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A Weekend of Firsts :)

*This is a long overdue post. It should have been published last week but due to Habagat, electricity and internet connections were cut off. Well, better late than never. :)

I had one of the best weekends ever! And I thank God for every opportunity to experience His love and proclaim His greatness. :) It was a weekend of firsts and every experience is an additional chapter in my beautiful life (and love) story.

After our household last Friday (and that ended a few minutes before 2am), we went to EDSA Shrine for the Quarant' Ore (40 hours solemn exposition of the Blessed Sacrament). It was my first time to participate in such activity and I was so blessed by the simplicity, yet utmost solemnity of the event. We were just there before the Blessed Sacrament, praying all the mysteries of the Holy Rosary and opening our hearts and minds to what God might reveal to us.

Quarant' Ore: 40-hour devotion before the Blessed Sacrament

I went home around 4am and got some really good sleep. When I woke up on Saturday morning, I reviewed for my talk and prepared my presentation. I was the speaker for the second talk of West B's Princess Diaries Weekend Retreat. Another first. :) I've never given a Princess Diaries talk yet. I was always the team leader but never the speaker. I believe it was God's plan to make that weekend truly memorable by making it a weekend of "firsts". :)

The contents of my heart. :)

Then there's the Prayer Rally Against RH Bill. I was born in 1986, the year of the famous EDSA Revolution, but I have never participated in any form of protest, not even during my college days in Diliman. I observe, I participate in discussions, but never in a rally. But what happened last August 4 was not just some rally, it was a public demonstration of faith, it's standing up for the cause of life. And I just couldn't afford not to make a stand. Right after my talk at St. Joseph Retreat House, I hurried to EDSA Shrine and joined thousands of believers in opposing the RH Bill. It was my first time, but for the cause of life, probably it won't be the last.

CFC-Singles for Christ says no to RH Bill!

The last among my "firsts" for that weekend was the CLP talk in Pandacan. It was actually one of my longest Sundays. I attended the christening of my high school best friend's son, went to Pandacan for a talk, then went to Village East to hear mass with Lawrence. The CLP talk was a first because I have never given Talk 8 before. (I'm used to giving talks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, and 11, but not 8, nor the Orientation, Talk 4, Talk 9, and Talk 12). And much to my surprise, I was their only sister speaker. The speaker for the 7th talk was Kuya Manz, while they invited Kuya Joms for the 9th talk. Those two brothers are among the best speakers I know. They're now married but still serving in SFC. "Honored" and "privileged" are understatements as to what I felt having known that. I was even pressured to deliver the talk well. But I simply surrendered everything to God and just allowed Him to use me as His mouthpiece. :)

Christian Life Program Talk 8: Life in the Holy Spirit

There goes my weekend and I thank God for the new people, the new experiences, the new opportunities, and everything else. I know there's more to come because our God is the God of new beginnings. :) 

More weekends of "firsts", Lord. :) I'm excited! ♥

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