Early birthday wish..

GRANTED!! Wohooo!! Thank you, TATAY!!! You are so good!!

Today, I received a letter from the Case Officer via email. "I am pleased to advise that a visa have been granted to you." I was shaking and crying when I read this. Wow!! The wait is finally over. I will be with hubby soon...very very soon :-)

It's going to be a Happy Birthday to Me! Yahoo!! I can't contain the happiness ahihi. The best Ka talaga Lord!!

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Included in the documentation that we need to submit is our history. Here's a bit of my 7 pages love story :-)

Boracay has one of the beautiful sunsets in the world. As it was not our first time here, from the usual viewing of the sunset on the beach, Cesar hired a boat to witness it while sailing the sea. Still, at that time, I do not have an idea of what’s going to happen. We have 3 companions in the boat, the one who maneuvers the sails, his assistant and another assistant to take photos. When we reached the spot, Cesar told the boatman to stop. The moment has finally arrived. Cesar took out the ring and asked, “Pam, will you marry me?” I couldn’t speak and had a sudden flashback from the day we first met and what we have gone through. This is it! I said YES. On January 10, 2010 at 5:55 pm, we were engaged. On that day, I thought that we were going to witness one of the beautiful sunsets, but it was the sunset that witnessed a sweet memorable marriage proposal.

Bruises

while watching glee this morning, louie sat beside me. then i touched his face and softly massage his head not knowingly that he will attack me. i don't understand what triggered him to do that because i always do it and he is calm. whatever he was thinking, i suppose it was not intenional to hurt me. i got bruises. with his two hands and two feet, he grabbed my right hand, then locked his two feet so i won't be able to move the upper part of my hand, scrabbled his nails and tried to bit me. ouch!!! i felt the pain when he released my hand. i didn't scold at him. this was not the first time, i know the wounds will suddenly heal..i saw louie peacefully sleeping at the corner. i smiled. though he brought me physical hurt, he is still our joy. hindi ko kaya magalit.

since last week, i always check my yahoo account as i am waiting for an important email. two weeks have passed, still no advise. nalulungkot ako..i played the hillsong dvd and sing songs of praise to him. i trust his timing..and will keep on praying and waiting..praying and waiting..i fell asleep again and woke up late. eto na naman ang aking struggle - to go or not to go to work. since it is my holiday naman tomorrow, i decided to go. while traveling to work, i can't help myself not to think about the thing that i am waiting..then i received a note. the message was like louie's scratches on my hand. ang sakit..i went to the ladies room to wipe my tears away. lilipas din 'to. nasaktan ako pero hindi ako galit. hindi ko kaya. walang nagbago, i still love the person.

this made me realize how god loves me unconditionally. no matter how many times i hurt him because of my sins, his steadfast love never ceases; his mercies never come to an end and they are new every morning (lamentations 3:22-23). i am still his daughter and he is my heavenly father.

enough for today..tomorrow is another day and i am excited to my date with my two mamas :-)

Salamat, Tatay

When I

Look into those bright eyes

So young
Always so ready to run
Then I
See your change when fun subsides
And new colors start to arise
There's a hidden picture
That wasn't seen outside

When you run, don't tire
Keep on reaching, higher
Even when the pain and trouble bring you down, sometimes
I will see you through
I'm forever right here with you
Even when you feel you don't need me around

I will be your friend, forever
I will be your one, big brother
Even when I see you fall
I will be your father

When I hear you call

When I hear you call

by Gary V.

Araw ng mga TATAY

"happy father's day pa! love you!". i made this ref cake for you. tada!!

"happy father's day tatay!! you rock! having you in my life is more than enough. love you!!"

