Thursday, October 14, 2004 2:49 PM
new, yet very simple, site design coming very soon. :)
just made it last night for fun. it's done just have to upload it. got kinda tired of the john mayer hat, don't even know why it's there haha. one day i'll have enough time to make a really good flash site and design...hmmm one day. yea.
Friday, October 8, 2004 11:56 PM
The closing on the selling of my house is settled. just like that FRIENDS episode when Rachel moved out - "It's the end of an era!...I know!" sigh... yep, 14 years of my life spent in my suburban home. by the time i get back to chicago in November, it will be mine no more. things are changing in my life. another a page is turned to reveal yet another chapter. it was a place of so many memories. one of the many yfc houses in chicago. And even though i'm not home anyway cuz i'm out on mission, just knowing we don't have it anymore makes me feel like something's missing.
being on mission is awesome, but there are some things i'm not able to do...especially home kind of things. things that now, i'm just realizing, i won't get to do at all anymore in my "old" house. like playing my music really loud in the morning while i get ready for the day. talking on the phone late at night in my room. being able to just rent a dvd and curl up on my couch and watch it. opening the refrigerator and cooking my own food. driving to/from my house. all these things i haven't done in forever …things I took for granted..not realizing I wouldn't be able to do any of it while on mission. I'll be honest…I am sad about it. But... i just gotta roll with it and know He is preparing this new chapter to be an essential part of my life. He is the greatest author, writing each page in His intricate ways. many times, throwing things in there that i don't expect. but hey, that's what makes the story good, and well…worth reading. [the analogy there implicates then...worth living…get me dawg? haha] in the end i know, it is just a house. just a thing. and we don't need it. and so i feel a peace that it really is the right thing to do. In wherever our new place is, I'll still have the loving irreplaceable presence of my parents…and that's really all what home is to me anyway.
Lord, I surrender all I have to you. Take it all away. All I want is You. Allow me to only desire You. Strip me and free me from any other desire. You are more than enough for me :)
Tuesday, October 5, 2004 3:30 PM
current location: Houston, TX, USA
i know, i know...where next, right. well, for those of you who don't know, we've started Hispanic Missions in the United States. so now my area of service includes not just Latin America, but also (praise God!) any of the states. Pretty soon, the face of YFC in our nation will not just be filipino. that is my hope and it should be yours too. it's already happening! we had an awesome hispanic camp in Houston and Rio Grande Valley. YFC Texas are beautiful people. i love their genuine-ness (if that's a word). more on that later. so, once again back on US soil, feels really good i got to admit. it's been me, gino, sarah, and nickyboy. it's such a comforting feeling having a sister around for a change. balta-sahara. i'm getting back into the groove, i finally got a phone again! thank God. i felt so disconnected from everyone. free tmobile to tmobile is my friend. & u know what else is my friend? Picasa™. yes, i realized i want to be a girl nickyboy - getting all the hot pc programs he has, not to mention elixir strings for my guitar. i exchange with him spanish lessons for photography pointers and guitar tricks. haha ya, one day i'll play like that. i love pidong and janelle. and the delacruz's. thanks guys for taking care of us. but dude i miss home...i'm so close but yet so far. i can't wait for the CLF in November. it will be history in the making. let's keep praying for it. ok i'll write a better entry later..before i go, i was planning on putting a pic up of jho for her bday 2 weeks ago....found one now!!! haha sorry it's late...just pretend. happy bday to my visual director idol.
Friday, October 1, 2004 12:00 AM
Wednesday, September 27, 2004 4:31 PM
delayed pictures for you!
Wednesday, September 13, 2004 1:32 AM
happy birthday big sister!
Monday, September 7, 2004 12:23 AM
change of scenery...we have now been staying at a convent in the middle class part of mexico. with the awesome nuns of the order of Sta. Brigida. to tell you the truth...this is more my kind of place. their mission is "to fight for ecuminism through hospitality by providing housing for those who seek a place to stay, regardless of denomination." great for us! cuz we didn't have a place to stay at the parish so we made due and found this place. there are a lot of college girls from nearby universities who dorm here. and this is go for gold style...we talked with them at dinner the first night and set a gathering with them all! basically just like campus based household. after dinner we meet up. and we planned a camp with them the nights of 8,9,10. gino will be the only guy haha but it works out. i love mexico. it's pretty progressive here. they even have a costco and a walmart...yep.
