2017 Highlights

Welcome, 2018!

Year after year, the Lord never failed to reveal himself to us in a very special and personal way. He keeps on surprising us every now and then. For this post, I just want to look back on the previous year and how the Lord has been so faithful to our family in causing things to happen for our good.

Blogging - Dot Com

Let me start with this blog. So, it went DotCom last year (more about it here) and although I'm not active in blogging events the past year, I was able to keep it active, by God's grace. This blog is our family's online journal of our different moments and many adventures. 

Every now and then, God open doors for collaboration from different brands which is an added bonus. I always confessed I am not a writer nor a pro at blogging, that is why  I always feel blessed every time I am being contacted to work on a certain brand. Though I cannot go on blogging events like I used to, I will content myself for now on doing reviews and sponsored posts at home because I I don't want to compromise my time with the kids.

Full-Time Mom

It was March of 2017 when I rendered my last day after working at home for 8 months. It wasn't easy being a single income household but hey, God sustained us up to date! There were times when I will ask my husband if he needs me to look for work to help with our finances, but I'm glad he didn't let me and just trust the Lord to provide for us.

This decision helped us to adjust our lifestyle and live within our means. We learned to depend on the Lord more when it comes to our daily needs, living one day at a time and resting on God's promise of provision. We learned to surrender our house to the Lord where the biggest chunk of hubby's salary is going. There were instances we were behind our payment, but God never failed to make a way. We also learned to prioritize "needs" over "wants". We just kept on reminding ourselves that we are to invest in things with eternal value.

Family Bonding at Palaya Natural Farm

I am happy that I can manage our home, I am busy inside our home and not outside of it. My Mondays thru Fridays are for husband and the kids, weekends are for church ministries. I need to guard my time because I can easily be caught up in the busy sweep of life.

Now that I am fulltime at home, I appreciate my husband all the more. His hard work in providing for the family and for doing errands at home. He loves making DIYs and in fact, he is currently working on our bookshelf.

Moreover, it is also a blessing to be with my kids to teach them and minister to them. I want to be available when they need me. when they are afraid or when they struggle. I love the fact that they can talk to me about anything, their feelings or their concerns. My son said he gets "Mom Sick" when I am not around.

Transfer to Cavite

We transferred to Cavite during the Holy Week to take advantage of Dadieh's off. We prayed for God to make the move smooth and easy - and it was, praise God! We didn't spend a lot during the transfer and although it was difficult to adjust at first, God comforted us in this new milestone.

We are thankful because we are enjoying the comfort of the house God has given us. This is way bigger than where we used to live. Notwithstanding the lack of material things, we learned to make use of what we have and what we can afford.

House Dedication

Our transfer to Cavite prevented me from attending different blog events since the frequent venues for events were no longer accessible to me. But I know God wants me to focus first on why I quit my work, that is to be with my kids. I realized, If I will be out of the house most of the time, it will defeat the purpose of me leaving work. It will limit my precious time with the kids and it will not make any difference to working.

Small Group Members

It was also this year when our first small group member was endorsed to us, they were products of an annual Marriage Enrichment Retreat.

As of writing, God entrusted us with 3 couples. We meet every Sunday for fellowship and bible study and we are so blessed to have them as our spiritual family. They are our prayer partners and encouragers. It is just amazing how God brought us together. We couldn't wait to see what God has in store for each of them.

La Mesa Eco Park

My Husband also ministered a Baby Dedication for the first time from our small group last December.

Independent Homeschooling 

We went indie homeschooling because we couldn't afford to pay the tuition fee of our previous Homeschool Provider. Although we prayed for God's provision, we prepared our hearts that if He will not provide, then we will go this route.

If you were to ask me, (if budget permits) I would prefer to be enrolled for peace of mind when it comes to record keeping. Sometimes, it is not easy being indie especially if you previously belonged to a Coop. Due to exclusivity, you are no longer allowed to join their activities. Thus, you need to find a different coop where you can participate. But I'd rather dwell on the positive things indie homeschooling brought to us: you are free to choose your curriculum and method, no need to pay for tuition fee (which allows you to invest on good books), no portfolio reviews, and no busy work.

Flower Press

We know this path is against the tide, but we will go where the Lord is leading us. We entrust the future of our homeschooling to the One who calls us and enables us to perform this very important task in the lives of our kids.

Opportunities to Serve

We are called to join in God's activity for Him to accomplish His goal through us. The Lord opened opportunities for us to serve others in a different capacity this year. We've been involved in different retreats and ministry events such as Unconditional Marriage Retreat, Radical Wives Retreat, Chosen - A Mother's Retreat, Life to the Max and CCF Mass Wedding.

It was a heartwarming experience to hear testimonies of a transformed life through these events. We are so privileged to witness and see it with our very own eyes. Truly, our labor in the Lord is not in vain.

We are greatly blessed to be with people who are very passionate in sharing Jesus to others and who untiringly dedicate their time, talent and treasure in the works of the Lord.

Glorious Hope Recovery Program

We were able to finish the GH Recovery Program and we were so honored by the opportunity to share God's story in our lives. To be His stewards in carrying the message of hope is one of the greatest callings.

GH Thanksgiving

We shared our life before and after our encounter with Christ and how the program helped us gained valuable lessons for God's glory. We made a lot of mistakes in the past and faced painful experiences which brought us to God through Jesus Christ. It is not a good testimony but we hoped it brought comfort to others who are also struggling.

Piano and Piano Lesson 

One of my son's prayer request was a piano. Thankfully, God allowed us to buy one at Lazada from the money he got during Christmas and from his earnings.

Answered Prayer!

We also prayed for provision for a piano lesson. Fortunately, we discovered Hoffman Academy which offers a free class. A dear friend was used by God so we can have the premium subscription. I don't monitor his piano lessons because I saw his dedication so I allowed him to do it on his own. We were amazed how he greatly improved. He is a great student and a quick learner.

Now we are praying for opportunities for him to showcase his skills and that he will be able to use it in the future for God's glory.

So there you go, thank you for going through with me as I looked back on my 2017 highlights.

You can also read my 2016 Highlights here.