White, Navy Blue and Ombre Pink!

It was the wedding of my two good friends from Kids Ministry, Edrick and Mich last February 7, 2015 at Tagaytay. :) I was part of the creatives prep-team (yey!) but most of the ideas are from the bride herself (kudos to my friend, Mich!).

It was surprisingly hot when we were preparing the venue (feels like summer, honestly!) but we considered it as a blessing from God since there were news that it could rain that day. :) Most of it are DIY and yes, labor of love! ♥

Registration

White ink on illustration board :)

Aisle

Here comes the bride! ♥

Ombre pink aisle markers were the bride's idea. Lovely! :)

Angel's breath on the aisle entrance added a touch of romantic taste

This aisle marker was made of little flowers stuffed on a styro ball.

Altar

Mass table during the ceremony and the couple's table for the reception. :)

Wedding ceremony and reception were held in the same venue

Activity areas

Accordion paper flowers used to accent activity table

Life size picture of the couple and gallery were provided by Studio1 Photography

"Photo booth" for the guests to enjoy! :)

Image from Choi :)

Good job for the whole prep team! Sleepless nights were worth it, God honored it with a glorious wedding! Woohoo! ;) Best wishes to Edrick and Mich! ♥

Image from Hanna Faith :)

Image from Geordan :)

Designing stuff from Kids Church to weddings! :)

Quick groufie shot during the wedding ceremony :)

First batch of advance party with the couple! Image from Hanna Faith :)

Night at the hostel! Image from Hanna Faith :)

Til our next wedding! :) ♥

Coffees, Teas and Cakes

Wow! I was so happy when I got to read an email today from Coffee Bean Philippines! :) It's not really a big thing but I was just happy to also share to other Coffee Bean lovers our story as the "Overfellowshippers"! :) My post was featured in their Brew Your Best Year site just yesterday under the "Your Coffee Bean Story". :)

Click the picture to read the whole post that I'm talking about! ;)

Overfellowshippers at CBTL! :)

About Trees, Tierra and Trust

Last Saturday, we had our bonding time with some of our kids church volunteers. We did tree planting and then had our lunch and some games after. :) It was my first time to experience tree planting somewhere in the mountain haha!

We have people from the government who went with us (they are from the DENR- Department of Environment and Natural Resuorces) and they are the ones who guided us all throughout. I had a short conversation with one of them and I think he's been working in the DENR for a very long time and told us some stuff about trees. :)

He told us that you can't just plant trees every where since there are different types of trees. Well I know that there are trees that can only grow in a tropical country, and there are trees that can flourish in countries that have four seasons. He didn't told us that but what he said is more of like a "tree's behavior" and its different functions.

Image from www.typesofeverything.com

Say there are trees that suck up more water than the usual, then there are trees that gives out water. There are trees that are fit to be planted in the mountains for their roots are perfect in supporting or holding the soil together. There are trees that are good to be planted in urban areas but there are trees that are dangerous to be planted in there. Example is the Acacia tree. It is kind of dangerous because on the outside it may look sturdy, but on the inside it can be hallow. Sooo... there's a big chance that it can be uprooted or be cut down by itself. He also mentioned that if the place is endemic with birds, then Mahogany trees are not the best trees to be planted there. He told us that the Mahogany trees tastes bitter to the birds so they don't opt to live there (Ooooooohhh.. (: )

Then I got this "God moment" while I was planting the tree seedlings that I have. God puts us (or plants us) in a place where He knows we will bloom. He created us, and so it is just right that He perfectly knows us... Our behavior, weaknesses and strengths. Or He can put us in a place where He knows our hidden skills or talents can surface. Sure there can be times when we doubt God's ways, we think in ourselves if this place where He is leading us is a place where we can bloom. But then He is God, and He knows waaaaay more than what we know. If we surrender our lives to Him and trust on His leading, then wherever He plants us, that will be a place where we can bloom. :)

"Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
    Nor stands in the path of sinners,
    Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
    Planted by the rivers of water,
    That brings forth its fruit in its season,
    Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper." -Psalm 1:1-3

The "Why" behind the "What"

Hangover.

