So far, 2012 has been the best year of my life! :)

Psalm 136:1        

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. 

His love endures forever."

                At first I thought 2011 was the best year of my life because that was the year when I fully surrendered my life to Him. But then I realized that it’s just the beginning of a wonderful and majestic walk with God.

               

Who would not thank the Lord when all your faith goals and prayer concerns were answered and fulfilled?

Graduation. After the long and tedious work for our practicum, the long patiently waited graduation arrived! April28, 2012! I will never forget our graduation walk In front of D. L. Umali Hall.

After five long years, at last! I was able to sing our University hymn along with other graduates. “UP Naming Mahal Pamantasang Hirang….”  

While singing, I was talking to God. I told Him, “Hey God! This is for You!”And then I heard His voice, “No Judie. That is for You.” I cried and cried because I realized what He meant when He said those words. It simply means I can never finish this race without Him. It has been all because of His grace that I was able to finish college. A lot of people doubted I will be able to graduate, even I, myself did, but because of Him and His unfailing love, it has become possible! For months, I waited till I can finally offer this gift to God, it turned out that this same gift will be given to me by my Almighty Father.

No longer a student. After graduation, I was no longer entitled a student, I am now a young professional. Because of God’s grace, I was hired again by my previous employer, Optimus Center for Development, Inc. I thought I’ll be doing the same thing I did last year, teaching preschool students. But to my surprise, I was given administration duties too. This work is a new one for me. Everyday, I learn new things. It’s not just about the technicalities of being an admin staff, but God is also teaching me how to relate to parents and students, how to be more patient, how to manage my time and how to depend on His strength alone. And even if I go to bed tired and sleepy, I can still smile because I know that I am fulfilling the Lord’s plan for my life.

My Love... teaching. Being a teacher is a gift from God. It is not easy to be patient. It is not easy to stay calm when your class is a chaos. It is not easy to understand a child for his/her behavior. It is not easy to be a teacher. That is why I am truly thankful to the Lord for calling me to be one. It feels so good to see happy children playing around you. 

Whatever seed I plant in the hearts of these children, 

I pray to God that someday it will bear fruit.

...just like what happened to me when my former teacher put their hope of a bright future for me in the Lord’s hands.

Acts 16:31            

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household.”

Family. As I read my 2012 journal, during its first months of the year, I felt so down and discouraged with my family. My brother seemed so distant to the Lord. My sister needed more of God’s grace to be fully transformed in Christ’s likeness. My parents haven’t yet accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Our house is full of chaos. Deep down I know that I can never handle this on my own that’s why I decided to commit every Wednesday for prayer and fasting. I sought the Lord deeply. I asked for more faith. I felt like my petitions were very impossible but I held on to the Word of the Lord. Until now, I can sense that the Lord is still at work with my faith in Him and for my family as well. There are also praise reports that I am proud to announce. My brother fully accepted Jesus as his Lord, Master and Savior. He attended our last Victory Weekend this year. He already has a leader that will lead him closer to God and he is still volunteering as a teacher in our Kids church. My sister is now a leader in our church. I am very proud whenever I see her coordinate the Kids church program once a month. I can see that God is transforming her. My grandmother also had her highlight for this year. She was hospitalized due to bacteria. Her hopes were very low but the Lord has been faithful He restored her strength and now she can still do the normal things she does everyday. I can also proudly say that she accepted Christ as her only Savior from God’s wrath for sins. My parents become more prayerful especially during my mission trip times. I know that time will come when they will also fully surrender and obey the Lord. My heart rejoices as I see our family getting even stronger in the Lord. My faith for my family will never grow weary because of His promises.

John 15:5             

"I am the vine; you are the branches. 

If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; 

apart from me you can do nothing."

Campus mission in Marikina City, Philippines.

Campus Missions. It started when God called me to support one of our campus missionaries in church. I truly desired to get to know and learn from this pastor. God answered my prayers. One thing led to another and suddenly I become a volunteer to his campus missions. I can sense the Lord smiling whenever we reach out to different campuses, building relationships to the students and boldly sharing the gospel to them. It was also an opportunity for me to share my testimony in front of a great crowd. It was hard telling my past mistakes to students whom I know they can relate to my story, but I needed to tell them so that they will also know how God turned my life around. My life is for missions, I just don’t know yet if it will be for the campus. But whenever God will lead me, I will 100% follow Him.

Victory Group. This year had been a season for harvest in my victory group as well. For the very first time, I had the courage to talk to women who answered the altar call after each church service. I engaged and built relationships to women too many to mention. Eight of them decided to take their relationship with God deeper by attending our Victory Weekend and by being baptized by the water and by the Holy Spirit. There were times I feel tired of sharing the Word because I do it 4x a week, but God always assure me of His great satisfaction as I follow His command to go and make disciples of all nations. True enough, as this year ends, I can see the fruits of my labor in my victory group as they start to lead their own groups as well.

Thais to whom I ministered. 

Thailand. And the last one that I will mention for this note is my Thailand mission trip. I longed to be part of a mission trip ever since college. All my trainings and previous experiences boiled down to this. I NOW FULLY UNDERSTAND why I had to face lots of hardships, why I needed to experience a practicum in a far away land, why my faith had been tested over and over, why I joined campus missions, and why I learned administration works. It’s all because God has called me for MISSIONS. I went to Thailand for a 12 days mission trip in one of Bangkok’s famous school, Ramkhamhaeng University. Pre-missions work stretched my faith. He said in the Bible: His love never fails.  God never fails nor He delays. Just right on time, I finished my Ten Days mission support. Our God is the one who brought different kinds of people to financially support my mission and to pray for the things we were about to do in Thailand. During my mission trip, I was kind of frustrated because I felt like I haven’t done much for Thailand but He made me realize that even a small kind of kindness to a local brings a smile to His face. We may never see the fruits of our labor but God knows that we are part of the big picture of plans He has for Thailand. There’s one great revelation I heard from the Lord after this season in my life: 

I AM CALLED TO BE A MISSIONARY. 

My prayer is that the Lord will not quench the fire in my heart for missions. And that He will train me so that I will be ready and that He will bless me even more so that I might share His blessings to others.

                There are a lot more things to thank God for the year 2012. I haven’t even mentioned God’s ultimate revelations that always build my spiritual maturity. Bottom line of this note: 

It's NOT about me.

I am just a flower quickly fading, a wave tossed in the ocean, a vapor in the wind. 

My life is about HIM, about His GREATNESS, His SOVEREIGNTY, His FAITHFULNESS, His GENEROSITY, His FORGIVENESS, His GRACE, His MERCY and His UNFAILING LOVE.

I give all the glory, honor, and praise due His Name. 

Jesus, this is all yours!

So far, 2012 has been the best year of my life! J

-Judie