WISH LIST:

1. learn how to skate and ski
2. travel the wonders of the world
3. travel around a country or state through biking
4. ride a hot air balloon
5. ride the biggest roller coaster of Disney land
6. sky diving
7. bungee jumping
8. save an endangered specie
9. learn spanish, french & mandarin
10. learn how to scuba dive — for real
11. learn how to fish
12. ride a submarine, explore the deepest oceans and see marine animals
13. see a place where the sun never sets
14. travel space
15. medical missions around the world
16. write a book — again
17. learn braille
18. learn sign language
19. finish reading our 22 volumes of world book encyclopedias! asa!
20. learn to surf
21. fall in love
22. parasailing
23. see the other two statue of liberty other than NY’s
24. jump down from the top of a waterfall..
25. live in a cottage, just like the ones described in fairy tales
26. live in a place with four seasons
27. taste the first drops of snow
28. learn how to drive – a car and a motorbike and maybe a plane

Luzon
Abra
Albay: Legazpi, Daraga
Albay: Rapu-Rapu Islands
Albay: remainder
Apayao
Aurora
Baguio
Bataan
Batanes
Batangas: Batangas City, Lipa, Mabini
Batangas: Nasugbu, Calatagan
Batangas: San Juan (Laiya)
Batangas: Taal Volcano
Batangas: remainder
Benguet
Bulacan: Malolos
Bulacan: remainder
Cagayan: Tuguegarao
Cagayan: Babuyan Islands
Cagayan: remainder
Camarines Norte
Camarines Sur: Metro Naga
Camarines Sur: Caramoan Peninsula
Camarines Sur: remainder
Catanduanes
Cavite: Tagaytay
Cavite: Corregidor
Cavite: Ternate, Maragondon
Cavite: remainder
Ifugao: Banaue
Ifugao: remainder
Ilocos Norte: Laoag, Paoay
Ilocos Norte: Pagudpud, Bangui, Burgos
Ilocos Norte: remainder
Ilocos Sur: Vigan
Ilocos Sur: remainder
Isabela
Kalinga
La Union
Laguna: western
Laguna: eastern
Marinduque
Masbate: Masbate Island
Masbate: Ticao Island
Masbate: Burias Island
Metro Manila
Mt. Province: Sagada
Mt. Province: remainder
Nueva Ecija
Nueva Vizcaya
Occidental Mindoro: Lubang Island
Occidental Mindoro: remainder
Olongapo, Subic Bay
Oriental Mindoro: Puerto Galera
Oriental Mindoro: remainder
Pampanga: San Fernando
Pampanga: Angeles, Clark SEZ
Pampanga: remainder
Pangasinan: Dagupan, Lingayen area
Pangasinan: Alaminos, Hundred Islands
Pangasinan: western
Pangasinan: remainder
Quezon: Lucena, Lucban, Mt. Banahaw area
Quezon: northern (Infanta, Real area)
Quezon: Bondoc Peninsula
Quezon: Polillo Islands
Quezon: Alabat Island
Quezon: remainder
Quirino
Rizal: Antipolo, Cainta, Taytay, Angono
Rizal: remainder
Romblon: Sibuyan Island, Romblon Island
Romblon: Tablas Island
Sorsogon
Tarlac
Zambales
Palawan
Palawan: Puerto Princesa
Palawan: El Nido, Linapacan
Palawan: Busuanga, Coron, Culion
Palawan: Cuyo Islands, Cagayancillo
Palawan: Tubbataha Reef
Palawan: Balabac Islands
Palawan: Dumaran Island
Palawan: northern remainder
Palawan: southern remainder
Visayas
Aklan: Kalibo
Aklan: Boracay, Caticlan
Aklan: remainder
Antique: mainland
Antique: Semirara Islands
Biliran
Bohol: Tagbilaran, Panglao Island
Bohol: Chocolate Hills
Bohol: remainder
Capiz
Cebu: Cebu, Mandaue, Mactan Island
Cebu: Bantayan Islands, Malapascua
Cebu: Camotes Islands
Cebu: remainder
Eastern Samar: mainland
Eastern Samar: Homonhon Island
Guimaras
Iloilo: Iloilo City
Iloilo: remainder
Leyte: Tacloban
Leyte: Ormoc
Leyte: remainder
Negros Occidental: Bacolod
Negros Occidental: remainder
Negros Oriental: Dumaguete
Negros Oriental: remainder
Northern Samar
Siquijor
Southern Leyte: mainland
Southern Leyte: Panaon Island
Western Samar
Mindanao
Agusan del Norte: Butuan
Agusan del Norte: remainder
Agusan del Sur
Basilan
Bukidnon
Camiguin
Compostela Valley
Cotabato City
Davao City: downtown
Davao City: Mt. Apo
Davao City: remainder
Davao del Norte: mainland
Davao del Norte: Samal City
Davao del Sur: mainland
Davao del Sur: Sarangani Islands
Davao Oriental
Dinagat Islands
Lanao del Norte: Iligan
Lanao del Norte: remainder
Lanao del Sur
Maguindanao
Misamis Occidental
Misamis Oriental: Cagayan de Oro
Misamis Oriental: remainder
North Cotabato
Sarangani: eastern
Sarangani: western
Shariff Kabunsuan
South Cotabato: General Santos
South Cotabato: remainder
Sultan Kudarat
Sulu
Surigao del Norte: mainland
Surigao del Norte: Siargao, Bucas Grande Island
Surigao del Sur
Tawi-Tawi: main islands
Tawi-Tawi: Mapun, Turtle Islands
Zamboanga City: downtown
Zamboanga City: remainder
Zamboanga del Norte: Dipolog, Dapitan
Zamboanga del Norte: eastern remainder
Zamboanga del Norte: western remainder
Zamboanga del Sur
Zamboanga Sibugay