That would be the one word that best describe what I am feeling right now after our Victory Kids Teachers Summit 2014 last February 20-22 at Island Cove, Cavite. Ever since the first time I attended this Teachers Summit last 2012, it has always been part of my yearly faith goal to be able to attend. It's really a great time for the kids ministry volunteers to be refreshed, equipped and to be reminded again of why we do what we do.

Let me share a short story with you why I ended up being a kids ministry volunteer. It became so influential in my life that I am now an art teacher for kids. I was "forced" by my former small group leader and by a friend who was with the same small group with me to join. Both of them were active volunteers in the ministry here in our local church. They said I would best fit in the Preschool age group, since I was a Fine Arts graduate and they have craft-making there. So I signed up even though I really don't have that great desire to be part of it. I thought before, God blessed me with these talents so it's not bad if I use them for kids ministry, and I have few friends there (and my sister volunteered in this ministry before me) so "jelling in" with the people will not be that hard. :) But as the time goes by, I've spent more time with them and found out that they are the craziest, fun, loving, patient and passionate people that I have known. It's like they are the great combination of both "serious" and "funny". God used this ministry and the people for me to see His vision and know His heart for the next generation.

It's like someone pushed me towards a black hole and I couldn't do anything but to go with the magnetic force that is pulling me towards it. I kind of think that what happened to me. Kids ministry "magnetized" me towards itself... but I like it. I am thankful for it. (naks!)

Just to say since I have mentioned "magnetic force" and stuff, the theme for our Teachers Summit this year was "Magnet". It's making your kids ministry attractive to kids, to the parents and to the volunteers. All of the sessions were great and of good help but I just want to highlight my favorite part-- the worship night! We just sang to God with songs throughout the night with some short exhortations from the Word in between. One of them that struck me the most is this from Luke 2:41-46

"Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions."

Then the pastor asked the crowd, if there's anyone in the room who have been serving in the ministry for a time and that it's already becoming a routine... and didn't realized that Jesus was not with him/her anymore. Just like what in the verses mentioned, Joseph and Mary were just observing a custom (or in our case, serving in the ministry) which is generally not bad. But the thing is they were unaware that Jesus was not with them anymore. Many raised their hands and I'm one of them.

Ouch.

It has been really a super jam-packed February for me-- the meetings, preparations and stuff was starting to take a toll on me and I haven't realized it if it weren't for this worship night. I still have my quiet time and devotions... but it's not enough. It's like I am still not satisfied with it. It's like I'm running on a marathon and the sun is up, bright and shining and I'm all sweaty and tired but I just got to drink an ounce of water. Yet I still go on and run. I go and run and somewhere I don't know, I "left" Jesus and was unaware of it. During the worship night, I realized what was lacking in me was more of God's presence. That is why I feel always tired, I feel like almost giving up, stressed and burned out weeks before the Summit. One of the songs that we sang was a quite old song of Matt Redman, "Better Is One Day".

If I can just find the right words to explain how I felt during that time! Like I said, it's like I'm running on a marathon and the sun is up, bright and shining and I'm all sweaty and tired... but this time someone splashed a pail of cool water all over me! Or it was like God's presence was a pool or a body of cool water, and I dived into it!

AND THAT'S REFRESHING!!!

I realized the importance of really, REALLY in constant presence of God specially when you are serving in the church. You may really know the importance of what you are doing and may be really sold out in serving God and His people. But you know, when you are tired... you are tired! When you are dehydrated, even though in the heart of hearts you don't want to quit, you just can't go on because you are running on an empty state.

The pastor continued and it's should be a constant reminder for all who are serving in the church, in full time capacity or not, that ministry should always, ALWAYS be an overflow of God's presence or love in us and don't go running in the ministry with an empty supply. When you are always in God's presence, remembering the "why" behind the "what"... why are you doing what you are doing... will always be there with you.

