaking every bit of information... from showbiz news to new commercials! Then, I saw this commercial for an infant milk formula that talked about helping improve the baby's IQ, EQ, and.... PQ! PQ?!? I just remembered about it today and decided to do a little research on this new quotient that I have no idea what the acronym stands for. I want to share with you what I found out.

We all know that IQ stands for Intelligence Quotient, which also means mental intelligence. It is manifested in the person's mastery of knowledge, power of observation, memory, thinking ability, imagination, creativity, and problem-solving ability. EQ, on the other hand, stands for Emotional Quotient, which involves self-awareness, personal motivation, self-regulation, empathy and social skills.

PQ, the quotient that sparked my curiosity, has two meanings in two separate sites I found. One stands for Practical Intelligence Quotient and the other stands for Physical Intelligence Quotient. The first one involves intelligence in solving sets graphical puzzles set in a virtual world. The second one involves wise nutrition, consistent balance exercises, proper rest and relaxation, and stress management and prevention. I don't know which one is the correct meaning of the acronym PQ, but they're both pretty interesting.

Here are the list of other quotients I found:

MQ = Moral Intelligence Quotient
DQ = Daring Intelligence Quotient
HQ = Health Intelligence Quotient
AQ = Adversity Intelligence Quotient
FQ = Financial Intelligence Quotient
MQ = Moral Intelligence Quotient
WQ = Will Intelligence Quotient

It's pretty interesting to know that these quotients have multiplied over the years! However, there's one other quotient that got my attention: it was the SQ. SQ stands for Spiritual Intelligence Quotient. It involves a person's integrity (character building), meaning (purpose in life), and voice (self-enlightenment and ability to motivate others). The other site I found defines it as the essence of things, inspiration, insight ability and intuitive thinking. Both sites did not mention anything about the Bible or God. But for me, SQ should stand for spiritual maturity, which should involve personal relationship with God, knowledge of the Bible, sharing of faith, stewardship, and exercise of spiritual gifts, to name a few. If there was a gauge to this, I am not sure where I will be at, but it is something to think about...and maybe even something to work on.

They say that integration of IQ, EQ, PQ and SQ will result to true knowledge or holistic development. Whether you agree with that or not, I hope you will agree with me that the most important quotient to work on is our Spiritual Quotient. God is the source of all true wisdom. Let us never forget that.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Prov. 9:10

"If any one of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God." James 1:5

The Warrior Is A Child

2011-01-30T08:22:00.000-08:00

It's 1:23am, Monday morning, and I can't sleep so, I decided to make another post! I slept most of my Sunday, plus the constant pounding of the rain on our roof are the reasons why I'm still up right now. Anyways, I am hoping I will not be late for work in the next few hours and that I can have the energy I'll need for my crazy Monday schedule.

I want to share with you a song that has touched my heart especially during one of my lowest points in life. I LOVE the lyrics of this song and it describes exactly how I feel right now.

Warrior Is A Child

Lately I've been winning battles left and right
But even winners can get wounded in the fight
People say that I'm amazing
Strong beyond my years
But they don't see inside of me
I'm hiding all the tears

They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and cry for just a while
'Cause deep inside this armor
The warrior is a child

Unafraid because His armor is the best
But even soldiers need a quiet place to rest
People say that I'm amazing
Never face retreat
But they don't see the enemies
That lay me at His feet

They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and and cry for just a while
'Cause deep inside this armor
the warrior is a child

They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and look up for a smile
'Cause deep inside this armor
Deep inside this armor
Deep inside this armor

The Warrior is a Child

Right now, this child is missing two people who have been my pillar of strength...who I always run to whenever I "fall"...

My mother...

It's been almost two years since I last went home for vacation.

and Yeng...

It's been almost nine years since our last bonding...

When most of the time you are taking care of other people, you also miss the times when you are the one being taken care of. The child in me misses being taken care of by these two people...

In the next couple of hours, I have to put on the armor and be the warrior again. I am glad that during times when I am down, I can always turn to God for strength...and each day, He never fails. I get the courage and strength I need to face my daily life's battles because He knows that this (me) warrior is still a child.

