Resolutions

My friend at State Varsity Christian Fellowship showed me a book. It was all about Jonathan Edwards and his work. I borrowed the book from him, started to read the book, and started to marvel at his works.

Jonathan Edwards was a preacher, a Theologian, a Puritan missionary, and a reformist. He was an American who was born in October 5, 1703. He was the one who oversaw his church's first round of revival. He wrote many famous sermons such as "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" and many more. Most important, however, is the fact that he is first and foremost, a Christian saved by the grace of God. All Jonathan Edward's works are nothing if God is not in the equation. To God be all the glory and praise!

The following text is a compilation of Edward's resolutions as a Christian. Read through it, and I pray that we ourselves will start our own resolutions.

Being sensible that I am unable to do any thing without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him, by his grace, to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.

Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.

1. Resolved, That I will do whatsoever I think to be most to the glory of God, and my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration; without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved, to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved, so to do, whateverdifficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.

2. Resolved, To be continually endeavouring to find out some new contrivance and invention to promote the forementioned things.

3. Resolved, If ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.

4. Resolved, Never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God, nor be,nor suffer it, if I can possibly avoid it.

5. Resolved, Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.

6. Resolved, To live with all my might, while I do live.

7. Resolved, Never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.

8. Resolved, To act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings, as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God. Vid. July 30.

9. Resolved, To think much, on all occasions, of my dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.

10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.

11. Resolved, When I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances do not hinder. xxi

12. Resolved, If I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by.

13. Resolved, To be endeavouring to find out fit objects of liberality and charity.

14. Resolved, Never to do any thing out of revenge.

15. Resolved, Never to suffer the least motions of anger towards irrational beings.

16. Resolved, Never to speak evil of any one, so that it shall tend to his dishonour, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.

17. Resolved, That I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

18. Resolved, To live so, at all times, as I think is best in my most devout frames, and when I have the clearest notions of the things of the gospel, and another world.

19. Resolved, Never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour before I should hear the last trump.

20. Resolved, To maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking.

21. Resolved, Never to do any thing, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him.

22. Resolved, To endeavour to obtain for myself as much happiness in the other world as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigour, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.

23. Resolved, Frequently to take some deliberate action, which seems most unlikely to be done, for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs, and ends of it; and if I find it not to be for God’s glory, to repute it as a breach of the fourth Resolution.

24. Resolved, Whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then, both carefully endeavour to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.

25. Resolved, To examine carefully and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and so direct all my forces against it.

26. Resolved, To cast away such things as I find do abate my assurance.

27. Resolved, Never wilfully to omit any thing, except the omission be for the glory of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.

28. Resolved, To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive, myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

29. Resolved, Never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession which I cannot hope God will accept.

30. Resolved, To strive every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.

31. Resolved, Never to say any thing at all against any body, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of christian honour, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the golden rule; often, when I have said any thing against any one, to bring it to, and try it strictly by, the test of this Resolution.

32. Resolved, To be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that that, in Prov. xx. 6. ‘A faithful man, who can find?’ may not be partly fulfilled in me.

33. Resolved, To do always what I can towards making, maintaining, and preserving peace, when it can be done without an overbalancing detriment in other respects. Dec. 26, 1722.

34. Resolved, In narrations, never to speak any thing but the pure and simple verity.

35. Resolved, Whenever I so much question whether I have done my duty, as that my quiet and calm is thereby disturbed, to set it down, and also how the question was resolved. Dec. 18, 1722.

36. Resolved, Never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call to it. Dec. 19, 1722.

37. Resolved, To inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent,—what sin I have committed,—and wherein I have denied myself;—also, at the end of every week, month, and year. Dec. 22 and 26, 1722.

38. Resolved, Never to utter any thing that is sportive, or matter of laughter, on a Lord’s day. Sabbath evening, Dec. 23, 1722.

39. Resolved, Never to do any thing, of which I so much question the lawfulness, as that I intend, at the same time, to consider and examine afterwards, whether it be lawful or not; unless I as much question the lawfulness of the omission.

40. Resolved, To inquire every night before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking. Jan. 7, 1723.

41. Resolved, to ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month, and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better. Jan. 11, 1723.

42. Resolved, Frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism, which I solemnly renewed when I was received into the communion of the church, and which I have solemnly re-made this 12th day of January, 1723.

43. Resolved, Never, henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God’s; agreeably to what is to be found in Saturday, Jan. 12th. Jan. 12, 1723.

