My life change dramatically at home since my younger sister was now working. It was like the old days when she was too young to do household chores that I have to do everything. She is the cook in our house, she cooks from the morning into the afternoon but since she’ll be busy now I’ll be doing some of her chores which mean cleaning and being an errand person will not be my only task anymore, I might do the cooking again and took charge charge solely selling ice packs and do some printing when she wasn’t around.

Anyway, we made a temporary dirty kitchen in our old house since we can’t afford to use gas, we used firewood. Yesterday, after I cooked pinangat, I have cleaned the dirty kitchen because it was too cluttered and dirty, my sister cooks but doesn’t know how to clean around, she was told many times but the dirty kitchen always end up in mess and dirt. While I am cleaning someone came to have her document printed so I have to left what I am doing and what is annoying my kitten keeps crying in my foot and when she can’t wait anymore she jump at my body and climb into my shoulder, I didn’t feed them yet since I am still cooking their food and it was still very early in the morning but I guess they’re smelling the fish already.  Prior to that, two of my older cats and the kitten have been disturbing me while cleaning, they keeps following me whenever I go so imagine their foot prints when I just mop the floor.  It feels like I have little kids to care at home. LOL

My sister worked in a water station in town after the old worker left to the city to go to her husband, it doesn’t fit on her degree but it was better than at home doing nothing, she applied in a private bank and took an exam yesterday, I hope she can get the job since the staff needed will be just stationed in town. She took and exam for a social welfare assistant job a few months ago, she was called for interview after passing the qualifying exam but she didn’t showed up since the positioned opened will be in rural islets of our province where she doesn’t know anyone and more importantly my mother doesn’t permit her to work that far but she said she will allowed if it was me. LOL

It’s almost rainy season in the Philippines and it already rained frequently, with sudden change of weather and temperature many people got sick, most of our neighbors has colds and cough. My father is also sick with colds and cough, I already bought two bottles of medicine and a mentholated topical cream for my father, then he is also taking vitamins C and drinking luke warm calamansi juice but but he didn’t get well yet.

[Photo courtesy of Mizianitka/pixabay.com]

So, next month I am planning to have my father do a medical check-up since pulmonary and lung disease is common in a third world country like ours. I hope I could save more money so I could bring my parents to optometrist as well since they’ve been using $1 reading glasses from the street, according to health news in television it doesn’t do any good but make worst of an eye problem even more.  Maybe if I didn’t bought a mobile phone I am able to have this plans materialized right away, I have bought a phone with a high resolution camera so I have a camera to use  on blogging, my DSLR is not getting any better. I have already gave my old phone to my sister but aside from the wifi button being broken, it doesn’t read sim card anymore. She already brought it to a shop that fixed mobiles but she was told they can’t fix it, so my sister just uses it as a camera for her selfies.

Had a weird dream last night, I found myself inside a classroom and an instructor was giving us books in white covered, the books were display up front and we are given a chance to get the book we wanted. I choose and took two books because I was scared that the first book I choose doesn’t have complete pages while the second book I choose was a bit new but has some words written in it from previous owner, it looks like those books were just donated and given to us.

[Photo courtesy of Domas/pixabay.com]

Then I don’t know else what happened next, I found myself outside the classroom and getting into fight with a female classmate, she hit me twice with a book in the head and it feels quite real. Being driven I fought back but since this classmate was known for being a kind type, I was put to humiliation for fighting back. Then I saw myself below a stage in queue, we are going to walk and ramp in the stage, the classmate I have a fight with went ahead first of me and she received applause from the audience and when it was my turn nobody applause’s and it feels like I am being ridiculed for doing something bad, I walk and do turns while in stage and then when I reached the other end, I hide and cried under a long table, I felt bad on how I am treated by many, below the table between sobs I am undressing the shirt I am wearing to wear something new. The floor is full of snow melting and it is a bit cold, I noticed that my bag was on the way when someone older, pretty and popular came, I hid so I won’t get noticed.