Recovered Memories

2011-01-30T03:39:00.000-08:00

Last January 3, someone came to my office and took my purse while we were having devotionals on the second floor of the school. In it were all of my gadgets, my wallet containing all my IDs and some accessories. It was a bad way to start the year, but I decided to keep my positive outlook, get up from that bad experience & move on. I am still in the process of replacing all my IDs. Just last Friday, I got all the gadgets I bought to replace the stolen ones.

I thought I lost all the pictures I had on my camera because I have this bad habit of not saving it to my computer & I don't own an external hard drive. However, for some reason, I was able to save some pictures on my computer! It's not everything in the camera, but I was able to salvage some. So, I want to share some of the pictures I was able to recover (just the ones I wasn't able to upload on Facebook).

There was a particular video I was hoping I was able to save but was, unfortunately, really lost forever. Another frustrating thing is that I won't get to go home and attend my brother's graduation this Spring Break because I still don't have a passport. It takes a while to get the replacement and I won't get it in time for Spring Break. Sad...however, I just have to forgive...the memories from those pictures and videos will still be in my heart and maybe, there's a good reason why I can't travel this March.

Total forgiveness...a lesson I need to learn. Also, now I need to be careful all the time...need to use those door locks. Another thing I learned from this experience: that I can survive without all those gadgets. It's nice to have them, but I can really be fine if I don't have them.

Until next post!

Where to next?

2011-01-24T03:15:00.000-08:00

Last night, a group of us gathered for our nightly worship and we all shared how we all came to Saipan. As I was telling my story, it dawned on me how the Lord has always been very clear to me on what's the next thing He wants me to do. It even came to a point where He let me experience my "great disappointment", that probably was my most embarrassing moment...just to be very clear that I was going on a different path and steered me back to the direction He wanted me to go. I was making my own plans, which was different from what He was planning for me.

I have always dreamed of a corporate life. Success to me before was measured by going up the ranks, being a part of a large multi-national corporation and being materially blessed. I had great personal expectations and I felt that I can always achieve my dreams because, in a way, I was blessed with academic achievements under my belt. However, the Lord had better plans for me. First, He gave me a painful reminder that all my previous achievements and everything I know is all because of Him, not because of my own efforts. Then, He made me do exactly what I told myself I would never do -- go back to my hometown and work in the Adventist hospital where I was born. It wasn't because the hospital was bad. I just didn't want to be born there, work there and eventually die there. But, surprisingly, that experience made me realize how different the work environment is in our institutions compared to non-denominational institutions. There, I found my calling. I have developed a desire to serve Him, to the best of my capacity. Now, I can't imagine myself working again for non-denominational companies. In our institutions, you may not be materially blessed, but the spiritual blessings are overflowing.

These past months, I have been struggling on whether to continue to serve here in Saipan or find another place for me to serve. I have been praying for months now but I haven't heard or seen any clear direction from Him. I even gave myself a deadline when I should have a decision by, but I was feeling uneasy already because it's getting really close and I still don't have a clear direction what to do next. All I know is, I still want to serve Him, wherever He wants me to be. Last night was another reminder for me that I have to let go of my personal plans and let Him take full control. He is, and will always be there to guide me, especially in making difficult choices. Right now, He is telling me to wait...in His time, He will reveal His plans for me.

God has indeed great ways to give us answers to our prayers. I might not have a clear direction yet on what to do for next year, but I am now confident that He would reveal His plans very clearly to me again....as He has done in the past. I just have to be patient and let Him take full control.

"I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for." Jeremiah 29:11

New Year, New Beginnings, New Challenges...

2010-12-31T21:09:00.000-08:00

First day of the year, first Sabbath of the month...aahh, the New Year has finally started to roll! Most of the people all over the world are doing fasting and prayer right now and while I am not sure if I will be able to get through the day without food, I decided to spend this afternoon, not just in prayer, but also meditating in His Word. While I am doing this, I would like to record some of the significant passages that have been an inspiration to me in the past and I know will always be a good reminder for me in my daily Christian walk.