we also met a random priest who was visiting the convent, alejandro. padre alejandro is from a small town in mexico called puebla. we told him about cfc, within a few days we were on a bus to this town puebla to present to the churches there. puebla then brought us to the next town called cholula. cholula is more the town gino and i were expecting since the beginning. typical mexico movie scenes became reality for us. the first day we found a random hostel to stay at for the night...gino enjoying a 13 peso corona on the corner of the town's cobblestone streets...while the sounds of mexican beats and the smell of comida tipica filled the air. we met with the vicar there and he gave the green light to cfc for all the churches in puebla. we ate the best tacos al pastor we've ever tasted (no joke) and learned a system on how to fit the team of 5 into a cab easily, bargain with vendors on the street, and have grown accustomed to walking distances with backpacks and guitars in hand. it's true what gelo said at the reunion conf...this is exactly what the apostles like peter and paul did in Jesus' time. why not live it out the same way today? there's absolutely no reason not to. in fact, it is exactly what Jesus calls us to do.
that's right, to drop what you're doing (Mark 1:16-20), and come follow Him. come and see what He has waiting for you (Jer 29:11). you'll be amazed.
for me, what was waiting for me this week was eating cactus for dinner, getting drenched in an unexpected mexican aguacero (downpour) on they way to the store, gino falling in a manhole! (actually it was just his leg haha and he's ok everyone), playing yfc songs for mass at the convent, laughing and sharing stories with the nuns, receiving emails from my mom, dad and brothers, getting a chance to IM rbpin, speaking spanish now without any fear, and visiting my Jesus daily in the chapel across my room. life really does just get better with Him. and not to sound redundant but...that life is just waiting to be lived by you and me.
Wednesday, September 1, 2004 9:21 AM
friends...meet angel and paul...
Monday, August 30, 2004 12:30 AM
current location: mexico city, mexico.
man...oh man oh man. surprise after surprise. after weeks of straight traveling and physical tiredness from mission... God renews you. we are in mexico right now. and it's not at all like i expected. this first part of our mission is to a parish in the rich part of mexico. right now i'm in one of the most beautiful houses i've ever been to in my life. i feel like it's straight out of a magazine. it's owned by a very well off humble american couple who are friends with the priest we are working with. the house is so full of character. Even their pets are unbelievable. one of them is a chow dog. It's the first time i've ever seen one, it looks like a little lion but cute, very chubby fat and friendly. It waddles and everytime I watch it, I laugh. and it's so so comfortable and homey here. the bed is so plush. hot water in the shower. but here's the thing...it's not the wealth that impresses me. but really i take these all as little reminders of God's amazing nature. He, in all his goodness, never fails us. He brings us comforts we don't need. He gives us luxuries we don't deserve. and there are so many beautiful things in this world that we fail to appreciate. so many things in life that intrigue me and fascinate me. but many times i don't make the effort to open my mind to these things...His new colors, the art of life, His creation.
He is a God who wants us to live our lives to the fullest. it doesn't end where we think it does. but the key that i have found is that once we truly let go of this world, it is only then that he shows us the real beauty of this world. it is in people, and in his creation. And it is all the work of His hand.
seeing things that are so beautiful, you can't help but wish your loved ones were right there with you to see it too. i know there is a reason why God wants to show me all these things on my own first...and so for now, all i can do is just share it with you through words. and i pray for us all to experience living our lives to the fullest, as He intended it to be for us... thank you God.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004 6:26 PM
the latin american cfc conference was this past weekend here in ecuador. and for the first time, we held a discovery camp for all the youth who attended. there were close to 50 youth from ecuador and peru. there's a lot more than that but it's so hard for them cuz they don't have money. the cost for the conference was $45 - which is a lot to them. so that's why confs are so hard over here. but despite that man, was it victorious!
yo we translated "King of Majesty" in spanish...it was so cool! and i gave the love talk for the DC. haha yea God's pretty funny. He likes to keep me in check like that..i love it :). and i love our kids here. i'm so proud of them. they are united and growing fast. (both in number and spirtually!) gino even thought up awesome short skits before each session and they acted them out. it was the first time they used creatives. and it's great how gino and i already feel so at home with the family we stay with. paul and roberto (sons of the top leader for ecuador) are like bros to us. paul esp is our right hand man. and get this...look at how God works!: HE WANTS TO FULLTIME. not only him but we have 2 others lined up! amazing...simply amazing. God is working fast! let us not be the ones slowing Him down by not answering His call. our goal is to raise up FTWs for each country. soon it will happen! Paul is going to the CLF in November. so to all my american and canadian friends...raise that money for us Latino Americans! PLEASE. every dollar seriously counts. there's a whole other world out there. and it's praising our God in SPANISH!
