Roommate Change

My roommate decided to move out and for the most part I'm glad. She switched rooms with another woman I know, though and I'm a little apprehensive. The woman is hypochondriac and might need a lot of my support which I'm not sure I'm ready for. She stays in bed and and is very dependent and I wish I could have chosen my alternative but God wants me to minister to this woman. Pray for me because I feel I'm going to need the Lord's patience and love!

On the wild side, I signed up for adaptive rowing and the sky gliding trip in September! There's not that much time to enjoy good weather and I have to get out there and make the most of it before hibernation season!

A Weekend of Public Vows

This weekend was as fast and furious as I thought it would be, but it was well worth it. Earlier in the week I wasn't feeling well so it was hard to be excited: I would be baptized on Saturday, and attend one of my best friend's wedding on Sunday.

Day 1: Baptism

I had my outfits all lined up. An invigorating green summer dress, a tube top that was just lovely but I still had to wear a sweater with the breeze. There were traveling delays, so I was getting antsy in the car, but for the most part my new SONY MDR-V6 headphones kept me occupied nicely!

Finally getting to Sherwood Island Beach in CT, felt like it was finally summer for me. I got to roll on the grass where the congregation was and was welcomed warmly. Dad helped put sunblock on me. I love the smell. We ate a good plate of food while Solomon got ready for worship. In church, I sit in the back and my voice is not loud. I also tend to pray a lot before worshipping. Today, I really wanted to participate because I felt it was important for support and I actually remembered words! But stuff was off and the body is not always in synch. This really frustrated me for a bit, but by the third song, while starting to sing again, it felt natural. The body was softly singing together and it sounded great, we harmonized and the spirit was present. It's always good to keep in mind that all good things are a work of the Holy Spirit, not of ourselves.

Rich prayed and we headed for the shore! I was first up. I briefly spoke about my revelation of my spiritual vow with God through Jonah Chapter 2 and that I was honored to have everyone witness the public declaration of that vow. I don't remember anything else besides waiting for Rich to say "in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy spirit," and then the gush of water on my head. I'm not fond of salt water and the sting took me by surprise. Frania lent me a towel. I'll post pictures soon when I get them.

I watched the Baez family get baptized which was amazing. Mother, father, and three girls from ages 7 to 14. It's not the baptism itself that makes you saved, it's the transformation that happens when you receive Jesus as Lord of your life and walk in His will daily. As John the Baptizer said, "I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire..." Luke 3:16

I asked my father if I could rest on the ground. Him and Faheem laid me down on a blanket so I could rest for a while. But the salty air was getting to my trach and eventually we had to boogie. Another example of how God is ultimately in control! No panic, just a calm, straightforward ride home. I needed a lot of suctioning but Chigbu was there so I was in good hands. I won't get too many moments on the beach unless I get this thing out, eh?

Day 2: Wedding

The next day I felt like I got hit by a truck which is exactly what my father said when he came through the door to pick me up! I had to get my hair done and then come back to put on my dress. The original plan was to be back by 12 and have the groom's sister help with make-up and possibly dress. But I got back almost an hour later and had to have a CNA and my dad with the rest. Plus, my dad needed to get ready which seemed to take the most time! Needless to say, we missed the ceremony but was able to see the bridal/groom party present themselves and have the first dance. I loved the song: it was a remix of shirley Bassey's diamonds are forever. Jason wore a matching teal Yankees cap, which surprised me but it is him. I just didn't think he would do it at his wedding. Maybe it's a last harah of sorts. For the speech, the first thing he said was "First of all, can everybody just shut the fuck up?" That's typical of him in party mode but I didn't think he would say that at his wedding. I guess he felt he spent all this money, this is his night, and he can say what he wants. They had a gift box and people typically give money, so hopefully he gets somewhat of a "return."

Ultimately, I had a good time and was honored to be there. There were not many people from college there and I really love Jason and Monifa. I want the best for them practically and spiritually. Pictures coming soon!

Prayer request

I am in -a lot- of pain and bed ridden again due to a UTI. The nerve pain is through the roof and my urethra is bleeding. Please pray that my pain subside and a urinalysis speedily show results so I can receive appropriate medication.

