The musings of a wandergeselle about faith, literature, music, dancing, culture, food, travels, art, fashion, photography, life experiences, and everything in-between from journée to journée.
Summer came in a little early for my siblings and I. The weekend after February 14 was a clear schedule for two of my siblings and their spouses, so we decided to have an impromptu beach getaway.
Thank God I was able to find one resort located near the metro that isn’t fully booked yet. I know all the hotels and resorts will be flocked by tourists for the extended Valentine’s Day celebration since it fell on a Friday. The only sad part was that my eldest sister and her family couldn’t join us because of a church event.
The Place
I made inquiries at 10 different resorts before I was able to find Calubcub Bay Resort. I just had to research fast and propose the places to my siblings since we’re only a couple of hours away before our scheduled departure.
Just when I was about to call the search over, then came a reply that there’s an available accommodation for us at Calubcub Bay Resort good for 8 persons. The good thing is that we don’t need to make any reservation payments to book the accommodation.
We were able to rent out a Villa with 4 queen beds located on the second floor, an open dining area, and a secure kitchen. It also has two bathrooms making the place a very convenient option for large groups of guests.
The Beach
As typical of all Batangas beaches, the sand color is a darker shade of brown. The beach is clean though, and the water isn’t too deep. It does look a little murky, however, because of the dark sand color.
Thank God there were no seaweeds near the shore and where we swam. You won’t have that terrifying experience of guessing what’s that slimy thing underneath your toes. lol
My hometown offers far more beautiful beaches than the ones in Batangas. The only downside is that you have to travel 17 hours by road to get there. So if you’re vying for a beach experience near the metro, Batangas is the place to be.
The Ambiance
The resort has a very laidback setting. It also has a pond for fishing, and you get to buy and cook what you caught. They also have an obstacle course situated near the resort’s entrance.
It’s basically used for team building activities. You may also try it out if you and your friends or your loved ones are up for a fitness challenge.
It’s too bad hubby and I arrived at 10 pm because his work is extended until Saturday. So we only got to enjoy the amenities the next day.
Overall Experience
If I am to rate our stay there, I’d give it 5 stars. The room was clean, and all the faucets and sinks were working properly. We were also able to park near our villa for easy access.
We weren’t able to try the menu at their restaurant since we brought and cooked our food. But the best part is that we got a 20% discount for the Valentine’s Day promo in all their accommodations. Yays! Thank You, Lord! 😍
Late Lunch At Balay Dako
Since my Norwegian brother-in-law would like to visit Taal Volcano, we decided to drop by on our way home and have our late lunch at Balay Dako. It’s a Filipino restaurant that offers the best Filipino dishes. My personal favorite on their menu is the “fresh lumpia.”
It didn’t rain when we arrived in Tagaytay, so we’re greeted by a breathtaking view of the Taal Lake. We weren’t expecting it to look that peaceful and beautiful after its eruption last January causing extensive damages to properties in neighboring towns and cities.
For the overall experience, I must say that it was a perfect getaway. We got home safely, we ate the best food, and we had the much-needed breather. Indeed, God makes everything beautiful in His perfect time. 🙏❤️
Up next, family time with my eldest sister and her family. 🙂
While writing this, I have a full-blown skin allergy attack. I woke up 2 days ago with red, itchy patches on my skin without any clue what might have triggered them. Nothing was new in my routine nor in my diet, and neither am I too stressed to have another episode.
Though the swelling subsided after I took an antihistamine and applied topical medication, a few red patches would come out in other parts of my body every now and then. Some of them are big enough to cover a specific area i.e. entire legs, entire arms, and entire neck.
This isn’t new.
I have been diagnosed with eczema or atopic dermatitis since I was in college. Exposure to allergens such as dust, pollens, poultry, and certain types of seafood are among the triggers. Stress is also another factor.
We have a history of asthma in the family. So it was no longer a surprise when during the most stressful point of my college life (finishing the thesis), I had a major eczema breakout. Let’s just say this is one of the “thorns in my flesh” – a form of oppression.
This isn’t new either.
Every day we face oppression. Some might feel they are being oppressed by the government and by certain organizations. Others experience oppression at home through relational conflicts with parents, siblings, children, relatives, friends, coworkers, or a spouse.
There are those who have financial constraints as oppression, while others are oppressed because of depression, anxiety disorder, fear, guilt, shame, addiction, and other illnesses. Calamities and tragedies are also other forms of oppression wherein all human efforts tend to be futile in terms of being saved (literally and figuratively).
What Really Is Oppression?
I work from home, and I socialize during the weekends i.e. go to church, date my husband, meet friends, etc. Because of the nCoV breakout and my skin allergy attack, I had to stay at home to limit the chances of me acquiring the virus. This, in itself, is oppression.
As much as I’d like to worship God along with fellow believers in church, I had to seek comfort in the confines of our home. Thank God though our church has live streaming of its services.
We all know that being cut off and out of sync with fellow believers will make you more prone to the attacks of the enemy. One of my Bible study group leaders compare it to that of burning coal. Once you remove one from the rest, its fire will die out.
“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” – Ecclesiastes 4:12
The same goes for us. Once we have remained lukewarm in our faith, the enemy’s oppression will get stronger and weaken our spirits making us vulnerable to temptations and sinning. Also, the testing of our faith will be even more challenging.
Learning From Job
Do you still remember what happened to Job? He went through severe testing and trials and was reduced to a mere mortal deemed powerless against the forces of the enemy. And yet, God proved the enemy wrong. In the end, the faithful servant was rewarded for his unflinching faith in God and God alone.
“My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.” – Psalm 73:26
“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” – Psalm 18:2
“I will see Him for myself; my eyes will behold Him, and not as a stranger. How my heart yearns within me!” – Job 19:27
It is my prayer that in every trial and in every season of our lives, we will continue to rise above every oppression of the enemy. As long as we are breathing, we never back down trusting that God is greater than he who is in this world.
We have been called to fight the good fight of faith. That has always been our mission. Thus, we declare and we fight for it.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
Having said that, we can expect persecution at its worst, all types of it – emotionally, physically, mentally, financially, and spiritually. The bigger the purpose and work God has for us, the stronger the opposition. Because satan doesn’t like us preaching the Word of God at all. He will send out his army to prevent us from doing so as God’s servants.
