Truly Rich and Blessed

A Different Kind of Birthday Celebration

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It has been a while since I’ve written anything here. I have also not been that active on and lately. Life — a beautiful, “messy,” busy life — has been keeping me occupied, and juggling tasks related to home life (including chores, caring for an active toddler, and *trying* to keep a homeschooling routine), work, and ministry is no easy feat. (Praise God that I am not entirely “helper-less” though; because my husband and older kids have been doing their part at home!)

On top of everything else, we have started preparing for the Philippine Homeschool Conference, so you probably can guess why I have been more “quiet” than usual here.

Yet, I could not help write this post.

You see, I recently celebrated my birthday but this year’s celebration was very different compared to previous years.

A few days before my birthday, we received the heartbreaking news that Baby Yen Natividad, the youngest Couples for Christ missionary to date, had passed away.

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I could not help sobbing in grief when Julie, Yen’s mother, sent us the message that their precious little Yen had died. Because Julie and her husband, Paskee, and their eldest daughter Xia were in Timor Leste on mission, our family considers them “special” in a way, because we had been there on mission, too. Our first and second children were born there. Like Baby Yen, they both had to stay in the hospital after they were born. But their medical conditions at that time were unlike hers. The doctors in Timor could not tell why she was sick, so they advised Paskee and Julie to bring her home so that further tests could be done.

However, since she was still very young, no airline would allow them on board yet because of Yen’s age and condition. So they had to wait until she was 16 days old first. But she died before their supposed flight back home.

Our hearts broke for them, and I cannot even begin to imagine what they have been through these past few days. As I write this, they have probably already landed at the airport here in Manila, with Baby Yen’s remains. (Please do pray for them!)

So my birthday “celebration” was somber in a way. It was made even more somber because my sister‘s father-in-law also died last weekend. They flew back to Manila for his wake, and while I was happy to see Ate and her family on my birthday, I wish it had been under different circumstances. (I love you, mi familia! Missing my dearest Papa and my youngest brother, and the rest of my older brothers’ family in this photo!)

Wake

Just before my birthday, many parts of the world had been affected by , and the Philippines was battered yet again by not one, but two typhoons. The kids and I were at my parents’ place when the heavy rains started pouring… and eventually, we had to evacuate to another place, just to be sure that the kids (my own and my brother’s) were safe.

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Added to all these… our youngest child came down with a fever, just before my birthday. And now his sister is sick too. (Please pray for their healing, as well as everyone who is sick in mind, body, and spirit all over the world!)

Of course, the news about what has been happening in our country is also disheartening.. sickening, even. (Let us pray for the Philippines, friends! And for the rest of the world, too!)

So yes, it was a different kind of birthday celebration indeed. A mixture of sorrow, grief, worry… but beyond these, I can say that I was and still am very grateful.

Grateful to be alive. Grateful for family and friends. Grateful for our God. Our God is a gracious, faithful, loving, kind God. He has been faithful through all generations, and no matter what we may face in life, He will see us through.

We only have to look at the words of the Psalmist for today, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross  (emphasis mine):

Psalm 78:1-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

R: Do not forget the works of the Lord!

Hearken, my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter mysteries from of old.(R) 

While he slew them they sought him and inquired after God again, remembering that God was their rock and the Most High God, their redeemer. (R)

But they flattered him with their mouths and lied to him with their tongues, though their hearts were not steadfast toward him, nor were they faithful to his covenant. (R) 

But he, being merciful, forgave their sin and destroyed them not; often he turned back his anger and let none of his wrath be roused. (R)

God’s mercy is everlasting. He is our Source of comfort, strength, healing, hope, forgiveness! He allows things to happen — sorrowful, painful, heartbreaking, frustrating things — for a purpose. We may not understand why but we can trust that He knows best. He has a plan for us all.

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So yes, sometimes we may not be able to celebrate certain occasions like birthdays the way we had hoped (my plan was just to go to Mass with my family before a talk I was scheduled to give to a group of parents but I wasn’t even able to do that because of our sick toddler).

And sometimes we might find ourselves overwhelmed by life and all the storms and trials that may come our way.

But again, through it all, we can hold on to God’s Word:

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We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8: 37-39)

So, if you are going through something now, please take heart! God is with you. He is with all of us. And that is definitely something worth celebrating.

P.S. Thank you to all those who sent me birthday greetings and prayers! God bless each and every one of you!

P.P.S. If you’re a mom, I have a special invitation for you! Please join us this Saturday, Sept. 16, 8.30-10.00 a.m. at The Parenting Emporium for the launch of Diamonds Among Diapers! Register via or here. Entrance is FREE!

