CCBFH Kidz Encounter

the EGR (Encounter God Retreat) last 2004 helped me improve the WORSHIP aspect of my life.. it has a been a big help and i'm still wishing that people who mean a lot to me would attend it...

nways, the Lord allowed me to be part of the staff for the first Kidz Encounter (EGR for kids) of Christ's Church in BF Homes.

Lessons were exactly the same in content but were presented thru skits and demos to get thru the kids. loved it! got to play small parts in short skits..

Those who went thru the EGR will understand how important "THE CROSS" is. this part reminds you of what Jesus did for you.. this part makes you realize that the Lord has suffered so much to pay for our sins.. for the Kidz Encounter, we did a skit of "The Cross".. though i was one of the actors, i couldnt help but cry when the kids started crying.. i know the Lord touched their hearts for them to realize and comprehend the gift of salvation.

Our team worked with Pastor Dhenz and 5 of his G12 members..we are so blessed to have them conduct the enounter..

I pray that more children will get to expereince this.. To God be the glory!

KIDZONE TEACHERS

PTR. DHENZ, FLOYD (on top), ULY (no face), CLYDE, ROBBIE, and XIAO

Art Class

my home church, CHRIST'S CHURCH IN BF HOMES recently moved to a new place we will rent for a while since the church lot is still bare..

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nways, it was my turn to teach Sunday School two weeks ago. KIDZONE is now growing and more and more kids are coming over.. nways, the rooms werent that ready yet and we had to pack all of them in this room.. take a look at my students, this is where KIDZONE worship is held: JESUS ROCKS!!!!!!

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here's one of those posters they made: they also traced their hand on the paper and signed their names

Kids Camp

last friday and saturday, Christ's Church in BF Homes sponsored a kids camp. since i had to work Fridays, i took a leave last sat to be one of the staff. aaaaaannddd.. i am the GAME MASTER!!! hehe.. during fun time, we played lots of games: sack race, bring me, trip to jerusalem, wacky worm, mathematical boat is sinking, relays, newspaper dance, etc. the games were pretty simple and traditional but the kids had so much fun! they didnt get tired at all kahit mejo yung mga teachers ay todo pawis na!

the camp was held inside the worship hall so kids didnt really go out under the sun. they had skits, arts and crafts, lectures on establishing their quiet time, Bible reading, and prayer. you'd be surprised how fast they learn.. then they were also taught how to look up verses in the Bible.. wish i got to go to camps like this.. i started joining church camps when i was already 14. oh well.. nways, here are some shots i took..

they were having breakfast when i arrived at 8am

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the tents they set up inside.. hehe..

an intermission they insisted doing: "one way! Jesus! You're the only one that i could live for!"

Happy Easter

during our sunrise service last Sunday, this song had an impact on moi:

"Jesus, I believe in You, and i would go to the ends of the earth.. to the ends of the earth.. for You alone are The Son of God and all the world will see You are God.. You are God"

i know it has no direct relation to His resurrection but then this is what i reflected on last easter..

hope you guys had a meaningful weekend. God bless!

cell group

last March we had seminar at church regarding the importance of cell groups. cell leaders from bf, olongapo, bicol, galas, pamapanga were there. and even if i no longer had a cell group, i still wanted to join since i'm hoping to start another one sa youth naman but still continue the one with my cousins. this seminar was given by pastor uriel.. ithe things he said were really powerful and encouraging. people again were reminded of the what really matters: TO BRING MORE SOULS TO CHRIST. hope i could be part of a cell as well.. not as a cell leader but as a member. cell leaders talk less. if you're a member, you can do all the talking. mwehehehe.. it's a good place to vent and to be open without any hesitations.

An Awesome God

Havnt been able to blog for a couple of weeks but i'm back! nway, i just want to share with you how the Lord has blessed our family in Christ's Church in BF Homes (CCBFH).. this is where i go to church by the way, where my dad is a senior pastor. nways, the chruch decided to finally purchase a lot since we have been renting places for our sunday worship. from 40 members, we are now around 220 and still growing. we are currntly renting the 2nd floor of the prudential bank building in las pinas... and it has always been our dream for the the church to have it's own property. after years of praying, we finally purchased a lot just outside bf homes in the south land entrance in front of the polo field of aguire... and guess how big this is: it's 6,667 sqm!! waha! that's like 20x larger than the place we are renting now! imagine the challenge and faith it took us to claim this! not only did the Lord provide us a place of worship but the facility will also be used as a learning center for Christian leaders..

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with 220 members and with just half a million in the bank, the church now needs to raise PhP 26,668,000!! o-ha! it takes Great Faith to believe that we have this kind of money! but then we did it. december 1, we signed the contract and on december 8, we were able to raise 1.8 million for the downpayment.. i dont know where it came from but with all the prayers and contacts, the Lord provided for us.. now we have to pay 1.2 million every month for a whole year and we are still praying hard on where to get the funds..

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the church is planning to have major fund raising acitivities like donor's dinner, golf tournament, and a major concert. members were also asked to pledge whatever amount they can to help..

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few weeks ago, we had a garage sale beside the building we were renting and were able to raise PhP 21,000 for the said acitvity.. people were soooo excited to do their shopping! look! i was placed in the jeans section kaya mejo mahina ang benta.. tsk.. people liked bags, polos, and toys the most.

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we also had a prayer early dec 17 for the lot. around 50 people were there to pray for the Lord's guidance..

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please pray for CCBFH... we need all the help we can get!

Still Teacher Dessa

Although i stopped teaching for more than 3 years, i still believe that i am TEACHER DESSA. At church, one of my ministries is to teach Sunday School at the kids dept. Unlike my old students at Prep Camp, i now handle primary level (6 to 7 years). Sunday School teachers get to teach once a month so we're all on rotation.

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Every 3rd sunday of the month, i get a little bit of this:

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1. teacher dessa: ok, check ko nga kung nakinig kayo. sino ang mother ni Jacob and Esau?

student: um, teacher.. pwede mother nalang ni Jesus? (so si mary lang ang natandaan nilang mother..ok now...)

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2. teacher dessa: isa pa, when Jesus got upset at the temple becuase people were cheating and selling all sorts of animals to be offered, what type of bird were they selling?

student: chicken!

teacher dessa: um, starts with letter "D"

student: duck!

teacher dessa: sige na nga. pwede na rin. the answer is dove (diba pang tropang-trumpo kami?)

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3.teacher dessa: draw pictures that show you are obeying God

-most of the students drew pictures of them praying, brushing their teeth, sharing, cleaning their room, etc.

- ito ang winner: he drew a picture of people with tanks and guns, shooting each other with bullets and blood. when i asked him why did it show obedience to God, he simply pointed to the dead people and said: "teacher, kasi masama yan mga yan eh. so ok lang barilin"... my gulaaaaay! of course i had to talk to the mom...

Last Sunday, we did a simple father's day art. Here are some pictures:

My mini-me doin her own thing:

Si teacher dessa-ang arte

My Trip to the Aloha State

Aloha! Last month, i had a chance to go back to hawaii after 10 years. It's still one of the most beautiful places on earth because of its weather, people, and the island itself. We stayed at our family friend's house, the Suetos'. Although the trip was short and tiring, it was such a blessing to be there again.

Tita Lina took me and my parents to pearl harbor. This is called the USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL. This is such a cool place: you can take a boat going to one of the ships that sank (Arizona). They made this port thingy where you can stand up and when you look over the window, you can see the battle ship below you. Most people who visit here are the japanese. Here's a pic of Tita Lina, my mom, and I at Pearl Harbor:

Then we went to the Aloha Tower. It's this tower near waikiki and i took some pictures from the top. You can see almost all of the island from there.

The highlight of my stay in hawaii was the encounter God retreat. This was the main reason why i went with my parents. Last June 2004, i got a chance to attend this retreat and was empowered by the holy spirit. Last March, i was already part of the staff who facilitated the retreat. I did small talks/lectures with 5 teenagers who were all filipinos but mostly were born in hawaii so they can't speak in filipino. Again i am thankful to the Lord for using me and my family in this ministry. There were about 15 attendees from the Filipino congregation and the EGR was held in makaha golf club and resort. This experience reminded me of the prayer of Jabez: where you ask the Lord to expand your teritory to fulfill the great commission of sharing Christ to those who are lost. Doing mission work and ministry outside my country helped me realized that it is possible for God to use an ordinary girl like me to actually share his love to others. Pastor Randy, (pastor of Waipahu Church) asked me to come back this September so i can handle the youth again... hmm payagan kaya ako mag leave? plus yung leave ko for hong kong disneyland? plus yung leave ko for my summer getaway? parang feeling ko ang dami ko pang leave credits. Nway, here's a pic of most of the kids i handled (from left to right: melissa, moi, venus, baby jane, and leni-tita lina's daughter)

Well, hope to be back soon... Sarap kasama ang aking hapines dito... yihee!

encounter God retreat

encounter God retreat
Originally uploaded by dessagirl.

It's been about 10 years since i went on a retreat until June 2004. I was forced to attend this EGR (encounter God retreat) because everyone in our church (Christ's Church International) was attending the said thing. i personally preferred not to go since i've been to lots of retreats and self-help or leadership seminars in the past and they simply have no major impact on me. i mean sure, i learn a lot and cry and stuff. but after that, i dont see any major change in me.

This event however was a great help. Before going on the retreat, i was in state where one can say "my spiritual life is at its lowest". i pray and read the Bible everyday but sometimes, it feels like my prayers are just bouncing off the cieling. even if it was that way for me, i still prayed i believe that even if i don't feel God's presence in my life, it doesn't mean He's not there.

EGR was good for me. it was there where i got to intimately worship God again and found the joy of being a Chirstian. although He constantly reminded me how much i neglected Him in the past, He also showed me that i was blessed with so much.

now, i would personally recommend anyone to give it a try. it's a good way of emptying all the bad in you and finding yourself vulnerable before God with nothing at all but your soul to surrender. i also find myself looking forward to our Sunday worship service instead of treating it as an obligation or tradition.