We had serious computer virus issues this weekend. We tried to resolve this last night but couldn’t get very far. I awoke to one huge mess on it with many warnings and information telling me that indeed we had many viruses.

I prayed for God to fix this mess and to help me figure out what in the world I needed to try and do. I told God I know there is nothing impossible for Him. I felt so inadequate to even try but since the backup had not worked we stood to lose hundreds and hundreds of files. I finally was able to finish work with the new program used to scan and clean it up. It told me that the work was complete but things were only partly fixed. I was so discouraged. I decided to take a break.

I later returned prayed and asked God to judge any curse against or enemies against this computer. The screen looked normal and I could access almost every file and program. I noticed two programs missing. I tried to restore them both and couldn’t find one of them. It would be the one that I had feared losing the most. I had writings on them that I just couldn’t lose. I prayed facing the fear. Shortly later my husband searched and was able to find it. I am so happy over what the Lord has done for me today that I couldn’t wait to share what God did for us today. I praise HIM and to GOD be the glory!

I had full faith that God could do this for me. He did too!

Our God is an Awesome God,
dondi0

Q: What is your dream bed?

A: Since there is no price on a good night’s rest, I would love a bed that has the softness of a gelatin or jelly. But of course, it has to be consistent enough to swing me to paradise.  The colors should be yummy. Hehehe! =) I would also love it to be pretty cool since Philippines is a tropical country.

Note: The same goes for my dream bath tub. Except that the “jelly bath” should have therapeutic claims and should be perfect for sanitizing. =)

1. The Contest is open to all Filipino citizens of all ages (including
Filipinos holding dual citizenship) from June to August 2008.

2. The theme of the contest is “Amor, Vida, Patria” (Love, Life,
Nation). The story maybe historical or contemporary in subject matter.
The work must follow the three-act structure of the sarsuwela and must be
written in Filipino.

3. The author must submit the entry to the Board of Judges. The
deadline for submission is 29 August 2008 Friday, 5 p.m. The office of the
UP-CAL closes at 5 p.m. Entries sent by mail or courier should be
postmarked no later than the same date of the deadline.