A great reminder! I do what I do because of Him. :) ♥

2012: The Year That Was

I know that it's been months since the last time I posted here... It must be because a lot had happened to me by the middle part of this year 2012 and until now I am just so amazed of what God did to me for these past 12 months.

It's been a great year and I'm really thankful to God for it! Actually, words are not enough to say or express how thankful I am to Him! :)

Here are some of the stuffs that I'm thankful for for year 2012:

• I got a steady job again after being a freelance for I think almost a year. Thank God because He's using me to be a channel of blessing to my family and to other people through this job. :) I'm also thankful because He's guiding me all the way!

• I think in the early part of 2012 was also a season of equipping for me for the work that God have in store for me... and no, I'm not saying that I'm already fully equipped now but in those times God enabled me to attend or to join several seminars, camps, etc. wherein I've gained knowledge and even friends that will encourage and help me to be the person God wants me to be. He even used people to bless me because during those times I'm not financially able... but He IS able!

   -Kids Teachers Summit 2012 (for National & Ubelt): Being equipped in teaching the kids and as the same time being refreshed with your co-teacher volunteers was really a blessing from God--and it was an all-expense summit/conference/retreat/seminar for me! :) (Thanks Ate Sha!) It's always good to be reminded of how God values the kids, and so in teaching them they just deserve nothing but our best. :)
   -Caliraya Leaders Camp 2012: This time it's for the campus! Again, God enabled me to join this camp for free! I won a slot in a "raffle draw", thanks to Aivy! ;) The whole camp was a time of fun fellowship and a reminder for me that Jesus should be the reason and the foundation of everything--in leadership, for vision, instruction and even in prayer. :)
   -Anchors Aweigh Singles Camptreat 2012: now it's for the young professionals! :) it was really refreshing and fun! Loved the Word that struck to me during this camping/retreat-- If you got lost one time in your life, you can always go back to your foundation and find your way again. Make Jesus as your foundation. :)
   -Done with Training for Victory! Gained new wisdom and understanding about the faith that I have and met new friends in our class. I was also encouraged and comforted with the prophecy that I received from God during our "graduation" day. :)

• Friends, Fellowship and Family!
   -Thankful for the friends that I have! It's good thing to know that after all these years, though I don't see them as much as before, we are still connected with each other! Friends for keeps! :) AND! Grateful for the new friends that I have too... from different parts of the globe. :)
   -Co-volunteers, friends at church, spiritual family, accountability partners, prayer partners, leaders, members, teammates, etc... whatever you call them, they are a big part of my 2012 that's why it's been a great year! Thankful to God of blessing me with these people who are equally crazy (or maybe even crazier!) to have each other in this life we have for God. :)
   -My "biological" family... whom I also consider as part of my spiritual family (hehe). Thankful for all the love and support! Despite and inspite of our imperfections, God still uses us not just to inspire others but also to support one another in whatever the Lord's have in store for us. :)

• Korea, Vietnam and Cambodia! At the start of the year, one of my prayers is that God will enable me to go and volunteer to Cambodia... but then He just don't brought me to Cambodia, but also He made a way for me to be in the nation of South Korea, and before coming and leaving from Cambodia I was able to experience Vietnam, even just for hours! :) I just asked for one and He gave me three! God is just SO amazing! :D

• Jesus (of course) I realized that after all these blessings and breakthroughs, still nothing compares to Him. I was so compelled this morning that I have written this poem (in free verse okay.. I'm not really a skilled poet hehe)


LIKE YOU DO
With all the prayers answered
And all the blessings received
Still there is something inside me
That is craving for more

After all these breakthroughs
And all expectations and goals met
Still there is something inside me
That is seeking for more

I realized that it is You, Lord
The One that I'm craving for more
The One that I will always seek
Yes, it is You Lord

Not because I want more of Your works
Or more of Your deeds
It is You that I want
It is You that I'm after for

Because I just know in my heart
That nothing fulfills
And nothing satisfies
Like You do...