[Photo courtesy of rotten77/pixabay.com]

I don’t know how my dream hopped seeing myself in an apartment, it looks like the apartment we had in Icheon with a Japanese sliding door, it was very clean like it was just like an empty room but near the door where am I standing there was large boxes. Someone I knew was cleaning and I was asked to continue doing it… and I wake up with a feeling of discomfort, pain and rejection.

On Friday the church held a family camp at Acacia Village and it was attended by  some church members, I think only few had attended since it rained earlier before the agreed meet up time. This Sunday Pastor E focused about the home and the family, he said that God began human existence with a marriage and a family. The first community that God established was a family and a home. The scriptural reading was found at Joshua 24: 11-15 and 2 Samuel 6: 9-11.

According to the Pastor E’s before the Israelites have a formal place of worship, the place of worship was the home, and all worship was directed and lead by the head of the home, the husband and father – Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Today, we have replaced the home with the church. For many Christians and their families all spirituality is exercised IN church, all prayer is IN church, all teaching is IN church – and not in the home.  We depend everything in the church and we forgot the spiritual practice at home.

[Photo courtesy of heritagekept.com]

Pastor E gave three ways on how do we experience the genuine divine blessing in our home and these are:

1. Choose to make your Home His Home –  Joshua 24:11-15, We have to choose to live according to God’s design for us in our homes & families.
2. Welcome His presence to your home – 2 Samuel 6:9-11, Pastor E says that every family has a box in their home, that box has the power to shape values of young children and that box was called television unlike the box at the center of Obed-Edom’s house, which contains Aaaron cane, Moses tablets and a jar, this box brought blessings.
3. Build an ark of salvation in your home – Hebrews 11:7, Pastor E talks about Noah and his family.

To begin and initiate God’s into  our home, Pastor E shared 5 E’s –

• EXALT God in your home
• EXAMPLE Christlikeness in your home
• ENCOURAGE Faithfulness in your home
• EDUCATE Your children in God’s ways in your home
• ESTABLISH Godly values in your home

When God’s presence is welcomed and encouraged a home is truly blessed!

The other night, I had a dream that my family and I was in establishment that looks like an apartment hotel  we are carrying bags and we are looking for a family room, I am climbing a stairs looking at the doors of the rooms while mentioning the floor. Then my parents and sister went inside one room and says it was the room we are looking for, but I am not satisfied and continuously looking. I went to the room my family went in and it was quite small with one bed so I told them it was not the room we reserved, and while going out the room two doors open from both sides, a woman and a man came out from the two different door it looks like they were both going to a shared bathroom.

[Photo courtesy of reverent/pixabay.com]

Anyway, I lead my family to the room I have found down below, this room was a little bigger with two beds then I don’t know else what happened but I found ourselves in a hallway where we met an old man cleaning or fixing something, I asked him if he knew the room we are looking for and then he pointed a well-groom house across the green backyard and my dream ended.

It was been a long time since I write about my dreams because I tend to forget them, when I wake up we’ve been busy collecting water and when it is time for me to sit and write about the dream I had at night I can’t remember what is it already. Wasn’t updating everyday as well since there isn’t something interesting happening in my life. I just stayed home, sleeping and watching TV.

Anyway, last night, my dream was a bit violent and scary; I saw my cat and white-greenish snake fighting in the field. The snake attacked my cat twice but he managed to move away although I don’t know if he was bitten. The snake was quite long and large; his was body taller than the bushy fields. Scared with what I have seen, I run back home but then I saw a what looks like a dead snake being coiled/tied in a post that made me scared and I already forgot the rest of my dream.

A famous fast food chain “Jollibee” is soon to open in our province mainly in our town, the construction was rush that they’re working until night so they could be opened next month.  They’ve already hired employees, my sister applied but didn’t return on the orientation since there are some papers that are needed the next day and we didn’t let her as well since working in the fast food chain will not boost her resume in the future.

