A Year to Remember

Last year was a year full of wonderful memories and blessings.  God is definitely at work in Naga.  He is touching hearts and changing lives. 

Its easy to get overwhelmed in work that you forget how God has been there every step of the way.  For Valentine's Day, I put together Gepher a scrapbookto remind him of how God is and has been at work.  We hope you enjoy some of the highlights, as we look forward to uncover the plans God has for 2011.

Valentine's Day Surprise

Valentine's Day is a day to celebrate LOVE and the ones you love.  Gepher and I definitely have something to celebrate this year with the journey of Love God has taken us on.  We not only wanted to celebrate Valentine's Day but we wanted to celebrate it together.

So far this year, life for us is very crazy as we are busy planning a wedding, looking for a place to live, and selling my house.  Each of these separately require lots of work and details but combined (and happening on the opposite sides of the world) makes for two very busy people.

As much as the two of us wanted to celebrate our year of Love together on Valentine's Day, the snow and weather in Nashville was not cooperating.  Painting the outside of the house, landscaping, and fixing siding are things that are nearly impossible to get done with snow on the group.  As much as I wanted to get to Cebu (to not only see Gepher but escape the cold) I could not do that until the house was in tip top condition and on the market.  Gepher completely understood the challenges and in his loving understanding way stated "we can have our own Valentine's Day when you get to Cebu."  How sweet is he???  That definitely removed some of my stress; however, in the back of my mind I still wanted to get to Cebu by Valentine's Day.

Thanks to some wonderful friends the pieces began to fall into place, and it looked like I just might be there by Valentine's Day afterall.  Not wanting to disappoint Gepher if something fell through and the desire to pull off one big surprise, I decided I would secretly fly to Cebu.

Gepher and I do not go many days without chatting online or Skyping.  The week before Valentine's Day was actually filled with an evangelism campaign supported by the Bible College in Cebu.  Because of this, our weekly chats would be very few.  Typically I would be a little disappointed; however, this time I was actually thankful for the lack of communication.  This made keeping a secret and flying for 24 hours without him wondering where I was easy.

Now, time to pull of the surprise that would leave him totally shocked.  Every Sunday I send Gepher a text through Skype as a prayer and words of encouragement before church.  These texts are something he has come to cherish and even expect.  This seemed to be the perfect avenue for my surprise as he would suspect nothing except the standing text.  Sunday morning I woke up in Manila to send him a text.  Instead of being filled with words of encouragement this text was filled with a SURPRISE.  He never expected to read a text inviting him to dinner after my arrival in Cebu.

I didn't know someone could be speechless in a text, but that was exactly how his response text read.  It was full of words like, "I can't believe it."  "Is this for real?"  "Are you sure you are in Manila?"  Luckily one of the CBC students was preaching on Sunday as I'm sure if Gepher had to preach after reading my text he would have completely forgotten everything he'd prepared.

He raced to the city after church anxious to see me and fully grasp the Valentine's Surprise.  Due to flight delays he actually beat me to the house where he greeted me with white roses.  In the end we both were surprised!  Sometimes the best part of gifts is the element of SURPRISE!!  This was definitely one of the best surprises and a memory that will not be forgotten.

Make a greeting

Christmas Food for the Body and Soul

Growing up in the Lopina house we had our own beliefs and traditions at Christmas. When I was 4 or 5, I can recall my mom hanging stockings on the banister Christmas Eve.  Christmas morning we’d find it filled with candies and miniature toys. I remember Mom doing this no more than three times before we began attending the church where I grew up. The influence of waist-tight teachings from my home congregation has greatly shaped my understanding of Christmas. Every since my family began attending church at home, our family Christmas traditions changed.  Instead of Christmas trees and Santa Clauses, we spend Christmas as a family gathered around the table enjoying Filipino dishes. The only times I would enjoy the receiving and giving of gifts was in the school where teachers require you to do it.