Reasons to Celebrate!

the Lord has been faithful these past few weeks for several reasons. One, is that I achieved a major goal in obtaining the vitaglide for Beth Abraham residents. There was a lot of opposition at first, but with the support of NYCSCIA, Wheels of progress, my mother, and the new admin, the vitaglide was a success and I hope more residents take advantage of it. Pictures coming soon!

Second, I completed an online course for writing grant proposals, a great sequence after the vitaglide proposal. It was a great introduction into the world of non-profits as well as getting my feet wet for school! Grant writing takes -A LOT- of research, networking, and writing skills that I plan on honing in on before going to the next level. The professor was great and I recommend it for anyone serious about starting a grant writing project.

The Lord has kept me strong in the face of adversity and spiritual warfare. I thank him for preserving me and my father, and my mother. I thank him for keeping my brother safe in Florida. Please pray for him as well and that the Lord bring true peace in his life. I thank him for the work being done in Calvary Chapel of Agape. The love and fellowship there is a true blessing! Not only that but God is moving us in ways that are nothing short of biblical! To serve, to love, to share the gospel--that is what God wants! for Jew, for Gentile, muslims, for all nations, because that is His plan to reconcile us to Himself because HE LOVES US!

Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises [made] unto the fathers:

And that the Gentiles might glorify God for [his] mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. [2 sam 22:50; psalm 18:49]

And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.

And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. [from Isaiah 11:1]

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. -Romans 15: 8-13

Now that root of Jesse was Jesus. He was the one prophesied to be birthed in Bethlehem, born from a virgin, pierced and killed for others' iniquities. A common dart thrown is that the Bible, is "also violent." In which a slew of Old testament examples come out. God is Holy. God is righteous. And there were times where Israel needed to be rebuked and other time where Israel needed to be protected because that was where the Messiah was to be born. The example for Christians is Jesus. Jesus was righteous in His judgement:

But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. -Isaiah 11:4

Once again, it's important to look at who our example is. Jesus is our example and he commands us to love. In Matthew 10:34, Jesus says, we might need to follow Him over family, therefore, bringing hostility to our household. But God turns all things to good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

The next step is to finally finish my B.A. and continue surviving in Beth Abraham as long as I have to. I have been blessed to be able to minister to others and keep positive despite daily pain and anguish living in a chair and being limited in a nursing home.

The love of Jesus

This testimony I came across at a forum recently that touched me. Unfortunately, the person passed, but his friend gave me permission to share. Thanks, Francis!



By: Roman Monzon
this is how i came to know God

this is a blog i posted on my old myspace, i posted it on september 19, 2005, exactly one year after my step dad died, im just re-posting it so that maybe through this testimony others will draw closer to God as well.

So it's been exactly a year since my step dad had died. I don't really do blogs so I'm going to go all out on this one, it'll probably be really loooooooong.....

Exactly one week before he died, we had a basketball tournament at church and I gave my testimony. I was a Christian for only 2 months, I think, so the feeling of being changed was still fresh. I talked about how the Christian faith made a lot more sense to me, and how a relationship with the Lord gave meaning to my life. And lastly, I talked about how it's true that accepting Jesus as your savior is your only way to heaven. As I can recall, I didn't' really read my bible at that time, I didn't even listen to worship songs back then, I would like to say that me accepting God was a result of the FACI youth group being a good influence on me. Every single one of them was very inspiring at that time. You should have seen them a year ago; they prayed like crazy at random places like lollicup, by the lake, even for 2 hours at church one time. And that made me think, what kind of people would pray publicly? Or for 2 hours? Are they not embarrassed of what people will think? And don't you think 2 hours is such a long time to pray. Everyone was just so nice too, they threw a going away bonfire for me even though I barely knew them. Josh, Joe and Rommel were very nice, Kenzo, Jorel and Andrew kept on reaching out to me and inviting me to go to youth group, or play basketball on Thursdays. I remember Jorel helping me find a house so that I can stay here in California. Will was friendly, Mando always offered me rides, and the girls are very conservative, they all just seemed different in their own ways, Icy,Rachel,Kriselle,Nikki,Wowie, Lindsay and Ashley, (although ashley hated me at that time haha) but yeah, they are in high school and they don't cuss, drink, smoke etc. Then it hit me, they really are different. I could see it through how they acted towards each other and towards other people… And I wanted to be like that. I wanted change. I already screwed up my life in the Philippines; getting kicked out of college because I failed my classes cause I'd either cut class to smoke weed or wake up late cause I was drunk the night before. When I was at Irvine Valley College, I did the same thing, and I couldn't believe myself, I wanted out, I wanted to live a clean life like the people from my youth group. I wanted to be like them. I wondered what made them so different. I discovered that it was because they knew and feared GOD. At that time my family was planning to move to Nevada. I didn't want to move. Thank God we found a house in Mission Viejo, so we ended up staying here in Cali.

