My Winter Camp 08 Testimony

I want to thank God for giving me another opportunity to be able to join this camp. Iam now aware that being a christian. I am responsible for every decision and action in showing the people what a christian life is.

I also learned that we, as a christian should gain, obtain and win in accomplishing our goal. I believe that God bring me to this camp for me to learn a lot of things and to be dear without some issues.

Here in this camp. I met new friends, even my friendship with my friends became stronger.

I will try to apply everything that I have learned in this camp by relying on God's love and grace. I am really blessed to be in a group wherein we treat each oter as brothers in Christ.

Thank You,

To God Be the Glory...

An Experience Of A Lifetime

Lately, I have actively participated in our music week. I joined different activities. On our first day we parade around the UST campus. I’m the one who was chosen to wear the prince suit on our parade in my class. The next day I join the BM in voice basketball team. Since we only have six players. We try the best we can but we didn’t win the game. We are satisfied and happy for the result.

I was even asked to participate in the Mr. Music pageant. I really don’t want to join to this activity but I don’t have a choice but to join. I have a stage fraight and really don’t want to join a competition by individual. I just did the positive things and go for my best for it. Until that day come and my partner is not yet prepared for our talent portion. We just trust each other and do our best. I feel sad for my partner when her named was not called to the top three candidates. I am surprised to get the 2nd runner up and Mr. photogenic award.

I thank God for all of these success and my parents, professors and friends who has been instrumental to make the event a success. I learn a lot and grow as a better person. And most of all encounter and overcome my fears. The experience exposes me to the things that I have not done before. All of these are one of the most memorable and happiest experiences of my UST days. To God Be the Glory….

A lot of things happened when I met her

This time I have been invited with my christian friend to join there fellowship at United Evangelical Church of Malabon. I know that I already commited myself as a Catholic believer.

I try to join and met a beautiful girl. I was so amazed when she sing . Her voice is so lovely, she have a pretty eyes and a perfect characteristics. we become friend and seems I think I admire her, she help me to know more about God, she also give me advices and reminders. This time I'm very confused. I'm a Catholic believer should I believe to be a christian. But because I wanted to know more about God because of her. My faith with God grow as a christian believer. I become a player, choir member, become a officer. I lucky that I met her and know God. My life changed to better.

I start to grow into a mature God fearing person, to become a good disciple of Christ because of her. I dont know why I have started doing some things that I haven't done before like composing songs, writing love letters, poems and stories. I have done some paint and drawings. My first paint is of her face.

But because I like her I done some stupid things that makes her mad at me. I think I'm a loser that day. I done many things because I wanted to let her know how I value our friendship. But because I became a true men I want to fight for her but I let her go for our own good. I still like her until now.

She is my first crush and hopefully my last.. crazy?? haha.. it almost 6 years now but still i take it as positive that we were never meant to be. But still hoping. Because of her I became a strong christian .. she became my inspiration until now.

Today I still hear her singing , see her pretty face and think of her.. amazing. I'm proud that I met her. A girl, a lady that is hard to reach, the one who can changed her friend to a better person, a friend that you can truly admire, a talented person who gave her best to share God's love, a God fearing person who not afraid to lose everything for God. a true christian that always ready to become a good disciple of Christ.

I wanted to be like her. Her personality changed me, changing religion is not easy but because of her good example, She have changed people, I'll always pray for her and hoping that she will accept me as her friend again. She is the best!!(^_^)

The day I born

When I was still in my mother's womp. my mom has always been praying to have a baby boy. She was frequently praying for a boy that would be my father's heir to carry his name. They would go to church every sunday in Quiapo. Read the Bible continously and pray for quidance and safe delivery.

My mom have a hard time conceiving me. Everytime she felt weak and frail. She would sit down and pray for strength. Always she is strengthened by her devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ. She called the Black Nazarene her ''Ninong Nazareno.''

On that day, she was lying in bed when an old man approach her, put his right hand on her head and she felt asleep.It took mom 2 days and a half to give birth to me. Almost drain her water and the good doctor, indeed one of the best available to help her give birth by normal delivery.

I'm thankful for the Lord that He has been guiding my family through the year. I for one is answered prayer for my family. God has been faithful and time for answering my parents request to have me as a boy.

