The Need to Learn

A Paper for my Curriculum Engineering class.

When I was studying for my undergraduate degree one thing was instilled by my professors, “Teachers never stop learning.” This has been something that I took to heart and one of the reasons why I am currently taking up my post graduate degree. It is essential for a teacher to go beyond the four walls of her classroom. To meet other people, experience different things, and update themselves in the current trends in education. It doesn’t mean that you need to apply them all, but knowing more things provides more options. It helps us to cater better to our students at the same time since we are able to provide a more targeted style of teaching. If we limit ourselves, we limit our capabilities as a teacher. We become stuck in a routine which will most likely not work with your students, especially since children in each generation is different.

Working in different schools, I was able to meet different kinds of students and parent. I experienced different forms of policies, curriculums and strategies. I have met and learned from seasoned and experienced teachers. But to be honest, the place where I learn the most and which helps me to be more creative in my teaching is when I’m conducting worship services for preschool children in our church. This is a monthly event where children aged 2-6 come together to sing songs, pray, learn and do arts and crafts in church. The concept is not like a school because the age group is mixed and the setup is a lot more like a worship service than a class. This is where I learned to vary my teaching styles, provide more options for children to learn, handle difficult children, manage my time, adjusting the content of the story depending on the child’s age, how to manage last minute changes and so much more. I learned to think outside the box. During those services, I was not only a teacher. I was an organizer, a planner, a preacher and so on. It was challenging but a lot of the things I have learned there are things that I have incorporated in my class. It has made it more dynamic and exciting for my students and it has made me more equipped as I teach these children.

For us to be effective teachers we need to go beyond the obvious. We owe it to our students to be able to provide for them the best education that we can provide.

A God led Teacher

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. -1 Timothy 2:3-4

St. John Baptist De La Salle was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He grew up in a comfortable home, never needing for anything. And yet instead of enjoying it, he chose to turn away from this and pursued a life dedicated to helping those who were in need. He didn’t personally experience the difficulties that they went through and yet he found a desire to help them in any way that he could. This could only come from God. The burden to follow God, to glorify Him, was what lead St. La Salle to give it all up. It wasn’t about the children; it was about obeying God. By helping them, he was able to express God’s love for these children. He brought God to their reach.

St. La Salle did not do things conventionally. He did not follow what was practiced because he knew that this did not work for everyone. He understood that the students God handed to him would not benefit from what the other schools were offering. He chose to meet their needs, adjusting the curriculum to maximize learning. He didn’t care about what others thought. What mattered to him was that these children would learn, that they would grow to become productive citizens in their society. He saw a great need to make education, attainable and understandable. It wasn’t easy, nor was it comfortable. He went through a lot of suffering and persecution. But God did not leave him alone. He was with them throughout this journey. He brought people who journeyed with St. La Salle. He might have lost his wealth and comfort but he had joy in his heart knowing that he was doing what God has called him to do.

Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. and every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. -Acts 5:41-42

Work it out!

Matthew 16:1-4

Look, see and watch. These all pertain to our sense of sight but they mean differently. When we say look it means we’re trying to see; we are making a special effort. See on the other hand means an image comes into our eyes, it’s unconscious. While watch is more active, there is a need to observe and actually take in information.

The Pharisees and the Sadducees saw Jesus and looked at all that He had done but they didn’t watch Him. (v2-3) They didn’t take the necessary effort to understand who God is. If they only took the time to look at all the signs given to them and watch Jesus and compare it to the prophecies given by the prophets, they wouldn’t have doubted Jesus. They were too stubborn, too focused on what they know that they completely lost sight of who is in front of them. And so Jesus left them because he knew nothing would make them believe Him. (v.4-5)

Today, it’s easy for us to see things without placing effort to understand.  We forget that being a Christian entails effort. Christianity is like a muscle that you need to constantly exercise for it to stay strong and in condition. We do not simply read the Bible and go to church. We need to fuel our souls with the word of God and to drench it with prayer. We need to intentionally watch out for God’s hand print in our daily circumstances. This will always help us see the greatness of God and the freedom given by Jesus on the cross through His death.

May we always find the need to look for God and watch how he works in our lives and the people around us.

Flex those spiritual muscles.

Baked Mac ‘n Cheese

Mac ‘n  cheese is definitely something we all enjoy. I mean who doesn’t like a whole lot of cheese in their pasta? Cheese girl here!