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Wrap Yourself in God’s Word: A J.E.W.E.L.S. Experience

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Jewels-5 (2)

Have you ever heard of Bible Journaling? I would often see it on social media, usually in the posts of my friends from other Christian denominations. I thought it looked like a worthwhile thing to do, because their posts were so inspiring. So when I learned that the next J.E.W.E.L.S. Feast Valle Verde gathering would be a Catholic Bible Journaling workshop, I jumped at the chance to attend it. And I am so glad that I did!

The workshop was facilitated by Tita Ditas Español (pictured below) and Ate Fides Reyes, our sisters from Feast Ortigas, which is where J.E.W.E.L.S. originally started. (By the way, for those who don’t know, J.E.W.E.L.S. stands for Jesus in Every Woman Empowered to Love and Serve.)

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God used them both to teach, inspire, and refresh all of us at the workshop in a special way. They shared their own Bible Journaling experiences with us, and gave us practical tips on how to get started with our own Catholic Bible Journaling journey.

One of the things that stood out was the W.R.A.P. method:

W stands for the Word of God.

Read the Bible and reflect on the verses.

The Word of God was written for YOU and for me! :)

The Word of God was written for YOU and for me! :)

R stands for Reflect.

Reflect and write down the verse or verses that struck you. Ask yourself: What is God trying to tell you with the verse? What does the verse tell you about God? What does it tell you about how God wants you to live your life?

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A stands for Action.

The Word of God will not be effective if we don’t take action. Once we have reflected on God’s message for us, we must commit to His one big message for us. This is where we draw, write, trace or doodle whatever represents that message or course of action we are willing to take.

(We workshop participants had so much fun doing this part, especially because Tita Ditas and Ate Fides had brought so many journaling materials for us to use — colouring materials, stamps, etc.)

Jewels-1

P stands for Prayer.

Pray for guidance and the grace to become the person that God intends you to be. (Pray for others, too, that they may hear His Word through you!)

I’m sure I’m not the only participant who came away from the J.E.W.E.L.S. gathering feeling renewed and “full” of God’s Word. May ALL of us — women, men, and children alike, young and old — commit to WRAP ourselves in God’s love every day, especially by immersing ourselves in His Word!

Note: This article was originally written for the Feast Valle Verde Bulletin. Please do come and join us if you can every Sunday — you can choose between the 10 a.m. session or the 1 p.m. session. 🙂 More info via the . May the Lord bless you abundantly in every way!

3 Ways to Foster Creativity in Your Family

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pixmom

Image from Pixabay.com

Creativity is an important skill in today’s world. In fact, according to this article on Psychology Today, creativity is “at the heart of this essential skillset for the future,” referring to “skills and traits for success (and perhaps even simply survival) in the modern era.”

As a writer and content creator (yes, I’d like to think of myself as a “creative” 😉 ), I would have to agree with the article cited above. I believe creativity is crucial in our day-to-day. And if you’re a family person like me, especially a mom, you’d agree that being creative can really save the day at times!

So, if you’re looking for ways to foster creativity in your family (especially how to foster creativity among your kids), here are three suggestions:

1. Let kids be bored.

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Image from Pixabay.com

Yes, that’s right. Oftentimes, kids (and even adults!) become more creative when they are allowed to be “bored,” i.e. there is no bombardment from gadgets, outside activities, etc. Some people call this letting kids have their “free time,” “down time,” or “unstructured time.”

2. Provide what they need to be creative.

Now, before you go out and purchase every single arts and crafts / DIY/ other stuff that you deem creativity-enhancing out there, you should read this article on Greater Good Magazine. Basically, it says that among the “resources” kids will need for “creative expression,” time is a “key resource” (hence, point number 1 above).

Another resource is “space.” Give your kids the freedom to create in their own specified places at home if possible — like a designated corner in your living room, or a place in their own room, etc. Wherever it may be, children should feel free to make a mess while letting their creativity direct them!

Of course, having items that were mentioned in the same article, like “art supplies, cheap cameras, costume components, building materials” (LEGOS, anyone?), is also a good thing to do. Make sure your kids have access to them, and can put them away easily so you won’t have to nag them (or go crazy with the messes they will create)!

pixmom

Image from Pixabay.com

3. Capture their creativity.

Of course, in this day and age, capturing the creativity of our family members — especially if you have kids — is not that hard to do because of technology. And any parent out there can testify that many times, it’s the moments when our kids’ creativity shines through that make for meaningful memories.