4. All entries are to be submitted to the Board of Judges, U.P. College
of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon
City.  The said College is in the Faculty Center (FC), UP Diliman
campus.

5. All entries shall consist of a soft copy (CD in Word or Text Format)
and three (3) hard copies (Times New Roman, Helvetica, or Arial Narrow
fonts, 12 points, double spaced in 81/2 x 11 inches coupon bond). The
recorded score (CD in MP3 or other PC compatble format) shall also be
included. The author’s and the composer’s real names and addresses
must not appear on the entry; rather, they should seal in a letter
envelope both the prescribed Official Entry Form and Authorization Form,
together with their bio-notes or brief résumé; and this envelope should
be submitted together with the entry. On this sealed envelope should be
written or typed the title of the entry and the authors’ pen name.

6. In submitting the entry, the author warrants that the work is
his/her own and that he/she has absolute ownership of all intellectual
property rights thereto. Together with the entry, the author should submit
the Official Entry Form and the Authorization Form for the Contest.

7. The submission of the entry must be accompanied by the author’s
written consent to abide by the rules of the Contest, duly signed by the
author.

8. Authors may submit only one (1) entry.

9. The judges shall choose one (1) winner to be announced on September
30, 2008. The author and the composer shall equally divide between them
the contest cash prize.

10. Winning entries shall remain with, and become the property of, the
U.P. College of Arts and Letters which shall have prior right to its
production and publication.

11. In order that the winning entries may be accessible to the public,
the authors grant, assign and transfer to the U.P. College of Arts and
Letters the following rights without any necessity of any payment other
than the prize already awarded: (a) to publish from time to time the
winning entry or selection or portion thereof as it may at its
discretion determine; (b) to designate or appoint editors to edit the work or
any portion thereof to suit the demands of publication; (c) to furnish a
reasonable number of copies of the work to the National Library or
other libraries; (d) to make the work available for downloading on the
Internet or other electronic medium; and/or (e) allow scholars and students
to make copies for their research.

In making the works accessible to scholars, students, and lovers of
literature, the College only intends to promote a wider literary
appreciation of the works.

12. The prize for the winning entry is P200,000.00.

13. The U.P. College of Arts and Letters has the sole right to
designate the persons who shall constitute the Board of Judges for each contest
category.

14. The decision of the majority of the Board of Judges for the contest
is final.

15. All parties submitting entries to the UP Sarsuwela Writing Contest
are deemed to have accepted all the rules of the contest, and agree to
abide by them.

If you’re not married yet, share this with a friend. If you are
married, share it with your spouse or other married couples and reflect on it.

An African proverb states, “Before you get married, keep both eyes open, and after you marry, close one eye.”

Before you get involved and make a commitment to someone, don’t let
lust, desperation, immaturity, ignorance, pressure from others or a low self-esteem, make you blind to warning signs. Keep your eyes open, and don’t fool yourself that you can change someone or that what you see as faults aren’t really important.

Once you decide to commit to someone, over time his or her flaws,
vulnerabilities, pet peeves, and differences will become more obvious. If you love your mate and want the relationship to grow and evolve, you’ve got to learn to close one eye and not let every little thing bother you. You and your mate have many different expectations, emotional needs, values, dreams, weaknesses, and strengths. You are two unique individuals – children of God – who have decided to share a life together.

Neither of you are perfect, but are you perfect for each other? Do you bring out the best in each other?

Do you compliment and compromise with each other, or do you compete,
compare, and control? What do you bring to the relationship? Do you bring past relationships, past hurt, past mistrust, past pain? You can’t take someone to the altar to alter him or her. You can’t make someone love you or make someone stay.

If you develop self-esteem, spiritual discernment, and “a life”, you won’t find yourself making someone else responsible for your happiness or responsible for your pain.