So due to inspiration and motivation I decided to accept Jesus in my life. I remember Harvest Crusade 2004, July 10th to be exact, when I went down to the field. I went down for 2 reasons. 1.) I wanted to dedicate myself to the Lord and 2.) I wanted to see how big Angel Stadium was.

After accepting God that day, the following week, July 18, the youth group and I went to rock harbor church in Costa Mesa, and I got baptized randomly! haha, I was nervous at first, but then it was fun! The best part was, after I got baptized, a bunch of people from my youth group went too. After that we prayed outside. It was so cool... after that we got persecuted at jack in the box. That was even cooler, less than an hour after being baptized I already experienced persecution, well I didn't really experienced it, I witnessed it, but it was awesome nonetheless, why? Cause it made me realize that persecution was real and it still happens. Anyways, I got baptized again, this time at my home church faci along with icy,mando,mike,rommel and more people! August 1, 2004, was the date. It was fun. I can't believe we went swimming in the lagoon, that place is gross, and very cold. But it was fun stuff. At the end of the day it kind of made me sad because it was like a family picnic, and everyone was with their family. I made a wish that hopefully next year my family would be there too. Anyways, going back to the basketball tournament (which I won by the way LOL) my testimony was inspired by the fun memories I had that past summer and I owe it all to the inspiration given by josh,joe,rommel,andrew,jorel, kenzo,will,mando,icy,rachel,ashley,kriselle, wowie,lindsay and nikki. At the end of that day, I felt good, I had just given my very first testimony and I won the basketball tournament, what could go wrong?

Exactly a week after, September 19, my stepfather died of heart attack, he died like a month after we moved. I wasn't even home when he died! I was at jorel's house and I was lucky Icy gave me a ride, I don't know what would have happened if she wasn't there for me. Well, she took me home first, and then my sister said they already took him to the hospital, so icy took me there, but by the time we got there he had already died. My mom was crying on my shoulders, it was horrible, Icy witnessed the whole thing. After an hour josh came, and they prayed for my mom. That was the very first time I heard my mom pray. I was stoked, But of course, still depressed. It was just horrible, especially when we had to break the news to my 2 little sisters. That was the worst part; seeing the looks on their faces, sarah didn't even know what was going on. She kept asking, "where's my dad?" my mom kept crying and crying. I felt sorry for Trisha. It was just horrible.

Later that day, people from church came, and I was just thanking God for these people. We didn't have family here in California. All we had to comfort us was them. It made me think; what would have happened if I didn't know them? Who would be there for us? I just kept on thanking God for the comfort he gave to our family, most especially, the older people from faci. My friend's parents were there for my mom! Talking to her and comforting her! THEY DIDN'T EVEN MEET BEFORE THAT! That was the first time they ever saw each other, they didn't even know each other's name, and yet they kept on hugging her. It was just amazing. That proves God's compassion and Jesus' love; it rubs off on his children! I could totally see Jesus in these wonderful people. They're all amazing.

But, I got scared when they all left our house; it was just me, my mom, and my 3 sisters. no one else. I remember staring at one of the huge square windows in our house, and a vision of the cross came out. Then suddenly my fear just went away, and I told myself it's going to be all right.

