A
victorious weekend all over the nation. in dallas we welcomed
46 new JPC members! the joy is so great that my heart leaps out!
God is actually making the vision come true before our eyes...but
in the midst of all the celebration, i must remember it does not
end there. this is just the beginning of a new battle. and things
always come up after a victory for our God, it's just the devil's
feeble way to attack us. to try to get us down and steal away
the vigor of our renewed spirit. Remember - he has no tact, so
he'll take the cheap shots. he knows very well the ways to get
to me. he knows my weaknessess, he knows what is precious and
dear to me...and so with no regard for me, that is what he messes
with. but God never leaves us. in fact, if we cling to Him , his
promise is that we will be purified
even more after going through the battle. He says...
My
child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for testing.
Set your heart right and be steadfast, and do not be impetuous
in time of calamity. Cling to him and do not depart, so that your
last days may be prosperous. Accept whatever befalls you,
and in times of humiliation be patient. For gold is tested
in the fire, and those found acceptable, in the furnace of humiliation.
Trust in him, and he will help you; make your ways straight, and
hope in him.
Sirach 2:1-6
How
great is our God! through the attacks of the evil one, we can
become even purer, as gold is after being in the fire, if we just
put on the virtues of Christ through it all. the evil one thinks
he will bring us down, but in the end God turns it around and
makes us even a bigger threat to Satan's dominion...and he ends
up looking like the fool. ironic huh? and pretty funny too if
you ask me. (what a loser...haha).
this
goes on for the rest of our lives. we will always have victories...but
remember it doesn't just end there. let us not be discouraged
by downfalls. the battle continues...Pray for protection against
those petty attacks. and rest in the fact that the Spirit of God
will reign overall for all time.
PS.
a few pictures from the camp if you like. see the miracle.
Friday,
February 24, 2006 12:28 PM
BIG
BIG WEEKEND!
Something
strong is in the air...and there's nothing like it.
For
some reason this weekend is packed with a big event in every area
it seems. Preparing for this weekend's JPC Dallas Camp - i've
been feeling the chills of nervousness that something great and
powerful will happen this weekend. as workers of the Lord, though
we sometimes don't mean to, it's easy to become jaded or complacent
as each camp passes by over the years. but in this moment, i feel
like God's granting me those innocent nerves as i used to have
as a 15 year old before a yfc camp in chicago when it was still
new to me. it's
a feeling that is so distinct. and i feel He's bringing it back
to me to remind me of His power and what He can do in
just a simple weekend, if it is lived all
for Him. Checking my mail this morning i opened a random email
Tito Jun and Tita Helen Banaria sent out that was just a prayer
for a NJ camp this weekend. those few words caused my heart to
beat fast...as it was an affirmation to the power of God's hand
that will work this weekend. Please pray this prayer with me.
I inserted blanks it to make it a general prayer. Plug in the
list below to this prayer and join everyone in lifting up all
of God's work as one this weekend, that He may reign over this
whole earth!
"Father
Almighty, we completely entrust to You the _____ Youth Camp. Right
now please empower the Service Team and all parent coordinators
led by ______ with all the gifts and fruits of Your Holy Spirit.
We also ask that you bless right at this very moment all the participants/
candidates and bring them to the Camp with all the protection
and graces coming from You. May You provide them all their physical
and spiritual needs. Bless their respective parents and siblings
that they may join them with their prayers and sacrifices. All
of these we ask through the Mighty Name of Your Son Jesus Christ,
through the intercession of our Blessed Mother and through the
power of Your Holy Spirit. Amen."
I
know there are a lot more, please add in your prayer requests
and let's all pray for each other:
JPC
Camp - Dallas
Discovery
Camp - Houston
CFC-Youth
Camp - Rio Grande Valley
Mega
Camp - Chicago
CFC-Youth
Camp - New Jersey
CFC-Youth
Camp - Oregon
CFC-Youth
Camp - Seattle
CFC-Youth
University Day - Maryland
CFC-Youth
Camp - Socal
Discovery
Camp - Las Vegas
SFC
CLP - Chicago
SFC
CLP - Houston
Tuesday,
February 21, 2006 3:18 AM
CFC
USA Pro-life Conference
(and SFC/YFC 100%Pure Teaching Night)
Come
so i can give you a hug. then later have bubble tea and good food.
