Noche buena

We often celebrate Noche Buena in the Phil. My father would usually wake us up in the middle of the night around 11:30pm on the 24th of Dec. just to eat a great food prepared for us or to make a great sound or see the beauty of skies. Sometimes though we play hide and seek and other games just for fun.

However, here in Thailand, it's really very different. We tried to enjoy but it's a natural for all Thais. School have classes, and offices are open.

Before christmas, our kids were asking especially our teenager some questions about noche buena and what we're going to do on that day - we shared to him our experiences in the past yet, it's really different on what they experienced now. But we always tell them about the birth of Jesus and how Jesus came and save mankind.

On that day, around 7pm wwe went out to eat our dinner and pass by a Filipino fellowship just to feel the spirit of Christmas! We had some fun with them too, but not for kids, only for adults. So our kids didn't enjoy that much!

Then at 11:30pm we ate our little noche buena and before we slept, we read the Holy Bible and have a short meditation then we prayed and thank God for Jesus.
Thank you God for your love!

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Wedding Anniversary

Many people today even before wanted their weddings to fall on the month of December. Most of them thought that this is the month of blessings and gathering of friends and families together. And so are we, today is our 15th year wedding anniversary. Quite old huh! God has blessed us tremendously in providing everything we desire. It is true that if we follow Him He will provide.

I could never imagine those days fifteen years ago when I stepped on the altar and said the two-great and powerful words: I DO !!!

Anyway, that was 15 years ago, and it's still fresh on my mind what had happened during those times.

How about you? How many years you did that thing? Or when are you going to step on the altar and release those two-words? Hehehe! Anyway, that's life, enjoy it to the fullest!

By the way, speaking of weddings you can check at weddingchannel.com, or a wedding planning site, you can see a lot about weddings or those who are planning, try to check and you'll see amazing dresses and a lot more. Enjoy........

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A Celebration

Yesterday we attended a christmas celebration in one of the schools here in Hatyai. It was so amazing. When we first came, our boys were quite shy of going around and looking for different stalls and games. We could see parents and students coming back and forth making themselves busy. Then after awhile, our friend came and introduced the boys to different games with amazing taste of food. Then they started to roam around with their Papa and started enjoying some games.

We went back home and rested for an hour and went back to the school and spend the whole night there until 10pm. The boys really enjoyed that night and wished to come back next year, huh!

Only this time that the boys enjoyed christmas since we came. Big prizes were at stake by just buying a ticket worth 10 baht. Many went home with big prizes like refrigerator, computer, washing machine, bikes, and other stuff. It's really fun!

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A Season of Giving

Christmas is fast approaching, a time of sharing, giving gifts and having parties. Family members are having more fun with other extended families for one purpose, to celebrate.

For some, it is a great celebration for a big reunion. People are excited to meet friends and relatives. However, not everybody are enjoying, others felt unwanted, staying in the streets or corners without someone or a family to take care, for them it is a time of sadness. They are the less fortunate and needy.

But our Great Father loves them so much! He takes care of them, loves them and use people to help them. It's a privilege on our part to be used by Him to bless these less fortunate.

May this season be a time of giving and sharing to all of us knowing that we are blessed than others.

A blessed christmas to all!!!

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Our Party

Last Saturday, 14th of Dec. was our christmas party with other friends here in Hatyai. It was an enjoyable night for all of us, though we were only few but we enjoyed a lot.

A friend gave a message through doing an advent, it's quite a different way of celebrating christmas. Most of us experienced it for the first time, it's simple yet the true meaning of christmas was there.

We had also a kind of exchange gift that is different from what we expected. If you're watching us you will really enjoy. That was also a different kind of exchanging gifts. It's nice to have friends who knew other kinds of gift giving or exchanging gifts. It's fun...

After which, we had played a lot because my sweetie introduced different kinds of games for everyone to enjoy. We had really a lot of fun.

We ended around 11 pm. I could say that all of us gave the best laugh to the fullest without any reservation.

That was a great and enjoyable occasion for all of us present. Merry Christmas to all!

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Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye to people close to you is hurting. It gives sorrow to our hearts, with uncomfortable feelings at times. That happens to us mid of this week, when our friends left. We part ways, and often times our teenager will easily be affected by this.

Since we started going to different place, our teenager had this feeling. He would cry a lot thinking that his close friends will be gone out of his sight. And a lot of times we are hurt seeing him struggling emotionally. But as what others said, life must go on and we need to keep going!