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! :D

Crazy Weekends!

These past weekends were kinda crazy... Crazy in a good sense. :) God made me realize about some things and answered some of my prayers. ;) Let me start with a couple of weekends ago (and I'd make sure that I will make this short BUT helpful hehe ;P)

Worship is a lot like love
It was Friday and I was in the church with the small group that I'm leading. We we're attending the Friday youth service and the message was about Worship. Ptr. Joe Bonifacio was the preacher then. I like it when he uses examples from his past experiences to his preaching, making it easier for us (the listeners) to grasp and comprehend the message. (God-given strength! ^^) One of those examples is when he and Rica (now his wife, who is a celebrity here in the Philippines) was still in a bf-gf stage (I apologize.. I don't know any wiser word to use in this haha! ;P). He once gave her an orchid for a gift thinking that this would please her. The next time he went to her house, he saw the orchid--and it looked like it hasn't been taken care of. He then asked her why and she told her that she's not keen on receiving flowers as a gift (or something like that).

Worship is like that. It's not about what you give to God but it's about what He wants. It's like you wanted to please Him with your worship and you want Him to give a rose. You gave Him the flower, but what He wants is a food-trip with you in Batangas. So do you think He is pleased, then? Or worst do you think that He accepted it? God seeks for true worshipers. He is high-class and doesn't want "second rates". So what does He look in a worshiper? A worshiper that worships Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24) ;) It's not about the place, the style, or your opinion. It's about who you worship, your heart, based on God's truth. :)

A "Gen Ad" mentality
Come follow Saturday... It was April 21 and Israel Houghton with New Breed & Planetshakers was in Manila for a worship concert! I wasn't able to reserve a ticket for myself because I'm in a tight budget. :) The night before the concert a friend texted me and told me that she still got a gen ad ticket for the event. She asked me if I'm willing to buy it for P250. Honestly I have nothing to pay for it even just for a gen ad ticket but I didn't close the possibility that maybe God will do something--that someone will bless me so I can buy that ticket, haha! :D Before leaving our house for volunteers' orientation in our church, I charged my digicam in faith that I will be able to watch the concert even though I still don't have the ticket. :)

To make the story shorter. No one blessed me with P250 for me to buy the gen ad ticket BUUUTT!!! Someone blessed me with a complimentary ticket... and it was for a Patron seat! Weee! :D Me with some friends were in the 2nd row from the stage! Some of my friends even saw my face flash on the giant screen because the camera man was just a few steps away from me! Haha! :D

That's the camera man that I've mentioned. ;P

 I was just asking for a Gen Ad ticket (the cheapest), but God gave me a Patron seat ticket (the most expensive). Sometimes we just believe for God to give us a "gen ad" ticket for something and not seeing the fact that God can give us a "patron" ticket for what we are asking! ;) So, do you have a "gen ad" mentality? ;P

It starts with the leader
Just this weekend I was able to attend our Kids Church core leaders team building. Again, someone blessed me so I can attend this vital team building! Weee, thank You Lord! :D This is one of my faith goals this year, wooh! ;)) We are "leveling up" in Kids Church that's why our leaders should be equipped. God put a high premium to the kids that's why in serving them, out of our love for God and for His people, we should serve them with excellence.

I've learned a lot about leadership. A leader should have a Christ-like character, discover his/her skills, then develop them for him/her to be competent and excellent and... love his/her team to maintain chemistry in the spirit of unity and being one in Christ. :)

A glimpse of my notes :)

It's an honor to be a leader because it means that God entrusted you with bigger things. But then it is also crucial, and maybe at some point dangerous. Being a leader could make you more busy, and could lead you in neglecting your relationship with God. The more you climb the leadership ladder, the more you should be close to your Ultimate Leader-- God. :)