Friday, August 13, 2004 2:20 AM
So, monday i leave for ecuador again. i'll miss u guys. this is a summer i will never forget. 1600 youth gathered to worship God, and change this nation. regina's sausages. gelo's hair. sahara...yea just sahara. vegas. ate BI-YANKS. junie and ze-eh-eh-elllllll! kuya ricky's backyard couch. pools. the standard. vania's american man. recollection with kuya francis. the surprise of african aires. kids village - making melodies. the notebook. spam masubi. franabee. all-nighters with wendel and laptop. water fights. cake fights. coldstone. perfect weather. family. being home.
God has assured me of His love. and that's an amazing thing. with that, i'm ready to leave again. and only to experience more of what He has already shown me?...sigh, what a great life. i don't deserve it...but thank you, Father God... i heart you.
Sunday, August 8, 2004 11:30 PM
man...it just gets better with you, Lord :)
Friday, August 6, 2004 12:00 AM
HAPPY 25TH BDAY RAY :)
geronimo [part 2]
Tuesday, July 27, 2004 11:18 AM
50 states. We're gold. Amen!
We were in tears last night. We jumped in the pool with our clothes on.
we praised God with all our hearts. we don't know how to contain His abundant
love. this is a time to celebrate and give thanks. July 27th. Mark
this day in history. EXACTLY ONE YEAR since we launched Go for Gold in
the US (Sunday of last year's conf). the miracles God has shown us. Kneel down
to Him. Kneel down to the one who has made us and loves us this much.
Tuesday,
July 20, 2004 1:48 PM Can't
talk long...at work :) Omaha,
Nebraska is GOLD and i am in awe. 10 yr Conference is fast approaching...these
are the times of our lives that we will always remember. i wish these days
would last forever. but at the same time, our future never looked so bright.
BRIGHT AS GOLD my friends. the world surrendered to God is at hand. surrender
yourself to it.
and Conference is gonna be amazing. i love RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA. moo Things
that have been making me HAPPY these past couple days:
Wednesday,
July 14, 2004 12:35 PM They're
married! it's
over...i'm so happy and sad at the same time. it was a perfect day. SIGH...love
is a beautiful thing... unfortunately i wasn't able to take a single
picture the whole day of the wedding cuz of the running around. no worries
though, i'll get copies and there will be a nice entry about it :). [someone
hook me up pls haha] i've
had about one day to recupurate after the wedding and out-of-town-family
fun. now back to work! tomorrow is the 8 hour road trip to you'll never guess...OMAHA,
NEBRASKA. our dope God is an adventureous one. and a spontaneous
one! He's the best isn't HE. story summed up in 7 words: GO FOR GOLD UNITED
WITH HISPANIC MISSIONS is a POWERHOUSE that can't be stopped. ok maybe that
was 14 words. God is blessing our mission, all we have to do is ACT. praise
Him! esp in affirmations like this where He just puts it in your lap how can
you deny that fact! so
we talked to them just last week and the camp is set for this saturday, July
17. the next morning is my flight to LA. after LA...back to good ol' Ecuador
for the South America CFC Family Conf. So much work at hand people! let's
get off our butts! ok so i'm just gonna leave with the last thing i took pictures
of - the wedding rehearsal dinner. just becuz i have nothing else haha...
[1] the bride, groom, maid of honor and best man :) [2] cheryl is eating a
banana. [3] we love donna.
Tuesday,
July 6, 2004 8:04 PM Sorry
this site has been on the back burner, my mind has been occupied on ALL THINGS
DONNA AND LUKE.
Friday,
July 2, 2004 12:41 PM My
Maid of Honor duties get tested tonight!!! BACHELORETTE
PARTY !!! oh
IT'S ON tonight girls! haha
Sunday,
June 26, 2004 11:52 AM LUKE
and DONNA'S Wedding in two weeks! ahhhhh! [future entry on this coming
soon] i'm sure i'm gonna have a gajillion pictures of this historic event.
today is phil and candy's wedding and mike's birthday! i love all the excitement
in the air! i will start posting more pictures of chicago cuz i noticed...i
haven't...and that's weird. that way when i'm gone i'll be able to look at
them. and cry...just kidding. oh
ya, ate franny's here!:
Thursday,
June 24, 2004 12:22 AM Featured
Video: Good time # 354 | Babe and MG Pool Race
Man this just cracks me up. Praise God for just genuinely fun times.
foreal.