44. Resolved, That no other end but religion shall have any influence at all on any of my actions; and that no action shall be, in the least circumstance, any otherwise than the religious end will carry it. Jan. 12, 1723.

45. Resolved, Never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion. Jan. 12 and 13, 1723.

46. Resolved, Never to allow the least measure of any fretting or uneasiness at my father or mother. Resolved, to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech, or motion of my eye; and to be especially careful of it with respect to any of our family.

47. Resolved, To endeavour, to my utmost, to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peaceable, contented and easy, compassionate and generous, humble and meek, submissive and obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable and even, patient, moderate, forgiving, and sincere, temper; and to do, at all times, what such a temper would xxii lead me to; and to examine strictly, at the end of every week, whether I have so done. Sabbath morning, May 5, 1723.

48. Resolved, Constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. May 26, 1723.

49. Resolved, That this never shall be, if I can help it.

50. Resolved, That I will act so, as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world. July 5, 1723.

51. Resolved, That I will act so, in every respect, as I think I shall wish I had done, if I should at last be damned. July 8, 1723.

52. I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, That I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723.

53. Resolved, To improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723.

54. Resolved, Whenever I hear anything spoken in commendation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, that I will endeavour to imitate it. July 8, 1723.

55. Resolved, To endeavour, to my utmost, so to act, as I can think I should do, if I had already seen the happiness of heaven and hell torments. July 8, 1723.

56. Resolved, Never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.

57. Resolved, When I fear misfortunes and adversity, to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it and let the event be just as Providence orders it. I will, as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty and my sin. June 9, and July 13, 1723.

58. Resolved, Not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness, and benignity. May 27, and July 13, 1723.

59. Resolved, When I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly; yea, at such times, to manifest good nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times. May 12, July 11, and July 13.

60. Resolved, Whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination. July 4 and 13, 1723.

61. Resolved, That I will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on religion, whatever excuse I may have for it—that what my listlessness inclines me to do, is best to be done, &c. May 21, and July 13, 1723.

62. Resolved, Never to do any thing but my duty, and then, according to Eph. vi. 6-8. to do it willingly and cheerfully, as unto the Lord, and not to man: knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shall be receive of the Lord. June 25, and July 13, 1723.

63. On the supposition, that there never was to be but one individual in the world, at any one time, who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true lustre, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part and under whatever character viewed: Resolved, To act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time. Jan. 14, and July 13, 1723.

64. Resolved, When I find those ”groanings which cannot be uttered,“ of which the apostle speaks, and those ”breathings of soul for the longing it hath,” of which the psalmist speaks, Psalm cxix. 20. that I will promote them to the utmost of my power; and that I will not be weary of earnestly endeavouring to vent my desires, nor of the repetitions of such earnestness. July 23, and Aug. 10, 1723.

65. Resolved, Very much to exercise myself in this, all my life long, viz. with the greatest openness of which I am capable, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him, all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and every thing, and every circumstance, according to Dr. Manton’s Sermon on the 119th Psalm,. July 26, and Aug. 10, 1723.

66. Resolved, That I will endeavour always to keep a benign aspect, and air of acting and speaking, in all places, and in all companies, except it should so happen that duty requires otherwise.

67. Resolved, After afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them; what good I have got by them; and, what I might have got by them.

68. Resolved, To confess frankly to myself, all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help. July 23, and August 10, 1723.

69. Resolved, Always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. Aug. 11, 1723.

70. Let there be something of benevolence in all that I speak. Aug. 17, 1723.

This text was taken from here.

Observations:

That's quite a lot of resolutions if you ask me. Jonathan Edwards was faithful in reminding himself these resolutions. He made it a point to read it once a week. Amazing! What has happened to the Christians of today? We take our faith so lightly these days. The advancement in technology has probably led us further away from our real goal. That is to worship and glorify our God. We all have to learn something from Jonathan Edwards for his strong faith as a missionary and as a Christian.

Joshua's Resolution 1: Resolve, from this day forth, to consciously put God ahead of everything and to continually seek His purpose and will for my life. August 20, 2010.

* For more of Jonathan Edwards, visit this website. You can find his sermons there. I challenge you to read his sermons and compare it with the Word of God.

Verse for the Day - August 19, 2010

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

Joshua 1:8, ESV

Since this is the first time for this segment, it is fitting to start with Joshua 1:8. As Joshua gave his words of wisdom to the Israelites, we also should learn from what he said.