Guarding your heart
Here goes that phrase again! Haha! :D During our team building, there were a lot of "revelations" among the single women (and I'm one of them ;P). We were giddy about those and we talked about them until in the wee hours of the morning. (Yeah, it's a girl thing! ;P) Then I realized, it's really hard to guard your heart (and your mind) specially when you're a woman. It's really relying on God's grace in this! ;))

Carrying the Cross
Still on Saturday was the graduation of my sis from her missions training at Asian Center for Missions (ACM). So from team building, I went here with my family to attend (thank God for the strength! ;P). I had mixed emotions here. I was happy because my sis is now nearer in living the life that God have for her, and that is to be a goer in the missions field for long term. I was also sad because it means she will be away from home. Then I was reminded of this: when we give our lives to Jesus, our lives are no longer for us to live for ourselves but for Him. It's paying the price and carrying the cross. It's not about what you want or what your family wants... It's now all about God.

That's me with my sis and mama :)

♫ Where You go, I go / Where You stay, I stay / Whom You love, I'll love / I will follow... ♫

I don't know the title of this song but it hit the right chords in my heart about carrying the cross and following Jesus. It's actually about--Worship. True worship ends in obedience. Now my sis is gearing up and raising partners for her long-term missions. Please pray with me that God will enable her to raise faithful partners that will support her through prayers and finances. :) Thanks!

Passing the baton
And since my sister is now preparing for her missions calling, most probably she will not be able to maintain her online store that she started few years ago. So she passed it on to me hehe! ;) I believe that this is one of the avenues that God can use to support her missions financially. ;))

Whew! There are more reasons now to love weekends! ;)

P.S. Papa is now home from abroad! Yeah yeys! :D and I got a new mobile phone (thank you papa! ;P)

  

An on-going courtship

"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert & speak tenderly to her... "In that day," declares the Lord, "you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master'. -Hosea 2:14 & 16 (NIV)

Courtship stage. This is when the man pursues the woman that he desires to be with. It is the man in pursuit of winning the woman to have her & be with her. It can be also taken as a getting-to-know-you stage where both parties can be more familiar with each other: their likes and dislikes, how they behave and know their families and circle of friends. People who are close to them can also be taken as their accountability folks. :) And courtship should be done with an intent of developing a more intimate relationship that will eventually lead to marriage.

Image from Facebook

That's the definition of courtship, well at least for me. But I will not be writing about courtship that only involves a single man & a single lady. I realized that we, the Church, is also in an on-going courtship stage with the Lord. This revelation came to me during the seminar that I attended for our Kids Church last Saturday. We can be called as His people, His servants, or His children, but we are His bride, too! Actually in all of our lives as long as we are still living here on earth, until our Lord is not calling us home or not coming back for His glorious wedding with the Church--we are in the courtship stage with Him.

"Let us rejoice & be glad & give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, & His bride has made herself ready." -Revelation 19:7 (NIV)

Personally, before really knowing God & taking Him seriously, I realized that He was "courting" me. He's been good and gracious and sweet, but I wasn't just mindful or didn't care much of His "moves" to win my heart. But now after I decided to have Him in my life by saying "Yes" to Him, He is still "courting" me! Even we already have said "Yes" to God, He is still on the works of wooing us and pursuing us! He is still on the works of making us fall in love with Him more as we grow with our healthy relationship with Him. Interestingly, the more we know God, the more we will know ourselves. And in saying "Yes" to Him, we should also have in mind of being with Him now and forever! :)

Image from weddingwallpaper.net

Our relationship with God through Christ is like an all-purpose flour or... a swiss knife! Haha! ;) It's all rolled into one! He's our Father, He's our Lord, He's our Friend, He's our Counselor, He's our Savior, our Teacher, etc.! But He is also our Groom! No wonder apostle Paul wrote to the husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. All of the pruning & sanctifying that we are going through in our lives is for us to become holy & blameless Bride (Church) for our Groom (Christ).

