Day 4: A Reunion of Sorts

When hubby and I were still dating, there was a hole-in-the-wall batchoy place that we would frequent in the Capitol area in Cebu. It was called Carlo's Batchoy. It was just an open-air outlet where people from all walks of life would frequent to get their fix of hot, steaming batchoy. 

Shortly after arriving in Cebu for the holidays, I wandered off to the place where I knew Carlo's was located and was surprised to find out it wasn't there anymore. It took two more days of leisurely walking along the Capitol-Fuente area to discover where this batchoyan eventually moved to. Well, it underwent a face-lift and is now an air-conditioned place located at the row of stalls called "Boulevard". The price of a bowl of special batchoy with egg didn't change from years ago...what changed though is the serving size and the amount of "goodies" in every bowl. 

This short rendezvous at an old familiar place also gave us the opportunity to bond as a family even for just a brief moment. There was laughter, loud exchanges of everyday experiences - from the funny issues at work to mundane ones like taxi escapades. On our way home, we couldn't pass up not having some shots of the Cebu Capitol building at night. Passersby and motorists probably thought we were some crazy bunch roaming the streets but they didn't know we were a family finally having a long-awaited reunion.

Day 296: Couple Sharing

This morning's joint breakfast was quite special since it heralded the "world-premiere" of our community's own couple sharer, Bro. Rudy and Sis. Linda Desoloc. 


Every time there's a sharing, I get valuable insights and life lessons from the speakers' experiences. In many ways, when they share how the Lord has touched their lives, they somehow impart God's blessings to us, the listeners. It's also a wonderful way to learn more about God's word and teachings. 

Day 226: Sis. Ched's Journey

"Each person has his/her own story to tell."  This is what I've come to realize and appreciate during our joint breakfast meetings at BCBP.  At the end of two full weeks, I revel in the fact that I will get spiritual and emotional renewal by listening to the life stories of our featured sharers. Each individual/couple has their own journeys to share, crosses and burdens to reveal, and inspirational messages to impart. By sharing a part of themselves, I get humbled by the enormous pains, sacrifices and burdens they talk about that have shaped their lives. I come to realize that my own little struggles are nothing compared to theirs and I become thankful for all the blessings I have in my life. 

And it was such a revelation to me when Sis. Ched made her life sharing today...she is one of the ladies who made such an impression on me the first time I met her. Definitely an extrovert, she's a cheerful and chatty person much like my own Mom (this is the trait I definitely inherited from her). Sis. Ched is the type of person who lights up the room upon her entrance. I also remember how she helped me implore the power of the Holy Spirit for the gift of tongues during our baptism last July 3. 

For someone so bubbly and lighthearted, I didn't quite expect to hear the enormity of the hardships she had to endure most of her life. I know that she is living proof of God's grace and goodness as she was able to endure and overcome all trials and is now living a life of service to the Lord and the community. I learned that by giving your full trust to the Lord and surrendering your life to Him, He guarantees life everlasting with Him in heaven. Sis. Ched's sharing touched me in a very powerful way, at times driving me to tears and I know that it was God himself who was touching my life through her words.

Day 206: Fullhouse at Breakfast

It was almost "standing room only" at BCBP joint breakfast yesterday as Bro. Noel and Sis. Dina Mercado took to the stage for their life sharing. The combined wit and comic relief style of Bro. Noel and the calm and relaxing manner of Sis. Dina brought together a powerful sharing that had me laughing and crying at the same time. Their journey was full of life-changing and life-challenging twists and turns that can only bring about inspiration and hope for people like me who are given the opportunity to listen.