Wednesday,
February 15, 2006 1:33 AM
Update
Shmupdate.
Sorry...hehe.
well, the Chicago Hispanic mission at St. Viator was great this
past weekend. Sometimes i really feel these growing pains for
JPC, but then i look at the youth that we actually get to meet
and serve and see are being touched, and i
see the future in them. and that future shows
JPC being so big that every Hispanic Parish in the United States
will have a community like JPC or something like it, it shows
Hispanic communites full of families who come to MPC assembies
every month and have "Matrimonios Para Cristo" stickers
on their cars. youth growing into older youth who start JPC in
their schools/colleges. it's a dream now...but i can't deny, dreams
do come true with the Lord. i know that like
i know how to breathe.
i
just can't wait for that day. NW7 is still happening, didn't you
hear? that vision is alive and well. but first you have to believe
in something, before you can do something about it.
thanks
to Kiesha, Francis, Mark, Christian, Macy, Rob, Patrick, for helping
out in the Hispanic mission this weekend. you don't know how much
you guys inspired me this weekend, it makes me want to cry to
think of it. those who believe...will make a difference. thanks
guys for believing in Hispanic missions. we need more people like
you in this community :). Next week i'll be back in Texas for
2 more Hispanic camps. the work never ends and that's a good thing!
Please, please pray for us!
Valentine's
Day
ray
sent me a present for valentine's day since we couldn't be together.
he knows gifts don't impress me, but
a painting will. it's my favorite. [see, long distance isn't
so bad :)]
oh
ya save the turtles.
Friday,
February 3, 2006 8:12 PM
jmotive.com's Media picks
*Music
DVD*
Alicia Keys Unplugged
This
DVD was the only
Christmas gift i requested for haha (thanks to my bro Mark!).
i love it. Favorite tracks besides those on my site playlist
- Heartburn, You don't know my name, Unbreakable, and
when Common comes out out of nowhere.
*TV
Series DVD*
LOST Season 1
I
watched this baby within two nights with Ray while i was
in New Jersey. After disc 1, I got hooked man, no commercials
and one show right after the other. Bad Robot! (Those who
have it know what i'm talking about haha) it's so good!
for me the main message that the show sends, which i love,
is that every person has a story. no matter who they are.
sigh...i could go deeper into this but i won't...for now.
*Movie*
The End of the Spear
True
story based in Ecuador but really shot in Panama. Reminds
me of my missions. Though mine are not as dramatic, we
are all missionaries, maybe not being attacked physically,
but we are always being attacked spiritually and socially.
they murder us in that way...are we brave enough to save
them, risking our own lives for love of them. not with
weapons, but with love. that's real!
*Reality
Competition Show* Project
Runway
Melissa
Sevilla is Project Runway in the making. She's our designer
- made me this
shirt! haha Casual Corner was going out of business
downtown and they were selling everything even down to
their Mannequins (body forms). I saw them and called Melis
right away. She ended up buying a body form w/ stand and
named her Shelly. awesome. she is SO going to be like
Chloe on Project Runway.
*Magazine*
PC Magazine
i
know i'm a nerd. but what can i say, i got a 1 year subscription
for free when i got my monster baby laptop. turned out
to be the coolest magazine ever. for geeks only. but some
valuable stuff in this mag. my faves are the top 10 lists
for the latest gadgets. Keeps me up to date in the ever
changing technological world. haha it is all very informative...and
coOool!!! snort!
*TV
Channel*
The Food Network
I'd
like to think of the Food Network as my base channel.
meaning it is always the first on, and if i switch to
another channel to watch another show, it always manages
to find its way back back to the Food Network during the
commercials. Side Comments: Rachael Ray's show is like
one long run on sentence, yet somehow still can't help
but keep watching her. EVOO! Iron Chef America is not
as good as the og Iron Chef but i still like it.
