Good Shepherd + Mines View Park
Good Shepherd
Mines View Park
Dinner
Burnham Park + City Market
Tsokolateria
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.
Lelan’s 40th Birthday
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.
We had our faces sketched by the local artists.
Mount Ulap
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!
Baguio!
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.
Banana Bread
For the first time in a long time, I was able to bake again. Surprisingly, my rusty but trusty oven still worked! My oven has been with me for 9 years. Amazing!
Devo: Matthew 11:25-30
Are you tired?
With everything that we have to do in life, we oftentimes experience burnout. It’s easy to recuperate from physical exhaustion. We can just sleep and feel better after. It’s the emotional, psychological, and spiritual exhaustion that’s difficult to recover from.
That’s why many people turn to different ways to get better. Others turn to self-help books, to meditation, to medicine, to people, etc. These things help somehow, but it seems that many people do not consider God to help them. People are willing to try everything but God.
God says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
It’s an invitation from God to anyone who is exhausted.
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30
“…learn from Me…”
God wants us to come to Him not only to cast our burdens upon Him but also to learn from Him. God wants us to disciple us.
“…gentle and lowly in heart…”
It shows us God’s character. He is gentle and humble. Does it not feel good to know that God can and will give us rest for our souls? When I read those words, I already felt comforted. I want that kind of rest forever. I want a heart that’s not troubled by the cares of the world. I want that kind of inner peace.
God tells us that we can only have that kind of rest if we go to Him. It’s not something that we can get from this world.
“If your yoke is hard and your burden is heavy, then we can say that it isn’t His yoke or burden, and you aren’t letting Him bear it with you.” enduringword.com
“They should believe that something is wrong if they don’t experience rest for their souls.” enduringword.com
Wow. It’s a painful truth, isn’t it? We continue to feel burdened because we don’t really surrender our cares to God. We need to trust that God will help us carry our burdens. And when we surrender them to God, we need to have faith that He is with us, that He will help us.
If we struggle to believe, we must ask God to help us believe and we must not stop until He answers our prayer. We can ask God anything, and He answers requests that are in line with His will. God wants us to be free from all of our worries and cares. He wants us to be free from our strongholds. He wants us to enjoy complete freedom. He wants us to enjoy true rest.
We won’t be able to worship God fully if worries and fears occupy our hearts and minds. God wants to give us rest.
Dear God, I want the rest that You are offering. Help me carry my burdens. Help me believe that You will help me. Remove my anxieties, worries, and fears. I want to learn from You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Pepper’s Spay Day