Sunday,
June 20, 2004 5:40PM "If
i ain't got you." - Miss Keys i
know
this song is "so last month" for everyone. and has been a bit played
out. but i know at one point it was the jam you belted out when no one else
was around watching you. most people took it as "ya alicia! you so feel
me girl. that's exactly how my heart feels." i know that's how i felt.
but i think the reason why it described what i was feeling was because it
came out right as i embarked on this new chapter of my life as a fulltime
missionary worker. my life and reason for living becomes clearer and clearer
to me each day. and when i belt this song out, i belt it out as a cry to my
God. it describes how nothing else matters. describes how i'm just not impressed
anymore, i'm over what this world offers. because i've been there before,
and that life's a bore. so full of the superficial. at
23, i know what my heart truly longs for. and believing in that makes it easier
to leave home for a while in order to live it out. 2
weeks ago was the ordination of my friend and brother, kuya
francis. i was so proud to witness his first mass as a priest. i can't
believe he's actually a priest now. but i think another reason why it was
such an emotional event for me was that it was a living testimony to exactly
what every person should be. i'm not saying everyone should be a priest. i'm
talking about the sacrifice and total surrender of one's life to what God
has planned for them. the moment francis let go of the world, the moment he
knew what true living meant. as he puts it, "this life is not our own...
we don't belong here."and man the wisdom coming from that guy's mouth.
he knows what's up. and to see that in him i take as strong affirmation of
knowing what God wants from my own heart. to see someone who was courageous
enough to actually live it out, it brings me to long for that same thing.
to surrender in faith. to surrender in peace. to surrender for love for Him..every
part of me. so thanks for the inspiration, kuya francis. your life
is an example for us all. and i'm so honored to have you as my friend. oh
ya and do me a favor friends, belt this song out one last time to Jesus. it
feels so good, trust me. :) some
people live for the fortune some
people want it all but i don't want nothing at all some
people search for a fountain
Tuesday,
June 10, 2004 3:33PM yes
i'm in california now. chicago homies i miss you. it's weird i'm home, but
not quite. i'm here for hispanic youth camps in compton and seattle then i
get to go back home for luke and don's wedding :).then the 10 year conf, and
right after back to south america. this trip to peru and ecuador was another
"hit home" kind of a trip. missing home only being gone for another
month, makes me wonder sometimes how i'm gonna do it. but then quickly God's
amazing presence always reminds me how much fuller my life is. He gives me
way more than i ever give up. this life is amazing. i'm so thankful. :) but
being back in the states, in LA, has been awesome. i feel God's giving me
kind of a break from heartache and is reminding me of how the family
i have here in the states can never be replaced. it was a complete and total
blessing that i was here to celebrate the ordination of one of the people
i look up to the most in this world, Kuya Francis Mendoza...now
Kuya Father Francis Mendoza. this guy is amazing.
my next entry will tell you more about him, but i'll just say this, he's so
inspiring to me it give me chills. ok
so i'll leave with some pictures of course of socal fun: roadtrip to riverside
with arlene and regina for the g4g rally (good times! happy bday my friend),
kuya father francis' ordination, clubbing on a roof in downtown LA for junie's
birthday (yes missionaries who love God know how to have a good time
haha), venice beach, the spanish CLP, the caganaps, and franabee
moments. you know what to do, just click on the pic. thank YOU! and pls keep
the first US Hispanic YFC Camp in your prayers this weekend. it could change
the face of YFC USA as we know it.
Friday,
May 28, 2004 1:43AM
"What can i boast about? When the life that i live has been given
to me?" i
am so in love with God right now. what am i doing here...in some house in
peru, contemplating the miracles God is doing in my life. am i in a dream?
no man...God is moving and it's happening right before my very eyes. the Lord
is working in mysterious ways. He's making moves. swift moves. it goes beyond
anything i could ever dream up. He works and i just stand back in awe. yfc
ecuador, yfc peru, yfc south america...yfc world. winning the world for Christ
isn't just something i'm dreaming up anymore... this is what i'm living
for. that's
how much i believe in it.