We have to keep in mind that prior to Judgement Day, there will be great persecution among the followers of Christ. So we need to be READY and EQUIPPED.
How To Fight Wearing The Armor Of God
Ask God what are the battles you need to fight for, what are the battles you need to let go and let God fight them for you, and what are the battles you need to fight together with Him.
Seek for His protection and His wisdom DAILY through prayers.
Claim the victory of salvation through the Cross.
And lastly, wear God’s armor as you fight the evil forces of this world.
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the FULL ARMOR OF GOD, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.14 Stand firm then, with the BELT OF TRUTH buckled around your waist, with the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS in place,15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the GOSPEL OF PEACE.
16 In addition to all this, take up the SHIELD OF FAITH, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.17 Take the HELMET OF SALVATION and the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the WORD OF GOD.
18 And PRAY IN THE SPIRIT on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
– Ephesians 6:10-18
For God can be trusted to keep this promise:
“But in that coming day, no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken!” – Isaiah 54:17
I am writing this in the vernacular because of its local context. If I still have enough time today (I will do the laundry and clean the house 😀 ), I’ll write an English translation. 😊
What It Means To Live By Faith And Not By Sight
Ngayon ko lang lubusang naintindihan ang konsepto behind this mantra. Faith is about claiming the beautiful promises of God not when everything around us is doing well, but when everything else seems to go wrong.
What I am claiming now is that the life after this world is something to look forward to. And I am claiming it with excitement. ‘Yung tipong parang first time mong pumunta ng EK at wala kang idea anong meron doon. Pero maraming nagsasabi sa’yo na sobrang masaya daw doon at sobrang mage-enjoy ka.
Aside from that, hindi ka lang mag-isa ang mage-enjoy. May mga kasama ka. Na-imagine mo ba kayo ng mga barkada mo noong highschool? Magkakahawak-kamay. Magkaka-akbay. Nagtitilian at naglulundagan. Dahil punong-puno kayo ng excitement na malaman what is waiting for you doon sa pupuntahan nyo.
Imagine that scene. That is what it’s like to enter God’s EK. At itawag natin syang “Eternal Kingdom.” 😉👍
Always looking forward to entering God’s EK,
P.S.
Sa mga nangangamba na baka ‘di papasukin sa entrance, hindi pa naman huli ang lahat. Pwede pang pumila at bumili ng ticket.
Nakatatak sa ticket ay JESUS: Surrender/Salvation/Altar Call. Make-claim nyo sya sa hospital for sinners, the church. For FREE. 😊
With all that is happening around the world, the only thing that matters is what Jesus has to say about the future. Worries, doubts, and anxieties are on the rise, and most of us are seeking Godly wisdom all the more each and every single day and asking for discernment about the things that we should all know.
About The Future: What It Holds
Last night, I was conducting research on the looming food crisis that the entire world may experience 3 decades from now. I found one article from the New York Times, which stated this:
“The report, prepared by more than 100 experts from 52 countries and released in summary form in Geneva on Thursday, found that the window to address the threat is closing rapidly. A half-billion people already live in places turning into desert, and soil is being lost between 10 and 100 times faster than it is forming, according to the report.
Climate change will make those threats even worse, as floods, drought, storms and other types of extreme weather threaten to disrupt, and over time shrink, the global food supply. Already, more than 10 percent of the world’s population remains undernourished, and some authors of the report warned in interviews that food shortages could lead to an increase in cross-border migration.
A particular danger is that food crises could develop on several continents at once, said Cynthia Rosenzweig, a senior research scientist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and one of the lead authors of the report. “The potential risk of multi-breadbasket failure is increasing,” she said. “All of these things are happening at the same time.”
I’ll be sharing more about this topic in my upcoming articles. But just a heads up, I have been sharing opportunities in the local agribusiness sector on social media. They include the recent programs that the Department of Agriculture launched to entice millennials to venture into farming.
‘No Money In Farming’
As expected, this was received with mixed reactions. A majority of social media users, however, are against the idea with only one reason rising above their comments – there is no money in agriculture. I felt it in my heart to disagree since money is no longer the main concern here. It is about sustaining this world and its inhabitants in the coming decades.
Countless research conducted by different agencies all over the world all boils down to one result – earth’s resources are depleting at an alarming rate. I believe it already signals the time to shift our focus if we want to leave behind a better world for future generations to live in.
Farming As A Profession
Farming, according to studies, is a declining profession, and yet I believe it will become a career superior to all other jobs in the coming decades. Why? Its by-product involves food, which is an essential commodity and included in the 3 basic needs required for mankind to survive – food, clothing, and shelter.
Let’s just put it this way. Even if we have millions of money, if there’s no food available to consume, our millions will be worthless and useless. This issue of declining food supplies is not a minor problem. It affects everyone on a global scale. I searched for “global food crisis” and one word stood out – “famine.”
What The Bible Says About Famines
I continued my search by typing “famine” and included the word “Bible” along with it. One of the results that popped up and caught my attention was LUKE 21. I ended up reading the entire chapter, and I’ll share the verses here as well.
This chapter pretty much sums up everything that the world is going through now. Here’s how we can interpret some of the things mentioned in the Bible to what is currently happening around us:
EARTHQUAKES: volcanic eruptions, tsunamis
FAMINE: climate change, drought, super typhoons, food shortage
PLAGUE: sars, mers, corona virus
WAR – ongoing armed conflicts: Afghanistan Conflict, Mexican Drug War, Yemeni Crisis, Kurdish-Turkish Conflict, Somali Civil War, Iraq Conflict (Source: Wikipedia)
Luke 21:21 also has a personal calling, and I interpreted it as one of the reasons why I have this strong desire to go back to the province and live there. Each day I would claim the country lifestyle for me and my husband and our families. It is also the answer to the global food crisis that will take place decades from now since the city is just getting too congested day by day.
“Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.” – Luke 21:21
This verse that stood out after hubby and I witnessed a perfect rainbow also seems to have a deeper meaning now:
And yet farming is not enough as a solution. It needs to be traditional farming that will limit the carbon released and any other environmental footprint we leave in the atmosphere. Indeed, the “farm-to-table” concept is just what we all need – go back to how things started similar to the Garden of Eden. The only difference is that there’s no hard labor in the Garden of Eden.
But the question still remains, “Is it already too late?”
Wisdom To Give Hope
It is my prayer that by reading this chapter about the future, everyone will be given hope that salvation, per se, is not about being kept alive from the dangers that are about to come.
As Jesus had said it, Himself, this world and the heavens will disappear. And yet, He also assures us that there is nothing to fear because salvation, which is life in eternity with our God, will be given to those who believe in Him.
Fear can never be our answer to escape the tragedies that will befall on us. They are inevitable, and they are bound to happen. But what God is asking from us is to be BRAVE and STRONG enough to face these trials until the time comes when we see Him face to face.
My Latest Convo With God
Just a few nights ago, I was having this unusual conversation with God. In fact, my prayer nights aren’t all the same. I pray about different things each night although there are particular prayer points that always pop up on some nights.
Sometimes I only pray a one-liner. Sometimes my prayer takes about an hour. These quiet times vary depending on how I felt and what I went through during the day. But oftentimes, they are all typical conversations you would have with an ordinary person.
My Prayer Life
How do I pray? No, I don’t usually utter my prayer. They are all just thoughts. Because my mind “talks” faster than my tongue. 😀
I also do this when I am about to sleep and when everything else around me is quiet. I could remember this one prayer night when I was seated on the bed, and my husband was sleeping soundly beside me.
I didn’t notice that my husband stirred and was startled when he saw me gazing towards the window, seated with my legs crossed, and with palms open. He asked me if I am okay. That was the time when we were just a newly married couple.
I think he was terrified I was doing “voodoo” or something on him. lol So I assured him that I was just praying. I can actually pray anywhere in the house with nobody disrupting me. But the thing is, I also pray over my husband each night. To be able to do this, I need to be beside him during my quiet time.
Eager Like A Child
Going back to the latest convo with God, I actually told Him I would love to see Him face to face. I am excited about how He would look like. My imagination was going out of bounds.
Will He be like a strong force of wind or blinding light? Will He be wearing golden robes flowing around? Will He be tall, small, huge, without a face, or with a face? And these questions just seem to go on and on.
Then later on, after realizing I might be asking too much, I just settle with I just want to hear His voice. Would it be a loud booming voice like a rumble of thunder? Or will it be a soft whisper?
When You Seek Him With All Your Heart
Sometimes I come to a point that I desperately ask God to answer and reveal Himself to me like how we expect humans to answer – hear a voice loud and clear with words that you can fully make out.
And when this doesn’t happen, I would just sigh with resignation knowing that God never acts in ways that we always imagine. But the never-ending questions of mine won’t stop there.
I’d still ask Him why it can’t be that way. I would realize then again that what I am insisting is my way and never about God’s ways. This is what I would tell Him in the end,
“Okay, Lord. That is all that I just want to say tonight. I just want to let you know what is going on in my mind and in my heart. I know you already know what they are even before I come before you and pray.
But somehow, when I let them be known to you by praying, the act, itself, gives me a comforting feeling. That there is this special dimension I am entering every time I have this quiet time with you, a very special place where I can just be myself and think about a lot of things so differently than how I think during the day.”
When Prayer Is The Only Weapon You Have
And this is the part where I will end this article. Because the Bible verse that created such a strong impact on me was Luke 21:36. God knows how much fear we would have to go through in this world as we face troubles of all kinds. And the first thing He said was to “PRAY.”
Are you afraid for your spouse, your children, your parents, your friends, and all the people you care about? PRAY. Are you going through extreme trials now? PRAY. Are you afraid of what will happen to this world decades or centuries from now? PRAY.
These are the only things that God asked us to do when judgment day comes – PRAY and be STRONG. Why? It only means leaving everything else in His hands because HE IS IN CONTROL, and that He SAVES those who BELIEVES in His Name. ❤
Believing that God is always MIGHTY to SAVE,
P.S. Here’s the song that’s been running on my head for the past weeks now. I’m sharing this here because I want you to know that you are a Child of God, and God has CHOSEN you. ❤
Claim it because you have nothing to lose but MORE TO GAIN when you declare it. 🙂
Thank you so much for any help you could provide, and let’s continue praying for all the affected residents and communities in the area.
***Donations will be accepted untilJanuary 26,2020.
—————-
My husband and I took advantage of Mt. Mayon’s unhidden splendor by capturing a selfie with her. We were on our way to my hometown last December 22, 2019 (my birthday) for the holidays. 🙂
I will be writing two versions of this article – in the vernacular and in English for the convenience of all local and international readers. ❤
The Beauty of Mt. Mayon and Yet One of Nature’s Most Destructible Weapons
Filipino Version
Sabi ko kay Brian, ang hometown ko sa Bicol ay nakakaranas ng sobrang lakas na mga bagyo tuwing Disyembre simula noong bata pa ako. 2 hrs away din kami sa Mt. Mayon, the #1 most active volcano sa buong bansa, at ang Mt. Bulusan ay 30 minutes away lang din. Nakaranas din kami ng matinding ash fall noong tumuga ito. Ngayon, ito ay nananatiling nasa Alert Level 1 simula noong Mayo 5, 2019 samantalang ang Mt. Mayon ay nasa Alert Level 2 simula pa noong March 29, 2018.
Nasa coastal area din kami o malapit sa baybaying dagat na pwedeng makaranas ng tsunami o storm surge at dahil maraming bulkan sa Bicol ang active, madalas din ang lindol. Through these calamities, iisa lang pinatunayan ng Dios, He still reigns supreme – not our government officials, not Science, not man.
Tiwala sa Kanya – God never wants anyone to perish but is being patient for everyone to repent. He does not send calamities nor create conflicts among men to punish, but for people to know who really is God. Neither is He a cruel God who wants His people to suffer.
No, God isn’t like that. Huwag natin kalimutan na satan, God’s enemy, is also in this world at may kinalaman din sya sa ibang nangyayari sa ating mundo and the main culprit of anything sinful.