This Mac ‘n cheese recipe I got from http://www.heathersfrenchpress.com is definitely awesome. It uses pizza sauce to give it a bit more flavor than just your regular mac ‘n cheese. Since this was supposedly a pizza flavored mac ‘n cheese it asked for pepperoni but I didn’t have any on hand so I decided to use schublig (my dad’s favorite sausage!) and bacon (because who doesn’t like bacon?) instead. I also didn’t have any mozzarella on hand so I used Parmesan cheese. So it wasn’t as creamy as I would have wanted it but it was still awesome!

Would Definitely try this out again when I have mozzarella and pepperoni on hand!

Ingredients:

• 1 box of elbow macaroni {cooked according to the package directions}
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup AP flour
• 1 1/2 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup of pizza sauce
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese {I used Parmesan cheese}
• 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 grated Parmesan cheese
• pepperoni slices {I used schublig and bacon}

Instructions:

1. while the pasta is cooking, heat a skillet over med. heat
2. add the butter, and allow to melt
3. stir in the flour to make a roux
4. whisk in the milk, bring to boil {whisking often} until it thickens {this takes a few minutes}
5. Stir in the pizza sauce, and salt to taste {I did not add any}
6. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses
7. Add the drained macaroni and toss to evenly coat
8. top with the pepperoni slices, the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese
9. broil until the top begins to brown {about 2 minutes}

Pray Like You Mean it

Nehemiah is called a man of prayer and action. Notice that the word prayer is placed before action. This is because throughout his book it is observed that Nehemiah rarely move or decide to do things without consulting God first. In twelve out of the thirteen chapters of the book, Nehemiah is seen praying or seeking God. He places the highest regard for God’s thoughts and decisions. He knows that so long as he places his focus on God nothing can faze him.

In my readings I’ve come to realize that Nehemiah prayed in different ways. He did not find the need to wait and find a quiet place to pray because there were times when he recognized the urgent need of seeking God but there was no time to stop and go through a lengthy prayer nor was it something that could wait. He was so dependent on God that he needed to talk to Him then and there.

Nehemiah showed three kinds of prayer:

• Major prayers – shows that he prays first then waits for God to direct his footsteps
  • Nehemiah 1:4-11 – prayer of confession and direction
    • Sets the tone for the book and gives a picture of a man who turned to God in prayer the moment things took a down turn
    • He prayed for God to forgive the people of Jerusalem for their transgressions and for God to guide him in what He was supposed to do
  • Nehemiah 4:4-5 – prayer for courage and vindication in the face of his enemies
    • Nehemiah sought God’s help in the face of threats that he received from those who were against what God has called him to do
    • He did not pray for anything bad to happen to them only that God would do his will
• Minute prayers – moments when God prayed short prayers before facing urgent circumstances. It’s scattered throughout the book but is concentrated on chapters 6 and 13. Nehemiah even looked for God to display a certain attribute or action. It shows how often he offers a quick prayer as he faced an obstacle and then get to work. He is someone strongly dependent on God to get things done.
  • Nehemiah 5:19 – seeking God’s blessing
  • Nehemiah 6:9 – seeking God’s strength
  • Nehemiah 6:14 – seeking God’s vengeance
  • Nehemiah 13:14 – seeking God’s endurance
  • Nehemiah 13:22 – seeking God’s mercy
  • Nehemiah 13:29 – seeking God’s faithfulness
  • Nehemiah 13:30 – seeking God’s changelessness

• Mute prayers – quick, under the breath prayers which isn’t recorded word per word but shows a man who doesn’t do much without praying.
  • Nehemiah 2:4 – Nehemiah asking permission from King Artaxerxes
    • Before asking for the king’s permission, he prayed to God quietly
  • Nehemiah 4:9 – when there was a threat
    • Before deciding how to defend themselves he prayed for God’s direction

Nehemiah was shaped immensely in prayer. He was a man who depended on God not only when he needed help or guidance but in every step he took, he sought God.

Reference: http://nathanielclaiborne.com/learning-how-to-pray-with-nehemiah/

United by Love

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. – 2 Timothy 2:2

This was the first passage our GG leader, Kuya P. Mike discussed to us more than 2 years ago. On that day he shared with us that his prayer for our GG was to not only grow deeper in our spiritual walk and to find accountability with one another, but he hoped that this could be an avenue to equip us to serve God wherever He called us.