"You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for His own. So then, you must clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you. And to all these qualities add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity. The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is to this peace that God has called you together in one body. And be thankful. Christ's message in all its richness must live in your hearts. Teach and instruct one another with all wisdom. Sing psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing to God with thanksgiving in your hearts. Everything you do or say, then, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks through Him to God the Father." Col. 3: 12-17, TEV.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people. Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what He has kept for His people. For Christ is the real Master you serve." Col. 3:23-24 TEV.

"My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way. for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure. Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." James 1:2-4 TEV

"We may make our plans, but God has the last word. You may think everything you do is right, but the Lord judges your motives. Ask the Lord to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying them out." Prov. 16: 1-3 TEV.

As I begin this year, I want to start it with a positive outlook and total submission. Although I am pretty determined to make the first half of this year a continuation of the first five awesome months of the school year, the other half of the year is still blank and unplanned. I am hoping that as I begin planning for those months, I will be guided by the Holy Spirit and will continue to have that positive outlook. I may have to say goodbye to people at some point but, I am praying that I will have the courage to embrace the new beginnings ahead.

I know this year will bring new challenges for me...maybe even big changes. But as I ponder upon His blessings to me in the past and the way He has always been there for me, I know that I will be able to make it through each challenge, each change...if I will only allow Him to work in me and through me. I will make that as a daily, conscious effort on my part to entrust my life to Him and let Him take full control.

Remembering 2010...Looking forward to 2011

2010-12-31T05:17:00.000-08:00

I have barely 2 hours until 2011 and before this year will end, I want to make my last entry in my record book. I remember starting 2010 full of hope -- hope for a better year. 2009 was a very tough year for me and I remember being on my knees begging God for a better year. I was struggling emotionally then. Things at the school were pretty tough and it seems as if problems came to us one after the other. It was like being out in the ocean during a storm and being hit by huge waves. I was trying to swim but could barely raise my head above the water to take a deep breath. But God did answer my prayers. 2010 became a start of positive things, not just for me, but also for the school. We were able to end the school year well despite the struggles we had on the first half of the year. It felt like being in a war, fighting, and winning the battle! I was a bit emotional after all the graduations. It was a tough year, but it made my relationship to God closer than ever.

The new school year started on a very positive note. I am grateful for a great group of people to work with this school year. Everything has just been pretty smooth. Our enrollment is picking up and so far, we have exceeded last year's records in several areas. We still have our financial struggles this year. But, amazingly, I have been pretty assured that if we got through last year's struggles, we definitely will be able to get through this school year's as well. I praise God that He always comes through whenever we need Him.

I had been complaining for some time not being able to celebrate my birthday to the fullest this year because it was the same day that all the new teachers came. So, the day before and the day of my birthday was spent preparing for their arrival. Usually, the new teachers came the day before or day after my birthday so I was able to really have that time for myself to celebrate or just relax. This year, which was supposed to be a significant year for me to celebrate, it was not as relaxing as before. So, I would usually joke about it with my housemates and blame them for it. Thinking about it more, I think God actually gave me one of the best gifts I have ever received this year. He gave me a group of people that have made me appreciate and enjoy life in Saipan again. People that, if this will be my last year in Saipan, I would actually love to end my year with. I don't have any reason to complain about not being able to celebrate my birthday. It has been an awesome five months so far...and I am looking forward to another awesome five more months ahead!

In The Spirit of Thanksgiving - Part 2

2010-12-05T06:48:00.000-08:00

It has been over a week since Thanksgiving day and I haven't done any follow up post. Things have been hectic lately. I have planned to continue on with my theme from the last post and feature the next batch of people that have made a difference in my life but decided otherwise. I'll post that some other time. There are a lot of things that have happened lately that I am definitely thankful for and would want that to be the wrap up of my theme.

Thanksgiving Break this year started out with a beautiful, relaxing afternoon at the beach with Silvia. It was nice to have a break from all the rushing and stress over the Thanksgiving lunch at the school. The following days were spent feasting! A lot of eating! We had back to back celebrations that, by the end of the week, our fridges were full of leftovers from all the feasting that we had. Good thing we did some physical activities during the break by joining the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day and snorkeling during the weekend. The weekend was also exciting because we spent it camping at Managaha. The break seemed so short that by Sunday night, I didn't want to go back to work the following day. I knew that it will be one of the busiest weeks I will have because of my long list of things to do that week and the Hope Run that was coming up. I was thankful, though, that I spent those 5 1/2 days well and did not think of work. It was such a blessing! Thanks to these awesome people that made my Thanksgiving Break enjoyable!