The other day, some staff from Jollibee are visiting house to house offering their opening promo which is you can reserved a ticket costing 650 pesos abou $15 and you’ll get a bucket of fried chicken (6 pieces) and throw pillows which are the fast food chains character, I have heard the chicken has also accompanied with rice and drinks.

I initially didn’t reserved since I don’t think I could pay them the money in a few days time but the second time they’ve returned which is just a few days ago to collect payments from the people who reserved slots I’ve decided to take one reservation, it will be my father and sister’s birthday in June so I guess their opening is in a timely manner so I could treat them on their birthdays, isn’t it?

On the previous Sunday the church celebrated Mother’s Sunday and today Pastor E’s preaching was about Jochebed, wife of Amram and the mother of Aaron, Miriam and Moses. The scriptural verse was from Exodus 2: 1-10, Pastor E talks about Jochebed’s selfless love for her children.

[Image source: huntercastle.com]

Anyway, Pastor E continue his preaching about things to see in Jochebed’s life which are enumerated in four C’s: The first one was her credentials, she was born to the Levites in Egypt and wife of Amran. Jochebed’s credential was her deep relationship with the Lord. She and her husband were evidently very dedicated and religious people. They were willing to defy the order of Pharaoh and keep the commandments of God. Secondly, courage, she was very courageous woman this could be seen in  Verse 2 where Jochebed refused to give in to a godless system that would have cost her the life of her son. Thirdly, Jochebed has confidence to resist the world and was strong woman motivated by a strong faith for God’s will and the last C is charity, she has a wonderful way on how she gave herself to her kids.

Have you ever had to give up and let go of someone or something very precious to you?

When you let go, when you released that person or that thing, did you feel like part of you was breaking; now there was some new emptiness in your life, isn’t it? As what we can read in the bible, Jochebed  give away her 3-month-old baby, not knowing what would happen to him, she placed baby Moses in a papyrus basket and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile…

Yesterday was my late grandfather’s birthday and my aunt 40 days after death, there was a simple service and small gathering at their house which is about 250 meters from us. My third elder aunt asked for solicitation I think the clan will cooked one food to bring. My sister and I attended the service since my father was at work and my mother decided to be the house person, the service didn’t start early since we’ve waited few more people, Pastor E’s wife lead the service since he wasn’t around, he was in another city attending an assembly.

The 40th days after the death of the person is celebrated because it is said that on that day the spirit of the deceased ascends to heaven.

[Photo courtesy of Pixabay/pexels.com]

There are not many visitors, just family and distant relatives who are just in the neighborhood. I have helped washing the dishes while everybody is eating since I am one of the first people who finishes, we brought some leftover food for our parents too since there are plenty, our eldest aunt was the one minding the packed food for everyone who would like them. I have just finished washing the last batch of dishes when our cousin’s daughter told us that are mother was already calling us home, so we thankfully bid good bye to our relatives. Indeed our mother was already waiting in the field, we know our mother so my sister and I just sigh because we are treated like little kids again.

Last Sunday was Mother’s day but it was just this Sunday that the church celebrated Mother’s day, yes it was a week late. Within the service, three young people shared testimonies about their mother’s, their love and sacrifices for them. The church gave token of appreciation for all mothers in the church, they were given a hand fan which is useful this summer season. Pastor E’s scriptural topic is about honoring mothers, treating them with admiration and respect and the scriptural verse was from Ephesians 6: 1-2.

[Photo courtesy of beforeitsnews.com]

Pastor E quote from the bible that mothers are like precious gems and rare stones (Ephesians 6:2). We can honor our mothers by recognizing her work, giving her respect (Proverbs 20:20), valuing them as our mother and considering them highly and spend time with them.

My mother wasn’t perfect like everyone else, we always disagree with each other when we have different views and opinions about things but when something went wrong around me I know that there’s only one person I can cry and talk too and that’s her.