Happy day

      I knew this is going to be a great Sunday from the moment I woke up till I had my first cup of coffee today. I went to the piano, played some tune, and got myself ready for church. Afterward, I headed to church with a different kind of excitement like I never had before. But the setting at church, as soon as I got there seem to not jive with my mood. It seem to have a subtle intention of messing up my zesty feeling. Although I admit I was a little late, but it was a  time at church that is supposed to have some church people already starting to fill up the chairs. But it looks like the rapture just took place and me and a couple of teachers are the only ones who got left behind. Now, where are God's people today? But it was awesome how this time, I wasn't even disappointed, meaning, the situation didn't ruin my hour.

       It was almost nine o'clock when people started arriving; and then, I saw at the gate brother Jeff with three of the students that we bible study in Catanduanes State Colleges. That was such a moment in time. A moment of sheer joy. Brother Mar, the diabetic folk whose withering foot made me pass out last Friday, hahaha, also arrived. Now, things are just starting to get even more exciting!  I finished my Sunday School class and started greeting people with a handshake. So, we started the worship service at almost 9:20 a.m. 

       My mother sang in the service a tagalog version of the classic song "Down from His Glory" which Elvis Presley popularized during his era and was secularized later. See, the word "glory" is starting to appear. haha.

       Bro. Bong followed with a song that is my all time favorite, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus". Just another song that tells of the ever wondrous glory of the Lord.

       I stood up behind the pulpit afterwards and preached about the glory of God whose text is found in Isaiah chapter 6. It was a message that really blessed me a lot, first of all. It is my utmost desire for the church that every one of the members will truly be in love with the Lord and really see the infinite, matchless beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is hard to compel people to serve God if they are not really in love with Him. Whereas, if folks are truly in love with God, the word compelling even becomes irrelevant. 

      Service was over and now I was back on my computer at home checking some online notifications. Suddenly, my phone rang and I ran to pick it up, but really doesn't know who was calling since it was a new number appearing on my screen.  I answered and yes, it was a stranger but not really that kind of strange because I had him as friend in facebook. He was the brother of the one who responded at my Green Barley ad on my facebook wall. Well, we had the same family name and the same place of origin of our grandfathers, Daet, Camarines Norte. He introduced himself and told me how he went to Health Wealth's office to buy ten bottles of Green Barley and told me how it helped lower his mothers blood sugar and told me furthermore how he is so interested to becoming a dealer.  At this point, I was having a big, big smile on my face and acting like crazy for too much happiness. It was really unexpected. I actually did not assume that his brother who was in abroad would took his interest seriously. But it's here now and I just can't stop thanking the Lord.

         Well, it was almost 5:00 o'clock and I have a discipleship class at church so I need to go to church again. But...not again, the morning setting  is here again! Only two of my students came, well, three, the other one came late. I decided to cancel the class and just talked about funny movies and cartoons with the three. We had a good laugh and again it didn't ruined my hour. 

         Fifteen minutes before we will start our evening service, the power was cut off. Time to start and still, no power. Let's wait a little more, it could be that it will resume in less than 5 minutes.  But time passed, and still no sign of power. We lighted candles and we started singing short choruses trying to pretend that we are in 1st century A.D. during the early church. You see how someone was trying to mess up my day but he seem to not succeed at all? Well, I know why. I was in the presence of the Lord and in the presence of the LOrd is fulness of joy, in His right hand are pleasures forevermore!

      

Black Out

     I was not able to blog in the past days since I went to Naga City last Monday, August 23 to meet my cousin and his wife there for business purposes. It was a productive trip though. I was able to sell 3 green barley boxes to three of my pastor friends. 

     I arrived in Virac yesterday afternoon, Thursday, August 26 and as soon as I got home, I just changed my clothes and proceeded to the State Colleges to conduct our Thursday campus Bible study.  

     At 4:00 o'clock today, me and my mother went to Baras, Catanduanes, that's like a 45 minute motorcycle ride from where I live, to visit a church member who is sick of diabetes. The man had been absent from church for like more than a month now. We arrived safe to his house and found the man having his right foot bandaged and was laying his back on a bench with his wife sewing some bedsheets on her sewing machine. They greeted us, shook hands, and we started our conversations. But as soon as our conversations are not  yet exceeding to 10 minutes, the patient started removing the bandage on his right foot. I started to smell the stench of his diabetic wound that's been going for more than a month now.  This is where I told him not to open it furthermore, not to show me the wound. But he seem to be not listening at all. I actually don't get the point why he is trying to show us that nasty uhhh! So he continued unwrapping his foot. I was trying to help myself by saying to myself, I came here to visit to encourage them and not to offend them by any means. So I tried not to show my disgust to what I'm seeing. Man, I just saw a rotting foot flesh! and don't forget the smell! That thing was like a huge sinkhole in a huge crater with a little choco and cream inside! hahahahahaha

     But as the thing gets more disgusting, my eyes got hooked on it. I can't stop looking at it. Until I started to feel my saliva loosely flowing inside my cheeks and my vision started to get dim. I knew it wasn't a strange feeling for me, I had it before, and it always leads to blackout. I knew if I'm going to pass out, it's going to be the third time. I told my mother, I ain't feeling good, I can't see a thing. And that's the last thing I remember. Whew! I was sweating a cold sweat so hard and I just didn't knew what happened. I passed out. Then, I started to hear my mother's panicking voice little by little and I remember saying, I'm gonna be fine now...just get me some guava leaves so I can smell it. I tried to open my eyes and saw some folks from the neighborhood saying things like, are we going to take him to the hospital? What happened? Is he alright now? Man, I can't believe I wasn't able to help myself not to pass out. I felt helpless. 

     And so, after sniffing those guava leaves from my mother's hands, I recovered. I said, I'm back. I saw how my mother got so afraid. Maybe she thought I'm going to die, haha. She said, I looked like there's no more blood circulating my body. She said, I remember your father when he died. It looked so like that. Unbelievable...

    Well, as soon as I was fine, his wife came out from the kitchen with a plate of pan de legaspi bread and a pitcher of orange juice. Oh come'on, how on earth do you think can I eat that? hahahaha

     Anyway, we continue our conversations, talked about the goodness of God, planned an event and ended with a prayer. So we went home and arrived at exactly 7 p.m. I just washed my face and proceeded to another church member's house for our home discipleship class being held at that house every Friday evening. It was a great day though. It made me realize so many things again. Learned lessons and praised God for being so great that we always have to entrust our lives to Him, and give our lives in His service. Thank you Lord.

12:58 a.m.

Tomorrow, or rather, later, will be a very exciting day to worship the Lord in the church. We have a guest speaker, a pastor friend of mine name Timothy Rempillo who happens to be a pastor's kid also like me. Yesterday, we had a great time at the beach, Twin Rocks beach resort; we talked about life in the ministry and shared about each others well, love life. We were so having a good conversation that we haven't noticed that it was almost 5:00 p.m. and we have an appointment with Pastor Frank Arcilla. Anyway, I told him to wait for us at least till six o'clock. And at 6:00 p.m. we went to their house and had fellowship together. We had a great dinner with them with lots of chicken nuggets, ampalaya salad and bananas.