So it’s a good thing that companies like Canon help people like us capture these moments.

In the words of Benny Yu, Consumer Group Director of Canon Marketing Philippines, Inc.: “Family moments are delightful moments worth having memories of. Through the newly-launched series of Canon PIXMA E printers, we wish to make these moments count – from using our printers to produce work that will help enhance the creativity and learning of kids, to documenting these moments via photos.”

pixmommy

The series of printers Mr. Yu mentioned was actually launched a while back at the “Pixmom” event, which, sadly, I was not able to attend.

However, I did get to see other mommy bloggers’ Pixmom posts, and I am glad to note that the Canon PIXMA E series printers are cost efficient and have good print quality, plus they are Wi-Fi-capable, can even print on canvas and so much more! Just check out the video below by my friend Louise of Mommy Practicality:

Here are just a few ways by which the Canon PIXMA E Series printers can help every family moment memorable:

  • The Canon PIXMA E410 is perfect for moms who help put together her children’s numerous drafts of artworks, sketches and projects with its ability to print up to 400 black and white documents, and 180 colored pages.
  • The design savvy student will enjoy the PIXMA E470’s built-in Wi-Fi features that can help print from anywhere to meet that deadline when paired with the Google Cloud Print*1 service.
  • Teens in the family can immortalize their best photos on Facebook through the PIXMA MG3070s with its PIXMA Cloud Link application for remote printing of Facebook albums and online contents with mobile devices.
  • The compact PIXMA E480 model is best suited for aspiring entrepreneurs in the family with its on-the-go faxing and scanning features.

(For more information about the PIXMA printers, visit www.canon.com.ph and www.shopcanon.ph. Or look for the hashtag #Pixmom on Instagram and Twitter to see more posts about the Canon PIXMA printers!)

Now, I’d like to know: How do you foster creativity in your own family? If you’re a mom like me, how do you encourage creativity in your kids? Feel free to leave a comment below and share your experiences or suggestions! 🙂

3 Important Lessons from the Feast Valle Verde Servants Gathering

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feast valle verde

Image credits: Erika Mendoza

It was my first time to attend the Servants Gathering of  (FVV) last week. To be perfectly honest, I was tempted to skip it. I actually did not feel “worthy” enough to go, because all I do as a “servant” is help with social media and, whenever I can, edit the FVV weekly bulletin. But I still went, out of obedience to the Lord, with four kids in tow, while my husband Anthony was at The Feast Bay Area for the Kerygma Conference Launch.

And I’m so glad I did. Although I was not able to stay inside the Servants Gathering venue the whole time (my three older kids kept going in and out, and I had a toddler who refused to stay in the room with me because his siblings were outside), I thank God that I was able to glean three important lessons from the Gathering. I’d like to share them with you, in the hope of encouraging you somehow:

1. God doesn’t call us to be successful; He calls us to be faithful.

This applies not just to our service but to our lives in general. Are you a parent like me? A sibling? A child? Do you work at an office? Run a business? Work at home (like me)? Do other forms of work? Be faithful. Keep on keeping on. Offer it all up to Him.

2. Love is the reason for everything we do.

Erika Mendoza, or Ikay as we fondly call her, emphasized this in her passionate talk at the Gathering. We do what we do, as excellently and diligently as we can, out of love for God and for others.

3. People need the Lord.

I’ve been in the Charismatic Renewal for around 26 years now but not all of those years were spent truly living for Jesus. It’s only by His grace alone that I’m still here, trying to serve Him in my own way. And one thing I was reminded of during the Servants Gathering is this: People really need Jesus. We need to bring Him to them.

I pray that we remember these lessons as we go about our daily lives. May we bring the Light of Jesus to all who need it. For His greater glory!

P.S.

Sharing this invitation with you. Hope to see you at Feast Valle Verde!

feast valle verde

Join us for Mass with Bishop Mylo at 10am and Fr. Steve at 1pm this Sunday at Valle Verde Country Club. Plus, watch out for the powerful comeback of our favorite feast builder Bro. Obet Cabrillas as we introduce a new talk series at this Sunday’s Feast sessions at 11am and 2pm.

Admission is FREE.

Get ready to be blessed this Sunday! See you there!

On Giving Back: One of the “Secrets” of the Truly Rich (and Blessed!)

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Here on Truly Rich and Blessed, one of my goals is to inspire others to “discover and grow the riches they already have.” Believe it or not, if you’re reading this, you’re actually a lot richer than you think! You are actually already blessed in so many ways!

