Embraced by the Father. Saved by the Son. Empowered by the Holy Spirit. Ablaze - Set the World on Fire!

SFC Ablaze. Luke 12:49 "I have come to set the world on fire and how I wish it were already ablaze."

Believe, I put my hope in You.
Proclaim, I will shout Your name.
Inflame, I will burn in love.
Ablaze, I'll set the world on fire.

This is my second conference since I became a member of CFC - Singles for Christ. My first conference was last February, the 15th SFC ILC. This is my first MMC and I swear, this won't be my last. Like what I told Sidh, this conference is better than the last. This post would be quite long, alam niyo naman, madaldal talaga ako. Hehe. Pero kasi hindi pwedeng hindi ko i-share yung experience e. I'm on fire and I just can't keep that to myself.

Day 1. July 25.
Ate Gemma and I woke up at 2:30 in the morning to prepare for our 5am trip. We're joining the MMC Adventure Trip and we have to be in Subic by 9am (as told by Ate Marian Calvario). Inantay lang namin si Sidh sa kanto tapos nagtaxi na papuntang Cubao para i-meet sina Shezha, Ate Aike, at Ate Jing na kasama rin namin sa tour. Ok naman yung naging biyahe namin. After settling our accommodation, we headed to SBMA for the Ocean Adventure Trip. Medyo matagal kameng naghintay pero ok lang. Tamang kwentuhan lang muna kame. At dumating na nga ang van. On our way to Ocean Adventure, we can't help but be in awe of the beauty of Subic. At mas namangha pa kame pagdating namin sa Ocean Adventure. Ang ganda! Words are not enough to describe how amazed I was upon seeing God's creation. We enjoyed the dolphin and the sea lion show. Ang playful talaga ng dolphins. Nakakatuwa. Tapos yung sea lions naman ang smart. Ayun. After the trip, pahinga lang saglit tapos balik na sa venue (Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center). And officially nga, nagstart na ang conference. Wohoo!

Session 1: Embraced by the Father.

God is omniscient. He is all-knowing.
God is omnipotent. He is all-powerful.
God is omnipresent. He is everywhere.
God is all-loving.
The Lord is our God, our King, our Father.
We are members of God's household. We are heirs of everything the Father has.
God has something new in store for us always. Expect greater things! "Mayaman si Papa!"

And the most important message from this session: My greatest wealth is God's love. No matter what happens, I HAVE THE FATHER'S LOVE!

After the session was the Masquerade Party. Naks, first time kong makaranas ng ganun. At syempre, babae uli ako dun. Dress to the max talaga. At super high heels pa. Kamusta naman diba? Pagdating namin sa room, bagsak talaga ako. As in, tulog agad. Sakit sa paa e. Hehe.

Day 2. July 26.

Session 2: Saved by the Son.

Jesus Christ saved us from internal death (separation from God).
St. Augustine: Our hearts will find no rest until they rest in God.
The next time you're called to suffer, pay attention, that could be the closest you could ever get to God.
We will share His cross, but God is a God of justice. We will also share His victory.
Always remind yourself, "JESUS IS WITH ME." Stay with Him.

It was during this session when I cried the most. Why? Because I was touched, deeply moved, especially by the sharing of a sister from Makati Chapter. Ate Gem's story was a lot like mine. I won't go into details but if you'd been reading my blog posts, you would know what I had gone through. And just like Sister Gem, I have also committed myself to the Lord, and that come what may, I would be His servant, ready to do His will, prepared to live and die for Him.

Also, during this session, the reflection song was one of my "life songs" - NEED. If I'm not mistaken, I have already posted the lyrics of that song. But I would like to post it again.

NEED
I am grateful for the cross.
My source of strength in my life's cause.
I will embrace it everyday.
Grace me to live day by day.

You, Lord, are all that I need.
With all my mind and my deed.
With You, my life is complete.
In Your love, in Your hands, I'll live.

I am hopeful for the future.
Looking to You, I am secure.
You are my King, my Master, my Lord, reign in my heart forevermore.

This is such a beautiful song. It says everything my soul wants to declare. And I couldn't help but cry everytime I hear it. Singing this song makes me feel a whole lot closer to God. And it reminds me of my weakness, and of my need for His care, love, and comfort.

Session 3: Empowered by the Holy Spirit.

We are GOLD!
The Lord wants us to be GREAT. (He is not yet through with us.)
The Lord wants us to be an OFFERING. (We ought to be of service for others.)
The Lord LOVES us.
The Lord DESIGNED us according to His will.
And lastly, the Lord wants us to SURRENDER.

The worship was so overwhelming. It wasn't just an ordinary worship, but a healing one. We were told to unload everything. And to just allow ourselves be filled with the Holy Spirit. I felt love - God's love. And it was simply amazing to see everyone hugging, comforting each other. Particularly, I saw how united our chapter is. And I could only wish that he and they, were there to experience the same thing that the MMC has brought us. That's why I would really make an effort to raise funds for the next conference - the ILC in Cebu. My goal is for all the members of our chapter to be there at the ILC and experience extraordinary worship, healing, and peace.