Now that I have grown I have learned to understand God's glory in me. To understand life has a meaning because God has first given us a purpose to live because Christ has first given up his life for us, so that we might live through Him.

The day I dedicate myself to the Lord

It started when my sister invited me to join the worship service. First I thought this would be boring and a waste of time. I still don't believe in God. Catholic Faith is different from Buddhism. What is the purpose and meaning of life? It all started with alot of quetions. Changes sterted to happen. It was a great revelation to me.

I met one of the great pastor there who helped me know the real purpose of life and how important it is to know God. I am amaze at God's love and I realized that no matter how bad we are God is willing to forgive us and love us inspite of ourselves. I ask God to forgive me and asked him to take comtrol of my life. I have learned to trust and obey him and pray whenever I felt lost and lonely.

I learned a lot of things that I applied to my life. I attend sunday worship without pressure from my sisters and friend. The group meetings opened new visions and ideas. Everything become activities of joy and praise.

Yes, How I love the Lord! Now that I have found Him; I dedicate my whole life in his service. Everyday I pray frequently that my lord and my God might be glorified through me. that I grow more each and everyday in loving and serving Him.

After school and works, I use a lot of my time getting to know Him better. In God's perfect timing I can serve God in his ministry.

My First Believe

I have been following the Buddhist Path when I am still a child. As teenage adolescent I began to do as many teenage adolescents, to question what I found about me. This was not just in the sense of rebelling against parental and societal norms, but a deeper questioning that sought to know something of the mystery of life, even something of the meaning of life.

I was fascinated at how different people were: everyone and everything seemed so unique. I wondered why this was the case and to what extent these differences are reconciled with the need to communicate and relate, the need, essentially, for harmony. I became particularly interested in how increasing digitization was leading to a rethinking of what it meant to be human, particularly as I found that expressed in contemporary philosophy and critical theory.

Unfortunately, interesting as such explorations were, they are written in an abstract language that excludes most people. I wanted more of a practical vision , a way of understanding the world that people could relate to and live out so that they would be fulfilled and happy. Such a desire though was not enough...

Convinced of the view that those who followed a religous life did so because they were somehow lacking reason: faith, I believe, was always blind. It took a period of my life that I was thoroughly fed up with in order to seek some change. I simply did not wish to continue living in the way I had been: often characterized by anxiety and fear - little was I aware that this is how most people live!

I learned to meditate and was drwan to Buddhism rather than other religions. I couldn't see through the forms of Christianity to the spirit beneath, not least the notion of a creator God. Islam was too culturally foreign and seemed from my limited perspective at least to be too similar to Christianity. Buddhism though seemed to offer an ideal for humanity.: the Buddha was a human being afterall, not a God, and his teaching was that anyone could also become Enlightened.

I began quite simply. The Buddha taught that if one acts with kindness towards oneself and others then one will experience kindness in oneself and from others. Putting this into practice I just found that it worked.

At its most sublime this culminates in the transcendence of any distinction between self and other, althought quite what this means I don't know! Lost, that is what I am. Lost in a word of confusion. One thing lead to another. I felt like a dust that the wind blows and found no where.

I first believe him. I have accepted him as my lord and savior and chosen to let go of my old selfish life. So great is God's love for us that I am humbled at the greatness or his forgiving grace. His mercy abounded forever. For even I, A merepust in the face of the Earth, here now and gone tomorrow has been taken cared of with compassion by my masters touch!

Praise be the name of the Lord our God. For his love is everlasting to everlasting!

A Glimpse of Real Me

The words that encouraged me to seek God's holy book came first from my sister and my relatives. Their passion for Him is what I know makes the good in them became best as they'd face life with God.

5 years ago, I really know too little about Him, I'd even thought they were two individual.. That Jesus is not God, that Jesus died because people were bad and killed him and that's why were sinful.. too shallow is it to think like that.

But I have been invited in a camp that became the stepping stone of seeing myself having passion to know Him deeply. And left something strange that makes me always wanting to be in church, my heart do feel at home. I communicate with Him and began to have a personal faith instead of just believing. Now, Im commiting myself to God, to Jesus.. A commitment that I will cherish forever.

