2011 and Still Counting

Instead of counting sheeps, why not count blessings. And that's what I'm gonna do while ending 2011 with praises for God who provides for all of this.

As the Gospel for today (December 31, 2011) says in John 1:

All things cam to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; --John 1:3-4 (NAB)

Here are some of 2011's highlights.
In between are households and meetings.

JANUARY
1-Happy new year for 2011. Lunch at the Rafael's. Mass at the Our Lady of the Annunciation of Parish.
5-Campus team meeting
6-8, 13-15-RLE: SLMC OR
8-CFC FFL Community conference. Kev and Meme's BDC.
11-13-Campus youth camp
15-Nova core: Laser tag and Shakey's
17-19-Completion for DR cases at Shalom
20-22, 27-29-RLE: ARMMC Pediatrics
23-Family with tita Glo
30-Core servants assembly

FEBRUARY
3-SLCN 8th year over-all champion
10-11-RLE: School nursing (TSNHS)
11-Live Pure Movement (LPM) forums at TSNHS and SMCQC HS
22-24-RLE: Community nursing (Kamandag)
24-25-C3 sisters' overnight
26-Truth & Dare: Jason Evert and Michael Voris

MARCH
11-13-All out! Campus youth camp
19-20-Mock NLE (SLCN-InReP)
20-Novaliches Diocese Chastity Youth Conference
21-22-Skills revalida
24-Clinical graduation
25-Prolife rally
25-26-Campus planning
26-Huling Hirit and Handog
28-University Graduation

APRIL
4-NLE Review starts
7-HC iSikat practice; WYC story conference
14-Dagupan-bound for WYC; WYC recollection; Mass at Lingayen-Dagupan Cathedral
15-17-World Youth Congress 2011: Lakas ng Diyos (Isaiah 49:5)
17-24-Holy Week
21-Pabasa
22-Visita Iglesia
23-2,000 Hail Mary's
25-Ynah's debut
28-Mission trip training
29-May 1-World Kids Congress

MAY
1-Divine Mercy Sunday
3-7-SHouT! ParaNoMa
15-Fiesta in Bulacan
20-22-Youth camp Pandi, Bulacan

JUNE
12-Back-to-school event
26-CFC FFL 30th Anniversary
26-27-NLE Mock Exam
27-Mass for NLE

JULY
1-3-CFC YFL HC Mid-year planning
2-Nurse Licensure Exam (Day 1)
3-Nurse Licensure Exam (Day 2)
12-VMobile
13-Start of Total consecration to Jesus through Mary
15-TUA Campus fair
22-LPM at Quezon
22-24-Youth camp at Lucena, Quezon
30-Campus PLUS (+) Party

AUGUST
12-14-Campus youth camp
14-Youth camp training at Mariveles, Bataan
15-Total Consecration to Jesus, Incarnate Wisdom, through the Hands of Mary
17-HC LeftoverTeam Dinner at Leslie's in Tagaytay: Bulalo FTW!
19-21-Campus youth camp
20-NLE Results: Registered Nurse
20-SFL CLS starts
28-Feast of St. Augustine
29-30-Youth camp at Mariveles, Bataan
31-LPM at FEU-FERN

SEPTEMBER
1-Overnight at Kapatid's house
8-Happy Birthday Mama Mary
16-Applied for a teaching job at I.EXCEL. Teaching demo
20-Long day
Met with Meme at West Avenue
Breakfast at McDo Morayta
PRC Registration. YES! R.N.
Lunch at KFC Morayta
Walk trip at Cubao
St. Pio de Pietrelcina Shrine
Dinner at Jobee Mega
Mass at Megamall Chapel
HC Meeting
24-Another teaching demo
25-At kuya Coi's house

OCTOBER
1-First teaching day
1-Love forum at PYM of Vicariate of Sto. Nino
8-Grand Rosary Rally
10-A Million Roses for the World
16-Work With the Poor (WWP) Medical Mission
20-Broadway Specials
22-Youth camp at Baras, Rizal
31-Nov.1-Baras, Rizal with Family and Meme

NOVEMBER
3-Advanced birthday gift: Watch from my sister
4-Youthfest Recollection and story con
5-IIAP Exam and Passed
6-Gripped Youthfest 2011
6-Blast of Praise
7-Legend of the Guardians
13-Happy 21st Birthday to Me!
14-Happy One Year of Sisterhood with my Kapatid Meme! BFFAEAE! Pizza Hut. There Be Dragons.
14-18-National Youth Day (NYD)
16-Community Week at Academia de Bellarmino
16-NYD Praise Concert
17-E.S.
18-Chastity Forum (LPM) at Batangas State University
22-Chastity Forum (LPM) at Lyceum, Batangas
28-Got my Nurse License
30-QC Circle with Family

DECEMBER
2-4-SMCQC Fair
4-Nova Chirstmas Party
7-8-LPM Isabela. 1st airplane ride. Rode a bus with CR.
16-Missa de Gallo
16-Catechesis on the New Roman Missal
17-Bataan Christmas Party
18-Life Direction Seminar
19-Ate April's Arrival. Resorts World Manila
20-MOA with Family. Bowling.
22-Eco park: Zipline and Wall climbing. Make-over Day. HC Christmas Party
23-Kuya Tony's Arrival. Lazer tag.
24-Last night of Missa de Gallo. Christmas Eve Mass. Family exchange gift.
25-Christmas Day with Family
25-29-Boracay, Malay, Aklan!!
26-Banana boat. Helmet dive.
27-Boat sailing. Red pirates.
28-Island hopping at Pulka Beach. Skim boarding. Grotto: Mama Mary!
29-Kalibo, Aklan then Manila bound
30-Seafood Island
31-Last day of the year

God has blessed me with so much this 2011. There are so much more than what is written in here. And I cling unto His promises for more in 2012.

For 2012, I will Choose Life. I will Choose Christ.

Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, (cf. Deuteronomy 30:19, NAB)

Heart Status

Boracay from the 25th to the 29th of December 2011. It was my first time. Yey!

I am with (from Left to Right) ate April, kuya Tony, Paolo, Nino, (and that's me), Kevin, Daddy, and tito Pol, who took the picture.

BORACAY FORMED MY HEART.

Banana boat. Helmet diving. Boat sailing. Island hopping at Puka Beach. Skim boarding. Eating. Sleeping. Food coma (Sleeping right after eating). Walking and lots of it.

Doing this new things (plus the Zipline and Wall climbing done in Eco Park, QC.), all of them for the first time except for the eating-sleeping-food coma part, reminded me of what I stood up for God at the beginning of the year 2011: To live a FEARLESS life for Him. And to live a fearless life is to always grip on to God's sufficient, saving, sanctifying GRACE because He is always gripping on us. If I have remained in my fear of doing new things, I wouldn't be able to experience how great those things are, and ultimately, how Great GOD is.

I don't have much interest in adventurous stuffs, but as I did the above-mentioned activities, the more I became awed of how great God is. The more I get to bask in the greatness of our Creator. 

God is the Master of all. In all the things I saw and did, what I always say is: "Ang galing ng Diyos!" (Great is our God). That for every wave tossed in the ocean, He is in control. That the coordination of His creation, sea, wind, and all, was designed very well. That the entire scene is God's artwork. And that Boracay is one big playground created by God for His children.


BORACAY BROKE MY HEART.

As hotels and restaurants were all over the place, so are bars and beers. We went there on the 25th. And it was heartbreaking to see some who celebrates Christmas without having the real Reason of celebrating it: JESUS. It breaks my heart that Christmas--God becoming Man, uniting Himself fully: physically and spiritually, with man--became just a holiday to some.

It breaks my heart to see some who do not respect their bodies as exposing them as if they are having a private time, forgetting that they are in a public place. And that there are also a lot of shops offering temporary and permanent tattoo; and I even saw kids having one.

If you don't respect your body, who will? . . . Our bodies is an invitation to love, and not an invitation to lust. --Jason Evert, Catholic chastity speaker.

It is heartbreaking to see that the virtue of chastity and purity of life, of body and soul, were abandoned by many. Maybe because they just don't know or, worse, they have forgotten about it. My heart breaks when I see people missing out the point of living life to the purest. 

As these things broke my heart, it also affirmed me that there are a lot of work to be done and we are on the right track.


MMH.

When Jesus saw [his] Mother, and the disciple, he said to [his] Mother, "Woman, this is your son." Then he said to the disciple, "There is your mother." And from that moment the disciple took her to his own home. --John 19:26-27, NAB

At the very last day of our stay in Boracay, by God's plan and grace we saw a grotto of Mother Mary; elevated, situated in a rock. I wasn't expecting it in Boracay. And it reminded me that even Boracay is under the Motherly love of our Perpetual Blessed Virgin; and that Mary will not forsake us. She is our Mother, and we are her children.

I noticed, as well, that when some climbed up to the grotto to take picture, they won't include Mary in. They'd just take advantage of the elevation of the place. And yes, it broke my heart again.


There is really a lot of things that needs to be done. And I have to have a heart like Mary: MMH (Mama Mary Heart). A heart full of obedience, trust, and courage. 


God will meet us right where we are. Whether on mission or on vacation, God will. He never stops surprising His children. And as He surprises them, He teaches them. He assures His children that He is God. 


I have to remain FEARLESS for my God is now my Strength!


Most Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.


A blog of Boracay pictures will follow; I just don't know when that will be.

Because All Was Without Cost

Without cost you have received, without cost shall you give. --cf. Matthew 10:8, NAB

All things came from God, and from God all things came to be. And all things from Him is good and is free; for He is a Generous God. The gift of mission is freely given to us; and to be available for God's work is our gift. Without cost we have received the joy of mission; without cost shall must we also give for God's work.

We've gone to Isabela to bring the good news of chastity and purity. The kuya's gave the sessions. My part? To share the story of my life, my own conviction of being chaste and pure. Most of what's in store for us in that mission, we have received for free. All costs in the transport, the food, the accomodations, treated like V.I.P.'s, and all others were freely given. I was thinking that I'd just share to high school students  what God taught me and all other things in this mission was for free?

But don't get me wrong, it is not because those material things have been freely made available that we have freely given ourselves. But it is because of God's love being poured on us without cost that enables us to give without cost.

The more we give freely, the more we receive freely. What a paradox, that is! That the gift of mission has been freely given (that is why it is called a gift) to us, it allowed us to openly give ourselves, and that we are able to receive more. Such is the generosity of God. He does not only pamper His children materially, as how He did to us in Isabela. He, as well, nourished us spiritually through the reception of the Eucharist every morning of our stay, the realizations we learned in every act we've done, the joy of seeing lives starting to have the same conviction of chastity and purity, and us being more deeply rooted in our stand to live a holy life.

The generosity of God allowed us to experience more of Him, that He really met us in Isabela, teaching us more about chastity and purity. And this same generosity asks us to be generous of our time, our talent, our treasure, and our all for Him, who freely gives.

With this, may God be praised.

Some pictures from the mission:

The Team: Kuya Jo-I, Ate Raine, Kuya Ej, Me, and Kuya Fyron,.
With the Isabela SK Chairman Jerald and the High School Principal of one of the schools in Isabela.

My first plane ride. Yey! Thank you Lord!

Live Pure with the carabaos.

Sharing my conviction of living a chaste and pure life.

You can also view this same blog here: http://cfcffl.net/index.php/because-all-was-without-cost