Feature

Consoling the heart of Jesus

Good Friday meditation drawing  When Saint Therese was a little girl she had a prayer card with a painting of Jesus imprisoned in his cell looking at a single flower. This single flower was the source of his consolation. Saint Therese from those moments wished to be that flower providing comfort to our Lord throughout her life.

10 Things to be Grateful for

I often forget to list down my blessings in my journal.  I often thank God in my prayer time but it is better to write them down so as not to let these moments be forgotten!  A nice idea would be to have a blessing jar with all the different things one is to be grateful about written down on pieces of paper.  Then, you can have an instant pick-me-up whenever you pick one to read!

Here are my 10 blessings for today:

1. God's love and goodness expressed in answered prayers - in particular, the one where I asked Him for a husband that every time I would look at, I would feel His love for me.  After 3 years of marriage, this still rings true.

2. Help for High School
Today a total stranger called up telling me that their company is hoping to partner with our non-profit organization to help the children with their English.  Our group called He Cares Mission provides educational support, health services, values formation, housing, family counseling for the children from informal urban settler communities.  Wow, she was so happy to connect and was so grateful.  WE are so grateful to hear from her and her plans!

3.  SRA Materials
Another blessing connected to He Cares Mission is that a community of Christians called Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon (Tagalog for "The Joy of the Lord") donated SRA reading materials for the language proficiency of our students!  We still need to prepare for that but that is so exciting for the hundreds of students we are encouraging to stay in school.  For more information on He Cares Mission, visit VolunTutors and the He Cares website.

4. Job-matching Project
I recently got approval to include more recipients for a Job-matching service run purely by volunteers.  This is a way for those who have been having a hard time in society - the homeless, uneducated and unskilled to have a brighter chance to start off in life.  We are trying to provide work for those who wander the streets of Metro Manila, those who live under a bridge or in a cemetery and in informal settler communities.  See more at Mang Urot

5.  Nihonggo
On my 3rd year in Japan, I am starting to communicate with the locals better.  My Japanese skills are fast improving.  I have formed an English club for my Japanese teachers to practice their English.  Some of them have volunteered for the Olympics so they need to be fluent come July.

6.  The Olympics
I was invited to teach English to the Olympic volunteers. They are so cool.  They have been prepping since last year so they can answer all the visitors' questions.  They are so eager to help foreigners!  I am so excited to spend more time with them!

7.  A New Penpal
I was given a chance to help another inmate in a women's jail here.  I have been a part of a prison outreach that helps English speakers.  Since some of the inmates do not speak Japanese, they tend to get lonely and need emotional support.  So I have been writing someone for the past few years.  I will be getting in contact with another new inmate soon! So exciting!

8. Weather-wise
Spring is certainly in the air!  I am still a slug when it comes to waking up but the slow rays of the sun brightening up our room helps a lot. 

9. Checks
I am amazed at God's fatherly care in helping us out with our family investment.  We got 1 year to pay without interest without even asking for this!  

10. The ink dropper
In my native country one could buy a syringe at the drugstore. Little did I know that in Japan it is not available. I needed one to use in my craft diy projects so I was thinking mental somersaults in how to get it through the airport.  Then I stumble upon one in my junk drawer.  Just like that at the right time.  Thank You Lord!

Ten is just too few for the multitude of blessings God gives us every minute of every day!  I want to keep this habit of writing them down.  

Once again, thank You Lord!  

In gratitude for the many graces I have received, I am giving away a free font I made. You know how all things handmade (imperfect) is all the rage?  Well this is definitely flashed.  It’s called the Retrofit.  To get to visit this page.




Comments

  1. Thanks for linking up with the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop! My son served a 2-year church mission in Japan, and my husband and I traveled to Japan to pick him up when his mission was over. I loved seeing sites, and meeting people there. At one place we visited, schoolchildren were practicing their English on any tourist they could find. It was so sweet to talk with them. How exciting that you can help the Olympic volunteers with their English skills!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the chance to link in too Kristi! How wonderful that your son was able to serve here. There is certainly a good harvest for souls here! How cute to hear about the children learning English! I have a friend who comes up to strangers as much as possible to practice her English! I love Japan! Thank you for your visit!

      Delete
  2. Thank you for joining us and so many gratefuls.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lisa! Nice to meet you! Thanks too for the chance to join!

      Delete
  3. What a wonderful list! Being able to recognize all the ways one's prayers are answered and giving thanks is a blessing in itself.
    Way back in the mid '50's I had a pen pal who lived in Japan. He sent postcards with photos of some of the beautiful gardens and told me about the school he attended.He lived in Kyoto.
    I hope you will link up to TToT again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Pat! I thought you were my husband haha cause his e-mail is Pat B too! Nice to hear about your penpal. I never thought about how they have so many beautiful gardens here before I came to live here. We just visited Fuchu Kyodo yesterday with one of the best and plentiful plum trees I have ever seen in Tokyo! So very blessed! Thanks and I do hope to join the blog hop again in the future!

      Delete
  4. How exciting that you get to teach English to Olympic volunteers! Your list was delightful, and I'm so pleased you joined us at the Ten Things of Thankful! I hope you will return!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Dyanne I am excited too! Thanks for dropping by and yes I hope I can join again soon!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thank you for your comment! I hope you enjoy your time browsing this page. 🥰

posts you might like

Show more