Spending time with God is one of the most fulfilling yet most neglected thing a Christian should do. The irony is present. How could one be so enlightened and fulfilled when doing something yet neglect to find time for it? If you are delighted by researching for something, would you not research for that until you realize it's late in the evening already? If you love playing basketball, isn't it hard for you to stop once you start playing? The same scenario goes with our personal devotion to God. The Lord does not require us to read the Bible for every single second available, but we should meditate on it day and night. There is a difference between merely reading and meditating.

This should serve as a reminder that God wants us to meditate on His Word and spend time with Him daily.

The Difference Maker

* Since this is the first time I'm doing this, I will be explaining this thing I'm doing. Basically, I will write a summary of the message I heard at church on the most recent Sunday.Of course, these are based on the notes I wrote. So it might be a bit confusing. Bear with me. I will then put in what I learned that Sunday.

I hope I can maintain this every week.

Now to begin...

The Difference Maker - Romans 8:1-27

message by Rev. Alexander Uy

What is a difference maker?

-> one that changes the dynamics of something (i.e. a game)

-> x-factor

Examples:

1. Illac Diaz - discipled by a Christian

made a difference by inventing things for the benefit of the poor

2. Efren Penaflorida - a Christian

made a difference by teaching street kids in a non-conventional setting

Same with us, we have someone in our lives who is a difference maker.

The Holy Spirit - the difference maker of every believer

- not "the force" as in Star Wars

- not a Ghost as translated by the King James Version

+ He is God, the third person of the Triune God

+ The Counselor

+ Came upon disciples and gave them power

+ Dwells within the believers

The Holy Spirit is a difference maker:

I. In Our Condition - v.1-2

- change in condition

- free from grip of death

--He changes our condition

- we should live as we are supposed to live

- righteous

II. In Our Concentration - v.5

- focus on what the Spirit desires instead of focusing on the sinful nature

- we are not robots

- we are reminded in Eph. 5:18

- we tend to lose concentration because we neglect the basics of Christianity

(i.e. quiet time, prayer)

III. In Our Confidence

- relationship with Christ (total makeover) - v. 14-16

- we are already God's

- we can approach God CONFIDENTLY

- we don't need to feel inferior

- His love is MORE THAN ENOUGH

IV. As Our Conciliator (Intercessor) - v.26-27

- intercedes with groans we do not understand

- prays for right thing, best thing for me

Recap:

4 Cs:

1. Condition - sinner to saint

2. Concentration - sinful thoughts to God's desires

3. Confidence

4. Conciliator

What I Learned:

This message was a timely reminder. I was indeed refreshed by what the Holy Spirit does and who He is. The second point was particularly true to me. I tend to lose concentration in anything I do. The task given to me usually will not be finished in a good way. I get too easily distracted. I lose focus. A thought suddenly struck me that maybe I focus more on the work instead of God. That was the part I got wrong. Actively involving yourself in God's ministry does not mean that you are aligned with His will. If only you seek God, then it will be revealed to you.

I was also reminded that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. Indeed it is a happy though that we have Jesus as our mediator, and we have the Holy Spirit interceding for us.

That Sunday's message allowed me to evaluate myself. Hopefully, through this, I can be an effective worker of God.

**note that Rev. Alexander Uy's sermon transcripts can be found at his blogspot.

http://uyster622.blogspot.com

The Country and I

The Country we love

Here we are, a new Philippines. Many days after the inauguration of P-Noy. I would start by boldly declaring that P-Noy has done a great job. Sticking true to his campaign is a fresh start to a budding administration.

The media and P-Noy

Transparency is key to a successful government, media, and citizen relationship. What did P-Noy do? Well, he formed a communications group that would answer most, if not all, of the things that the administration deal with. As stressed in my journalism class, information is the highway of democracy. It is even the oxygen of democracy. Without it, a democracy perishes. P-Noy has started out well. In stark contrast, President GMA is closed to the media. Basically, she does not understand that the media's role is to inform people of certain things. To take on both sides, however, Philippine media is unstable. One day it is very good, another day it is sensationalized. It's hard to balance things here. I don't know why, but it might be due to the readership they are trying to gain. As in television, profit is important that sometimes it gets in the way of professionalism. With that being said, I admire P-Noy for having an administration that is open to the media amidst its shortcomings. Again, information is crucial to the survival of a democracy. I am glad that we finally have a president who believes in that.