Looking back, I remember how affected I am when m family misunderstand each other, thought them as thoughtless. The times my naughtiness leads me to a quarrels, to a fights with others. The times I cried not because of physical hurting but more of emotional burden. There was no Him at that time.. and it was so hard... I made many wrong doings and had driven many people to no good. Letting Him enter my life is not easy, one reason was the pressure I got from peers, and result, my spiritual life did not grow. It remained static. I cried out to God and asked him, 'are you there'?

After my mom's accident. A miracle happened. A life saved. I'm so thankful that my mom didn't lose hope and able to recover fast and walk again. God has been so good to me. He gave me hope, a purpose to live, and peace. Now I know that every trials has a purpose! Letting you fall doesn't mean He doesn't love you. Having experienced Jesus's saving power, my eyes were opened and love to have God with me in this chapter of my life.

My Life changed instantly. Things I considered of major importance previously, changed, now I no longer focus on it. I realized how important God is to our lives. I find myself often in tears as the Holy Spirit shows me the deeper meaning of a line of the Word. I realized I still have far to go. I am still a child, physically not, but spiritually. I'm proud to be a Christian.. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Saviour. To God Be the Glory...

My YGCCamp Testimony

I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to join this camp. My first with YGC (Youth Gospel Center). In this camp. I've heard very meaningful messages from great pastors and spent quality time with my counselors. I've also met new cute friends, cool roommates, ate good food and met a counselor who became my brother in this camp.

I will remember the messages heard and friendships made the good and sad times. I learned that knowing the real problem leads to the right solution. I now better know who God is -that only He can save us. So I now want to spend more time with Him, as well as submit to and follow Him always.

I've confess my sins and I am going to start loving God with all my heart. I'm also asking Him to help me love others at the right time. As a result of attending this camp, I will spend more time with the Bible, love Him with all my heart and follow His commands.

It's time to moved on... Letting Go ='(

If we contemplate desires and listen to them, we are actually no longer attaching to them; we are just allowing them to be the way they are. Then we come to the realization that the origin of suffering, desire, can be laid aside and let go of.

How do you let go of things? This means you leave them as they are; it does not mean you annihilate them or throw them away. It is more like setting down and letting them be. Through the practice of letting go we realize that there is the origin of suffering, which is the attachment to desire, and we realize that we should let go of these three kinds of desire. Then we realize that we have let go of these desires; there is no longer any attachment to them.

When you find yourself attached, remember that ‘letting go’ is not ‘getting rid of’ or ‘throwing away’. If I’m holding onto this clock and you say, ‘Let go of it!’, that doesn’t mean ‘throw it out’. I might think that I have to throw it away because I’m attached to it, but that would just be the desire to get rid of it. We tend to think that getting rid of the object is a way of getting rid of attachment. But if I can contemplate attachment, this grasping of the clock, I realize that there is no point in getting rid of it - it’s a good clock; it keeps good time and is not heavy to carry around. The clock is not the problem. The problem is grasping the clock. So what do I do? Let it go, lay it aside - put it down gently without any kind of aversion. Then I can pick it up again, see what time it is and lay it aside when necessary.

You can apply this insight into ‘letting go’ to the desire for sense pleasures. Maybe you want to have a lot of fun. How would you lay aside that desire without any aversion? Simply recognize the desire without judging it. You can contemplate wanting to get rid of it - because you feel guilty about having such a foolish desire - but just lay it aside. Then, when you see it as it is, recognizing that it’s just desire, you are no longer attached to it.

So the way is always working with the moments of daily life. When you are feeling depressed and negative, just the moment that you refuse to indulge in that feeling is an enlightenment experience. When you see that, you need not sink into the sea of depression and despair and wallow in it. You can actually stop by learning not to give things a second thought.

You have to find this out through practice so that you will know for yourself how to let go of the origin of suffering. Can you let go of desire by wanting to let go of it? What is it that is really letting go in a given moment? You have to contemplate the experience of letting go and really examine and investigate until the insight comes. Keep with it until that insight comes: ‘Ah, letting go, yes, now I understand. Desire is being let go of.’ This does not mean that you are going to let go of desire forever but, at that one moment, you actually have let go and you have done it in full conscious awareness. There is an insight then. This is what we call insight knowledge.