For this blogpost, I’d like to share with you how my Growth Group, Life on Life-Alabang and the GCF community has helped my in my faith walk.

Let me first share with you a little about myself. I was born and raised in a Christian family. We could say we were like “Sunday Christians”. For me, being a good Christian was going to church on Sundays, then living my life however I thought best. On November 2012, I attended the CrossDriven Camp entitled The Chase. That was the first time I sensed God really speak to me. For me, it was the first time I truly met God. I started praying to God to help me find a group that would help me grow in my spiritual walk. After the camp, Kuya P. Mike asked me to pray about joining a new GG he was forming. Thinking that this was God’s answer to my prayer, I said “yes”.

When I arrived at the first meeting, the only person I knew was Kuya P. Mike, I felt unsure. This might be surprising to most of those who know me, but I’m not really comfortable with meeting new people. So being in that group, where I only knew one person, was difficult for me. But God reassured me that there is a reason why these are the people He sent me, and so with a heavy heart, I continued to attend.

After a few months, as I slowly got to know the group more, I found myself truly enjoying their company and felt comfortable entrusting my inner thoughts to them. I looked forward to our meetings, and it seemed like my week wouldn’t be complete unless I get to spend some time with them. #clingy

Life was good. I had an awesome GG. I was involved in ministries that I enjoyed and met a lot of friends in church. I was working in a Christian School, which I found rewarding and exciting. I thought God was showing me the life that I would be leading for the next few years. What I didn’t understand was, God was preparing me for something bigger.

In April 2013, less than a year after all of these amazing changes started, God called me to work in Singapore. To be honest, I was excited to experience living alone and a new environment; the pay was also very encouraging. But, I felt comfortable here in the Philippines since family and friends surrounded me. I also thought that I was just beginning in my ministry and our GG was just starting to grow deeper together and developing a closer relationship, so I was hesitant to leave it all behind.

But through the guidance of my family and the support of my GG and our church community, I went to Singapore. And I was right. Everything was amazing and fascinating. I wanted to see it all and experience new things. But time slowly took off my rose-colored lenses and I started to realize the situation I was in. I started realizing how difficult it was to fend for myself. Independence didn’t seem so exciting anymore. Work was difficult – I experienced being belittled and prejudiced. I was overworked and felt unappreciated. I also found it difficult to adjust to a different church because I missed the community I had in GCF. I joined a GG in Singapore but I couldn’t help but compare it to Life on Life-Alabang.

Living in Singapore may not have been easy, but I realized that it was essential for my spiritual growth. First, I realized how important it was to ground myself in God’s Word. I enjoyed my daily devotions – finding reassurance, encouragement and guidance in God’s Word. I also learned to better value my family, for all that they have and are still doing for me, and for how they have been there for me in everything. I also became more appreciative of my GG. Distance didn’t hinder them from showing their love to me. Using Facebook, Instagram and Skype to catch up and see how I was. They would always include me in their prayers and they’d always try and find time to spend with me whenever I came home to visit despite of their busy schedules. The church community was also very encouraging. P. Lito and the other church leaders, would usually ask me to meet up with them whenever they are in Singapore to visit. They would take the time to find out how I was and if there was anything that they could help me with.

Now I’m back in the Philippines. I’m facing new challenges, struggles and problems. Life didn’t become easier. But every time I look at our GG and I remember all that we have been through, individually and as a family, I find reassurance that God is and will always remain faithful. We may all be different people – with different backgrounds, experiences, worries, doubts and perceptions. But we are united by love – our love for each other and our love for God.

My prayer is that you all, too, would experience the blessing of being part of a Growth Group – a community where each person is accountable to one another and is supporting one another regardless of what season of life they are in. I pray you’d belong to a GG that is truly, life on life.

A Covenant-Keeping Relationship

So I give you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant. -Joshua 24:13

Covenant.

A word that God highly values. A word that defines His relationship with His people. God places great importance in covenant and has never broken His covenant. But there is a need for God to renew His covenant with us not because He has forgotten all that He has promised, but because we, as people, are forgetful people. Our minds are easily entranced by other things that at times we forget our commitment to the Lord. This is why we need to renew our covenant and part of that is to remember how faithful God has been in our lives.

In Joshua 24:1-13, Joshua reminds the people all that God has done for them. How faithful He has been from the time of Abraham and until now. How despite of their complaints and disobedience God continues to be faithful in His promise. Always providing, always protecting, always forgiving, always loving.