P-Noy's first few days as CEO of the Philippines

I have been following closely (mostly through the Philippine Daily Inquirer) P-Noy's first few days as President. Starting with the strict implementation of the "no WANG-WANG" policy, the Aquino administration is off to a good start! The only downside to it is that since P-Noy vows to follow the law, the traffic in Araneta corner Quezon Ave. has been altered. The route where P-Noy is passing through now has a left turn stop light! Pretty clever! Working within the framework of the rules. Too bad for the lane heading to Fairview though, it has to wait a few more minutes for the green light to shine. There were immediate bumps to the "matuwid na daan" that P-Noy hoped for, and P-Noy soon realized that the mountain he is climbing is way steeper than what he had first calculated. First he had to face a daunting task of managing the budget deficit. Apparently, the previous administration decided to just use up almost all of the budget. The calamity funds has almost been depleted as well. How about the MWSS bonuses? Christmas bonus, Christmas package, 13th month pay, pa-bahay, pa-kotse, etc. Incredible! I had to quote someone saying that they only stopped handing out bonuses because they have no more names to call the bonuses! All these and more are stated in his SONA. While many claim that his SONA is lacking, I believe it was a good start. He, after all, highlighted the things he wants to prioritize. Now, indeed, the Filipinos can dream again. The extra judicial killings started again under a young Aquino administration. Sad as it may seem, the killings seem to be an insult and slap to the face of P-Noy. We just hope that he has a solution to all these. What about the typhoon that killed many? The water crisis? The dams that won't fill even under heavy rainfall? The CARP and Hacienda Luisita problems also surfaced once again. As we all know, P-Noy's family is a majority owner of Hacienda Luisita. It is for this reason that we are very interested in what he will be doing. The developments seem to be good, though it is hard to say because even though a compromise was claimed by Hacienda Luisita, the farmers claimed otherwise (such confusion is a headache). The PAL problem is also another headache. I would say that though these PAL staffs had problems with the PAL management, they still have to respect the terms of their contract and the government condition. Boycotting the airline by resigning immediately instead of the SOP of informing the airline 6 months in advanced is a bad practice. It leaves a bad reputation to the Philippines however you want to see it. The ombudsman is also a headache. Suddenly springing to action on the fertilizer fund scam after a long state of dormancy, the ombudsman has been subject to impeachment. Lastly, all the government officials who earn more than the President? The figures go as high as 20 something million Pesos.

How I feel?

It pains me to see that while we make it look as if we are not a rich country, we have government officials here and there doing things to profit themselves, thus leaving the poor people to suffer. WE ARE A RICH COUNTRY! Our natural resources, our beaches, our environment are all world class! We have a lot of money as well, if you really think about it. It just goes to all the wrong places. Sad. :(

Conclusion

P-Noy has been in office for only a short time. Rallying everywhere about his "shortcomings" is NOT a help to the country. If we really want to help, we will not be rallying but be active in forming groups to help the new government do its thing. After all, what can a plumber fix in a few days when the whole country pipe system is damaged? Can you tell me? Would criticizing the plumber speed up the patching process? NO! It is then up to the citizens to help patch up the massive damage to the country pipes. By doing so, we would have been able to stop the Philippines from sinking down below the ocean. We have a choice. Use it to HELP this beloved country! :)

Of Chess, Stratego, and Games of the Generals

Such is my fascination for board games.

Of Chess

I had been fascinated with how chess works, how it trains you to take control and utmost care of every piece, how it allows us to see that sacrifice is important, and how adapting to constant changes in the board is possible. Chess is not limited to random movements. Even at the very first move, you need to know why you moved that piece so as not to waste any moves. And based on how your opponent reacts, you form your strategy. Interesting and challenging to the mind indeed!

In many ways, chess is applicable to life. We have to adapt to constantly changing environments, adapt to a new culture, and adapt to every new challenge. Critical thinking is also important! Sometimes common sense is not enough.

Of Stratego and Games of the Generals

It was only recently that I encountered Stratego. In many ways, it is like the Brigade-favorite board game Games of the Generals where you have to arrange your troops. Your opponents cannot see your troops initially.

This is where it gets interesting.

In Games of the Generals, you always will not see your opponent's troops. So you have an arbiter in place. It allows for better memory and visualization. In Stratego, once you capture an opponent's piece, the both of you show pieces. In essence, you will, sooner or later, know what your opponent's troop placement is. Stratego allows for better deception skills and placement skills.

The way to kill the highest ranked official is set up differently as well. In Games of the Generals, a 5-star General can only be killed by a Spy. Stratego works the same way, a Marshall can only be killed by a Spy, but a Spy dies if the Marshall attacks it.

Even more different and exciting is how the board is set up. In Games of the Generals, direct assault is common as there is no barrier between you and the opponent. In Stratego, there a 2 sets of 2x2 box tiles called rivers where you cannot pass. So direct combat is not applicable. As I said, placement is key.