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church & gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, & to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy & blameless." -Ephesians 5:25-27 (NIV)  

So yes! If you are in Christ Jesus, whether you are single, in a relationship or married... Even if you are a man, you are in an on-going courtship stage with the Lord! :))

Talking to yourself is sometimes healthy

Goodbye year 2011 and hello year 2012! It was quite a "roller coaster ride" for me on the year that was, and I heard this one quote from the radio, "The unreflected life is not worth living." Or something like it. And I'm not sure who said this but it got a point... hehe. :) So after some reflections, I came up with a letter I addressed to myself. I realized that talking to yourself is sometimes healthy! ;)

Image from oranges-world.com

Dearest Mitch,

Another year have passed, and here is another year for you to live out. I know 2011 was a year full of trials and testing in your life. It may not have been one of the best of your years but I know you can always be grateful to God for the year that was. Several days ago, you reflected upon your life on year 2011. It was kind of a surprise because you didn't expect that it will turn out like this! :) But then it's your prayer that God will take you deeper and make you more Christlike. To be more Christlike, a man should go through pruning, refining and molding and in this he will be going through tests and trials because only through these his character will be developed for the better.

You reflected that 2011 was like your year of "purification". God made you check your heart and your motives many times this year. Many of your wrong mindsets were changed and you had a lot of "renewing of mind" episodes. It was also a year of big changes and big decisions in your life concerning work and your walk with God. There were a lot of times when you doubted God, too. There were times when you felt like you're not contented with just His Word because you already want to see concrete results in what you are doing. You are yearning and crying for your promised harvest that doesn't look near to you. You even entertained fear in your mind and be clouded with worries of what would be the future like. In the end you still chose to hold on to God's Word. The Word that you thought is "not enough" is still the One that makes you go on and makes you sufficient. It's still living by faith and not by sight or by your feelings. Always ask God to boost your faith and eliminate your doubts because whenever you doubt Him, you are hurting Him.

And you're also super grateful to God that He blessed you with many friends and a vibrant spiritual family! Surely they are your "fire throwers" when your flame for God is losing its fire! You are thankful for your Victory Group and for the times when you bond with them, study the Word with them or just sharing your life with them. You're also thankful for Kids Church wherein you can be refreshed with the kids or with your co-volunteers and teachers, who also turned out to be your friends. :) Thank God because He entrusted you to be a part of the Kids Church Creative team, that even it can be so tiring the joy is still there because there are people whom He also put to be in the team that you became friends with. And you know you are using the gifts you have from God to serve others so it may bring glory to Him.

Be more thankful to God because He uses you to bless people even at times you are broke! Haha! ;D He also entrusted beautiful people for you to guide with their walk with God. You know that you prayed and waited for them and God gave them to you this 2011. Never get tired of discipling them and meeting them in your Victory Group even though you don't feel like doing it hehe. ;) He also put you in Arellano University to be part of His work in campuses -- Change the campus. Change the world! Again He blessed you with beautiful people that you became friends with! :)

TRULY, IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU AND IT'S ALL ABOUT HIM! Imagine what your life be like if you're apart from Him? A life without purpose and lasting joy!

Never forget to be always thankful with your old friends and family! You can always bond with your Burgeon friends, or spend an evening with your "Tumblr" mates and talk about anything under the sun haha! :D Be in the mall with the Petshap, go out for dinner with your Varsi Kada or hang-out with your HS dabarkads! :D And your family who are loving, caring and who always guide you is something you can always be thankful to God! :) Being part of a godly family is always a blessing from the Lord! :)
 
Also don't forget that though 2011 has been a "crazy" year for you, it's also been a year of breakthroughs for you in the ministry where God had put you. And remember that those God loves He disciplines. He disciplines out of His love for you and because He's taking you as His daughter.