"happy father's day papa! hanga po ako sa pagpapalaki nyo sa asawa ko. maraming salamat po!" i enjoyed our little time kanina :))

Day four

a picture of where you went today (june 14)

my hiding place

i was supposed to see a cardiologist this morning to do a repeat of the ecg (as per advise of the clinic doctor in our office when he do the interpretation of my annual medical exam). but instead of going to st lukes hospital, i went to a nearby park for a heart check-up. i really appreciate it's serenity. the last time i was here was 5 years ago. and today, i spent my one hour break here to just sit and have my quiet time with tatay.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

psalm 139:23-24

i died..and today, by god's grace, i will live anew. goodbye to my old selfish logical thinking. i am grateful to have a father who loves a stubborn daughter like me.

iloveyoutatay.

Psalm 42:1

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, O God.

you alone are my heart's desire and i long to worship thee..

"tatay, i am lonely. please hold me in your arms."

Unlimited resources

(photo taken in april 2008, fully booked - boni high street)

live life to the fullest! plug in to the One and the Real source :)

Kilig moment

Ngayon lng ko naging masaya ng ganito my.. mulang ng maging asawa kita at nagpromise kay God na I will love you with all my heart and you'll have my loyalty forever and ever and ever.. =)

ayiiiii!! abot tenga ang ngiti ko :) i just can't hide it! he never fails to make me feel that i am his woman (kinikilig ako while writing this). cesar is the most romantic person i've ever known (wifey na wifey ba ang dating? hehe)..kaya naman sa kanilang lahat, sa 'yo ko binigay ang matamis kong "oo" :)

i love it when he promise it not only to me but to my TATAY.

Wonders of the World

WOW! (eyes wide open) this is astonishing..

Phenomenal wonders of the Natural world. email i received from a colleague. there are 14 illustrations, but here are my top five picks.

sailing stones

The mysterious moving stones of the packed-mud desert of Death Valley have been a center of scientific controversy for decades.

Rocks weighing up to hundreds of pounds have been known to move up to hundreds of yards at a time.

Some scientists have proposed that a combination of strong winds and surface ice account for these movements.

However, this theory does not explain evidence of different rocks starting side by side and moving at different rates and in disparate directions.

Moreover, the physics calculations do not fully support this theory as wind speeds of hundreds of miles per hour would be needed to move some of the stones.

 

columnar basalt

When a thick lava flow cools, it contracts vertically but cracks perpendicular to its directional flow with remarkable geometric regularity- in most cases forming a regular grid of remarkable hexagonal extrusions that almost appear to be made by man.

One of the most famous such examples is the Giant's Causeway on the coast of Ireland (shown above), though the largest and most widely recognized would be Devil's Tower in Wyoming.

Basalt also forms different but equally fascinating ways when eruptions are exposed to air or water.

blue holes

Blue holes are giant and sudden drops in underwater elevation that get their name from the dark and foreboding blue tone they exhibit when viewed from above in relationship to surrounding waters.

They can be hundreds of feet deep and while divers are able to explore some of them they are largely devoid of oxygen that would support sea life due to poor water circulation - leaving them eerily empty.

Some blue holes, however, contain ancient fossil remains that have been discovered, preserved in their depths.




lenticular clouds

Ever wonder the truth about UFOs?

Avoided by traditional pilots but loved by sailplane aviators, lenticular clouds are masses of cloud with strong internal uplift that can drive a motorless flyer to high elevations.


Their shape is quite often mistaken for a mysterious flying object or the artificial cover for one.


Generally, lenticular clouds are formed as wind speeds up while moving around a large land object such as a mountain.

light pillars

Light pillars appear as eerily upright luminous columns in the sky, beacons cast into the air above without an apparent source..

These are visible when light reflects just right off of ice crystals from either the sun (as in the two top images above) or from artificial ground sources such as street or park lights.

Despite their appearance as near-solid columns of light, the effect is entirely created by our own relative viewpoint.

you are amazing, God.

none can fathom..

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Though the fig tree does not bud

and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls,

Yet I will praise in the LORD,

I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign LORD is my strength;

he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

he enables me to go on the heights.