God, however, already promised that never again will He destroy mankind gaya ng the Great Flood as a punishment. The rainbow He showed to Noah and to us now is a sign of that covenant. Calamities are only one of God’s ways of turning people back to Him at bumalik-loob sa Kanya.
But only because God loves us so much He doesn’t want us to perish when judgment day comes. It is also a reminder who is still in control of this world regardless if we have the most modern, high-powered warfare in the entire universe or the greatest up-to-date technology that man and Science can ever design.
God will and still remain SUPREME at patuloy Nya tayong ire-remind of that.
English Version
I told my husband that my hometown experiences super typhoons every December ever since I was a kid. We are also located 2 hours away from the #1 most active volcano in the Philippines, Mt. Mayon, and also lauded in the world as the only volcano with the perfect cone. There is also another active volcano near our community, Mt. Bulusan, which is only 30 minutes away. We also experienced extreme ash fall during one of its eruptions. According to PHIVOLCS, it is currently on Alert Level 1 since May 5, 2019, while Mt. Mayon is on Alert Level 2 since March 28, 2018.
We are also located in a coastal area wherein there are high chances of a storm surge and tsunamis. Since we have two of the 4 most active volcanoes in the country, we also experience frequent earthquakes. And yet through these calamities, God has proven only one thing, He reigns supreme – not our government officials, not Science, and not man.
Trust in Him – this is what God wants, not wanting anyone to perish but patiently waiting for everyone to repent. He does not send calamities nor create conflicts among men to punish, but for people to know who God truly is. Neither is He a cruel God who wants His people to suffer.
No, God isn’t like that. We mustn’t forget that satan, God’s enemy, is also in this world and is at work. He is also responsible for some of the unfortunate events that took place and the main culprit of anything sinful.
God, however, already promised that never again will He destroy mankind as punishment for our sins such as what happened during the Great Flood. The rainbow He showed to Noah and to us now is a sign of that covenant. Calamities are only one of God’s ways of turning people back to Him.
But only because God loves us so much He doesn’t want us to perish when judgment day comes. It is also a reminder who is still in control of this world regardless if we have the most modern, high-powered warfare in the entire universe or the greatest up-to-date technology that man and Science can ever design.
God will and still remain SUPREME and He will continue to remind us of that every now and then. We can glorify God’s beautiful creations such as volcanoes, and yet they also remind us to submit to His power.
Always a Christian Bicolana,
MT. MAYON TRIVIA
1. Trivia 1
“Some people believe that when the volcano is restive and about to erupt, Magayon is being bothered by Pagtuga, while they believe Pangaronon is embracing Magayon when the volcano is calm…
They also believe that Pangaronon is kissing Magayon when clouds meet at the top of the volcano.”
We all know the extent of a disaster caused by volcanic eruptions. It can instantly wipe out a community, kill thousands of people, and destroy countless properties and livestock. Research, however, proved that living near a volcano also provides some benefits. They are as follows:
Fertile Soil
Minerals & Other Materials For Building Construction
I’ll graze my blog very quick because I still have work to finish. I just need to share this today. 😊
Thank you, WordPress, for giving me the opportunity to share my life experiences (for free, for now) through your awesome platform. I also got to meet a whole lot of other awesome writers in this community, and their experiences are all worth reading. ❤
Indeed, cheers to more years flying with yah! 🥂
Last but not least, thank You to my “Editorial Manager” up there who gives me the wisdom and instructions on what to write here. All glory to You, my Father. 🙏
Forever your regular Christian WordPress writer,
P.S. I really don’t know how to interpret those stats. A spike in those bars means this blog is somehow doing okay, right? 😀 I still don’t have plans on monetizing this though, BUT if God instructs otherwise, I’ll go for it. 👍
My husband and I have been married for almost 5 years now. We don’t have kids for reasons that only God knows. But honestly, in those 5 years, hubby and I never felt burdened by the fact that we were never blessed with kids (yet).
In fact, after we had our respective checkups, we accepted that God has a good plan behind it. These are plans that are beyond our control and yet what they demand from us is to continue seeking His counsel every single day as to what to do.
To receive the bad news that our best chances to have kids is thru IUI is far more bearable to take than accepting some of the people’s sentiments around us about our ordeal. 😀 I thank God for our families though because they treated it as something that we shouldn’t be pressured about at all.
Dealing With Social Stigma
Yes, I’ll be pretty honest. Hubby is not completely open to the idea of me sharing this. But I told him that we have to let people around us know to avoid all those awkward moments during reunions and children’s birthday parties about questions when we are going to have kids.
They would ask us casually and yet I told hubby that we can’t blame them since they don’t know exactly what we’re going through. They don’t know the visits to the doctor for our checkups and about being brave enough to endure the medical instruments inserted and injected here and there. They have no idea about how nervous we are as to what the doctor’s findings are and all the financial expenses involved.
IUI vs IVF
An IUI (intrauterine insemination) is different from IVF (in vitro fertilization) in a way that the IUI works by injecting the semen inside the uterus. Fertilization still occurs inside the uterus, while for IVF, the egg is harvested from the uterus and the fertilization takes place in the laboratory. Once the procedure is a success, the fertilized egg will be inserted back to the uterus.
I am not afraid of the physical pain nor am I worried about financial resources. I have faith that if God wills it my husband and I will have kids through any kind of medical procedure, He will provide the means, the courage, and the right time to have it.
Complete Faith All The Way
I just can’t help but admire my husband so much in this season – his courage, his strength, his nonchalance, and his faith. It seems like he displays the character of a devout Christian more than I do. And yet it’s ironic that it is me who claims to have such great faith. 😀
There are some couples going through similar situations such as ours who would get offended when asked by friends and relatives when they’re going to have a baby. Again, we also have to understand that the reason they ask is that they know nothing about our struggles in this journey.
So I told my husband that to break this negative mentality (considered as taboo) when it comes to infertility and the inability to conceive, we have to let those around us be aware of our predicament. Involve them in this difficult season in our marriage by asking them to pray for us and letting them know what exactly we need.
My husband is partially against this. He said it is too personal. And yet I have a different urge from the Spirit on how to treat the situation. I explained that yes, it is too personal. But God may be using our situation as a testimony of our faith in Him and His saving grace.
And that by sharing our faith in this journey, we could also encourage other couples who are going through the same struggles. Maybe it is through us that they get to know who God is, for one. As typical of my husband, he will concede once he realizes that there is indeed no harm done re a particular intent that I have. 😀 And if he knows I am doing it with the Spirit’s leading.
I pray that all the couples out there who are like us will see this predicament not as a curse but an opportunity to display God’s power. It is also an avenue to show our complete faith and trust in God, alone, that even though we have no assurance as to what will happen, we will still choose to believe in Him. Husbands and wives can also use these trying times to strengthen their bond as a couple even more.
Facing Trials Head-on
This is an unfavorable season that my husband and I cannot avoid. We have to face it head-on with the courage, strength, peace, and wisdom that God gives us. We can’t avoid attending reunions and kids’ birthday parties just so we can avoid being asked the dreaded question.
It also helps us to be open about our situation giving us freedom from any feelings of bitterness, discontentment, insecurity, and hatred because of it. The sooner we accept the fact that God is in control and that what we can only do is to act according to His instructions, the lesser the burden and the more at peace we’ll become.
For those who lost unborn babies and who can never have a baby, it’s almost the same, though the gravity of their situation is even greater. As much as I would like to empathize with them, I know it is not enough. I know I can only offer them prayers that may they still find the courage to continue hoping in God’s beautiful promises despite these heartbreaking moments. ❤
You Have Been Wonderfully Made
To all the couples out there, it is time to break this silence. Because this is what the enemy will use to cripple us through bouts of depression, restlessness, guilt, shame, and unhappiness. Don’t let him make you think of yourself as less than perfect, that something is wrong with the way you were created.
No, don’t believe these lies. Don’t let the enemy win. Don’t let it consume you. We have all been fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. God may be perfect, but we are still a work in progress. We are all imperfect. We all lack something. God is not yet done with us and it is only Him who can blot out those imperfections in us when the right time comes.
Be Free
I pray that all the couples out there who are going through similar trials will be released from this stronghold of the enemy. Be free my brothers and sisters, for it is your faith that will heal you and save you from this struggle.
We just always have to remember that God is always with us no matter what. So we must never stop believing that He knows what is good for us in the long run. Trusting Him completely is the key. 🙏
“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” – Hebrews 10:39
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” – Hebrews 11:11
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” – 2 Corinthians 4:13
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7
A wife waiting contentedly and happily,
P.S. I’ll just share this song, which my group and I got through draw lots, during our ‘Making Disciples’ class in our church back in 2014.
This post just reminded me about it – being BRAVE enough to break norms by saying what you want to say. 👍🙂
Hello, everyone! This has long been overdue because August, for me, was the busiest month. I had to juggle several responsibilities at the same time. I thank the Lord, though, because when September ushered in, I was able to “breathe a little.” Thus, this article. 😉
I am writing this blog post to commemorate our 4th year wedding anniversary last month. Hubby and I celebrated it with a simple dinner and some well-deserved pampering.
I guess that’s what really happens when you’re getting older. Any free time you get, you would rather choose to spend it by resting. 😀 We do hang out, though, with our families and friends every now and then just to maintain balance.
Why Hosea?
I encountered the story of Hosea in the Love Dare book lent to me by my Victory group leader last year when I was going through tough times in my marriage. I diligently followed every dare in the book, and there were times a dare would move me to tears because I was so convicted.
How could I not know the right way to respond as a Christian wife in the relational conflicts between me and my husband?
The book just laid bare everything vulnerable, crooked, and imperfect inside me. With them all exposed, however, I was able to deal with the real issues behind some of the conflicts I had with my husband.
One of them is fear. I was so driven by it that little did I know the enemy is already using it against me and my husband to his advantage and to destroy God’s beautiful promises for us. It’s just timely that this year’s wedding anniversary reminded me once again of our Bible verse during our wedding back in 2015:
“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.” – 1 John 4:18
Next, it was lack of faith. While doing the dare, there were instances where I felt a part of me was wrestling against doing it.
What I discovered is that I wasn’t humble enough as I claim to be, and there is still pride lurking deep down. I still relied on my own efforts when dealing with tough relational issues instead of trusting God, for one.
The Love Dare book didn’t just reveal parts of me that I needed to work on, but it also showed me how to better appreciate my spouse and his efforts to make our marriage work. I am sure you are curious by now to find out if it indeed resulted in a more positive and healthy relationship between me and my husband.
I can say that it did, for the most part, and yet for the majority of the changes, they did not happen overnight. They all required a great deal of discipline in order to see satisfying results. I am just grateful that both my husband and I are willing to work on our marriage regardless of the amount of effort and sacrifice it requires. Yes, we are still a work in progress, and God is definitely not done with us yet.
When I did the dares in the book, I decided not to wait for my husband to change first before I follow suit. If he does or doesn’t change, that is between him and God. But God’s calling for me is that I change now.
Will I recommend the book?
Definitely.
I am sure any husband or wife out there can relate with every dare in the book 100%, and if you’re going through rough seasons in your marriage, I highly recommend it. It’s also included in the Fireproof movie hubby and I watched a couple of years ago. I already have an idea of what the book was all about, but doing the dares, yourself, is an entirely different case.
Who is Hosea?
Hosea, in the Bible, is a prophet who was called by God to marry a prostitute. The story revolves around the prophet’s obedience to God in the midst of adultery, which was prevalent in God’s people during those times.
After getting married and having children, Hosea’s wife left him and unfortunately went back to prostitution. This was a very heart-wrenching experience to the prophet. It extremely tore him apart and yet, God asked him to do the most difficult task – ask her to return to him as his wife.
After leaving Hosea and going back to prostitution, Gomer (Hosea’s wife), got herself into undesirable circumstances and was sold as a slave. Hosea, though, still loves her. So, when God instructed Hosea to buy his wife back, he obeyed. He dismissed his own pain as seeing her would probably mean bringing back all the hurt of her leaving him and her sexual promiscuity with different men.