I was reminded of the story in the Bible when Jesus was about to go back to heaven and left his disciples. Maybe they had also uncomfortable feelings, feelings of grief and loss of the one dear to their hearts. However, Jesus told them not to worry because He will sending a comforter to be with them. It's a great feeling...the disciples may not be lonely all the time. And us too, when we believe in Jesus as Savior of our lives, He will take care of us, will give us abundant life and a life everlasting. Hope you have that life too. Believe and trust in Jesus!

Anyway, that's our life here on earth, there will be ups and downs, feeling of anxiety and sorrows. There will also be joys and happiness and all of these are part of life to help us grow emotionally and we just need to accept it and enjoy life to the fullest!

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Giving Joy to Others

Christmas is always an awaited season for everyone especially for the less fortunate and the children. It is a time of giving and receiving gifts as well. But for us, this is always a season of giving... our lives, our gifts, our time and our love for mankind.

This is a special day for children of all ages especially in the community where we used to visit and teach the English language. It's a great day for them because we had a special presentation with special gifts for all of them. Today, we went to 2 different schools about an hour to travel from our place. We let them sing songs, and play games. Then the dance presentation of the team with the Batman and Robin costumes. All of the students really enjoy.

It's really a joy seeing them enjoying with gladness in their hearts, giving them a moment of happiness that will stay in their hearts and memories that would linger... till they grow old!

Hope our joy in this world is to give others a smile in their faces especially this great season! A time of giving, and a time of hope for the hopeless and the needy!
Have a great day !!!

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Community Work

Doing community work is somewhat tiring but encouraging. This is what we did today. We traveled for 1hour and a half from our city. We went to a far community, gathered children and taught them how to sing songs, and speak English as well.

Some of our friends came with us, there were 11 of us and we found many children near the seashore. There you could see simple people with a big heart for their family and work hard in order to survive for a day. They are the people of the sea, preparing their nets to cast and catch fish.

We gathered the children, at first, many of them were shy but when we started to give something to eat, they started to come. After the singing, some of the team facilitated a couple of games for children to enjoy.

The last part was so interesting for the mothers because we also prepared some clothes for all ages to take home. Seeing them taking one toy and clothes at a time make our hearts glad and there's a feeling of fulfillment inside. It's nice to see them enjoying, especially the mothers...

Helping people in the village is something we always treasure and seeing them grow and learn more... These children are really needy and always longing for people to help! Blessings from above be upon them...

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Border Trip

Today marks our first month here in Hatyai since we came back. Indeed, it's an unforgettable day for us as a family. We woke up early morning to go for our border run hoping that there will be no "Traffic Jam." But it was different from what we expected.

Another thing is, my sweetie will be driving a car for the first time with our friend going with us. We prayed before going and asked the Lord for His protection. Can you imagine? Since we left until we reach the border, my hands was so cold. I told my husby and he was laughing at me. Huh!

When we're about to reach the other border, there were a lot of people falling in line and waiting for their time to see the officer, it was our first time to see a lot of people in that border! Even the motorcycle driver was shocked seeing all these people. We're almost done, then we checked our passport and we're shocked again, when we saw our next border run. They only gave us 15 days for the first time again instead of 1 month. Yew! It's really unforgettable, right?

Anyway, it was already gone, tomorrow is another day! Have a nice day...

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Homeschooling

Homeschooling is an amazing thing that happened to some kids anywhere. A school that spend more time at home with the supervision of parents. Others would say that it's good but not for some especially if the parents had a hard time doing it.

For us here in another country, we have no choice! International Schools are quite expensive. So we choose to get the homeschooling program for our amazing sons because it came from our own beloved country and we have undergone a training before our kids started the program.

Today marks the first day of homeschool for our kids. AJ, the youngest who's 5 yrs. old, was so excited when their materials came last Thursday and of course excited to start right away! Huh!Em2, the eldest who's 13, wasn't excited at all because for him homeschooling is boring and no classmates around only the mother. Maybe he's bored of looking at his mom always...

Anyway, they had started and everything was fine, except that they started late 'coz they love to sleep due to heavy rain since last night until early morning. AJ loved to learn but I was amazed when AJ was crying and was telling me "I don't want to write anymore, then I knew when I checked the clock that it was already 1 pm. So I told them to rest for a while so that I can prepare their lunch.

Then we resume at 2 pm, AJ had finished his activity first before Em2, of course, Em2 is learning more this time and more time to spend. Another day for tomorrow, I'm excited!!!

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