We are no different from those Israelites who forgett God every time things are tough. What’s worse is, there are times when we blame God for our misfortune. We grumble and complain and we take it all out on God. We don’t realize how each morning that we wake up is a gift from God. Another opportunity to serve and worship Him through our lives. We tend to focus on the things we lack, forgetting to be thankful for all the things He has provided. How He gave up His only Son, to save us from our sins and offer us eternal life. A life that we are not worthy to receive but He gives it anyway.

Despite of how stiff-necked we are, God has remained faithful, loving and merciful. He has given over and beyond what we deserve and He asks for nothing but for us to accept Him in our lives and recognize that apart from Him we are nothing. He only seeks for our worship and desires our love and adoration.

God is faithful not because He must do it but because He wants to. Because he loves us so much.

How has God shown His faithfulness in your life recently? How did you respond?

PRAYER: My Great and faithful Father, truly there is none like you. No one else in this world can love me like you do father. You have shown again and again how faithful you are. And yet, I continue to see only the things that I want to see. Never content and always seeking to be ahead. I pray father that you will continue to humble my heart. To help me keep my covenant with you, to place you at the center of my life. May you continue to teach me how to truly display my faithfulness to you. So that people will see how mighty my God is. How my God is a covenant keeping God. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

How Much Mercy Does God Have?

God’s concern for the innocent is matched only by His care for the sinner. -CEFC February Devotional Journal

We all know why Jesus came down to earth. He came for the sinners, He came for us. So many passages in the Bible showed Jesus’ desire to reach the unreached, to love the unlovable, to teach the unteachable, to heal the sick and to save us from the clutches of sin.

When you think about it the Bible begins of a place that we can call paradise. A place where there is nothing else that we would ever need. A place where all we need to do is worship God. No worries of stress, desires, sin, temptation and so on. Our life will simply revolve in glorifying God.

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And all the  beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. – Genesis 1:29-30

And the Bible ends in judgement, separating those who chose to follow Jesus despite of everything and send them to paradise where they will do nothing but praise and worship God for the rest of eternity. Freed from our bondage and our sins. A promise that every Christian holds dear in their hearts.

And I heard the a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mournings or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” -Revelation 21:3-4

But after that, the whole of the Bible shows how sin keeps on creeping in the lives of people. Taking over their very being and destroying their relationship with God. We can see time and time again, people failing and choosing their own selfish desires, thinking that this will satisfy them. They can’t seem to understand that only in God can they be filled. But God loves people, He loves us so much. He continues to hope for us, to give us opportunities to repent and be forgiven. He looks at us and not see trash. He looks at us and sees as an unpolished diamond that needs to go through difficult trials to see the beauty within. God always sees the good in us even if we ourselves, don’t see any good in us.

“O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes,” he said, “then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance. -Exodus 34:9

God’s mercy is amazing, it’s unending. His love for us, sinners, is beyond what we could ever imagine. To be forgiven for all that we have done, to be loved despite who we are, to reach out even when we turn away. That is our God. Our great and merciful God.

Being Home

It’s been 22 days since I came home from Singapore. 22 days of constant adjustments. It’s not easy. At times I feel like it would be easier to just go back to Singapore, back to comfort and routine. People might say that 2 years might be too short and that I shouldn’t find it too difficult to adjust back to life here in the Philippines, but it’s not true. I find it frustrating to drive everywhere, looking for parking and going through traffic. I’m irritated with how inefficient our Government offices are. And I know I shouldn’t feel this, I find that it’s so difficulty to find time alone. Time where I just lie down and do nothing. Not needing to attend to other people or have to do anything. Living in the Philippines has reminded me how tiring life here is. So many things to do and so many people to meet. And I know I shouldn’t feel like this. I should be thankful to be spending time with the people I love, but I feel like I’m surrounded by so many things, by so many people and I feel lost. I feel overwhelmed.

But not everything is horrible. If I focus on those I might explode. Instead I’d like to focus on the good things. The fact that my mom makes my food again, complete with baon for work. The fact that I have my sister to tease and spend time when I’m bored. I have friends who makes me laugh and forget about all the things I find stressful and tiring. Work that challenges me and encourages me to think outside the box. These things, remind me of why the God made me go home. That He has a greater purpose for me and He wants me here.

It”s not easy, and I know things won’t be easy for awhile but I know that so long as I have God with me, so long as I remain in Him, everything will turn out fine. I’ll be fine, better than fine even. I’ll be awesome!