Things were not going all right the first few weeks. My mom couldn't work. She still kept on crying. My sisters didn't want to go to school, and they kept on crying too. No one else in the family drives, we were all stuck at home. I couldn't get a job because I had to baby-sit my sisters. I was unemployed for 5 months. Another bad thing that happened was my step dad's death created a conflict with my immigration papers. The immigration said since he died, technically I don't have a petitioner, which sucked a lot cause he died a month before my final interview, I got everything else except the green card. So the petition my step dad started was cancelled. I got to keep the stuff I got like my social security number, and my work permit. My mom petitioned me before I turned 21 and because she's not an American citizen, it's going to take 9-12 years for it to process... which sucks cause, the work permit expires, and it can't be renewed. As a matter of fact it expired last July. So if I try to go to school I have to pay $179 a unit because I am a non-resident! If I decide to leave the united states, I can't ever come back! But they are not sending me back home to the Philippines! So basically... they're just asking me to wait for my status to get fixed... which will take 9-12 looong freakin years! ahhhhhh!!!!!!! I hate it! But then since my step dad died, my family started going to church! My whole family goes now! If it weren't for his death, my family would have never come closer to God. My mom grew up catholic, but since she married my step dad, who was an atheist, she stopped going to church. They were married for 8 years! My 2 little sisters grew up without knowing about the existence God. And my other sister, umm, I guess God is still working on her. But it gives me strength and I tell myself that the cost for my family's salvation is me being idle, so be it. It's so worth it. Now my mom is always up on her feet during worship time, clapping her hands, singing worship songs, worshiping God. She even composed a song, and she's going to sing it next month at the building for life banquet. She's also giving her testimony. My sisters, liked vbs a lot and children's church. Its just so amazing how things turned out. This proves that God always makes good out of bad, he brings glory after suffering. You just have to seek him and trust in him. I relied on him a lot during those times when I was scared. I couldn't imagine being the man of the house at the age of 20. But God helped me. The church helped me, and my family. Now I believe that everything happens for a reason and there are no accidents in life. faci is no accident. My step dad's death, my family going to church, my immigration status, they're all for a reason, I mean, what would have happened to our family if faci wasn't there for us? What would have happened if we moved to Nevada? I wouldn't know, at least I don't have to worry about that anymore.

If you think that there cannot be a loving God because there's pain and suffering in this world, you are wrong. Look at what he did in my life. look at what he did to my family. I would have never imagined my family going to church with me. NEVER. But I couldn't see that! Only Jesus could have predicted that! That's why we should always rely on him in times of disaster for only in him will we find comfort and answers. Take Jesus' death for example, it was horrible, what was going through Mary's head when he was crucified? What were the disciples thinking? They must have thought, this guy, the kindest, most gentle guy I've ever met, is trying to change the world. He's practicing more than he preached, helping people, teaching people, being kind to others etc. is being crucified, what would happen now? Sounds horrible right? At that time, nobody saw how anything good could ever result from this tragedy. And yet God foresaw that the result would be the opening of heaven to us human beings. So if you think of it that way, the worst tragedy in history brought about the most glorious event in history. And if it happened there, it happened to my family, it could happen to you too.

"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

West largely turns blind eye to likely genocidal consequences of such a culture of hatred, much as it did 70 years ago.West largely turns blind eye to

This was was in my thoughts and I urge people to pray for fellow believers as they try to hold on to their faith and their homes, their loved ones. Pray also for the peace of their oppressors, that they may know the love of God through his son Jesus.

West largely turns blind eye to likely genocidal consequences of such a culture of hatred, much as it did 70 years ago.

By Richard S. Wistrich

On November 9, 1938, a massive nation-wide anti-Jewish pogrom took place during peacetime across the entire territory of the Third Reich.

The pretext for this orgy of violence against German Jews was the shooting in Paris two days earlier of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year-old Polish-Jewish refugee.

The state-organized pogrom, instigated by Hitler and Joseph Goebbels, resulted in the burning or damaging of more than a thousand synagogues; the ransacking of about 7,500 businesses, the murder of at least 91 Jews, and the deportation of another 30,000 Jewish males to concentration camps in Dachau, Buchenwald, and Sachsenhausen.

This murderous onslaught against German Jewry, cynically described by the Nazis as the "Night of Broken Glass" (Kristallnacht), was a major turning point on the road to the Final Solution of the so-called Jewish Question.

It signified that the Nazi regime had crossed a Rubicon and would no longer be deterred by Western public opinion in its "war against the Jews."

The economic expropriation of German Jewry, its complete social ostracism and public humiliation swiftly followed. Jews were banned from public transport, from frequenting concerts, theaters, cinemas, commercial centers, beaches, or using public benches.