Lastly, but most importantly, it was during this session when she and I became "officially" friends. I swear, it's the best thing that happened that night. I can't tell the details of our story (because it may took me forever to do so. hehe. such a long story) but my closest friends know about it. And to you, MH, you know who you are, I am so thankful that we're no longer just sisters by name, but by heart. ^_^

Day 3. July 27.

Session 4: Ablaze - Set the World on Fire

Every moment is a moment of yes to God.
We are on fire - fire of purification, refining fire.
It's the fire that makes pure gold, something that really hurts.
Kuya Lawrence further said, "Sorry na lang sa mga gustong mag-full time. Because it's going to hurt. It's not gonna be a bed of roses..."

But, even if saying "yes" to God can cause you deep pain and suffering, still, it's the wisest decision one could ever make, because, in Kuya Lawrence's words, "wala pa ring tutumbas sa blessings ni God." [i remember sharing this to him. and his reply was, "wala talaga. kasi ikaw nga blessing ka ni God, at walang tutumbas sayo." c'mon mamon! ika nga ni melai. hehe. wala lang. wala talagang tutumbas sken kasi si ano nga mas maganda sken e. wala talaga akong katulad. either, lamang ako o lamang sila. ^_^]

Isa pa pala, na-touch din ako sa sharing ng isang brother. And I would like to quote, "No matter what happens, I will still love my God." And it is also my battlecry. I WILL LOVE MY GOD, COME WHAT MAY! I remember the movie, Facing the Giants. The whole movie was touching but the most moving scene was when Brook got the result of her pregnancy test, and again, it was still negative. She said while crying, "I will still love You Lord, I will still love You."

During the mass, the priest asked in his homily, "hanggang saan ang kaya mong itaya para sa pangarap mo? do we have the same passion towards the kingdom of God as our passion for priced worldly treasures?" He further said, "material possessions and personal relationships are the most common factors that hinder us from getting closer to God and doing His will." He asked us to reflect on this: "what is important to you? gaano kalalim ang relationship mo with God? ano ang mas naging priority mo? love/relationship? career? money? or working for God's kingdom?" And it was also the message of Kuya Law's talk: how far can you go for God? how much can you sacrifice/give up?

Amazingly, the answer came to me too soon. Just after the conference, when everyone's busy taking pictures, an unexpected twist happen. Nakita ko siya at sabi ko, papicture din kami. She came over at yun nga, pose na. Pero dahil super lapit ng mga mukha namin, we chose to take one more shot. Kaya lang card full na ako. So I have to delete. Ang twist ay eto: nabura ko lahat! As in lahat. Err. Ang nice diba? I tried to cancel but it was too late. Hay. I was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo disappointed and I simply couldn't find the words to express what I felt at that moment. I didn't cry at once. But when Shy approached me, hindi ko na napigilang mag-break down. Sobrang nakakahinayang talaga. Kung kelan pa tapos na yung conference. Uuwi na lang kame, ganun pa yung nangyari. All for the sake of one picture with her, every single moment of the 3-day conference was lost. Naisip ko, Lord, eto na ba yung message Mo? And Shy affirmed it to me. Indeed, it was the whole point of the conference. I lost everything because I gained the more important thing - friendship with someone I thought I could never be friends with. I mean, after all that had happened, kahit ako nagulat sa sarili ko kung pano ko siya batiin (yung tipong, mismong ako pa yung lalapit para lang mag-hi at mag-hug sa kanya), at kung pano ko kinayang iyakan siya that saturday night. But that's just how God works - mysterious, amazing. And I just couldn't say no to my God. Just like what "Walk on Water" says, "If it's You Lord, I will go. Speak out Lord for I will listen." At hindi rin naman ako nagsisisi. I've never been this happy and at peace. Sayang yung pictures. Lalo na yung mga solo pics nina Sidh at Melai. Sayang talaga. But I realized, through the help of Shy na rin, that pictures fade, but memories will last forever. Mawala man yun mga larawan, hindi naman mawawala yung mga alaala at mga natutunan ko mula sa conference. Pictures could be captured moments, but still, they are material things that soon would fade and be gone (yun nga lang, they faded too soon). What's important is the intangible, the immaterial, that which resides in my heart - and that is the burning fire of love and service. I may have lost the pictures from this very important conference, but I gained a very important sister and friend. I may no longer see the captured moments of my 1st MMC experience, but I will forever carry the lessons I learned, the realizations I had, and more importantly, the new relationships I have established: renewed, stronger relationship with God; more bonded relationship with my co-chapters; friendship with mae - these are are things I am most thankful for and no amount of pictures can ever replace their worth. ^_^

I am on fire. And I will set the world on fire. I will be God's faithful servant. I will win the world for Him!


[I spent my whole Monday typing this post and reflecting on everything that happened. And believe me, it's the best Monday of my life so far. ^_^]