Browsed by
Month: August 2024

Faith Academy

Faith Academy

Lelan and I had the privilege to be given a tour in Faith Academy today in Cainta, Rizal. We were invited by Sir Dave Harvey last Sunday when we joined them in the breaking of bread at their house. Kuya Jerry invited us to their fellowship/breaking of bread but we already met Mr. Harvey in Emmaus church in San Juan when Lelan came to the Philippines in May.

It’s nice to know that there is a Christian school that really seeks to honor God in everything. The teachers are all missionaries that are unpaid. They volunteer to serve God in that field. In the past, they only accepted MKs (missionary kids/kids of missionaries), but now, they accept unbelievers, too. I think it’s a good way to share the gospel to unbelievers.

I heard about Faith Academy before from our neighbors who are Christian missionaries from the U.S. They sent their kids there after homeschooling them. I didn’t realize it’s a big school! It has a long history as well.

I had a class at 1 p.m. and there was poor signal for my pocket WiFi. Mr. Todd Eickenhauer (who gave us the tour) allowed me to use his office for that. I was really embarrassed because I felt like using his office is disrespectful. However, he offered and I needed his help so I did use his office for a quiet place and a stable internet connection. They also gave us free snacks and lunch.

His wife, Miriam, and the Keatings were there, too. We also met them last Sunday at Mr. Dave Harvey’s house. I asked Mr. Todd how often they give a tour and he said they only do it for VIPs. Lelan and I were surprised. Such an honor! The family we were with on that tour was Mr. Harvey’s niece and family. Mr. Harvey asked us to join because we’ve been to their church and their house (for the fellowship).

Binondo

Binondo

Lelan and I wanted to go to Cabanatuan but we decided to just stay in Manila since we just got back from our Baguio trip. We went to Binondo today instead.

Beautiful plate

We tried the famous Sincerity chicken. It was okay. It was nice to try but it’s not something I would eat again.

Super haba ng pila dito. Hindi na namin triny dahil busog pa kami. Foodies kami, hindi gluttons. 😉

Pinipilahan din itong siopao store na ito pero okay lang din naman ang lasa.

Tanghulu – Binondo version

Back in QC

Back in QC

I’m grateful for an enjoyable vacation with my husband in Baguio. I’m grateful for God’s protection. Lelan likes it in Baguio because of the food and the cool temperature. Lelan and I, however, missed home-cooked meals. It’s nice to eat in restaurants but not every day! 😅

In other news, we have Pepper back! We left her with the Tans and they dropped her off tonight. 🤍

Sama daw siya next time. Dyan lang daw siya sa luggage. 😆

Hindi pa fully grown ang shinave ng vet nung ini-spay siya.

Burnham Park + City Market

Burnham Park + City Market

Tsokolateria

Tsokolate de batirol

The kenkoys 😆😂🤣

Burnham Park

It rained when we went to Burnham Park. Thank God it didn’t last long. We enjoyed the boat and bike rides. We went to the city market after and bought some pasalubong. Lelan got Sagada coffee for his family and friends back in the U.S.

Tam-awan Village

Tam-awan Village

I lost all of our pictures today… The ones left are those below. We went to Lemon and Olives (Greek Taverna) for brunch and then we headed to Tam-awan Village. We did not really explore the place much because our muscles are still sore from the hike. 😅 We also didn’t feel at ease there. It’s probably because of all the traditional wooden sculptures of nature deities present. It felt dark there. We prayed for the place before we left.

In the sketching area

We had our faces sketched by the local artists.

Who was capturing who? 😅😜

They’re not an exact representation but it’s fun to have our faces sketched!

Mount Ulap

Mount Ulap

Our guide said that wildfire destroyed many trees early this year.

Wild berries

We conquered Mt. Ulap! It was a 9.1 km. traverse. Mt. Ulap is located in Ampucao, Itogon, Benguet. We started hiking at 2 p.m. and reached the summit at 4:50 p.m. It was very cold and foggy up there! We could barely see through the fog. It also started raining when we reached the summit. When we got to the foot of the mountain, it was already dark. Thank God we finished it safe and in one piece!

Devo: Matthew 15:21-28

Devo: Matthew 15:21-28

The Gentile woman’s faith in this story is really great as Jesus said. Jesus was initially cold towards her and rejected her request but she kept asking God.

“But He answered her not a word.” v. 23

“It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” v. 26

She kept asking because she knew Him and she knew that God could help her. Because of that faith in God, Jesus helped her eventually.

“And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him…” v. 22

“Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!'” v. 25

“And she said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.'” v. 27

She did not stop until Jesus answered her prayer. Her request was not even for herself but for her daughter. She was a Gentile. She knew that the Jews were special in God’s eyes. She did not debate about Jesus calling her one of the “little dogs”. She accepted what Jesus said but still asked for a blessing despite all of it.

“It was as if she said, ‘Jesus, I understand that the focus of Your ministry is to the Jews – that they have a special place in God’s redemptive plan. Yet I also understand that Your ministry extends beyond the Jewish people, and I want to be part of that extended blessing.'” enduringword.com

She kept insisting and because of that, God honored her faith. Her persistence showed that she believed only Jesus could help her daughter.

“‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” v. 28

Like the woman in this story, we can cry out to God for help. There are so many wonderful things that touched me in this story.

“Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities, located some 50 miles (80 kilometers) away.” enduringword.com

“We read of nothing else that Jesus did during this time in Tyre and Sidon. It would seem that His only divine appointment was to meet the need of this woman of faith and her afflicted daughter.” enduringword.com

God is so loving to us. Jesus had no other business in Tyre and Sidon but He went there to minister to this Gentile woman. He traveled to those Gentile cities to help the woman and her daughter.