Only a fortnight after "Crystal Night," the SS journal, Das Schwarze Korps, chillingly prophesied the final end of German Jewry through "fire and sword" and its imminent complete annihilation.

Today, shocking to relate, the specter of such apocalyptic anti-Semitism has returned to haunt Europe and other continents, while often assuming radically new forms.

In the Middle East, it has taken on a particularly dangerous, toxic and potentially genocidal aura of hatred, closely linked to the "mission" of holy war or jihad against the West and the Jews.

Islamist anti-Semitism is thoroughly soaked in many of the most inflammatory themes that initially made possible the atrocities of Crystal Night and its horrific aftermath during the Holocaust.

For example, the pervasive use of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion with its perennial theme of the "Jewish conspiracy for world domination;" or the medieval blood-libel imported to the Muslim world from Christian Europe; or the vile stereotypical image of the Jews as a treacherous, rapacious, and bloodthirsty people engaged in a ceaseless plotting to undermine the world of Islam.

To these grotesque inventions one must add such more up-to-date libels like Holocaust denial which has become a state-sponsored project in Ahmadinejad's Iran and is increasingly pervasive in the Arab world.

Equally fashionable (and increasingly popular in Europe) is the slanderous identification of Israel with Nazism or the "ethnic cleansing" of the Palestinians. This modernized version of inverted anti-Semitism which sails under the mask of "anti-Zionism" and anti-Americanism, is today a global phenomenon, but it has special resonance in the Middle East as a result of the unresolved "Palestinian question."

The scale and extremism of the literature and commentary available in Arab or Muslim newspapers, journals, magazines, caricatures, on Islamist websites, on the Middle Eastern radio and TV news, in documentaries, films, and educational materials, is comparable only to that of Nazi Germany at its worst.

Yet the Western world largely turns a blind eye to the likely genocidal consequences of such a culture of hatred, much as it did 70 years ago. My own extensive research into this phenomenon has, unfortunately, convinced me that the Holocaust did not truly succeed in neutralizing the scourge of anti-Semitism.

In a sinister and sometimes devious manner, the widespread defamation and demonization of Israel has in effect revived fantasies of completing the murderous work of the Third Reich. This is especially palpable in the case of Iran. Hence, the anniversary of Crystal Night raises two fundamental moral questions for the future of human civilization. Are we at all capable of learning from history, and will the Jewish people once again have to stand alone in the face of concrete threats to annihilate it? On the answer to these questions much may depend.

Prof. Robert S. Wistrich is the director of The Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (http://sicsa.huji.ac.il/) and the author of A Lethal Obsession: Anti-Semitism from Antiquity to the Global Jihad (Random House, January 2010).

We need to keep our eye open and spread the truth of God's Word. Pray for the peace of Israel as they are under attack now. Keep your head up too because redemption is soon!

In the meantime

In the meantime there is work to be done. Many young people are stagnating in nursing homes because they don't have accessible apartments/houses. They are prisoners of their bodies, their minds, institutions, medications. These institutions are set up for older people who cannot live in the community. Minimal is set up to entertain or rehabilitate this population but it costs out the nose to keep them there.

I know because I am one of them! The time that I have been at Beth Abraham, my floor has gotten heavier (with residents) and yet they've cut back on the staff. There are 4 aids to care for 40 resident in a shift and 1 nurse in the evening. The staff are now more unhappy, impatient, and the residents are left in their beds, in their chairs more often. It's hard for me to catch someone for help, but at least I'm more mobile! Granted, we are in a recession, but I'm beginning to learn that people tied to the healthcare industry, who are benefitting from it, can give more than they do.

"Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,

Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?

That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; [yea], and sell the refuse of the wheat?

The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works." Amos 8:4-7

There are young people who just now have a support system through mentors at Mount Sinai and NYCSCIA, that help facilitate goals to go back to school, work or get them living independently. Many in fact, are motivated to get back into life! It costs the system much more to have these people in the nursing facilities than out on their own. This is why it so important to begin funding projects like Wheels of progress. It has huge potential for replicability because people with disabilities are often left out of the equation for housing. Most housing is INaccessible and the mayor's new housing plan completely leaves out the physically disabled.

Wheels of Progress is the solution to this problem. Start giving for 2010 today! I believe that ALL people should have a place to live where they can thrive in a supportive environment.