Our motorbike

Three years ago, God gave us this motorbike and we are forever grateful. It has been so useful for us especially for the ministry. Although a lot of people do not favor motorbikes on the road because of the high statistics of road accident, we are even more grateful that for three long years God has always protected us. We never forget to say a prayer once we’re seated on the bike. And one thing more, maintenance is not as high as those of cars and SUV’s. We do not need air filters or grilles, the only major problem we encountered are the tires but thank God again we bought new ones and replaced it two months ago.

Now that it has turned 3 years old, I just hope it won’t give us headaches and will still be good to us like before. We still need him everyday. And if ever God give us a car (we’re praying for that also) we would still be using him from time to time. I think I am already used to not being caught in a traffic jam.

It’s been 3 fruitful years for us and our motorbike, we've survived a lot of  tough times like this 

 (ours was the small one)

but we are still looking forward to many good times with him.

Health workers

medical and healthcare jobs are so in demand now in abroad. Some even say that the best nurses and doctors of our country are working overseas because of course higher pay and better benefits.

But I commend those who still chose to work and serve here despite of not getting enough salaries. I am humbled by Doctors for the Barrios. They are the doctors and health workers that volunteers to serve in far flung places of the Philippines, most of those places do not even have electricity. Sometimes they even have to walk hundred miles to visit the people.

I hope there will be more of them here. Just this year, a documentary was shown exposing mountain people that do not have an access to hospital and medicines. For them to get medical treatment, they have to go down by foot and carry the sick in a hammock for at least 3 to 5 hours.

We need doctors here. We need nurses. We need health workers. But we need those who have the heart to serve.

Our ministry is conducting health teachings and small medical mission in some depressed areas in the metropolis. If you want to volunteer just let us know.

Multi-tasking..bad or good?

I know most of us specially women multitasks, as much as possible we do not want to waste precious time so we end up doing/ juggling a lot with our two hands. In my case one mind. You see. I'm reading about this marketing materials called point of purchase displays while listening to music and at the same time taking all the lyrics of the songs in my heart ( just like "You are amazing God" that is playing now) and not only that I am also playing bejewelled on another tab. From time to time, I also peek on facebook to check if I have notifications. I know I multitask a lot and I admit sometimes it is not good. As I have said, I only have one mind and well two hands. But I just want to maximized the use of my PC and my time while I'm sitting in front of it. Is that bad? What do you think?

How about you? How far do you multitask? Do you cook while doing laundry? Do you watch TV while cleaning the house?

Strategic Planning

Today was a non-working holiday here so that means no office and no work but not for the Fishnets team. We just had our strategic planning the whole day. And it may sounds bad that I didn't had my day off but it's alright because the planning is worth it.

we have four months left for this year and for the kid's ministry,we have two major events left. The Praisin' Kids Town for the Special Children  on November 20 and the Christmas party and the gift giving on December 4 to which I am both in-charge. These two events need a lot of funding so please help us pray for more hearts to support us.

The team is oh so excited for the coming year. This early, we have already lined up activities for the kids here and in different LJBC outreaches. One thing for sure is the DVBS at Bataan.

The strategic planning is indeed very helpful. At least we've measured how far we've started for our goals and mission. Changing one family at a time may sound so easy but I tell you it is not. Urban poor families have different culture and norms and diverting and teaching them that God wants their life to be beautiful is not an easy task. Teaching a father to feed his child instead of using his little money in his vices (alcohols, cigarettes to which I hope is not a romeo y julieta cigars brand and gambling) is a gigantic task and we admit that we cannot do it but God can.

Our regular weekly feeding is doing fine but we need to recruit more volunteer teachers every Saturday. We will also do a basic classroom management seminar for them.

Please keep on supporting us through your prayers. And if you know someone who would want to help us financially you may direct them to International Teams/ Fishnets to see how they can be of help.

Blessings everyone!