"thank you, Lord, that in every trials and sufferings, you are my strength. you make my feet like the feet of a deer so that i will be able to go on the heights. truly, that your grace is sufficient and your strength is made perfect in times of weakness."

iloveyoutatay.

Kanlungan

naghanap ako ng masisilungan. kailangan ng pagal kong mga paa ng sandaling pahinga. malayo layo na rin ang aking nalakbay. salamat sa puno na malaya akong pinapatuloy upang makahinga at sumagap ng sariwang hangin. naupo ako at sumandal sa kanyang matatag na mga punong-kahoy na sinubok ng iba't ibang panahon. maginhawa sa pakiramdam. inuugoy ako ng hangin na nagmumula sa kanyang mga dahon. inilabas ko ang aking bitbit na tinapay at tubig. paunti-unti kong kinain ang tinapay at ininom ang tubig upang mapawi ang aking gutom at uhaw.

ito ang nagbibigay sa akin ng lakas upang magpatuloy sa aking paglalakbay.

Do not expect

i did not finish the entire service, after the preaching i hurried home because i wanted to say and i want him to know that i am sorry. realization hit me. the message was so powerful as if God personally talked to me like a father. it was very timing as the talk is particularly for the married and engaged couple.

"when desires become expectations, relationship fails."

i was humbled.

i appreciate the times when cesar do not spoil me. thankful that it helped me improve myself. this makes me love him even more. yes, i have desires, we have desires for our future family. i pray that these desires wont become expectations. only Him can meet the desires and the expectations. i commit to the lord our relationship. we are just about to begin the long journey. i put God as the center of our relationship.

this will be my life verse - ephesians 5:22-25.

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

The Beach and The Sunset

Carla (Rica) Peralejo and Joe Bonifacio's Same Day Edit from Jason Magbanua on Vimeo.


i cried when i saw the video. the exchange of vows was lovely. i am not personally related to them but we're in one spiritual family. i am so blessed with their story and was inspired by their wedding - the beach and the sunset.

when cesar proposed marriage in boracay at 17:55, it has given the beach and the sunset a different meaning.

the beach - crossing over to the other side. before i entered into a romantic relationship with him, i had my quiet moment with the lord, a one on one talk with my tatay in heaven. that was during my vacation in sydney. after i took breakfast, i sat at the veranda and with me are my bible and my ever reliable ipod nano. "is this where you want me to be? what about my career? my future?" and the questioning goes on. here's the word that i received from him in the morning of oct 7: "never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." then he reminded me of jeremiah 29:11 "for i know the plans i have for you, says the lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." on that day, i knew what the answer is..when i said yes to cesar, it means "yes, i am ready to follow his will. i am ready to go over to the other side taking God as the captain of our ship."

the sunset - it is time...to leave singlehood (which i truly enjoyed!) and moved on to the next level of maturity. a reminder that everyday is passing, that when the sun sets it means that another day is about to begin. a new hope and another day to trust God. and it also means that we are getting closer to the day of the fulfillment of his promises.

All Things Are Possible!

"ngayon pa ba ko magdududa sa yo, 'Tay? sa lahat ng ginawa mo sa buhay ko, sa lahat ng mga sagot mo sa panalangin ko..ngayon pa? hinding hindi, 'Tay."

Jesus looked at them and said "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. -Matthew 19:26

Breakthroughs

spiritual life..more of God and less of me. devote more time in reading his word, in praying and in listening. often brag about his goodness and faithfulness to my family, to cesar, to my friends, and to my sphere of influence. "lord, give me the boldness to share Your love with the people who are so dear to me."

career..not that i don't like my job, but i feel that i am not growing. i am craving for something new. "guide my steps, father. i pray for opportunities and for promotions."

finances..it is his plan to prosper me. i will train and discipline myself to be a good steward of my finances and be more wise in my spendings. "bless the work of my hands. open the floodgates of heaven and pour out your blessings."

"if i seek you first, lord, and your righteousness, all these things will be given as well."