On Living Alone

March 28, 2013. The day that I left the Philippines to go on an adventure (because God said) to Singapore. This will be the first time I will be separated not only from my family but from my friends. The first time I’ll live life without a helper in the house (I needed to learn to fend for myself).The first time that I knew no one (I’m not good with the whole hi, hello ordeal). It was exciting, refreshing, thrilling and scary all at the same time. What a rush! But like everything that we experience in life, we learn something. God has never wasted an opportunity for us to learn, if only we take time to stop and listen.

 When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction.-Proverbs 24:32

So now as I start to count down the days until I go back home (whoot! whoot!) for good, let me share with you five things I’ve learned since I’ve started living alone. Let this be my way of reflecting on my life and how much has changed in these 2 short years.

Learned how to make a cookie in a mug from Google.

1. Google will be there for you.
And when I say it will be there. IT WILL BE THERE. Google has made my life so much easier here in Singapore. I need to find out the fastest route from Tampines to Woodlands? Google’s ready to give you options upon options on how you could get there, with time estimates and all. I want to try the best laksa SG has to offer? All you need to do is click that search button and thousands of reviews of different restaurants offering laksa can be found (BTW, I love 328 Katong Laksa). You saw a weird mark on your armpit? Google’s got it all covered (read properly though, you might be panicking, thinking it’s a horrendous disease only to find out it’s only a mosquito bite). And for those who are too proud to ask (guilty!) how to work the washing machine or (if you’re weird like me) how to efficiently mop the floor, It’s got step by step instructions for you too. So you see, Google will be there for you.

Alone but not lonely with McDo chicken nuggets and iced milo.

2. It’s fun to be alone.
For those who know me,this is probably not something they would expect me to say. But living in SG has made me appreciate how fun it is to have alone time. I enjoy days when I do nothing but lounge in my PJ’s binge watching the last 3 seasons of the Walking Dead while eating noodles the whole day. I cherish the short bus or MRT rides, where I sit (mostly stand on MRTs), popping on my earphones and people watch or day dream. I like to eat alone while reading a book. This is a part of me that has changed. I no longer find the need to always have people around. I find that I’m rarely lonely when I’m alone, not as much.

My LOLa Family has changed but in a way, they’re still the same.

3. People move on.
When I was leaving for SG someone told me that it was easy for me to leave because I wasn’t going to be left behind. I was going to see this whole new place and I get to experience new things and they’re still there. Living the same life, except that you’re not in their immediate orbit. Though this may be true, I’d realized that it’s not easy leaving too because people move on. It’s not like when I go back 2 years later everything will be exactly as it is. People get married, your friends start new relationships, or your family decided to redecorate the house. Whenever I go back I feel like I was the one left behind. Looking for familiar things, feelings and people. Feeling like you’re at home but something feels different. Not bad different and not exactly good too. Just, different.

My Ultimate Food Trip Buddies (SG and PH versions)

4. New people come along.

When you declare someone as your Ultimate Food Trip Buddy, and you think that whatever happens he/she’s the one that you’ll call whenever you want to try something new, think again. Because when you live in a different country you’re going to need to find another Ultimate Food Trip Buddy, not to replace the old one. No. You just need an SG version so that you still get to try out all those amazing food without feeling like a total loner (experiencing new things is best shared with someone). So, be open to meeting new people and give them room in your heart and life.

5. Daddy’s not there to help you.

Me and my daddy getting our OOTD shots on.

Okay, I admit. I’m a daddy’s girl. Whenever I’m in trouble, or something’s wrong I can depend on my daddy to be there to save the day (the reason why his is the only number I’ve memorized, aside from my own). My daddy helps me pack my bag when I travel (so efficient because I used to just ram everything in). He saves me from flat tires, getting caught (I’m not very observant of signs) and overheating cars (it’s a blessing that I don’t drive in SG). In short, my daddy is my number one go to person when I’m in a pickle. But living in SG has taught me to be more independent. To learn to pack my bag properly (got the trick dad!). To find ways to solve my problems on my own. And although my fingers still itch to call him whenever I’m in a troubling situation, I learned that I can solve my problems on my own. Not that I need my daddy any less. Just that I know that if dad’s not there, I’ll still find a way to be ok.

To be honest, I got a bit emotional there. It’s been fun reminiscing and reflecting on my 2 years and the things that has changed since I’ve started living here.