As
entertaining as all this can be, i'm trying my best actually to
not let it consume me :). being back in the US, it's easy to fall
into the comforts like home entertainment. so it's gonna be part
of my fast this month. and it's cool substitute will be reading
books. i've been on this new thing to read more since the beginning
of this year. my target booklist includes authors Joshua Harris,
Frank Padilla, Pope JP II and CS Lewis. who wants to join me?
hehe next entry should be on my booklist.
Yes,
so that means i'm going to be in the US this year...After 2 years
of doing International Mission, this change to further Hispanic
missions in the US, not only was an awesome and exciting challenge
in service, but also is a new embarkment to what i feel God is
revealing to be a new stage of growth for me in my life. i'm not
going to lie...part of me feels out of place being back home.
part of me i guess longs to be in some distant far off country,
alone serving God...which is funny considering whenever i am in
those countries, i long for anything reminiscent of home. i guess
i will forever be called to never
live comfortably. that is not who i am, not
what i'm called for and truthfully i believe it's not what any
of us are meant to do. and i'm not talking about comfort in the
sense of "curled up on a soft couch in my cotton pj's under
a warm blanket" (because that is SO me!) No...I
am talking about it in a deeper sense. where one's entire life
may be comfortable, where all is within themselves and they just
stay there, without going forward at all...because they are in
a comfortable place. materially, in relationships, spiritually...it
is a very dangerous place to be, and yet i know many people live
there. i just wish they would know there is something more
to this life out there. something more for us to do. just waiting
for us. there is more, deep in us longing
to be used. for that is what we have been created for. not for
ourselves...but rather ...to be used by God for something higher.
I'm
so grateful to be home. to be closer to the ones i love. and i
have a feeling i'll be making lots of updates on this new stage
i'm embarking on :)
at
least a lot more frequent than these past 2 months' entries have
been. hehe come on tho' i made up for it with pictures didn't
i? :)
Sunday,
January 1, 2006 1:33 AM
HAPPY
NEW YEAR! ... 2006!
so
much to express...so much that i'll save it for the next entry.
:)
Lord,
(deep sigh) thank you. :)
Monday,
December 5, 2005 6:42 PM
back
home...kinda.
The
United States. sigh...nothing can describe this feeling of being
back. it's so weird to hear english all around me again. even
weirder that i actually find myself speaking spanish still by
accident. it's like i can't control my brain! i never thought
i'd get to that point, but i guess it's a good thing :). i'm in
good ol' houston at the moment. not going to LA anymore due to
meeting changes. too bad can't see the CTD girls...i miss you
guys. don't have too much fun without me k ( i know you will anyway).
hopefully i'll make it there early next year. meanwhile, there
is a lot of work here in Texas for Hispanic Missions...it's no
joke. Texas is crazy! kind of exciting for CFC Youth! everyone
wants to learn spanish now hehehe. you should too. awesome. anyways
i can't wait to get home. why?...well, let me count the ways...
i
can't wait to wear my clothes that aren't from my suitcase.
to
get in my car, and drive...anywhere.
to
sleep in as long as i want.
to
watch tv shows that i want to watch.
listen
to music that i want to listen to.
call
anyone on the phone anytime i want.
to
see my friends & family.
to
hug my mom and dad.
to
feel at home again.
i
am NOT looking forward to the cold though. i'm actually sick already.
but i don't mind though...i'm in the USA, and that is a great
feeling. amen. amen. amen.
*
Make sure you go to confession this week and mass on thursday
for the feast of
the Immaculate Conception. it's an amazing thing, so do it!
Wednesday,
N0vember 23, 2005 10:02 PM
a
little random flash site update, just in time for Thanksgiving.
enjoy!
And
meanwhile, this is for eleanor.
Track
#1 'Tal Vez' Translation: (it's amazing how it means a lot more in spanish...)
tal
vez...tu necesites hablar/ perhaps you need to talk
que te diga la verdad/ so you'll be told the truth
alguien que pueda escuchar tus sueños/ someone
who can listen to your dreams
tal vez alguien con quien caminar/ perhaps someone to
walk with
que le guste tanto el mar/ who loves the sea
y que pueda compartir su vida/ and who can share his life
tal vez un amor sin dolor, que no haga daño/ perhaps
a love without hurt, that doesn't cause pain
alguien que de el corazon, sin nada cambie/ someone who
gives the heart, without changing anything
una ilusion que tal vez...tal vez pueda ser yo/ an illusion
that perhaps...perhaps can be me.
tal
vez, alguien que te trate fiel/ perhaps, someone who treats
you faithfully
alguien que te deje ser, para que puedas amar tranquila/ someone
that lets you be, so that you can love without worry.
Sunday,
N0vember 20, 2005 10:00 AM
thank
you Lord...
...for
knowing my heart so well.
happy
1 year (offically) :). i love you.
Wednesday,
N0vember 16, 2005 1:47 PM
just
arrived in Ecuador.
praise
God. Panama oh Panama...thank you Lord for another learning experience
to mark in the book of life. Now we are here 2 weeks in Ecuador
then back in the States. not home yet though...first to Houston
and LA for checkups on JPC. then i'll be home. Tito Teddy, Dexter,
Faye, Yvette, and Miko happy birthday this month. I wish i could
be home to celebrate with you! i love you guys. can't wait to
get home. last time i was home i was wearing a tank top. now by
the time i get home i'll need my down jacket. whoever picks me
up, please bring it. haha. i hope it snows...but not too much.
i'm trying to get as much sun down here as i can so i'll have
a nice tan when i get back...cuz if you know me, i usually get
white like the snow during winter.
it's
nice being here in ecuador because paul and angel are here. so
now it's a team of 4 instead of just 2. it's an awesome feeling
to be amongst fellow workers in Christ. we are truly a world-wide
family. i have a lot of work to do here with the sisters bc paul
and angel don't have girl counter-parts yet. please pray for the
girls from latinamerica...we have 4 wanting to go fulltime! we'll
see what happens. Lord, Your will be done! i can't wait til there's
another sister with me for Hispanic Missions! if you happen to
know spanish and love the vision of cfc, think about going fulltime.
seriously...
i
was just thinking about the saying:
"Many
are called but few are chosen."
i
was thinking the saying could easily make people think "Maybe
I'm being called but... I'm not being chosen." i don't
think that's right...for me it means, we are all
called...called to different things, but a lot of us do not answer
our call. i believe with all my heart that we are ALL called to
something MORE. something more than we are right now at this very
moment. I am being called to something MORE. YOU are being called
something MORE. are we really being open to that? it may be something
unbelievable that we never gave a chance. we never gave the Holy
Spirit the chance to work through us to take us to something higher.
i think any of us can be a fulltime missionary worker...any of
can be a priest or a nun...and of us can be a husband or a wife.
number 1 question...are we being open to it?
number 2...am i being called to it?
and lastly...am i accepting it will full surrender
to my God?
i
didn't think this entry would turn into this, but i guess just
putting it out there to ask some questions...what do you take
that saying as?
Thursday,
N0vember 10, 2005 9:00 AM
rest
in the Lord's peace...
Kuya
Warren Alferez
a
man with a great big heart, who served SFC/CFC Illinois with such
a humble heart and warm smile. He was an example of God's love
to my family and the whole community. Lord please carry him into
your kingdom. Thank you for the blessing our lives with knowing
him, for using him during his time here on earth. You remind us
that this life is truly too short. Lord embrace him into your
kingdom, oh Father... where he can finally rest in your peace
and loving arms. Amen.