I had my first insight into letting go in my first year of meditation. I figured out intellectually that you had to let go of everything and then I thought: ‘How do you let go?’ It seemed impossible to let go of anything. I kept on contemplating: ‘How do you let go?’ Then I would say, ‘You let go by letting go.’ ‘Well then, let go!’ Then I would say:

‘But have I let go yet?’ and, ‘How do you let go?’ ‘Well just let go!’ I went on like that, getting more frustrated. But eventually it became obvious what was happening. If you try to analyse letting go in detail, you get caught up in making it very complicated. It was not something that you could figure out in words any more, but something you actually did. So I just let go for a moment, just like that.

Now with personal problems and obsessions, to let go of them is just that much. It is not a matter of analysing and endlessly making more of a problem about them, but of practising that state of leaving things alone, letting go of them. At first, you let go but then you pick them up again because the habit of grasping is so strong. But at least you have the idea. Even when I had that insight into letting go, I let go for a moment but then I started grasping by thinking: ‘I can’t do it, I have so many bad habits!’ But don’t trust that kind of nagging, disparaging thing in yourself. It is totally untrustworthy. It is just a matter of practising letting go. The more you begin to see how to do it, then the more you are able to sustain the state of non-attachment.

Forgiveness!!

I don't know if I continue, even today, always liking myself. But what I learned to do many years ago was to forgive myself. It is very important for every human being to forgive herself or himself because if you live, you will make mistakes- it is inevitable. But once you do and you see the mistake, then you forgive yourself and say, 'well, if I'd known better I'd have done better,' that's all. So you say to people who you think you may have injured, 'I'm sorry,' and then you say to yourself, 'I'm sorry.' If we all hold on to the mistake, we can't see our own glory in the mirror because we have the mistake between our faces and the mirror; we can't see what we're capable of being. You can ask forgiveness of others, but in the end the real forgiveness is in one's own self. I think that young men and women are so caught by the way they see themselves. Now mind you. When a larger society sees them as unattractive, as threats, as too black or too white or too poor or too fat or too thin or too sexual or too asexual, that's rough. But you can overcome that. The real difficulty is to overcome how you think about yourself. If we don't have that we never grow, we never learn, and sure as hell we should never teach.

Still You... Why?

I wrote your name on a paper but by an accident I threw it away

I wrote your name on m hand but I washed it the next day
I wrote your name in the sand but the waves washed it away
I wrote your name in my heart and forever it will stay

Hanging on your kiss
feeling for your touch
living on your love
its all too much
your love is so amazing
your the best thing in my life

It only took a minute, to let you in my life
It only took a minute, for me to realize
It only took a minute, and i knew just what to do
It only to a minute to fall in love with you

I don't know how to say this
So I'll just say it straight up
I Love you more then words could say
your all I got

I swear by the moon and the stars in the sky I'll be there...
I swear like the shadow that's by your side, I'll be there...
For better or worse till death do us part...
I'll love you with every beat of my heart, I swear...

I hate the fact that I let you have so much control over me,
with every sweet word you say; it melts me into a puddle of vulnerability. With every hug you give me, you make my knees buckle
and every time you kiss me, my heart begins to race,
as much as I hate being wrapped around your little finger,
I love being in love with you.

I will love you till forever
until death do us part
we'll be together.

Give me your hand and I'll try to understand,
I love you, so I can't let you go
ain't nothing wrong with having someone to hold.

I find that in your arms, I feel safe.
I find that in your mind, I feel wanted.
I find that in your eyes, I feel me.
I find that in your heart, I feel love.

You are my everything There's nothing your Love won't bring
My life is yours alone. The only love I've ever known
Your spirit pulls me through when nothing else will do
Every night I pray on bended knee that you will always be…
My everything...

Your still the one . . .
Your still the one I run to
The one that I belong to. . .
Still the one I want for life,
Your still the one that I love,
The only one I dream of
Your still the one I kiss goodnight...
I'm so glad we made it.
Look how far we've come my baby

If a day should go by without me saying I love you,
may never a day go by with out you knowing I do.

It's not my fault if I can't help looking at you.
It's not my fault if I can't stop calling you.
It's not my fault that I like you.
My only mistake is falling so much in love with you.

