40 Grateful Things

She turned 40. But if you would say she looks younger than me, fine, I’ll take it cause it’s her big day. But, so far no one has told me that, so I’m good. LOL

I would like to honor my sister as she reached this great milestone of her life by sharing to you what I’m grateful for, not just because she’s my sister but because she’s more than that.

Not in any importance/priority order 🙂

  1. She is a good listener. I can talk about anything for hours with her.
  2. She is patient with me. I can get too pushy sometimes but she remains calm.
  3. She would willingly pack my luggage when I travel back to YVR from PH.
  4. She takes care of family matters at home which removes my worries.
  5. She is generous in sharing & even giving her nice clothes to me.
  6. She is my co-planner for our family travels.
  7. She supports me on any event I organize.
  8. She is my prayer partner for our family.
  9. She knows how to comfort me especially when I was struggling from my last job.
  10. She reminds me to slow down when we stroll in the mall. (I feel like I’m in a hurry!)
  11. She married someone who cooks really good food!! I get the benefit!
  12. She encourages me with her own personal walk with God.
  13. She calms me when I’m getting anxious or starts panicking.
  14. She (& everyone  home) always try to satisfy all my food cravings when I go to BCD.
  15. She is someone I can always rely & depend on no matter what!
  16. She keeps me sane when I would be struggling especially with work.
  17. She reminds me to always wait on God’s best for a life partner when I get impatient.
  18. She reminds me to be grateful with my life of being single.
  19. She will always go out of her way if she can, to help me in whatever I need.
  20. She gives me a lot of pretty things, never cheap quality.
  21. She always pray for me.
  22. She shops clothes for me every time she sees something I could use for work.
  23. She always accompany me when I go and see friends every time I go home to PH.
  24. She takes care of our parents especially their health needs.
  25. She is someone I can take to any travel trips.
  26. She will always give her last piece of food if I would ask for it.
  27. She shares her vulnerabilities and allows me to encourage her.
  28. She is very gracious.
  29. She is my go-to for any health related concerns I have.
  30. She sends me the funniest & most gross viral videos.
  31. She makes me breakfast when I’m in BCD.
  32. She is one of my best friends.
  33. She is my impatient Science teacher! Haha!
  34. She loves me the same even if I could hurt or offend or annoy her.
  35. She is not a perfect big sister but she is the best sister you can have.
  36. She tolerates my craziness.
  37. She is my personal med tech for all my blood results.
  38. She encourages me with her discipleship journey with other people.
  39. She looks after me even if we are miles & mile apart.
  40. She loves the Lord and I can share that same walk with her.

Happy Birthday Ate! I know we were planning to do things this year to celebrate your birthday. Even if it didn’t turn out as we wanted it to be, I’m just grateful that you are well and everyone in our family. A blessing that matters the most.

Love ya! xoxoxoxo

 

Future begins

May 27, 2014 –  I  “LANDED”. That’s the term they use for new immigrants coming to Canada. The first question at the border, “You just landed today?”

I praise and thank God for making everything go smooth, from my application until I arrived here. Everything went very well. I’ve seen God’s favor and hands in the whole process. There were small humps along the way but big or small – nothing God could not handle.

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a welcome to Canada book given to new immigrants

God even prepared a place for me when I arrived. I’m so much blessed with my friend, Anni, who generously offered her place as she knew it would not be easy for me to start a new life here.  I’m also grateful that I have so many Filipino friends here who are very helpful and encouraging.  And for that, I’m truly grateful to God for all of them.

I opened a bank account in CIBC and they have this new immigrant package wherein there’s no need for initial deposit and no transaction and monthly charges for one year. They even give credit card even if you still don’t have funds (here, credit card is somehow a need as you need to establish your credit history). I even got responses in some of my applications and I’m just on my fourth day here. God is truly amazing how much He provides and remains faithful to His promises.

But, more than anything else, I know God has a bigger plan, not just for me to live a good life here but for His Kingdom work. I just pray that my focus will always be fixed on Jesus and that the things I will do here will always be about God’s cause and not mine.

I can only confidently say, “Let the future begin.” because I have a God who holds my future.

To God be all the glory.

My Heart is Yours by Kristian Stanfill

Life

Today, I became a ninang again. I lost track to how many godchildren I have already. 🙂 It is a privilege for me to be asked as a ninang because it means the parents want me to take part in their journey in bringing up their child. Since I became a Christian, it was my first time to really witness a dedication and be a part of it. And I was really blessed!

This is me and my kumare, Rhodes with Baby Rikhaela

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After the dedication, my brother, Christian and I watched the movie, “Life of Pi”. It was interesting because I remembered when I was in highschool and college, some of my very close friends, well even until now calls me “Pay”, “Pi” and the Pi sign. So I felt like it is my movie. Hehehe… Just a little bit 😉 But anyway, I was totally clueless what the movie was all about. And I was amazed that the gospel was even shared in the movie. Really cool. I have many favorite parts in the film but I was struck by the last few conversations of Pi and the writer. The goal of Pi was not just to tell the story but to help the writer believe in God. At the last part, Pi asked the writer which version of the two stories did he believe. Then, the writer responded, it was the first one. Then Pi told him, it is the same with God. How I interpret it is that the writer wasn’t able to see what really happened in Pi’s journey. He wasn’t there. And he can’t really be sure that the first version was the real one. But he believed in Pi. Just like believing in God. 🙂

Lastly, God indeed speaks through others… I have received wisdom today from someone which I didn’t expect but was praying for it. Isn’t God amazing? He hears our prayers. He answers.

Good night. 🙂

Nuvali

My roomie, Kim and I met up with my friend Nang Yan at Bel-air in Laguna, then, took us to Nuvali. We planned the Saturday afternoon to bike around Nuvali, then do some strolling after. On our way to Nuvali, the rain poured down. So we decided to just stroll around the stores first until the rain stops.

Nang Yan got hungry so we decided to just eat first since it’s still raining. We found this cute, classic restaurant called Toast Box that we all immediately fell in love with the place. Hehe… And just the right food  we were looking for snack.

And so, our bike plan (and suppose to jog also) turned out to be an afternoon delight at Toast Box. We decided to cancel biking and just hang out instead. I had to change my outfit since I was really dressed up to jog and bike. Haha!

The afternoon didn’t turn out the way we planned it but we definitely enjoyed the rest of the day! 🙂 We will definitely go back, and this time, we will definitely bike! Burn the calories! 🙂

Nuvali is a great place to be if you want to get out of Metro Manila during weekends.

L-R: me, Nang Yan, Kim

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