Let Me Build You Up

Let Me Build You Up

Bicol, March 2017

Your fragile heart will keep on beating,

As long as you stay close to Me.

I'll let you see the stars shining,

Once you've let yourself be free.

Stay close to Me, don't let go,

Yes, there'll be tears and pain,

But I will be with you. So,

Don't be afraid to say My name.

My experience in Bicol last March gave me a sense of peace that I never thought I'd feel. It was an affirmation of the longing to be with Him, the promises He has planned for me, and the new purpose that will help me move forward. Yes, we went to different places in Bicol, from the majestic Mayon Volcano, to the serene Bulusan lake, down to the depths of the sea, to the hidden islands and waterfalls of Masbate. It was all God's way of showing His creations that we are so blessed to have. A reminder for me that it's all in our perspective how we will be able to see His gifts and abundant love.

Xo,
L.

Visions: 082416

A few days ago, somebody asked me about my visions. She asked what do I see when I imagine myself 30 or 40 years from now. And honestly, I didn't know what to answer at first. Yes, I did have my goals and dreams that I wanted to fulfill, but having a clear picture of what I would look like, where I would be, and what I would be doing really hadn't crossed my mind yet. Heck, I don't even wanna imagine how old my face would look with wrinkles and gray hair (It's kind of scary to think about. lol). But since we were already in the topic, I started thinking.

First thing that I could imagine was waking up in bed, with the person that I love, the sun being bright and shiny on the outside and the waves of the ocean crashing in the shore can be seen and heard coming from our window. A picture of a beginning that is about to be a good and peaceful day. And I liked it. It gave me a sense of future to hope for. Something that I want to make real. Thus, I'll try to write down my visions, since this is the only talent that I have (I can't draw, sorry!), or maybe find a photo to describe it.

For tonight, I see myself having dinner and drinking wine with my special person, just the two of us, sitting at the porch, looking at the sky and the sea. Just having conversation and laughing about things. That I was happy. Contented. Peaceful.

Credits to whoever owns this photo! :)

I'm pretty sure most of my visions will sort of be something cheesy or romantic, as I am like that. Haha. Can't wait to see what else can my mind think of.

Xo,
L.

Limitless

So it's been a month now since I wrote, though I've been meaning to but unfortunately was too busy to type such a blog post. Well, now I can and I wanna say that life is good. I'm enjoying my new work and I've been learning a lot of things since it's a totally different field from what I used to do. I enjoy the company of my new workmates, and everything else. Except for the commute though and the overtime. Huhu. Then again, life isn't perfect.

Yes, life is not perfect. It may come close to your ideal life or become way far from it. But no matter what happens in life, you should never limit yourself in getting more out of it. Be it a bad experience from the past, the happiness you have today, or the future that you want to achieve, never ever box yourself to those things only. Always remember that God is in control. He holds the ball and knows what to do with it.

Last week, I was able to fly to Ozamis, Mindanao to join the mission team of our community, Youth for Family and Life, in organising our annual event which is the Youthfest. Years ago, I can only dream of going to other places for our mission trips. I wanted to go anywhere so bad just for the sake of going to a different place. But God doesn't want me to. He knew I - my heart and my maturity - wasn't ready. And going someplace might just not be worth the airfare. So yeah, I was disappointed back then as to why I cannot go when I believe that I was capable. Well, He knew better.

So finally, by His grace, and my parents' too, I went to Ozamis and supported our event. I never expected anything nor did I overthink about what my experience would be. And my crazy work schedule didn't even allow me to have room to think about anything. hahaha. So I was there for just one purpose. I just kept thinking that I will be there to serve, to inspire more people to be closer to God. And hopefully I did. I was so happy that I was able to share in an event as big as this for the first time (since there weren't many of us in the team lol).

It was a very successful event despite the numerous oppressions that has happened, from what I heard. The event wasn't as grand as the ones we hold here in Manila but the point is that we delivered the message clearly: that God is limitless and our faith, too, shall be limitless. Hearing the talks and looking back, it really applies in my life and I can say that truly He is a limitless God, and His limitless love for me is what made me to who I am today.

Even though I was just there for 2 days because I have to get back to work, I was still blessed to have some R&R in Ozamis. So the very welcoming YFLs and SFLs from there showed me around town and I was amazed to how different life is over there and it's such a humbling reminder to never take what I have for granted, and that I shouldn't complain for whatever shortcomings we have. Contrary to the stereotyped comments when you hear "Mindanao", it was such a beautiful and peaceful place with very friendly people.

Never did I expect to be brought there and have such an amazing experience (not to mention the huge amount of food that I ate. haha!). All because I let God take control of my life and I can't wait to see what else He has planned for me. :)

Here's some photos from our mission trip:

Xo,
L.

Another whirlwind of adventures

I'm back after 4 months and I'm back in Manila. It's been quite crazy this past few months that I wasn't able to think about blogging. It's still quite hard to make it as a habit since it's more tedious than Facebook, Instagram or Twitter (Follow me, btw!). So yeah. I'll try (for the nth time) to go back here more while I'm still unemployed. HAHA. 

But for now, here's a quote I wrote for those who are experiencing life a little bit harder than usual, just like me. 

Life's full of problems, pain, struggles and sufferings, but that's where you'll find Christ the most. When you surrender it all to Him and find His love in the most difficult circumstances in your life, that's where you'll be at peace then faith, hope and love will be your strongest weapon.

Xo,
L. 

So far so good

Well, it's been over a week since I came here to New York and so far, I can say that it's been quite an experience already. In just a few days, I get to go around the city little by little and explore what I can. And in some days, like today, I stay home and bum around since I've got nothing else to do. Oh yeah, I started my internship at a yoga studio where my aunt works. It's a different work environment than what I was used to in Manila, but I'm getting the hang of it. I hope I do. lol.

Here's some of the adventures (and mishaps) that happened to me so far:

• Lost my Metrocard that's which I just loaded with $20
• Jogged in the morning, joined a yoga class, and walked from 14th to 28th St, then from Broadway to 7th ALL in one day
• Freeze in the rain 'cause I didn't wear a thick jacket
• An old man eavesdropping on the conversation and possibly trying to hit on me at the subway
• Get invited to a born-again service on a Sunday (No offense, but I'm Catholic)
• Spend $160 on clothes in less than a week
• Get stood up by my aunt's boyfriend (because he lost his wallet) and barely have money for the food we ordered at a Thai restaurant
• Ate a half rack of ribs on my own (I didn't think I can)
• Missed out an opportunity of seeing Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield at Union Square (and I was just there while they were filming The Amazing Spiderman 2)
• Rode a different route on the subway, went to Queens mall, then go home - all by myself
• Cooked and did laundry! (Yes, I know that's lame haha)

For some photos, you can check out my Instagram. :)

Xo,

L.