Sometimes is when I see you
Often is when I dream of you
Daily is when I talk to you
Always is when I think of you
Never is when I'll stop caring for you...
Special is how I define you
Perfect is how I see you
Honestly is how I speak to you
Dearly is how I miss you
Truly is how I love you...

I do swear that I'll always be there
I'd give anything and everything I will always care
through weakness and strength happiness & sorrow
for better or for worse I will love you
with every beat of my heart

Moving On

Amazing, is the feeling that u get after a nice,long,deep,& constructive conversation with people.

I've just had one of those today, and for once since very,very long, I came home at the end of an outing with something to think about, rather than just an emptiness with no recollection of why I was laughing so hard...u know that feeling??

For the first time in so long, my I'm both emotionally and intellectually satisfied with an outing with friends of my age range.

Wut I liked about the conversations I had with my friends today, was that they were much deeper than the usual stuff we normally talked about...

We were discussing politics and relationships and jobs n even culture....I was still having as much fun as I'd have had if we were joking about absolutely nothing (infact, this was even more fun!)...only this time I could remember wut it is I was laughing about, as I walked home!!!

I'm feeling very much satisfied, and that's not a feeling I get too often...which just goes to show that unless ur mind is having fun,

it's no use trying to cheer ur soul up!!

It's time to move on and forget the pass...There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life...

You are the only One

You touched my heart,
You touched my soul.
You changed my life and all my goals.
And love is blind and that I knew when,
My heart was blinded by you.
I've kissed your lips and held your head.
Shared your dreams and shared your bed.
I know you well, I know your smell.
I've been addicted to you.
Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

Goodbye my Friends

In my experiences with “goodbyes,” I have accepted a definition in understanding the reason for goodbyes. Goodbyes are endings to new beginnings.From the moment we let go of a person or event and say “farewell,” a second later, we are thinking differently or making different plans that are new to our lives.I begin to question why it is hard to say “goodbye” knowing in my mind that new life experiences will be the result.Often times the newness is good and beneficial. I think that maybe it is hard to say goodbye because I’m a creature of habit. So, as it is hard to break a habit, it is hard to say goodbye to the “normal” or expected. My life has changed so much already, as a result, of many goodbyes, and as I look back, I do not regret any of my choices. I should think more about the new choices more then the goodbye itself, and I should stop beating myself up about what I could have done…. I’m a stronger person because of my ability to build from my choices. I never felt I would not be successful, but I have felt like I could have made better choices. I’m beginning to understand the it is not the various choices I could have made, but the choices I am making from my “goodbyes” that mean more to my life. today I look in the mirror…I am happy, and I am not lonely.

My Testimonial to My BestFriend

You are one of the most beautiful, smart, talented people I have known, and your beauty lies in your honesty. One of my all time best friends in the world!!! There's so much I can say about this girl but I don't even know where to begin. One of the greatest friends one could ever ask for. Truly you have kept me sane. I could never be more thankful for having you in my life. Yes she is good looking, in some ways. She speaks well and with sense. A good friend, her words and advices really means something! One of the most interesting persons that everyone should meet and it'll be hard to forget this wonderful being! Truly a blessing from God! Most of the time, all you can do is admire her for the things she is and will be capable of achieving. I'm proud to have met her. This person is really someone who'll be there for you, cheer you up, and inspire you. For all of you that know her, count yourself lucky and for those of you that don't... well, take the time to add her to your list of friends. Well continue to serve God, study hard, friends4ever, good luck:P God bless...

My Most Challenging Experience

She was the most important women of my life. During that time my world stop. She is all and everything to me. She is the challenge I tried to pursue. A dream beyond any expectation.
She was the women of my dream. The epitome of womanhood. Pretty, charming, intelligent, responsible and talented. The challenge made my life more colorful. From a small crush, my admiration of her grew. The way she smile, the way she moves, the way she talk, the way she carry herself, the way she perform her responsibility caught me totally and completely.
She had made my life. And then she is gone... I am in pain. I lost her to a childhood friend. Yet I know I have to move on. I know she is happy and seeing her content made me strong. She is the best challenge I have overcome. To learn to let go. To live again amidst pain. That is a challenge worth learning from.