Be thankful for the year that was and expectant for the new year. God said that He have good plans for your life and His best will for you to choose. God is the Rock on which you stand and you know that He's unshakeable. Though you may not know what the future holds, you know who holds the future -- it is your loving and perfect Father God in Heaven! :)

                                                                          Love,
                                                                          Yourself

PS. And about that one prayer that you've been praying for a time now, which you almost quit on believing for may times... Just continue to pray and believe for God to do awesome things. God is working on the background, and he's just out there. :)


   

Kids Church realization... :)

Kids are adorable. Sometimes I see myself wearing a wide grin just by watching them. Last Sunday while volunteering for Kids Church Pre-school, I got to see how several kids talk. It sometimes amazes how can they understand each other with those fragments and speech as they talk with each other!

We have this new rule in the classroom. I personally call it, the "balloon rule". (hehe...;) I can't think of any!) We have I think 16 balloons (8 for boys and 8 for girls), stuck on the board in front of the class. If the boys become noisy, the teacher will pop one of their balloons. Same rule apply for the girls. The group with more balloons left in the end of the class wins & will get a reward. This was for classroom management purposes and I must say it worked for us! ^-^ 

Image from www.happypartyidea.com

Now I got to handle one of those kids. She's a very cute and adorable girl with round eyes and slightly wavy hair. She always asks me to help her with her crafts, to come with her when she wants to go to the comfort room to pee or to wash her hands, help her with her food and just ask me questions about anything! Then she started to ask me this question, "Teacher... Are you going to pop those balloons?" Then she covered both of her ears with her hands. I answered her smiling, "No, we will not pop those balloons if you will all remain behave." Then moments came by and she asked me again... "Teacher... Are you going to pop those balloons?" (Still with her hands on her ears) And so I answered her with the same reply.

I can't help but smile whenever I remember this girl! She's just adorable and not to mention she's well-behaved! :) I also prayed for her healing because she have juvenile rheumatism. During one of my quiet times with God, I told Him of how I was pleased with this girl. Even she's asking me the same question over and over again and even she's always asking me to help her with almost anything during that class. Then I came to realize this and asked God, "Am I pleasing You the way this girl pleased me?" or "Am I not irritating You when I always ask the same thing to You over and over again?"

I've got a lot of prayer concerns to God and some of them I've been praying for years now. I always ask Him to help me with these and with those and sometimes I feel like I'm a broken record before Him. Then this morning, I believe He answered me with this,

"And He said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." -Matthew 18:3-4 (NIV)

So I got to ask myself, "Why was this girl asking me the same question all over again? Why is she keeps on asking me to help her and to go with her?" It is because she recognizes me with someone who have authority over her. Because she knows I know the answers to her questions. Because she knows that I am able to help her. Because she can't go with no one to guide her. Because she knows that she's a kid and me being the grown up and her teacher, she knows that I am able.

Image from deviantart.com- cweeks

God is pleased with us when we come to Him as a child. When we know we are helpless apart from Him, when we know He got all the answers to the questions that we have and when we know that He is ABLE. He is pleased when we live as His child and we see Him as our Father. Thank God for Jesus that through Him we can be called as God's children! :D Having a giant faith is being childlike before our God. When you are just relying on His strength, His grace, His faithfulness, His mercy and His love. :)

Retro Christmas Vibbeee! ^0^

Woot woot! Our Kids Church Christmas party this December will be Retro-inspired-- from 50's to 80's. And because of this, I made some time in clicking all the way to search for retro fashion! ;)

50's!!!
Think of printed dresses, high-waist & full skirts, belts and sailors;

 For guys... think of V-neck vests, checkered and stripes polo w/ collar shirts, tucked-in, sleek hair-do.. ;)

 

60's!!!
Also known as the Mod fashion. Think of pixie hair cut, heavy eye shadows, mini skirts, one-piece mini dress, tight leggings, Audrey Hepburn and Jackie O.!

 

For guys... ahh... almost just the same as the 50's. Just add Beatles on it hehe. ;)

70's!!!
My favorite retro decade! haha! ;D Flower power, disco fever, psychedelic colors, hippies, bell bottom pants and afro hair do!

   

80's!!!

Huge jackets, shoulder pads, polo shirts, chuck taylors and maong jeans. :)

Whew! So that's about it! ;)) Let's groove tonight! ;P