Manipulation, control, jealousy, neediness, and selfishness are not the ingredients of a thriving, healthy, loving and lasting relationship! Seeking status, sex, wealth, and security are the wrong reasons to be in a relationship.

What keeps a relationship strong?

Communication, intimacy, trust, a sense of humor, sharing household
tasks, some getaway time without business or children. And daily exchanges: a meal, a shared activity, a hug, a call, a touch, a note. Leave a nice message on the voicemail or send a nice email.

Share common goals and interests. Growth is important. Grow together, not away from each other, giving each other space to grow without feeling insecure. Don’t try to control one another. Allow your mate to have outside interests. You can’t always be together. The difference between ‘united’ and ‘untied’ is where you put the I.

Give each other a sense of belonging and assurances of commitment.
Learn each other’s family situation. Respect his or her parents regardless. Don’t put pressure on each other for material goods. Remember ‘for richer or for poorer.’

If these qualities are missing, the relationship will erode as resentment, withdrawal, abuse, neglect, dishonesty, and pain replace the passion.

Did you know that NASA’s space programmes are busy proving that was has been called ‘myth’ in the Bible is true? Mr. Harold Hill, President of the Curtis engine Company in Baltimore, and a consultant in the space programmes, relates the following incident: “One of the most amazing things that God has for us today happened recently to our astronauts and space scientists at Green Belt, Maryland. They were checking out the positions of the sun, moon and planets out in space where they would be 100, and 1000 years from now. We have to know this as we do not want a satellite to collide with any of these in its orbits. We have to lay out the orbits in terms of the life of the satellite and where the planets will be so the whole project will not
bog down. Computer measurements and data were run back and forth over the centuries when suddenly it came to a halt, displaying a red signal, which meant that either there was something wrong with the information fed into it, or with the results as compared to the standards. They called in the service department to check it out, and the technicians asked what was wrong. The scientists had discovered that somewhere in space in elapsed time a day was missing. Nobody seemed able to come up with a solution to the problem.

Finally one of the team, a Christian, said: “You know, when I was still
in Sunday School, they spoke about the sun standing still…” While his colleagues didn’t believe him, they did not have an answer either, so they said: “Show us.” He got a Bible and opened it at the book of Joshua where they found a pretty ridiculous statement for any one with ‘common sense’. There they read about the Lord saying to Joshua: “Fear them not, I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not be a man of them stand before thee.” (Joshua 10:8).

Joshua was concerned because the enemy had surrounded him, and if darkness fell, they would overpower him. So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still! That’s right – “And the sun stood still and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is this not written in the book of Ja’-sher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven and hastened not to go down about a whole
day.” (Joshua 10:13).

The astronauts and scientists said: ” There is the missing day!” They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found it, but it was not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua’s day was 23 hours and 20 minutes – not a whole day. They read the Bible again and there it was: “about (approximately) a day.” These little words in the Bible were important, but they were still in

trouble, because another 40 minutes were still unaccounted for, and this could mean trouble 1000 years from now. Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied many times over in orbits. As the Christian employee thought about it, he remembered somewhere in the Bible which said the sun went backwards. The scientists told him he was out of his mind, but once again they opened the Book and read these words in 2 Kings.

Hezekiah, on his deathbed, was visited by the prophet, Isaiah, who told him he was not going to die. Hezekiah asked for some sign as proof. Isaiah said: “Shall the sun go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?” And Hezekiah answered: “It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; nay, but let the shadow return backwards ten degrees.” And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.” (2
Kings 20:9 -11). Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes! Twenty-three hours and twenty minutes in Joshua, plus 40 minutes in 2 Kings accounted for the missing day in the universe! Isn’t this amazing? Our God is rubbing their noses in His Truth!