Despite our personal beliefs about Christmas, there is one fact we cannot dismiss. Today, the world is overloaded with Christmas festivities through influence of television and the internet.  That is a fact! A handful of devout men from the strictest teachings may build up a fortress of beliefs against the celebration of December 25.  As long as the influence of today's world endures, their fortress is sure to be trampled. Instead of putting up a wall, we as Christians can start to divert/channel the focus from Santa Claus to magnifying Jesus; to emphasizing love and a festivity of gift giving! 

Since every December I have come to enjoy the blessing of receiving gifts, I wanted to make a commitment of sharing that blessing to others. I wanted to bless the members of Naga through buying gifts for each family.  I was so excited about this idea that I could not wait to tell Andrea.  To my surprise, she told me one evening that she wanted to not only do something for the kids at Naga but also the members.  We could not believe that each had the same idea; eventhough, this is not the first time this has happened.  We were so excited that we spent an hour or two talking about what to get and how we wanted to give them.  The more we talked the more we could already picture the joy on the member's faces. In the end, we decided on food baskets. In each basket we put noodles, sardines, milk, fruits, fruit cocktail, cream, spaghetti, cheese, and soft drinks! It would be a perfect gift for the holiday! The best thing about it is no one expected a gift. So we were very sure the surprise would be an added bonus to the food basket!

The following week my buddy and I headed out to the supermarket to shop for the gift packs. Two guys in a supermarket alone might not have been the best idea.  Andrea should have been the one with the list while I pushed the cart up and down the aisles. Since she was on her way back home, Fred and I did the marketing. Nonetheless, I had fun! We had a cartload of everything! When we got back to the church we wrapped it up nicely with a letter of encouragement and a booklet either by Max Lucado or Beth Moore. I could not think of a better gift than a basket both for the soul and body!

Delivery day came. We were anxious and had been looking forward to this day since Andrea and I had shared the idea.  On our way to each house, the neighbors couldn't help but look at us with a very curious look. Maybe they were wondering why these boys were smiling ear to ear or maybe they were wondering why would these two young guys come bearing gifts. Whatever they were thinking didn't matter to us because we were focused on making this the best Christmas ever for the members.  Every time we got to a house we'd give the gift in a different way.  Sometimes we’d start a conversation and get the members excited for a certain topic, and then we’d suddenly pull out the food basket from our knapsack. And other times we’d start by either reading or giving the letter of encouragement, and then pull out the surprise. Which ever way we'd do it there was always the same priceless smile which painted their faces. It’s like the facial tissues were stuck in that position the entire time we were in their home. Of course these gifts were not from me or Fred or Andrea, but instead we made sure they knew these gifts were from God and the church.

Gifts are always a two way blessing! It blesses both the receiver and the giver! Giving of gifts is never meant to satisfy the ego of the giver. We do not give gifts to pat ourselves on the backs.  Instead we give gifts to bless someone and to make them feel loved. This is the true sense of Christ-mas as He chose to be born, to bless us and make us feel loved by the Divine!

Save the Date

Dust off your passports and pack your bags!!  We are getting married and want to share our special day with you.  We have set a date and picked the perfect beach.  We can't wait to see you for a weekend of celebration in Cebu.

Twas a Few Weeks before Christmas

Twas a few weeks before Christmas and all through the malls
Gepher and Andrea were stirring up and down the halls

The merchandise was placed on the displays with care
In hopes that great sale shoppers soon would be there

Gepher and I were searching for flip flops in red
While visions of children’s excitement danced in our heads
Children’s shirts were thrown on the tables without care
Our hopes of finding the perfect gift would surely be there

   

And I with the generous donation and Gepher with the list
Begin choosing kid’s gifts with our hearts filled with bliss
Pink flip flops for the girls and red ones for the boys
Along with a new shirt and book that is sure to bring lots of joy

Sunday morning we wrapped the gifts up quick
Because after church the children would visited by “St. Nick”
More rapid than eagles to Bible class they came
I greeted each one and called them by name

Welcome Mary Joy, James, and Marvin
I’m so glad you are here today Joven
Everyone take a seat as today is a special day
We are going to celebrate Jesus’ Birthday

 

