He Loved Me First

I've been complaining about my back and my left foot and Mama insists that I should go to bed and get some sleep but I'm just so loaded with thoughts that I couldn't sleep without writing (read: blogging) them. :)

Last night, I mean last Saturday, I attended the service team recollection led by one of my most loved priests, Fr. Benedict Lagarde. He is a missionary priest who is so passionate in his ministry that he could talk about it for hours. :) And I don't mind the lengthy discussion and sharing because I am actually learning a lot from him. He just doesn't share his experiences during his missions but he gives powerful insights as well. Every missionary should really talk to him to have a deeper understanding of and a greater appreciation for the mission. :)

I left the recollection venue (Divine Mercy Shrine) with only one conviction: The Lord loves me and will never abandon me.

Fr. Benedict said that if you're doing something great for the Lord, you will definitely end up tired. I loved how he said it in Filipino: "Kung hindi ka pagod, ibig lang sabihin, hindi ka nagtatrabaho nang husto." In other words, wala kang ginagawa (you're not doing anything). :)

The ICON week begins today and honestly, I'm a bit bothered because until now, there are still a lot of concern regarding registration. We haven't released the final list of delegates because there are still more than a hundred pending transactions. And I know it's not my fault. I'm at the point when I just want to sit and relax and put the blame on certain people who don't have that needed sense of urgency nor the heart to sacrifice a little to get things done. I'm at the point when I want to scream at everybody who didn't follow the guidelines or didn't even read the memo (on which I've put so much effort). I'm at the point when I want to just go somewhere else and spend time alone with God because I can reason out that I'm tired, I'm sick, and I need to rest.

At this point I can already hear people telling me, "you don't have to do everything, Aiza" or "don't bother yourself, Aiza" or "let them do their jobs, Aiza" or "leave now, Aiza" or "you can still serve without being a fulltime, Aiza" or "there are greater things that await you outside GMC, Aiza".

But in the midst of these shouts from people who care, I can hear a tiny voice in the deepest recesses of my heart whispering, "I love you, Aiza. Come to Me. Follow Me. Go where I send you."

And all those other voices fade.

I am here not because I am holier than anybody else. I am doing this not because I am better than the rest. I am here and I am doing this because I am unworthy, because I have a greater need for Him, and because this is where I find Him.

What I am going through is nothing compared to what He has gone through for my sake. All the sleepless nights, the pains, the disappointments and failures, the sacrifices are incomparable to His wounds, His sufferings, His death.

I am what I am by His grace. I do what I do also by His grace.

All because I love Him. All because He loved me first. :)

I love because I am...

#SFCICON2013: By God (Love). Through God (Love). For God(Love).

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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 .

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

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

The Holy Spirit*

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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: Catching Fire That's all

These Little Wonders

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