Sunday,
May 16, 2004 3:30PM
sorry movabletype, you're gonna have to wait til i get home. it seems as though
it's easier for me to take my time making an entry offline then just
upload it later. for the sake of convenience, guess the cool publishing system
will be on hold...at least while i'm away in dial up speed countries. :P gino
is arriving tomorrow :) yay. time to get really busy. i love Jesus. and
just a side note, i don't know why but watching the simpsons in spanish makes
it 10x funnier. hahaha. and itchy and scratchy are called dali and tommy for
some reason. my guess is cuz the verbs picar and rasgar just sound messed
up. hahahah. k
bye. i miss u home. :/
Wednesday,
May 13, 2004 3:30PM jovenes
para cristo/youth for christ haha
i don't know why but the girl on the far right reminds me of rita. rita you
have to come here! siga estudiando tu espanol! para que puedas visitarme y
servir aca! and that goes for anyone else who knows some spanish. chevere!
(chevere=cool in ecuadorian slang) please continue to pray for us. ecuador
camp is may 21-23, expecting around 50 youth. thank you Jesus! we claim this
world for You.
Monday,
May 10, 2004 11:01PM it's
all coming back to me now
Saturday,
May 8, 2004 3:30PM A
little change
KING OF ALL CREATION! I LOVE YOU GOD!
but
a lot of stuff is going on:
the
bachelorette party was FUN! haha that's all i'm gonna say. but the work
has only just begun. as ate fran puts it, this week the zoo opens. everyone's
arriving. July 10th is the BIG DAY and we still have so much to do.
staying up til 4am every morning is messing with our systems. haha we're
hyper! my focuses are the video montage and preparing for the big toast!
ahhh i'm so excited, i love donna and luke, so all this is worth it.
don's like the older sister i never had. sniff... ok stop.
butcheee.com
wrote me the other week with some friendly web advice. my site design
is lacking in meeting the web standards it's ought to. that is, if you're
viewing it on a resolution other than 1024X768, it breaks [ie, it looks
crappy]. haha
i apologize for this and will fix it when i have the time. my thanks
to butcheee, my fellow web geek friend - in my opinion one of the best
in the business, for looking out. i will take u up on your offer some
time in the near future. thanks B!
i
found out our mission schedule for the next few months and there's an
LA hispanic youth camp scheduled in august for 140 confirmation students!
praise God! please contact me if you want to serve. YOU DON'T HAVE TO
SPEAK SPANISH TO SERVE! :)
conference
and go for gold has been very much in my heart. been praying
hard and can't wait for the CELEBRATION! everyone keep praying! i'll
see YOU in riverside.
Commentary by Regina and Arlene.
[Make
sure to turn off the music playlist so you can hear babe's cute laugh haha]
some people live just for the fame
some people live for the power yeah
some people live just to play the game
some
people think that the physical things define what's within
and i've been there before, and that life's a bore, so full of the superficial
if it ain't you baby, if i ain't got you baby
some people want diamond rings, some just want everything
but everything means nothing if i ain't got you
promises forever young
some people need three dozen roses
and that's the only way to prove you love them
hand me the world on a silver platter and what good would it be?
with no one to share, with no one who truly cares for me
hi from ecuador! sigh, the spanish around me is like music to my ears. all the
feelings of my life serving HIM in Latin America are once again surging through
my body at this very moment. please pray for me. gino i miss you.
the flash site navigation didn't happen because of time contraints. but i'm
having fun with this one. themed from my john mayer trucker hat that i never
wear but got anyway cuz it was my first concert. i was gonna keep the J and
M, and turn it into jesus motive. but in the end i decided to just get rid
of it all together. movable type
is installed. still working on the other parts of the site. but i'm leaving
for ecuador in 2 days so it might just have to wait. i still have to make
my style sheets and configure design for movabletype. u probably don't care
haha so here's the old one while u wait. bye bye
:)
 |
|||||||||
 |
|
||||||||
 |
 |
|
|||||||
 |
 |
|
|||||||
| |
|||||||||
 |
|
||||||||
 |
|
||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||
 |
|
||||||||
 |
|
||||||||
 |
|
||||||||
 |
|
||||||||
 |
|
||||||||
 |
|
||||||||
9/23
8/29
8/24
8/10
7/20
7/13
7/6
6/27
6/23
6/20
6/10
Potatoh. © Copyright 2003. . |
|
||||||||
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