The children sat quietly as we read Luke 2,
The story of a Royal birth where a manger would do
“The Crippled Lamb” was the movie loved by all
The children’s handmade nativity scenes hung on the wall

No party would be complete without fun games
The children enjoyed “Jesus Bingo” with prizes of candy canes
As Bible class drew to an end,
The real fun and surprises were about to begin

The children moved to the auditorium full of glee
Their smiles, giggles, and laughter made everyone happy
“Santa” and the gifts magically appeared
As the “elves” begin to help and cheer

   

Each child’s name was called by “Santa” from his list
Santa’s “elves” made sure no one was missed
The smiles on their faces and laughter in the air
Are sights we’ll never forget and memories we’ll always share

The Christmas season is a time to celebrate and show God’s love
And blessings in abundance as all gifts come from above
For those He has called , who are called in His name
His promise of eternity is still the same

So join in the chorus and share with those who don’t know Him
Oh Come All Ye Faithful, Come Worship and Adore Him.

A Day in Paradise

The definition of Paradise is a state or place of extreme beauty, delight or happiness.  Plantation Bay is our little slice of Paradise.

   

Gepher and I spent a lot of time during my last trip teaching Bible classes, planning youth events, and Christmas celebrations for the kids and members of Naga.  On top of our ministry responsibilities we stayed busy with work, family time, and wedding plans.  This made for a very busy trip and one that did not leave much alone time for just the two of us.

   

We are strong believers in the importance of a date.  Its a chance for us to refuel our relationship and focus on what's important, our love for one another.  Plantation Bay was the perfect setting for the perfect date.

Gepher was the tour guide for the day.  He made sure we experienced every activity the resort had to offer.  We started our day playing in the salt water lagoon zipping down the twists and turns of the water slide.  Our afternoon wouldn't be complete without a little snorkeling and diving from the rock.  Gepher is definitely part fish.  He loves swimming with the fishes and pretending he is one. 

   

We capped our day off with a little kayaking.  The two of us are definitely not ready to enter any kayaking races.  Let's just say you can't get anywhere fast when you go in a circle.  In true gentleman fashion, Gepher took over the rowing and I enjoyed the ride up and down the salt water lagoon.

The day was absolutely perfect.  We enjoyed a slice of paradise as we reconnected and focused on one another.  We cannot wait to enjoy more slices of paradise as our future together unfolds.

The First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is America's preeminent day. It is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in the month of November.  For our family it’s a day to come together as a family with close friends and reflect on the bountiful blessings God has given us throughout the year.  This year our table looked like the First Thanksgiving feast.  We gathered around the table with close American friends in Cebu along with some special Filipinos.  Just as the Pilgrims celebrated with and were thankful for the Native Americans, we feel the same about our Filipino family here in Cebu.  This year I was excited to share this tradition with Gepher as we celebrated "The First Thanksgiving" together in Cebu.

   

Mom and I spent the day cooking together.  Cooking here is more of an adventure than when we cook together at home (as you never know if you can find all the ingredients or not); however, the outcome was just as good.  The kitchen was filled with the smells of home and the holidays.  Even being on the other side of the world it felt and smelled like Thanksgiving.  We had all the southern Thanksgiving staples on the table and even had a new addition...RICE!  Mom and I wanted to make sure there was at least one familiar item on the table for Gepher.  Gepher was very adventurous and tried every dish as it was passed around the table.  He actually got so full off of the Thanksgiving staples that he didn't even eat the rice!  (I believe this was the first time I'd ever seen him not eat rice at a meal.)  We had a wonderful night chatting with another American/Filipina couple, playing Thanksgiving trivia, and listening to the sounds of Bluegrass music. 

Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude to God, who's guidance and care go before us and who's love is with us forever.  Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the changes, to remember we, too, grow and change from one season of life to another.

This year Gepher and I have a lot to reflect on and be thankful for.  Of course we are thankful for one another but we are most thankful for the gift of prayer.  Without prayer we would not be together.  Without prayer we would not know God's plan for our lives.  And without prayer we would not have a relationship with our heavenly father.

Thank you God for the ways you have blessed our lives more than we ever asked or imagined.