Today, I am thankful again for the success of our 5K Hope Run fundraiser. It was my first time organizing an event that's open to the public so I was really worried about it. I am thankful that everything went well - we had good weather, good number of runners, good number of tickets sold and that everything went according to plan. I am also thankful for the support of the students, SA Officers, staff and most of all my awesome housemates & neighbor that have helped me a lot in the planning and setup. Here's some pictures of the event this morning courtesy of Ernie Lacorte and Tiffany Odiyar.

The Registration Table

At the starting line...

Ready to start..

The finish line...

Time for the raffle!

Waiting for their names to be called...

Thank you, God, for all the blessings, for the wonderful and supportive people you have surrounded me with and for the beautiful island that I am lucky to live on!

In The Spirit of Thanksgiving - Part 1

2010-11-20T21:35:00.000-08:00

This week, everyone here will be celebrating Thanksgiving. I never knew that it's supposed to be like a kickoff to the Christmas season until I came here in Saipan. My view of Thanksgiving have always been how Bacolod Adventist Medical Center celebrated it - lots of food from the different departments (mostly local delicacy) to celebrate the year's abundance, different speakers talking about the blessings they received that year, and everybody feasting on the food afterwards. Thinking of it now brings me back lots of childhood memories being a "hospital kid". It is what you call someone whose parent/s worked at the hospital, grew up playing at the hospital premises, and attending all hospital family functions.

Since I am away from all of that right now, I will dedicate this post to people that I am thankful to have in my life. There are several and some may not be included here, but I am thankful for all the people that have influenced me in big and small ways and have made me who I am today.

I am thankful for my family for all the support that they have given me throughout the years. Now that the family is growing, I am thankful that our bond is stronger and that, despite the distance, we still keep the communication lines open. It is always a joy coming home because all of them will take the time off to spend time with me. I am definitely blessed to have all of them!

She might probably kill me for choosing this picture among all the pictures in her Facebook but this picture is the closest on how I will always remember my childhood friend, Yeng Buhat-Galang - playful, will always pick on me but I will never have the strength to fight back or hate and never fails to make me laugh. I will forever be thankful to her for being practically like my second mom when we were growing up. Though I haven't seen her for 8 long years now, she will forever be a huge part of my life.

I am equally thankful for this highschool partner in crime, Maybelle Belican-Espulgar. Highschool memories wouldn't be fun-filled and enjoyable without my experiences with Yeng and Maybelle. I will forever cherish that.

These 3 sisters were a huge part of my college life - Myrel Joy Macawili-Martinez, Zernah Faith Macawili-Alekseenko, and Helen Macawili-Huynh. I think music was one of the main thing that brought us together. That, and the fact that we were roommates for the most part of my college life. I am thankful to have them in my life. My college memories have been meaningful and fun-filled because of them. I have also learned a lot from them. Thank you, Ate Mai, Ate Luv & Manang Helen! I will forever hold you dear to my heart.

I am thankful for this great study buddy in college, Helen Cheryll Tan-Ebreo. Without her encouragement and persistence in keeping me awake on those long exam nights, it would have been hard keeping that GPA! Thank you, Friend!

I am thankful to have known these two great people during my first professional experience in Manila. Thank you, Leilani Joy Aba-Jucaban and Myla Mia Lope-Del Rio. Whenever I look back on my life in Manila, you will always be remembered with great fondness. Thank you for being there in one of the toughest part of my life.

This is it for now. Part 2 will be posted in the next few days. I am happy to have a few days off this week and spend Thanksgiving break with my housemates. I am glad and looking forward to making great memories this year! Advance Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

The First Step

2010-11-19T21:29:00.001-08:00

I can't remember how many times I've thought about starting a blog. I always had reasons at the back of my head why I probably won't. I guess all you need is to take that first step. So, here I am. I am finally taking the first step and starting this blog. I don't know how often I will be able to post, or if I will always be active. All I know is that I have so many thoughts recently that I just want to share. So, now, I am bravely taking the first step. I hope this will be a start of something great!