Gomer was full of remorse when Hosea bought her, but he did it on one condition – that she will completely let go of her past sins as a prostitute and repent.
What can we learn from Hosea?
God used the marriage of Hosea to Gomer as a representation of His unending love for His people despite their sinfulness and disobedience. God will continue to make all efforts to bring His people back to Him because that is what He is, He is love.
And there’s just no greater avenue to display the love of God than in a marriage. 1 Corinthians 13 portrays who God is as love, but there are other passages in the Bible that also describe what love ought to be such as loving your enemies and your neighbors as yourself.
The Lesson Of Hosea In A Marriage
When we love our enemies whom we don’t have a close relationship with, we sure can deal with it easily. But in a marriage, it is a tad more difficult and requires greater faith and more grace. To share one roof and sleep beside your enemy is already challenging enough. What more to love whom you disdain every single day?
Yes, there will be times in your marriage wherein you’ll feel you married your worst enemy. Your spouse can be your worst enemy because he/she knows so much about your weaknesses that nobody else does. And yet it doesn’t have to be that way if you choose to see your spouse in a different light.
This is where we can apply the lesson of Hosea’s love story. Just as God will choose to give chances to His people no matter how grave their sins are, then we, too, should do the same. When we were called to be married, God called us to love our spouses just like what Hosea did.
Every Marriage Was Orchestrated By God
I don’t believe in coincidences nor the idea that God does things based on trial and error just like in marriages. I believe that every marriage was orchestrated by God for us to fulfill a certain task. We are the only ones who can determine what these tasks are when we ask God sincerely and devote ourselves to obeying Him and His instructions completely.
Whether our marriages are failing, surviving, or thriving, God has a purpose for it, and this purpose will vary depending on each and every couple. My purpose in my marriage might be different than Hosea’s or any married couple out there. But they all have one goal – to display God’s unending love because that is who He is and that is who He wants us to know and follow.
This is why I don’t judge married couples whether they have God-centered marriages or not for now. Through the story of Hosea, I have surmised that we are not in the position to judge whether a marriage will last or not or decide for a person who he/she must marry. Because every marriage will go through seasons and in these seasons, God will use circumstances to fulfill His greater plans.
It Is A Calling
A marriage is a calling. The choice to marry a person doesn’t merely happen by chance, and it isn’t based on our own free will alone. God also has a hand in it. When I was single, I would read articles on who to marry or what is the type of guy/girl who will fit your personality. And yet reading the story of Hosea changed my perspective on relationships and marriages. It called for an understanding beyond legalism and pre-set doctrines that the world has dictated.
The Bible did state to never be yoked with an unbeliever. My interpretation, however, is that it should be taken with a grain of salt, and it depends on a case-to-case basis. What if the same calling similar to Hosea’s happens now in our generation? As a church, we can only respond to it with prayers. We can never judge because we don’t know what God has planned for a certain couple.
All we know is that it is in a marriage that God calls us to exhibit the greatest of them all – LOVE. We should always remember, too, that no marriage is ever a failure in God’s eyes as long as we seek His counsel on how to run our marriages. 🙂
Always the goofy husband, when he’s in the mood. lol 😉
Called by God to be a Christian wife in every circumstance,
Hello, everyone! Nope, I haven’t forgotten at all to write anything here on WordPress. I just had a lot of things going on in the past weeks. God, however, never fails to remind me because though I was inactive for more than a month already, I still keep on getting blog “Follows” and post “Likes.”
Thank you, all, for dropping by my site and showing your love. May you be blessed as you read along and God’s revelations be known to you as well. ❤
From A Promise-Keeper To Another Promise-Keeper
I bet God’s reminder to me through all of you is His way of saying, “My child, don’t forget the promise you made back in 2013 when I saved you that you will make this online journal a testimony of your spiritual journey.” 😀
Yes, Lord. I haven’t forgotten at all. In fact, I now have 64 drafts. Some of them are half-finished while some drafts contain only one word to remind me about the theme of the story.
I originally came up with an editorial calendar to make publishing on a regular basis way easier. But, I guess that it is not how God really intended it to be since I write based on the Spirit’s leading, and it has always been this way ever since I started this blog.
Anyway, let me end the long intro here and start today’s topic, which is one of the reasons why I was hibernating here on WordPress – the family business in Bicol.
How the Rice Tarrification Law is Affecting the Rice Farmers Now
Several months passed since the bill was implemented, and Dad’s assumptions that it will negatively affect the rice farmers are right. When my brother, sis-in-law, and I went to our home province last September, a majority of the rice farmers all over the country are expressing their sentiments to abolish the law.
The cheaper imported rice may have been a solution to most rice consumers, but the local rice struggled to compete with it. This resulted in a lower buying price for the local rice – way too low that farmers no longer gain any profit considering the high expenses involved in rice farming from planting to harvesting.
Local farmers, in fact, had to borrow money in order to recover the losses incurred during this season’s harvests. My Dad plans to skip cropping seasons in the meantime that market prices for local rice are low.
The Rice Farming Business Through The Decades
Our rice farming business is an additional source of income, and our parents relied on it to support all our needs when we were in college.
My parents told us how their salaries as working professionals (grade school teacher and engineer) were not enough to support all our needs. Copra production is also another alternative source of income for my parents, however, the buying price of coconuts is also very low.
Both of my parents are retired now and receive a monthly pension. My siblings and I also have our own careers. But what concerns my parents more now is the situation of our palay farm workers who rely on the planting and harvesting seasons to earn an income.
My Dad told me that should we skip a couple of cropping seasons (that’s every 6 months per annum), our farm workers will have no other choice but to look for other means to earn an income. Most of them are skilled in rice farming only so looking for other types of jobs will be difficult for them.
Some of them will leave their families behind to come here to Manila and work as construction workers. My Dad fears that those who do not have this privilege, considering the expensive bus fares going to Manila, might end up joining the New People’s Army to get money to feed their families.
Support the Local Rice Farmers
The plight of rice farmers has created an uproar on social media. There were several collaborations and joint efforts done to support the local farmers such as what Session Groceries is doing. However, only the rice farmers located near and within Metro Manila will benefit from these collective efforts since a majority of the demand all over the country comes from the metro.