Neither

what can separate me from you, my father. nothing..absolutely nothing. and no one could ever take you away. how i long to dwell in your house as better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. your love for me is incomparable. thank you, father. thank you.

for i am convinced that neither death nor life,

neither angels nor demons,

neither the present nor the future,

nor any powers,

neither height nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the love of God

that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

wow! this is overwhelming!

Miracles

13 For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

psalm 139:13-16

Miracle 1

she is so fragile.. my college friend gave birth to a 2 lbs baby girl. on that day, she never expected that she will give birth already. after her regular check-up at st lukes hospital, the doctor asked for her OB's mobile number. "kailangan mo ng manganak ngayon. hindi na nag-wowork yung ibang system mo that give nourishment to the baby. if hindi pa mailabas today, there is a possibility na mamatay ung baby sa loob."

but she is only 8 months old..

it was holy week. her OB will be on an out of the country holiday and her flight is scheduled on that same day. God is good! her OB is still in manila! she immediately went to st lukes hospital (all the way from marikina) after she received the call.

we prayed.. believing that God is in control.

she's indeed a miracle baby. they named her Asaph (God accummulated) Elisha (God is my salvation).



asaph turned one on march 19, 2009..my inaanak is a testament of God's goodness and faithfulness in us. here are some pictures of elisha which i got from her mommy (she is such an adorable little girl). we love you, asaph elisha!!






Miracle 2

she is taking "halamang gamot" for a week. she already have two boys and doesn't want to have another one..but then, she realized that what she is doing is not right and not pleasing to God.

she prayed, "lord, patawarin mo po ako. please make her normal. sana walang side effect ung mga gamot na ininom ko. kahit na po kamuka sya ng tatay nya basta po normal." (i love the last part hehe)

on november 25, she gave birth to her third child. the baby is normal..and lovely :-)

she kept the story to herself. but not until her only daughter's 18th birthday..to make the long story short, by God's grace, the daughter released forgiveness to her mom.

God heard the mother's prayer...even the last part! kamuka nga ng tatay nya :D

Ma, mahal na mahal kita..maraming salamat!

"lord, thank you for asaph's life. thank you for my life. there is a reason why we are here today. may your good purpose be fulfilled in our lives. and may our lives be a reflection of you. be glorified. amen."

Beyond understanding

Lord, allow me to rejoice in your perfect timing -- especially when i don't understand it. amen.

he works in mysterious ways.
all things work together for our good..

Be still

because i need to go to work today, reporting from 3:00 pm to 12:00 am, i won't make it to the 3pm / 5pm service at victory - greenhills at the music museum. so i attended the 1pm service at victory - fort at global city. the worship was awesome. there's this one song that have moved me and keeps playing on my mind.

"lord, let me worship you with all of my being. it's not about me. worship is all about you..i will be still and know that you are god."

STILL

Hillsong United

hide me now

under your wings

cover me

within your mighty hands

when the ocean rise and thunders roar

i will soar with you above the storm

father you are king over the flood

i will be still and know you are god

find rest my soul

in christ alone

know his power

in quietness and trust

when the ocean rise and thunders roar

i will soar with you above the storm

father you are king over the flood

i will be still and know you are god

Captivated

though it was just a little time, to me it has a great impact and the prayer was soooo powerful (as ever) and with conviction incorporated by an expectant heart. the situation made me think and realize to always and always be dependent to his sovereignty. he's checking on my inner self, knocking at each of my secret doors..i submit.

still, i always come back and hold on to my first love. the only one who can satisfy my soul. i admit that i love the lonely days as it chases me to him. my broken spirit is sweetly giving him all the praises. thankful as life itself is the best school of faith. tested and strenghthened by circumstances. he's going with me in the same boat crossing over to the other side. to the next level of faith.

all my issues from within, i surrender to the maker. break me. mold me..make me the kind of woman that you want me to be. you reign over me. let me live according to your purpose and for the greater glory of your name.


i'm captivated by forever with you..