Skip to main content

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! ♥

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Lupang Hinirang

Every Filipino knows Lupang Hinirang (though some know it better as " Bayang Magiliw "). How can you not know it when it is the national anthem of the Philippines? But do we really mean the lyrics that we sing? Do we understand it in the first place?  Photo Credit:  http://diazi.ism-online.org This video has gone viral weeks ago. This afternoon, I shared it to my teammates, and one commented, "Yun pala yun . Ngayon ko lang naintindihan."   He immediately downloaded it and converted to MP3.   So for those who have not seen it, once again, here is Joey Ayala's version of Lupang Hinirang. And I agree, you would never want to sing it in another way. (But that's just me. :D) This rendition is simply beautiful. Truly Filipino. :) Of course that doesn't mean we need to revise our national anthem but maybe we can consider about correcting the way we sing it (read: proper pronunciation). Read more about the Philippine National Anthem here . ...
6 comments
Read more

Jesus Week 2015: A Time To HEAL ♥

I had the best, most meaningful HOLY WEEK ever, so far (the best is yet to come!). :) Thanks to Joy who shared the Jesus Week poster on Facebook. It was God's personal invitation, and I couldn't thank Him enough for the grace that He also gave me to respond. Everything is grace. It was not just my personal decision to join. It was God's grace that allowed me to.  So how did it go? Well, as what I have told my friends, it was amazingly beautiful! The experience was priceless! On Holy Monday, I posted Fr. Jerry Orbos' acronym for HOLY WEEK . I experienced all of that and more! :)  I won't be able to share everything as there is just a lot of personal, intimate encounters with the Lord. But if I were to summarize, it was a time for me to HEAL. :)  H alt . Indeed, I was able to stop and just rest in the Lord. Before leaving Manila, I have already told myself that this retreat will be all about Jesus ( Jesus Week nga e :D ). No emails, no texts, no calls. I...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thank You, Lord! :)

It has been a long and stressful day (the past three days have been lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng and stressssssssssssssssssssssssssssssful), but You are just so amazing, Lord that I couldn't sleep without telling You how grateful I am. :) Thank You, Lord for the miracle that You did yesterday. Break even and more. :) Thank You, Lord for the laughter and stories shared during the post-mission meeting with Team Thailand. :) Team Thailand - Princesses from SFC Metro Manila :) Thank You, Lord for Lawrence. He is just the (almost) perfect man. He has his flaws, but they are acceptable; he makes mistakes, but they are all forgivable. There are a lot of men but there can never be anyone else. He's really the one. And You know it very well. :) ♥ Nemo. Love. ♥ Thank You, Lord for giving me strength and endurance each day. :) Thank You, Lord for the short but restful sleeps. :) Thank You, Lord for every waking moment and every opportunity that You give ...
2 comments
Read more

The Holy Spirit*

*Cluster 4 Household Topic Reflections from John 15:26-16:4 True friendship is strengthened in adversity. Jesus offers His disciples the best and truest of friends. Who is this promised friend?  Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our Counselor and Advocate (also translated Paraclete or Helper). Counselor is a legal term for the one who will defend someone against an adversary and who guides that person during the ordeal of trial. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Helper who brings us safely through the challenges and adversities we must face in this life. As Jesus approaches the hour that He was to be glorified - through His death on the cross and His resurrection - He revealed more fully to His disciples the person and the role of the Holy Spirit. What does Jesus tell us about the Holy Spirit?  First, the Holy Spirit is inseparably one with the Father and the Son. It is the Holy Spirit who gives life - the very life of God - and who kindles faith in hearts r...
Post a Comment
Read more

Interesting Facts Courtesy of Celebrity Bluff :)

I was writing a different post, but Celebrity Bluff  is just so fun and informative, I had to stop from blogging to list down the fun facts that I learn from each round. :)  Thought it would be nice to share them here as well. For future reference. :D  Q: In 2012, what kind of animal was named after Beyonce? A: Horse Fly Q: What rare job in China will pay you US$50,000 a year?  A: Fart Smeller Q: What alcoholic drink literally means "water of life"? A: Whisky   Q: In which part of the body can you find the tragus? A: Ear Q: According to Merriam-Webster, what is the female equivalent of dude? A: Dudine Q: What is longer in the male turtles than in the females?  A: Nails And the final question is... Q:  According to Box Office Mojo   what are the top four (4) movies of 2013 according to global profit? A: (1) Iron Man 3, (2) Despicable Me 2, (3) Fast and the Furious 6 (4) The Hunger Games: Cat...
2 comments
Read more