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

How was your weekend going everyone? It is actually a long weekend here in the Philippines. Our week work will start Tuesday to which I am thrilled. So I am having enough time doing a lot of stuff in the internet. Reading about spring loaded devices like spring plungers, downloading inspirational videos and songs, and at the same time prepping my self for the whole day strategic planning for the Fishnets team tomorrow.

It will be the very first strategic planning for the team and I do hope that after this the team will be more stronger, more unified and committed and is much better.

Hospital Visitation

Our church went to the hospital last Saturday for gift giving and visitation. PGH (Philippine General Hospital) is a a government owned hospital. And what can you expect from a government hospital? People who can not afford to go to a better hospital cramped there. And it is a very depressing sight. As I have said in my post below, I cried and Rudolf ended up consoling me. I cried that millions of people here in the Philippines are deprived of good health care service. I cried that a boy as young as 12 years was amputated and even cried more that despite of his situation, he was in high spirit and smiling. God bless his heart.

medical patients at the hallway

It's there where I realized and told my husband that we will never be rich in this life, we will never be someone who have hundreds of thousand of monies in the bank because we know in our heart we will be giving it away. For I can not fathom how our government officials are given millions as salaries and yet our hospitals are as poor as that. How can someone worry about not having an iphone with iphone warranty or with not having that flat screen tv, or with not having a car? I am not that insensitive. And I do not write this just to brag that I am good because I am not, but really I just do not understand why people complain so much when they do not even know the plight of the poor.

at least we have a play area for the children

This has been an emotional post. Sorry but I can't help it. The scene from the hospital is still here in my heart. It was my second time to visit and I hope I'll not be immune on my future visits. I still want to feel their heart, in that way , I will not lose the compassion to serve the poor as mandated by the Lord.

Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but helping the poor honors him. Provers 14:31

Thankful Thursday- Random

Today is Thankful Thursday so let us all give thanks to the LORD, well not only on Thursday but everyday :) Head on to Laurie's blog if you want  to join us.

Here's my random thankful list for this week.

1. Good health for me and hubby ( a lot of people around us are getting sick but Praise God we are spared)

2. For the opportunity to serve Him through the hospital visitation ( it is very depressing and hubby ended up consoling me, I just hope they've felt God's love through our visit and gift giving)

3. For God's word - Job 38 -It's like He was talking to me in a very personal way, telling me, "how can you doubt the things I can do for you Raquel? didn't you see I command each and every morning you have ?"

Thank you Lord for everything!!!

God whsipers

Dear Raquel,

When it comes to service, be outrageous. Go the extra mile. Do the unexpected. Wow them. If you're going to serve, might as well have fun at the same time, right?

To your success,

God

P.S. Don't give half-hearted service, Raquel. You're built for more exciting stuff.

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I will Lord!! Thank you for the very timely reminder :) I will rejoice and be glad in serving you through our ministries!

Rocks

Thankful Thursday : Phil 4:19

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. "Philippians 4:19

I was looking for another verse to share on my FB status last Tuesday night but the Lord has given me this verse instead. For the reason that He knows I am worrying about our finances and HE wants me to trust Him fully with what we need for this week.

I meditated on that verse day and night since then.

Last night, just after we prayed, my husband received a text message, a repeat order of printed t-shirts we made last month!. I really love how the Lord surprises us!! And I didn’t worry a bit even if we don’t have the money to produce that order because I know God will make a way. And guess what? He did!! We will deliver tomorrow morning and that means more that enough money for us this week. That also means we got to share some blessing for my husband’s father!!

To say that I serve an amazing God is an understatement. HE is more than AMAZING!!

Please visit Laurie's blog for more inspiring stories!!

BEWARE OF BEING OFFENDED

Got this on my email two years ago, I thought I already shared this here but when I was  looking for it, I realized I haven't. I know we can all learn a lesson here..
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BEWARE OF BEING OFFENDED

"A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city"

(NASB - Proverbs 18:19)

James was a grocery clerk who started, with a capital of $65, to peddle cheese from a one-horse wagon. To say he was a dismal failure would be kind. James continued to push himself but grew deeper in debt. He was young and inexperienced, so he sought the advice of a wise Christian friend.