Monday,
N0vember 7, 2005 10:30 PM
continued
from the previous entry...
i
just had to share a little bit more from the "Imitation
of Mary" because some notions that came up in your comments
(namely about "fear of carrying the cross") related
very well with the chapter just prior to the one i referred to.
i thought i'd share it with you... to console you as i was consoled
in reading it. :) it says:
"My
child, natural repugnance for suffering is no fault in God's eyes.
it makes it all the more meritorious for you to be perserveringly
submissive to His will. When people say the saints loved suffering,
the meaning is not that they had any natural liking for it. the
human in them groaned at the thought; it was the Christian that
rejoiced...Even Jesus, in the Garden of Olives, allowed Himself
to feel deeply the fear of suffering and death... My child, if
in affliction you sincerely want whatever God wants, you need
not be at all disturbed by the repugnance you feel against your
will."
in
other words, God is not calling us to love suffering. He is calling
us tolove Him through our suffering,
in our suffering, and in spite of our suffering. and that we should
accept it, knowing if God wills it so, it must be part of His
plan...for something we may not see or understand now.
this
weekend was the Panama camp and that very 14 year old girl shared
her story with 76 other youth of the small community of Gonazillo,
San Miguelito near Panama city. they heard her share about her
life. that despite those things, God is with her. and how much
stronger in faith she is now than she was before.
as
long as we seek and desire God's will in everything, our repugnance
for our suffering will be overshadowed, by facing that suffering
with our eyes fixed on God. that's the only way we'll get through
it.
Monday,
October 31, 2005 4:24 PM
the
Cross .
"Kiss
your crucifix affectionately, bathe it in your tears, clasp it
lovingly to your chest. Imagine that you are on Calvary and are
allowed to embrace the feet of your God who is suffering and dying
for you. Tell Him of your afflictions, unite them to His, and
ask Him to help you find them easier to bear...Tell Him you will
not let Him go until He has restored your peace and tranquility
and strengthened you with His grace." - The Imitation of
Mary
my
cross is the thing that brings me down, that i don't want to deal
with, that i'd rather tell off. it's usually something we struggle
with the most and thus end up resenting it. resentment often turns
into hatred. and we end up hating the cross. and yet it is where
we find the man we love most, Jesus. He's on the cross yet we
do not see Him. we just see how heavy and bothersome this cross
is to carry. when Jesus is connected to it, carrying it Himself,
bleeding because of it. not only do we not realize He is with
the cross, but in fact He is embracing it, accepting it, and loving
it with His whole heart.
He
embraced His cross, can i not mine? i have nothing to complain
about. nothing. i know of people whose sacrifice is so much deeper
than mine. they are dealt things so much harder than i've ever
experienced. and the more i think about it, i have been spoiled
in this life!
being
here in panama, i got to see one of my favorite girls again, just
14 years old. upon seeing her, she shared with me that since now
and the last time we were here a few months ago, she's been raped
more than once by an older married man. it breaks my heart. yet
another thing stealing away her innocence. why? because she was
born into a life and world of poverty? is that a reason? i could
have been born in Panama and not Chicago. why her and not me?
...i
have nothing to complain about. nothing. can i tell Jesus, "i
suffer!"? -- No! we do not know the meaning
of suffering.
yes
i do have things to deal with. all of us do. but i have to "unite
my afflictions with His" and see that they are not comparable.
and hey...maybe it's not so bad. maybe i actually have
it pretty good and should be praising Him with a heart full thanks
instead of seeking comfort from my own self pity.
Prayer:
"I'm sorry Lord for complaining about my cross! Help
me to love it as you did yours. I turn over to you what i feel.
Let it be cleansed by You. Please fill my heart with Your generous
sentiments...goodness, love, mildness, and forgiveness. Please
Lord, give me the strength and humilty to sacrifice and accept
my cross with open loving arms no matter how hard it is. I love
you Lord Jesus. Amen."
1
- "I'm
Yours " Jason
Mraz
2 - "Home" Michael Buble
3 - "Here I Am Again" Matt Brouwer
4 - "I'm
Givin You My Life"
Bridget
Hermano
Current
Location: Chicago Homiee Houston, TX, USA
Dallas, TX, USA
sweet HOME chicago
Houston, TX, USA
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Panama
Costa Rica
Nicaragua
Orlando, FL
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Chicago, IL
Columbus, Ohio
