Arrived in Bangalore safe – Interesting India 1

Today marks the second day of my stay here in India.

I arrived here July 19,2008 , June 19,2008 (thanks Bharat for the correction. This is what happens if you lack sleep for days )about 12 midnight. It was really an adventure with God as I managed get here alone and safe. Although I was not able to sleep well on my Davao-Singapore flight, I was still in high spirits and was truly excited on the adventure that God has planned for me the next several weeks.

What was amazing was my Singapore to Bangalore flight. The weather bureau said that rain and thunderstorms were expected. I took the late night flight and was up on the by 8:15 pm, as I look out my window I saw another plane probably going to the same direction and will turn right on the next sky intersection . So anyway, I was bored and very tired but cannot sleep so I just took out my camera and tried to take a video of the other plane.

After a minute or so, I caught on my camera the silhouette of the clouds as thunders brightened the dark sky. I love rains, I love thunders, and that time I think it was God’s way of telling me to be still and know that He brought me here, He will take me back home safe.

Come back for my next update and see some of the things that I saw here.

I miss you Daddy

Dear Daddy,

Yesterday was father’s day. It used to be one of my favorite days because i get to celebrate it with the greatest man in the whole wide world.  The man who took my heart away and the same man who set a standard so high for men to follow.

I remember when I was still in college, any man who dared to court me always had to measure up to the daddy-stick. Until now, nobody ever even came close.

Dad, yesterday I missed you so much. Yesterday, I did not cry too much but I missed you terribly.

I taught my first Sunday School class in the new church I am attending near home. You always reminded me to help the church in any way that I can. I never forgot, Dad.

Yesterday when the kids did their happy father’s day card for their Dads, I made you mine. I wanted to cry but I can’t ; how can I explain my tears to the kids.

Dad, every time I hit a roadblock in my life, I always wished in my heart that my Daddy is still here to save me. i miss you Dad. When I wanted to travel or do something or buy something but I can’t, my heart would always say, “If Daddy were here.”

You were never perfect Dad, you had a lot of faults, hurt me some, but you were my Dad. You were my hero. You still are.

Daddy, I write this letter with tears in my eyes for no man in this world could hug me like you did. No man in this world would ever come close to you.  I miss you Dad and I always will. I love you Daddy!

She works hard for the money

Forgive my week long silence.

I do not need to tell you that prices of basic commodities have been skyrocketing. My wallet has been complaining a lot so I have to heed her call and look for ways to put food inside her grumbling tummy.

In came a part time rewriting job. The pay is not big, an article cannot even buy a kilo of rice, but the the thing is there is something that I am doing. I do not know with you, but I am so tired of complaining.

We may not have had an increase for the past five years, but can we honestly say that God did not provide for the things we needed during those times? I do not think so.

Life is hard and it will definitely get harder. Instead of complaining, do something. Utilize your flower pots to plant vegetables or herbs. Save rain water for cleaning or for watering your vegetables. Anything, just do something.

Last weekend I tried improvising on a solar cooker, bought foil and lined an old black pot. As an experiment I tried cooking an egg (hoping to come out hard boiled). Began my “solar cooking” around 9 am. It was so exciting to wait for the sun to set and see how my ultra slow cooked egg would come out.

5pm finally came… *drum roll please* … when I cracked the egg open, out came my egg, as raw as it came out from the chicken’s body. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

Oceans will part

A very dear friend, Eunice, left me a message and a video in my multiply account. A song that I currently love. It’s from the Hillsong and the title is Oceans will part.

It was also Eunice who introduced me to this song and I fell in the love the moment I listened to it.

“If my heart has grown cold
There Your love will unfold”

A lot of times I have given up hope. I felt that God did not love me. But every time that feeling crept in, He would embrace me with His love and remind me again that He loves me more than anything in this world.

“When I’m blind to my way
There Your Spirit will pray”

I am stubborn and do things my way. Over and over again, I force God to submit to what I want because I think that that is the best for me. Over and over again, He would gently remind me that forcing the issue would lead to more heart aches. Every time this happens, the Holy Spirit would groan for me, changing my heart to see God’s best.

“Present suffering may pass
Lord Your mercy will last “

Currently, I am living amidst the consequences of wrong decisions made in the past.  I cry a lot, and  ask forgiveness every time I remember my disobedience. But God in His infinite mercy and grace would remind me that this too shall pass.

“Oceans will part nations come
At the whisper of Your call
Hope will rise glory shown
In my life Your will be done “

The God that I serve can make oceans part at His mere whisper. Powerful nations will bow down at His glory.

I am stubborn and sing “In my life sometimes Your will be done.” In situations like this where I am paying for the consequences, I repent. But when things seems right in my eyes, my will be done and not the Lord’s. Then I pay the consequences and ask forgiveness again. A vicious cycle that I cannot end on my own.

“And my heart will find praise
I’ll delight in Your way
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand”

I am what I am because of Mom.

I am closer to my late sister as I am with my mom. Probably this is because  I grew up with my sister as mom was out most of the time.

When Mom suffered a stroke, her loving brother and his wife, built her a beautiful room adjacent to my house. As I am the only daughter  that she has now. Everybody thought that her moving in with me would finally make us bond, so did I. But sad to say it did not give us the opportunity to be closer.

Mom wanted to stay in her own place, independently living as she is used to.  I can understand as I can’t keep her company all the time because I have to work hard for the money as well.  let’s just say that sparks kept on flying, so she moved out and stayed at her own home.

Now I am on my way for my weekly visits. I guess this is better this way.  She is happy, I am happy, and we are both excited every time we see each other. Probably not all mother-daughter relationships are the same. Mom and I are more like friends. Which is good, I guess.

I always envied my Aunt Belinda (Mom’s sister in law) and Mommy Lolitte (mom’s sister) as they have very close relationships with their children. I grew up looking at my cousins with envy but then I now know that not all relationships are the same.

I am what I am now because of my Mom. Whatever success and where ever God brings me partly I owe it to Mom. And thinking about it that way,  I guess I do not want it any other way.

I love you Mom!