"You haven't included God in your business," his friend observed. "You haven't let Him take over the work - you've only asked Him to be part of it. That's not how God works."

This sent the young clerk into a tailspin. James was gripped with mixed emotions. He was offended that such a judgment be laid on him. At the same time, he was struck by his friend's blunt honesty. It was a pivotal moment for him.

Days passed as the young clerk prayed and pondered. Finally he crossed a line in the sand. He wrote his friend, saying, "If God wants to run this cheese business, He can do it. I'll work for Him." And this is what he did.

From that moment on, God became the senior partner in his business, the chief Person consulted in every decision. A chair was left open in meetings, reminding key staff of His presence. Over the months the business grew and prospered. It eventually became the largest cheese company in the world. James L. Kraft pivotal decision made all the difference in the Kraft Chesee Company.

Unfortunately, it's easy to miss the opportunity to recognize and take positive action in a pivotal moment. You may remember hearing the name James Huberty back in the mid-1980s. He made the cover of magazines nationwide for one tragic reason: He was the mastermind behind the "McDonald's massacre." He walked into a McDonald's restaurant with an automatic weapon and gunned down more than twenty people in San Ysidro, California. A SWAT team showed up moments later and killed him, which was his goal - he didn't have the guts to commit suicide. When it was all over, bloodstains splattered the red-and-white tile of the restaurant. More than two dozen people had been murdered.

The store no longer serves hamburgers to local residents. It now stands as a memorial to the lives lost that day.

What makes this especially heartbreaking is that James Huberty mishandled a pivotal moment. After being released from his job, he became angry with his supervisor, his family and himself. A colleague tried to encourage him. Sensing Huberty's anger, the friend pleaded with him to let his anger go. He urged him to surrender the issue to the Lord and trust Him to begin a whole new chapter in his life.

Sadly, Proverbs 18:19 proved true: "A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city". James Huberty never allowed his bitterness to be dissolved.

How many church members are like this? Something or someone offends them in the church and they allow that offense to fester until a root of bitterness grows in their hearts that defiles them. Instead of dealing with the offense in loving dialog and forgiveness, they huff and puff leaving the church full of accusations against the pastor, the leaders and other members - accusations that are, by and large, false.

Following this, they band together with other offended people and form a "bible study" where all they do is justify their offense before each other and pretentiously study the bible vainly attempting to display sincere and surrendered hearts. It will never work, of course, because the Spirit of God will never show up where offense is the basis of such gatherings. 

Or they move to another church where they claim it is more anointed than the one they left. But they carry with them the same spirit of offense that is unresolved in their hearts so whatever anointing they perceived in these other churches will never break through into their spirits that are marred by the offense that they carry around with them all the time. They have become victims trapped in and controlled by the spirit of offense like James Huberty.

These disgruntled and deceived people have lost a golden opportunity for a pivotal moment that could have led to their climbing higher in victory in Christ Jesus. Instead, they decided to be offended and take a journey to despair, desperately attempting to justify their tragic decision.

So, people of God - BEWARE OF BEING OFFENDED AND BEWARE EVEN MORE OF ASSOCIATING, LISTENING TO AND BANDING WITH OFFENDED PEOPLE. It can only lead to your own spiritual downfall and many years of bondage in this dark demonic spirit of offense that will only drive one to a "McDonald's Massacre" experience, even spiritually.

PRAYER: "Dear Lord, please help me to be free from the spirit of offense especially from a sister or brother in the church. Help me to be loving, forgiving and understanding and not easily offended. Allow me, O Holy Spirit, to be discerning of pivotal moments in my life that You allow in order to enable me to climb higher in victory rather than grovel in offense that will only lead to my own destruction and defeat. Enable me, O Lord, to be wise in Your ways, to be submitted to Your will and to discern the work of the enemy who comes to kill, to steal and to destroy. Give me victory over any offense that the devil may try to magnify in the situations and circumstancs that I face in life, in the work place, with family and friends and with my church. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen"