Some of my friends from college hosted a Mooncake Festival at their lovely home today. It was a fun event because we were able to spend time with them, enjoy the Dice game, win prizes, and experience the privilege of being invited to their place. Because of their family’s generosity, I went home with awesome treats! I won a bar of Twix, a set of Simpsons stationery, and a pack of Hershey’s kisses with almonds.
Playing the Dice game
On my way home from the event, I stopped at an intersection and saw two men, who looked like they were in their late 20’s, resting at the sidewalk. One was carrying the other on his back because the latter couldn’t walk – He had really thin and weak legs. When I saw them, somehow, I was encouraged by God to give them food. So, I quickly looked around to see if there were any biscuits in the car. But after searching, I couldn’t find any.
By God’s grace, just a few seconds before the traffic light turned green, I saw the pack of Hershey’s kisses in my bag, opened the window near the passenger’s seat, called the attention of the two guys I saw, and gave it to them. I will never forget the expression of the man’s face when he received the pack of Kisses. I saw his face light up as he held onto the chocolates. And I saw him look at me and say “Salamat.” (Thank you.)
Angel, Aldwin, and I with our prizes! :)
Two seconds later, the traffic light turned green and I drove straight ahead, leaving the intersection. My heart melted as the moment flashed back in my mind and I said “Lord, thank you for that. It was a blessing to give to others and to see that man enjoy the treat.”
I then continued to think about that experience and wondered if those two men knew God. As I continued to drive, I felt the burden to pray for them and I said “Lord, I saw how joyful the men were when they got the pack of chocolates. But I know that those Kisses would only last for a few hours or days. I pray that you would also allow them to know You more, have a personal relationship with You, and experience the Joy of knowing You. Because You alone can give us joy that would last forever. Thank you for Your love for us.”
Thank you, Pendoza family! <3
It says in John 15:9-11: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
It was my first time to participate in the Dice game at a Mooncake event and I honestly didn’t expect to win anything. But, because God graciously blessed the family who hosted the party, they were able to bless me and the men on the street as well. Thank you, Lord, for simple joys and moments with You. It was and it will always be an honor experiencing You and Your joy in our lives.
My dad picked me up from work a few days ago and we had an interesting conversation on the way home. For some reason, we started reminiscing about our experiences at our old house in Cainta and I shared to him one of my “Cainta moments” that I will never forget.
Last June 21, 2009, my family and I were on our way home from church and I remember feeling so insecure about my physical appearance, my height, my status in life, academics, and many more. But God somehow encouraged me to sing “Here in My Life” by Hillsong and I was comforted by the lyrics of the song. When we reached the house, we realized that we didn’t have the house keys with us! We were stuck inside our garage!
From my journal. Dated 6/21/2009
After a few minutes, I was tempted to complain about the situation, but God encouraged me to help my family find a way to get in our house instead. My older brother and I snuck into the side garage and saw a small window in our kitchen which wasn’t locked. We then weighed the pros and cons of me going through it and tried to measure my body to see if I could fit. Kuya ended up giving me a lift and I miraculously squeezed myself into the small window. I think the window was as “big” as a piece of bond paper.
From my journal. Dated 6/21/2009I couldn’t find a nice shot of our kitchen window. This photo was taken after we experienced Ondoy. :)
We were both laughing as we tried to get my body inside the kitchen because it was actually crazy and funny, but by God’s grace, I was able to make it through! I then ran to the front door, opened it, and called my other siblings and parents. God knew what was going on in my heart a few minutes before we got home and He definitely knew how to encourage me. I was insecure about my petite body, but that day, God showed me that He had a special purpose for it.
From my journal. Dated 6/21/2009
Through that experience, I was reminded of God’s goodness and grace. I was reminded of how He made each and every one of us the way we are for our good and for His glory. And it was encouraging because it also showed me how our loving and powerful God chooses to use people like you and me to experience His strength and greatness in our lives in spite of our insecurities and weaknesses.
To this day, I still praise God whenever I remember that moment because I am encouraged to seek and focus on Him whenever I struggle with insecurities. Moreover, God continues to remind me of His amazing love for me through the Bible. His truth written on it immediately changes my perspective, wipes off the lies and negative thoughts that I have, and strengthens my heart even more.
I was spending time with God and his word earlier today and I noticed that I unintentionally kept a lot of my sticky nametags (from past events) in my Bible. Interestingly, when I saw this, God used it to remind me of my identity in Christ. In this world, I know that I would probably have and encounter more thoughts and lies about my self-worth and security, but, God’s encouraging me to keep on sticking to the truth — to His words in the Bible.
Romans 5:8 says “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
“You showed me how much You really loved me,
When You bought me at the highest cost
There’s no greater love than this, There’s no greater love than this,
That a man would give his life for a friend;
There’s no higher sacrifice than a man would give his life,
You have paid a precious price for me.”
[Don Moen’s “No Greater Love”]
Thank You, Jesus, for reminding me to look to You every time I struggle and remember that You died and rose for me, You chose me, You love me unconditionally, and that I am Yours for eternity. Indeed, I need not be insecure, because You are more than enough for me. Jesus, You are more than enough for me. :)
For the past few months, I’ve been praying for God’s direction for me in ministry. Specifically, if it is His will for me to continue serving Him at CCF Makati’s Friday Night Light (FNL) and be a facilitator at the True Life Singles Retreat or to serve in another ministry. I was praying for this because I was struggling with managing my time and resources since I get off from work late and I don’t live near CCF Makati. For the longest time, I felt like God was so silent about this, but by His grace, He gave me an answer three weeks ago.
Last August 3, I had my quiet time with the Lord at home. I poured out my heart to him again, humbled myself before him, and told him: “Lord, I want to hear your voice more than anything else right now. I’m listening, Lord. Please speak to me tonight. Please give me direction. Thank You…” After writing that, I stared at space for a few minutes and when I was about to write some more, I noticed this…
The word “You” was on the next page and it was the only word written there at that time. God was showing me that life really is all about Him. It’s all about Jesus. Ministry is about Him and not about my comfort, or my skills in serving Christ, or about the number of girls I handle, or where I’m active in ministry, or who I’m friends with in ministry, etc. It’s all about “You”, Jesus.
Photo taken by Flonnah Valencia
I spent the rest of the night reading the first part of Genesis 12 and it was about the Call of Abram. He obeyed God when he was instructed to go the land that God will show him. And one of the things that struck me in that chapter was verse 7, where God said “To your offspring, I will give this land.” It made an impression on me because a few verses before that, I read that Sarai was barren. And now, God is telling Abram that he will give that land to his offspring.
It was encouraging because it reminded me of God’s sovereignty, faithfulness, and power even in the midst of my weaknesses and “impossible” & difficult situations. Abram built an altar after God said “I will give this land” and it was also nice because it showed that Abram acknowledged God’s presence at that time and in that place. I was encouraged to trust in God again.
After having my quiet time, God prompted me to read through my old blog posts, to remind me of my moments with God for the past year. I then happened to read my blog post about S’more Cookies & last year’s FNL teambuilding (https://encouragingtreats.com/smore-cookies/) and while I was reading it, it seemed like I was a different person back then. I was so full of encouragement, light, peace, and joy.
Jeff serving the S’more Cookies (Photo by Jill Bantang)
I even wrote this: “Maybe God gave us the sticky situations/rollercoaster ride to remind the FNL team that in the future as we serve Him in ministry, we may also encounter similar sticky situations and even sudden changes in our plans. However, I’m learning that sticky situations actually encourage us to focus on God’s grace, faithfulness and love. They are opportunities for us to seek Him more especially as we make decisions. Also, they help develop our hearts and character as we trust in His sovereignty.”
God humbled me that night as I read through my old blog and He encouraged me to be like the Nicole who blogged about this last year. She didn’t worry about her struggles and concerns in ministry. She was focused on Jesus.
Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
At the end of the blog post, I noticed something that struck me. “Did you know that the original name for “S’more” was “Some More”? This is because when the people tasted S’mores before, they constantly asked for more! Similarly, in our teambuilding experience, I realized that although we didn’t ask for more, God decided to give us some more problems and sticky situations for His good purposes. I’m glad He did! :)”
And that was it. God spoke to me. I honestly believe that God answered the prayer of my heart that night because when I read S’mores or “Some More” in my blog, I remembered this year’s True Life retreat which was entitled “Something More”. By faith and by His grace, I went to the retreat last weekend. :)
Photo taken by RJ Magno
I praise and thank Jesus for the privilege of serving and knowing Him more in the True Life Singles Retreat. I’ve witnessed so many changed lives and hearts surrendered to Him and I know that it was only by His grace. It really was a humbling experience for me because I was reminded of God’s indescribable grace and love for me.
I really cannot imagine my life without You, Jesus. You have been and you will always be everything to me. I just can’t explain how you’ve changed and renewed my heart, mind, and life. Thank You so much for dying on the cross for me so that I can spend eternity with You in Heaven. Thank You so much for being with me and for being my Risen Savior, Lord, and best friend.