GOD BLESS

MERVIN PATHER

However, the girl’s father does not like him and want them stop their relationship…

and so, the boy wrote this letter to the girl. He knows that the girl’s father will definitely read this letter…

1 “The great love that I have for you
2 is gone, and I find my dislike for you
3 grows every day. When I see you,
4 I do not even like your face;
5 the one thing that I want to do is to
6 look at other girls. I never wanted to
7 marry you. Our last conversation
8 was very boring and has not
9 made me look forward to seeing you again.
10 You think only of yourself.
11 If we were married, I know that I would find
12 life very difficult, and I would have no
13 pleasure in living with you. I have a heart
14 to give, but it is not something that
15 I want to give to you. No one is more
16 foolish and selfish than you, and you are not
17 able to care for me and help me.
18 I sincerely want you to understand that
19 I speak the truth. You will do me a favor
20 if you think this is the end. Do not try
21 to answer this. Your letters are full of
22 things that do not interest me. You have no
23 true love for me. Good-bye! Believe me,
24 I do not care for you. Please do not think that
25 I am still your boyfriend.”

So bad!!! However, before handing over the letter to the girl, the boy told the girl to “READ BETWEEN THE LINES”, meaning-only to read 1.3.5.7.9.11. 13.15.17. 19.21.23. 25. (Odd Numbers) So..Please try reading it again! It’s so smart & sweet. =)

“NEW 7 WONDERS OF NATURE”

Productive Singleness

When we are willing to allow God to use this season of our lives for His purposes, we discover an incredible truth: Singleness doesn’t have to be a time of passive and futile waiting. Instead it can be an exciting adventure of active preparation. Let’s look at some of the ways God may be using singleness to mold us into His likeness and prepare us for a future relationship.

1. Singleness can strengthen our inward character qualities.

Godly Contentment

I remember learning a great lesson from the movie Cool Runnings. It’s a story about a young Jamaican athlete who has a lifelong dream of winning a gold medal at the Olympics. After a series of events, he finally makes it to the Olympics, his heart set on winning. But just before the competition, his coach gives him an important piece of advice: “Listen, kid. A gold medal is a wonderful thing. But if you aren’t enough without it, believe me, you’ll never be enough with it.”

Tyler, a 25-year-old single musician, points out that the biggest struggle most singles seem to have, himself included, is assuming that once a relationship comes into your life it will make everything perfect.

“I don’t want to put off living,” he told us with sincerity in his baby-blue eyes. “My life doesn’t start once I finally get married; my life has already started. I want to soak up every day for all it’s worth, not just wait around for things to be perfect. I want to enjoy each year of my life to the fullest.”

A relationship is not meant to make us into a whole person-only Jesus Christ can make us a whole person. Marriage should never become that gold medal we strive for that will finally make us “enough.” We must learn to be “enough” right now, just as we are, in Christ alone.

While getting married someday may bring us great joy, we truly do have a reason to be happy and content no matter what season of life we are in-because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. True contentment can only be found in an intimate love relationship with the Lord, not in anything else, including a romantic love story. Singleness can teach us this contentment. In this season we can learn what is means to have peace and joy in Christ, no matter what our circumstances may be. And in a culture that is always longing for something more, “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6, NIV).

Gaining the Strength to Stand Alone

Sometime ago Elisabeth Elliot made this profound statement: “Loneliness is a required course for leadership.”

During a time when I was single, I felt completely alone-away from friends and family, away from Eric, away from anyone who really knew me-and these simple words gave me perspective on the purpose for my loneliness. God was using the loneliness to teach me complete dependence upon Him. I could no longer look to other people for my confidence. I had no choice but to find my courage and hope in Him. This kind of total dependence on the Lord was preparing me to become more effective for His kingdom. I was gaining the inward strength of character I would need to become a leader for Him.

A true leader must have enough backbone to stand alone, even when the crowd wants to take the easy road home. A true leader cannot be dependent on companionship for his or her security, but must learn to trust in God alone. Singleness can give us this kind of backbone-courage, confidence, and leadership skills that any effective Christian must learn.

Discovering His Gentle Arms of Love

Many years ago Amy Grant used to sing, “I love a lonely day…it chases me to You.”3
Years later I often heard those words echoing back through my mind during times of feeling alone. We can let the inward ache drive us into His ready arms, or simply try to bear it alone in agony.