For those who are in far-flung provinces such as our rice farmers in Bicol, this isn’t an option. Because selling rice in Manila would mean costly trucking and handling fees. Our only option is to sell our palay to rice traders in the region.
As I type this, I can’t help but feel a little emotional. I have seen the difficult process of producing rice, the stress involved, the resources needed, the amount of money shelled out, and how some of our farm workers would ask my Dad for their salaries in advance to support their immediate needs.
They have been a part of our family for several generations now – yes, we already consider them as a family because they are the ones responsible for keeping our rice farming business running. We just finance the entire process, but they are the ones who do all the hard work, which is extremely difficult. Agricultural work is indeed and entails hard labor.
I see the RTL as a form of oppression to the entire local rice farming industry. If it will not be abolished and market prices for local rice don’t go back to normal, we have to start looking for better alternatives that have lasting solutions.
Just Wait Because God is Always on Time and Never Late
I have been asking God for answers as to why this has to happen. Why let Your people suffer? Why let those who are in the seat of power abuse those who are already disadvantaged? Why let the strong continue to oppress the weak?
And yet through those questions, God asked that I trust Him completely. He may not have revealed what His plans are and yet there is the assurance that He is working something good behind it all. He is always working even if we don’t see it.
Unfortunately, one of my personal struggles is being patient. I already learned a lesson on patience the hard way in terms of my career. It’s God’s calling I work from home. But since I am expecting positive results once I obey Him, I end up doing the other way around when my expectations aren’t met.
The last office job was God’s final warning for me. After just a couple of weeks working in an office setting, here came the health scare once again. I felt persistent pain in my chest, which prompted me to resign and go through several medical checkups.
Warnings To Heed
To some of you who don’t know yet, breast cancer was consistent in my family’s history starting from my great grandmother, grandmother, then to my Mom. They’re all cancer survivors.
God made me realize that the daily commute weakens my immune system faster. I believe God is telling me that He still has more for me to do and if I want to live a fulfilled life, I should obey His calling.
Aside from the health scare, the work-from-home setup also allows me to work anywhere. This means that if God calls me to be in my home province and help Dad manage our family business, I can go there anytime without disrupting my work schedule.
Setting Priorities Right
This isn’t as easy as it sounds though since the reason why I am still here in Manila is that hubby’s work is here, and he is still my first priority. Hubby doesn’t have any background in farming, and should we decide to live in Bicol for good, it will be a major change in his life. I think hubby isn’t ready for this shift yet.
And God knows that, too. So His answer was this, “Tin, wait. I am still not yet done working. You just have to wait.”
For someone like me who always do things according to the plan, impatience always gets the best of me. And yet, this is where God is teaching me the greatest lesson. Though I must admit I sometimes haggle my way through His plans by asking Him to give me even just some glimpses of what He intends to do.
God will reveal some of His plans and yet they are not always a clear picture. Because “His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.” He can only show us portions of His bigger plans, bits and pieces of them, because that is only how far our human mind could comprehend.
I have realized later on that God’s wisdom is not meant to be grasped nor even understood. It is only to be received in faith that will show our complete trust in His power and His sovereignty above all things.
A Glimpse of Future Investments
I don’t have the wisdom of God to put the pieces of a puzzle together. And yet, in these pieces that God reveals along the way, I can make out one word – HOPE.
The Bicol International Airport was set to be completed by 2020; the Bicol Fish Port is half-finished; the construction of the SLEX 4, which will cut 3-4 hours of the travel time from Bicol to Manila and vice versa, has already started; and SM is starting to build several branches in key cities in the Bicol Region including the city closest to us, which is Sorsogon.
Our hometown may not experience this rapid growth in urbanization just yet. But when it happens, it will also increase commercialization in the province which will then boost local revenues.
This means better employment opportunities and a better quality of life for everyone. I am praying that those who live in the provinces will no longer have to go to Metro Manila and search for stable job opportunities. Besides, the metro will also reach its saturation point. Time will come when it will no longer be a conducive and habitable place to live in given the traffic, congestion, and pollution.
A Shift in the AgriBusiness Industry
Some farmers fear it will be the dawn of the agribusiness industry if most of the lands will be converted to real estate developments. We’re hoping that not all of the agricultural lands will be converted and utilized for commercial and residential projects. We will still have a need for farmlands to produce vegetables, other crops, and raise livestock and address the increasing demand in food supplies.
I wrote in my previous article, “Agribusiness: The Future of Today’s Economy,” that agribusinesses will have a high demand as long as the local government will patronize local products. In our region, God is just starting to establish the market.
So this must be the reason why He is asking me to wait. My siblings and I are initially planning on utilizing another portion of our farm for organic farming and other projects. Our goal is to help the local community and use the idle land according to how our grandparents wanted it to be utilized.
We proposed the idea to our parents but they are not really open to it since it’s a new venture, and they’re unfamiliar with the entire process. My grandparents have grown vegetables but only for their daily consumption. My parents don’t have enough knowledge and experience growing organic vegetables on a wider scale.
The Plan
Competition may be tough. But with the increase in commercial establishments, especially in the food industry such as local restaurants, there will be a high demand for a wide range of agricultural products.
Commercial establishments will start looking for local suppliers as this is cheaper compared if their suppliers will come from the North such as in Benguet where most of Metro Manila’s vegetables are coming from. But can you grow one type of vegetable only and be the supplier for an entire region? Yes, it is possible. One hectare can already provide you a truckload or more of produce. If you own a huge parcel of land, you have more options for growing different kinds of crops.
My parents said this will be difficult since there are certain crops that will only grow on a particular type of soil. If these are vegetables, especially the leafy ones, they don’t have deep root systems. They thrive on rich topsoil. Some of them can be grown in pots just like what I did here in our condo.
I came up with a plan to conduct a“pilot testing” for several vegetables by planting a couple of them in our backyard to see which ones will thrive and which ones won’t. The soil in our garden can be tested along with the soil taken from our farm to compare if they are the same or not.