Being truly rich and blessed is not primarily about the material aspect of our lives (though being rich financially and resource-wise isn’t a bad thing, of course!). It’s more about having an “abundance mindset,” which is something I learned about from Brother/Kuya Bo Sanchez and from being a member of the Truly Rich Club.

But what is an abundance mindset in the first place? Well, in my own words, it’s really just about believing that there is already an abundance of blessings around us — all we need to do is to wait expectantly (and work hard, if we’re talking about financial blessings 😉 ) so we can receive them! We need to claim in faith that, yes-indeedy, we are #TrulyRichandBlessed!

Connected to having an abundance mindset is having a generous heart — which is one of the “secrets” of the “truly rich,” according to Kuya Bo. Yes, if you want to receive more, you should give more. Give back, especially to those in need.

I must admit that my family and I have a long way to go in concretely putting this into action. We have been involved in different causes over the years but we have yet to commit to a cause that we regularly give back to, whether in terms of time, talent or treasure (or all three!). I’d like to share what the aforementioned causes are here though, in the hope that maybe some of you out there would also like to help out somehow:

1. Concerts for a Cause

Since our eldest joined the a few years ago, he has performed for three fundraising concerts so far. As his parents, we have also been part of the concerts somehow, helping in whatever way we can. Our most recent “concert for a cause” was for the medical needs of Kuya Arnold Candelaria, a fellow homeschooler who had a traumatic brain injury and had to undergo brain surgery.

As of this writing, he actually still needs our prayers — and any material assistance for his home care needs would be a huge blessing, too! Here is a short video about Kuya Arnold, which was made by a friend of the Candelarias, Marita Pierce (this is publicly posted on ).

If you feel moved to help the Candelaria family out in any way, please feel free to contact me.

2. Kalinga: Caring Is Our Business

Last year, we had the opportunity to make ‘s annual All Saints Day celebration more meaningful by collecting and packing items for the beneficiaries of the run by the Society of the Divine Word (SVD).

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The Center is run by Fr. Flavie Villanueva, SVD, who happens to be one of the priests we used to serve with in Timor Leste. (You can read more about the Center, and Fr. Flavie, here.)

secrets of the truly rich

Fr. Flavie has actually asked for our help to raise more funds for the Center. I’ve been thinking of how to do so — maybe we can organize a fundraiser or something like that soon — what do you guys think?

3. Grace to Be Born

Grace to Be Born Maternity Home and Orphanage is just one of the Mercy Ministries of the Light of Jesus Family. It is a ministry close to my heart because it helps pregnant women in crisis, and their babies, too.

We have yet to visit the actual premises of Grace to Be Born but I thank God that we were able to contribute financially to their cause last year.

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God used our trials last year so He could be glorified even more, I believe, and we were able to donate even more money to Grace to Be Born earlier this year, just before Titus had his operation. We responded to His call to give more from the funds we had raised for the surgery — something that may seem strange to others, but again, this is our response to His kindness and generosity. I pray that more and more people will be moved to give to the Lord in different ways, whether through Mercy Ministries like Grace to Be Born, or directly to the Church, which has many other ministries!

4. The Parenting Emporium

Before I end, I’d like to mention that over at The Parenting Emporium (TPE)— a retail social enterprise near and dear to me and my family, there are also different ways in which one can help those in need. I love how every purchase made at the TPE store benefits their Advocacies and Beneficiaries!

secrets of the truly rich

In photo: Maricel Cua (second from left) and Beng Feliciano (third from right), the founders of The Parenting Emporium, pose with different influencers along with Fabien Courteille (the only guy in the photo) and Erika Ng Wong (second from right). Fabien and Erika are two of the people behind Plush and Play and , both of which are “Proudly Filipino with Love,” social enterprises that benefit families in Bulacan. You can read more about how The Parenting Emporium gives back to others here.

Well, these are just a few causes to which one can practice “giving back,” of course. I’d like to hear from YOU about how you practice giving to those in need, or if you haven’t started yet (and that’s perfectly all right — it’s never too late), how you plan to do so.

So go ahead — leave a comment and share how you give back to others. 🙂 Hope to hear from you!

Disclosure

Truly Rich and Blessed contains paid advertising banners and some contextual affiliate links. An affiliate link means that I receive a commission on sales of the products or membership sites that are linked in some of my posts. So, if you click on a link and make a purchase from or become a member of an affiliate site, then I may make a commission from that purchase — at no added cost to you! Thank you for supporting Truly Rich and Blessed this way.
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