So in conclusion...

Interestingly, these board games have been a part of my childhood (except Stratego). They also offer us a lot to learn. This is contrary to the games we play nowadays. Where massive mayhem and explosions are common, feeding the more vicious part of our life. While this may be entertaining sometimes, it is bad for us most of the time. These games often lead to violence being seen in the streets and else where. It's sad what this world has become.

Let's just go back to the old times (at least relative to my age). Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly, Clue, Chess, Stratego, Games of the Generals, Uno, Dominos, and a lot more. :) I'm sure to love it. How about you?

Righteousness

Righteousness as defined by an online dictionary is:

1. morally upright, without guilt or sin.

2. in accordance with virtue or morality.

3. morally justifiable.

The Chinese word for righteousness is:

Here's the interesting part.

The upper portion of the word is the Chinese word:

which means Lamb.

The lower portion of the word is the Chinese word:

which means me or I.

Conclusion: We can only attain true righteousness through Jesus Christ, the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. More specifically, if we allow Him to be the Lord of our lives (put Him on top of us).

Coincidence? I don't think so...

The Bukidnon Experience

"Amazing grace how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found

Was blind but now I see."

Tears started rolling down my eyes. It was evident. God has caused us to realize the importance of fulfilling His command. As we continued to worship that Sunday morning, it became clearer and clearer that God's love and grace is indeed amazing.

A week before that Sunday, I would not have realized the faithfulness of God to the point that I will just stop and cry because of the joy of being in Him and in His service. A week before that Sunday, I was just excited to see how the missionaries do their work in the field and how they managed to hang on even after a tough spiritual battle that will often pull you down to your lowest. All that changed the moment we met Kuya Buboy and heard his story. Kuya Buboy is going through a tough time as a part of their team resigned from their organization. Doing so left Kuya Buboy and Ate Barbs as the only two people in the team. As he was telling their story, we were going around the areas where we will do ministry. Each place was far from the other. This is where it struck me. The mere fact that you have to travel almost everyday to these different places will tire you out easily. It was apparent that only God can sustain a couple who were probably burned out by the overwhelming task at hand. But God works in ways we do not understand. He is faithful. He will provide the strength that we lack.

Our ministry was supposed to be handled in 4 areas. We are supposed to hold Daily Vacation Bible Schools in all 4 of the areas. We decided otherwise. We decided to merge it into 2 big groups so we can have ample time to prepare for the next group.

And so it was. The first area was a farm area. A lot of kids attended. Most of which have never experienced something like this. Some thought we are giving medical missions or free school supplies. I am on the belief that nothing happens by accident. God provided them a way there to allow them to experience Christian fellowship and to experience joy.

The second area was held in the town gym where the GGC SMIA previously held their evangelistic basketball clinic. The area was suprisingly filled with kids as well. The first encounter we had was with the girls boxing team. All of them are amateurs, but they are lightning quick as I had personally seen in their sparring. As I was chatting with Kuya Buboy later, I realized that these kids give their time and energy focusing on boxing to have a chance to probably be like Manny Pacquiao. But we all know that the odds are always against them. They fight in town fiestas where the winner will win a measly Php 100. A small sum, I must say. Considering you work so hard and beat your body up just to have Php 100 or nothing.

The moment we stepped into these areas. I realized that we are not there just to know about our missionaries but to be missionaries ourselves. Each day was filled with new challenges. Challenges that, I can say, were experienced by Kuya Buboy and Ate Barbs as well. I learned more about the kids as the days passed. There were kids who were just fine, the were kids who cannot embrace the love of their father, and there were kids who cannot experience the love of both of their parents. Seeing these kids happy even for just that moment allowed me to have a greater appreciation for the things I have. My heart melted even more when the kids were finally open to us. Talking with us. Following us around, and doing normal things you would have expected from close friends. I really saw first-hand how God worked in His ministry. From the lives of the missionaries, to the lives of the kids, and to our lives.

Sunday was the day of our worship. We worshiped by ourselves. We sang songs and Kuya Buboy shared his own testimony. Powerful. That's the word I can use to describe his testimony. Kuya Buboy is a good and faithful servant indeed. Praise God!

Wonderful isn't it? God's amazing grace has been evident all through out history. We just do not allow ourselves to realize it. Praise God for His marvelous work!

*Note that I did not put any statistics as to how many we were during the trip. This is to emphasize that it is only God who works in us; and it is not only us, mere humans, who do the work.*

This testimony is also written very late, considering that we did the short term ministry from May 17-25, 2010. sorry...