Jesus, You are worth my every cent, every second, every breath, and every step. :)
Photo taken from Flonnah Valencia’s cameraMy wonderful ladies at the True Life Retreat. Photo taken from Flonnah Valencia’s camera
“Too much to make sense of it all
I know that Your love breaks my fall
The scandal of grace, You died in my place
So my soul will live
Oh to be like You
Give all I have just to know You
Jesus, there’s no one besides You
Forever the hope in my heart.
It’s all because of You, Jesus.”
[Scandal of Grace by Hillsong]
Flonnah publicly declaring her desire and decision to follow Jesus. :) Photo taken from Flonnah Valencia’s cameraPhoto taken from Flonnah Valencia’s camera
And if I may just add, the food committee served s’mores in the retreat. When I saw those treats, my heart melted and I smiled because I remembered how God encouraged me to step out in faith and serve Him in this ministry. Thank You, Lord! :)
Photo taken from Flonnah Valencia’s cameraPhoto taken from Flonnah Valencia’s cameraMy new BarCARda. :)
Exactly one year ago, I was privileged to attend one of the events of Legend Hotels International Corporation (LHIC): “Iron Chef Apprentice Edition”. I got excited when I received the invite from one of the event coordinators, because I love watching cooking shows and competitions. There’s just something nice about seeing chefs excel and express their personalities, knowledge, passion, and creativity in the meals they prepare. And of course, it is always a delight to see the meals plated beautifully.
One of the hosts started the program with prayer and explained the objectives and mechanics of the contest afterwards. One of the things that I really appreciated about the LHIC’s Iron Chef was the opportunity to encourage the kitchen staff of the company. Surprisingly, the staff was the main highlight of the event because even though they weren’t professional chefs, they were chosen to participate and compete in this event.
Upon entering The Legend Villas’ function room, I was warmly welcomed by the staff, hosts and judges of the event, along with the other guests.
While waiting for the program to start, they served us these refreshing drinks and a plate of sisig lumpia (This was really delicious especially when dipped in vinegar with labuyo).
Special Citrus drink and Homemade Iced TeaSisig Lumpia
Each team was tasked to prepare four dishes that incorporated the secret ingredient (Chicken) and they were instructed to finish preparing all of the meals within two hours!
I watched each team work hard and coordinate well with their respective members. It was exciting because as we observed all the teams, we noticed that they had different approaches, ideas, and presentations. One of the teams even entertained the crowd by cooking with fire in one of their pans.
Honestly, at that time, they looked like professional chefs. For some reason, they were confident in what they were doing and although they were challenged and pressured, they managed to successfully finish the dishes on time. After two hours of preparing and cooking, the dishes of the different teams were reviewed by a distinguished panel of judges: Ptr. Warfil de Leon, Ms. Luchie Callanta, and Ms. Dang Uy Koe. I also had the honor of tasting each dish, along with other food bloggers.
Mixed vegetable dressed with pinakurat vinaigrette top with grilled chicken breastGrilled Garlic Chicken with Mango Salsa Puree
Tinolang Manok sa Pakwan
Kinulob Luyang Chicken with Yellow Rice
After going through all of the meals prepared by the teams, the judges finally announced the winning team. At the end of the contest, one of the judges gave a short speech about giving our best in whatever work we do because we know that we are working for the Lord. He then closed us in prayer and thanked God for the learning experience, fun time, and for the participants, that they would continue to grow and excel in their field of work.
Ptr. Warfil de Leon
I went home that day inspired because I witnessed how this event encouraged the kitchen staff to excel more in cooking, preparing meals, and even serving others through culinary skills. The organizers of the event saw the potential in these people and they intentionally gave them an opportunity to grow and become the best cooks/chefs they can be.
Pastor Peter Tan-Chi once said “When you look at people, don’t look at them where they are today, but look at how they can become through Christ in the future.”
I’m learning to use my words and actions towards others wisely, so that I may also encourage them to be the best they can be for God’s glory. If ever you’re in a situation where God is prompting you to sincerely appreciate, help, or encourage someone, don’t hesitate to do so. :)
It says in Hebrews 3:13, “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called Today…” :)
Thank you to the organizers of the Legend Hotels International Corporation’s Iron Chef Apprentice Edition. I enjoyed my time with you. May God bless you more and more. :)
My tweet last August 18, 2012. :)Special treat from the organizers of the event: Lola Maria’s delicious, moist chocolate cupcakes.
My name is Nicole Obligacion and I started this blog because I was inspired by Hebrews 10:24 and Hebrews 3:13. I love to eat, cook, bake, read the Bible, and encourage. :)