The experiment will run for an entire cropping season. Determining the crop that is best suited to a particular type of soil will depend on the crop yield. If the crop produced a higher yield, then the percentage of it becoming a profitable venture is also high. It will also include all the expenses for organic fertilizers as well as the labor, and then I will compare it to the market price of the selected crop.
If It is God’s Will, He Will Make a Way
And yet these are all just plans, and these plans may change or may never be fulfilled depending on God’s will. Right now, it is about waiting on His perfect time and acting according to His instructions. I asked for God’s guidance that if my plans are indeed part of His plans, may He lead me to the right resources and the right people who can help me and my siblings in this endeavor.
As typical of God, He never fails when you ask, especially if you are doing the tasks according to His will and His plans. Here are the links I found. Yes, I know, they are quite a lot, but they are all a very good read. Who knows, maybe God will also give you the answers you’ve been waiting from Him through these articles. 🙂
While typing this article, I am also listening to my favorite playlist on Spotify, and it’s just timely that the song by Sinach was played twice. I believe this song is meant to be the perfect ending for this article focusing on this one thought – God will make a way for He is our Way Maker. ❤
I am posting two versions – the original version sung by Sinach in 2017 and the cover version sung by Leeland in 2019. 🙂
Hello, my beloved readers! My apologies for the long hibernation here on WordPress. I had a lot of things going on lately. But I promised myself I can never miss a post here on my blog. So, for my comeback article, I’ve decided to share a photo essay instead.
Hubby and I weren’t able to celebrate our wedding anniversary nor went out on a summer vacation as a couple last year because we had a lot of constraints. This year, we were given the opportunity to have a summer getaway and I told my husband this will be our advance wedding anniversary, too. lol Do take note though that we were married on August 17. 😀
While I enjoy traveling, the practical me would still want to save money for other (more important) things. It’s a good thing hubby also shares the same sentiments with me. Since we saved up for this vacation, I told my husband that it has to be a collective experience and we’re not just going to have a summer vacation for the sake of Instagram-worthy photos. Because we can do that at any time of the year.
I had no idea where I will find an event that’s going to give us a collective summer experience but maybe God heard my prayers because I stumbled upon the LAYA Arts and Music Festival. This was our first ever music beach festival that we attended so I must say that the experience was indeed one for the books in our travel adventures as a couple. Do continue reading and find out why. 😉
LAYA Arts and Music Festival (May 31-June 2, 2019)
Day 1
We left Manila at 6:30 am and arrived in Zambales at 11:00 am exactly under the midday sun, which was perfect for taking photos of the event place. The art booths were also set up but hubby and I decided to take a nap by the beach first and stroll around. I haven’t slept the night before but I guess the excitement just got me going. 😉
Came nighttime, there was a short drizzle before the night one concert started. But it didn’t stop the crowd from enjoying the music performed by the awesome lineup of talented artists such as Ben and Ben.
For our accommodation, we availed the “Glamping” package at Crystal Beach Resort. The resort’s glamping feature exceeded my expectations. It’s very comfortable set up with a light bulb, a fan, two comfy mattresses, toiletries, blankets, pillows, a locker, a socket, a wet clothes rack, and your own set of benches and a table.
Our tent was also pitched facing the beachfront so it was such an adorable sight for us either at daytime or during nighttime. The resort has quite a number of bathrooms, showers, wash areas, and comfort rooms in every corner of the campsite. Though there were a lot of guests during the event, there’s no need to wait in line and they keep the wash areas clean always.
We had buffet breakfasts as part of our event package and if you’re going to buy food from the resort’s restaurant, their serving is good for sharing at an affordable price. But if you prefer a cheaper alternative, the Bamboo Food Strip located just outside the resort offers your regular Pinoy favorites such as ihaw-ihaw, snacks, and lutong bahay.
The resort doesn’t allow any single-use plastic inside the site so this means you will have to surrender all the chips and bottled water or soft drinks you brought with you at the entrance.
This is part of the resort’s effort to keep the beach clean and plastic-free, which is why I totally love Crystal Beach Resort. I believe this is one advocacy that all resorts can adopt to better protect our environment.
This is actually more effective, I think, than doing a beach cleanup every now and then to lessen the plastic waste. As they say, “prevention is better than cure.”
Day 2
For the second day, the activities were jam-packed with a long lineup of fun things to do and hubby and I felt we just had so little time to try them all. What we’re able to try out though are the Drum Circle workshop hosted by Anima Tierra and the Tie-Dye workshop facilitated by Yana Ofrasio.
They are such talented and amazing artists. Brian and I were very excited about how our chosen designs in the tie-dye workshop will turn out. To our surprise, the outcome of my chosen design kind of looked like a Cross (orange and purple). It does look like a Cross, right? 😀
Aside from the Drum Circle and Tie-Dye Workshops, the following are the other daytime activities:
– Flow Arts Session – Sound Bath Session – Yoga Session – LAYA Talks on mental health, gender equality, etc.
– Mask-making Workshop
– Watercolor Workshop – Dream Catcher Workshop
For the night two concert, something amazing happened and that I will share in the next article about miracles. Oh, and before that, we had the Sunset Bonfire Jam and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. 😉
Day 3
This was our free time and we can do anything we wish while waiting for our check-out time at 2:00 pm. We just spent it basking under God’s beautiful creations – sea, sun, and nature.
***
We would like to thank Travel Factor for arranging everything for us and making sure we enjoyed the LAYA event from Day 1 until Day 3 as well as the freebies! ❤
Always enjoying God’s creations may it be the sea or the mountains,
P.S.
Hubby and I availed the round-trip bus transfers from Manila to Zambales and vice versa just to get the summer vibe with fellow campers and festival goers. It was fun but we’ll bring the car next time for a change. 😀
P.S. (2)
Thank God for a hubby who just waits for me patiently all the time. ❤ Indeed, he has a master’s degree in waiting. hahaha Nah, that is why I love my man to pieces. I just assured him that ladies are really like that. It’s part of every husband or boyfriend’s duties to wait for their ladies in anything – long shopping, long time taking a bath, long time dressing up, etc. He posted in his FB Stories the photo below with a written text. 😀
The Journeyman's Moments 