Eric went through a time of profound loneliness while he was taking a semester off from college. He had just come from a busy schedule at school that included sports, study, and an active social life. He had been surrounded constantly by his good friends. But now, back at home with an empty schedule, while all his buddies were still at school and his family was occupied with their own lives, he felt an intense inward pain as he’d never before known. One day he found himself on his knees, weeping into the fabric of the sofa. The loneliness had become too much to handle. As he cried out to his Lord, he suddenly felt a tremendous peace wash over him. It was almost as if Jesus Himself were kneeling beside Eric, wrapping a tender arm around his shoulder and whispering words of love and comfort to his soul.

That afternoon Eric sat at the piano and wrote the lyrics to what is one of our favorite songs to this day:

I am like a deer, You are like the water.
I run to You, like a son to his Father.
I felt so alone, like a moth without a flame,
But You ignited, and to You I came,
And that’s forever.

I felt so alone like a ship without a sea.
But You gave me water,
You took my hand and said to me,
“This is for eternity.”

I’ll never be lonely,
I’ll never be lonely with You.
I’ve got this feeling that You’re here to stay,
And I know I’ll never be lonely with You.

It’s so exciting to know that though we may be singing a solo in life, we are never truly alone! Singleness is an opportunity to allow Christ’s gentle arms to encircle our hearts and discover how very much He loves us.

2. Singleness allows time to focus on practical preparation.

Discovering and Developing Talents and Life Skills

God has created us each with unique gifts, abilities, and heart desires. He has a master plan for each of our lives. Singleness is a time to seek Him with an undivided, undistracted heart. When a relationship comes into our life, often who we are as an individual gets swallowed up, and our identity becomes wrapped up in that other person. Being single is an opportunity to discover who God has made us to be and what He has called us to in this life.

Before Eric and I started our relationship, I went through a time where it seemed that opportunities for me to minister to young women were flooding into my life. As a single person, I had the time and energy to focus on this “informal” ministry. I loved every minute spending time with these girls. I spent hours responding to letters, taking them out to lunch, or seeking to encourage them over the phone. I realized through this experience that the Lord was showing me one of the forms of ministry for which He had created me. If I had been in a relationship, focused entirely on getting married, most likely I wouldn’t have had the time or energy to discover or pursue this call in my life. The skills I developed during that time helped prepare me for the ministry God later called Eric and me to as a team.

Ann, from chapter 8, is using this season of singleness to hone her natural talents and God-given desires. She has been able to grow in areas such as music, writing, and public speaking skills.

“With a relationship in my life,” she told me, “I would probably never be able to give these areas the time and attention needed to really blossom them into useful skills. I value the chance to focus on pursuing these desires.”

One of my closest friends is Molly, a bubbly, attractive blonde with a great sense of humor. At twenty-one, she is using this season of solo in her life to broaden her horizons with things she’s always wanted to do. During the week, she works for a corporation as an administrative assistant. In her free time, she is studying voice and developing her skills as a musician. She is also taking time to serve others.

“I may never be this free in my life again,” she reasons, “so I want to use it to bless others as much as possible.”

Molly took a counselor’s training course at her local crisis pregnancy center and now volunteers weekly as a counselor to the center’s clients.

Kyle, a 22-year-old single from New Zealand, is using this time in his life to experience the mission field through short-term mission trips. He has been to several countries to serve needy people and share the Gospel. It’s an experience that has changed his life, broadened his horizons, led him closer to the Lord, and helped him discover the areas where he is most gifted. He is learning how to use his unique gifts for God’s glory.

What are the desires of your heart? To train as a musician or athlete? To pursue a college education? To backpack across the country? To go into missionary work? Maybe it’s even to simply spend a season at home serving your own family and community in practical ways. Singleness can be the perfect time for developing life skills and discovering how to use your talents for the Lord.