The Dreamers

Mission Night at Bethel

2008-09-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

Calvary Chapel-San Mateo

2008-09-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

baker..

2008-09-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

Stanford University

2008-09-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hillsong United Concert!!!

2008-09-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

happy day

2008-08-31T15:59:00.000-07:00

At Molina's Residence

2008-08-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Ate Junice

2008-08-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

Our Official Painting Day

2008-08-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

Lost in San Francisco

2008-08-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

Sunset Youth Service

2008-08-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Arlene!

2008-08-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

Filipino-American United Church of Christ

2008-08-17T14:59:00.000-07:00

Musiq and Family

2008-08-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

Crossroads Youth Night

2008-08-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hello! We're alive!

2008-08-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay with our updates...a lot has happened and we could not keep up ourselves! But in all things, we give thanks to God who continues to show us His goodness and everlasting love. Thank you, Jesus!

A Sunday in Crossroads Christian Center

2008-08-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Princess Chesca!!!

2008-07-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

As you know, Chesca held her birthday party on Sunday, July 27th. But on her actual 6th birthday which is Tuesday, July 29th, we had our simple but meaningful birthday celebration of our little girl. It was a wonderful day and a very memorable one, too! Watch the video and you'll see how she felt. We love our "little sister." She's adorable.

Day 34 - A typical day

2008-07-21T17:16:00.001-07:00

Day 33 - A Sunday with The Alvendias

2008-07-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

We were invited by the Alvendia family (Bro. Rey, Sis. Grace, Marlon, Cherry, Glen) to the Community Assembly of God (CAG) church in San Francisco for worship. The pastor's name is Pastor Mary Stewart. Observation: the Church still sings pretty old songs--and we mean old (Alive forevermore....). It's a simple service.

At lunch, they invited us to HOKKAIDO, a Japanese buffet restaurant in Bridepoint Parkway, San Mateo, near Foster City. Tell you what, it's a lot "decent" ambience-wise (for as lack of better term, excuse me) than Beijing Buffet, but the latter has so much more to offer (and the food is great too). Don't get me wrong; the food is excellent--especially the Japanese delicacies. I had a blast! (Ehem, this is Len talking--hear the bias). Masarap!--That's from Jovell.

Right after that sumptuous meal, we went back to CAG for the evening service. Hear this: Bro. Mark and Kuya Arnel opened the church door. Right after that, the alarm went on! Somebody left the door opened and the alarm rang wen they walked in. We had no clue how to shut it off! The police car drove by twice and we really were expecting some police visits. But they did not stop in our location so we just waited for some other church people to come and do something about it. Apparently, it shut off by itself before the control guy set foot in the church.

It was a great time of fellowship with the Alvendias. Cherry let us ride her new car--it's very nice. Glen, the youngest, was driving. Marlon and the parents ride another car. We left the Taurus at the church parking lot. They are awesome people.

Another blessed Sunday for all of us.

Day 32 - FUN at its Best!

2008-07-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

Today is the day! Yup, this is Connie's day!

But before the big night, the girls (Len, Jovell, Cheska) went out for a walk in the morning. We then dropped by Sonia's and Melanie's at 34th Ave before heading to the big place--Connie's.

The rest of the gang were there plus some more new casts. Of course, our hosts, Connie and Margaret, Bro. Herb, Jorge, Jen & Jeff, Stan, Marcos. We were able to share the vision with the group after a wonderful dinner. Connie had excellent menu; Margaret's rice was so good; Bro. Herb's steak is always the best.

We get to see Blackie too. He's now 14 1/2 years old!

Bro. Herb has blessed us more than we could imagine. He let us use his car, the Ford Taurus, for FREE for the entire period we'll be here. Amen!

Day 31 - THE SURGERY

2008-07-18T23:32:00.000-07:00

As you know, Bro. Mark is scheduled for a surgery on his left shoulder today. We learned that a shoulder has four tendons; Bro. Mark, however, managed to have three of his tendons to be completely torn and was adviced to have a surgery. We went to Kaiser Permanente at around 12 noon. The surgery started at 2pm and lasted for three hours. We were released around 7pm.

This is also the first time for Kuya Arnel to be driving us. He'll practically be the pilot until Bro. Mark is able to steer the wheel again. Thank God for an international license! (Sis. Nora's been interceding all the time! --Wala namang takutan! Haha.)

Ate Junice & Kuya Norman bought us POPEYES fried chicken which we truly enjoyed. After dinner, we watched, "Behind the Mask." Now, everybody's saying, "I want my desk!"

Praise the Lord that Bro. Mark looks the same old him only with an accent of sling. He sure is a tough guy. God is our Healer.

DAY 19 – Sun, July 06

2008-07-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

Worship Service at Crossroads Christian Church
Message: “Are You Really Happy?”
Attend Prayer Meeting at The Gateway (Calvary Church) at Benicia
We met Rich, Bro. Mark’s friend who invited us there.

DAY 18 – Sat, July 05

2008-07-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

Editing and Printing of Message for Crossroads Christian Church
Jovell’s Tour of downtown San Francisco
Lombard St. (Crooked St.), Coit Tower, China Town, City Hall
Watch “END OF THE SPEAR” – From a true story of 5 missionaries in Ecuador who were trying to reach the Waodani, a tribe of fierce warriors completely isolated from civilization. Wow! Powerful!

DAY 17 – Fri, July 04 (Holiday – Freedom Day Celebration)

2008-07-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

4th of July Picnic with Bethel’s Filipino Fellowship at John McLaren Park in San Francisco
Picnic at Ate Junice & Kuya Norman’s backyard
Bro.Mark & me did the grilling…hehe!

DAY 16 – Thurs, July 03

2008-07-03T21:48:00.000-07:00

Went to Deppy in Burlingame, hang out at the Coffee Shop
Girls Day Out with Deppy – shopping at Traders Joe
Mark and me went to BEST BUY & Office DepotWe bought 3 PHILIPS mp3 Player & HP Photosmart digicam

DAY 15 – Wed, July 02

2008-07-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

Funeral of Bro. Mark’s grandmother, Nana (98 year old), at Windsor California. Dadaanan ni Bro. Mark una ang mother ni Sis. Nora sa Richmond then and mother nya sa Rohnert Park.

Free Day para sa amin nila Arlene & Jovell….yehey! :-D
(Tuesday night pa lang nun sinulat ko ‘to. J)

DAY 14 – Tues, July 01

2008-07-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

What could be much better to start the day than to go to a Bible Study. Yup!….7AM we went to a B.S. of Bro. Mark’s friend, Larry just near where we live here in Daly City. It’s a B.S. for old people (age 50 above kaya alanganin talaga ako dun - wahehe). There were 5 of us (me, Mark, Larry, Bill, and the owner) The owner of the house is an 81 year old piano teacher and he had lost most of his sight (partly blind). Nasa Ecclesiastes chapter 7 na sila and after reading the Scriptures Larry threw in some questions and we had a good discussion. Mark also shared about why we’re here and why we’re staying for a longer period.

Ang maganda nito bago mag-closing prayer, tumayo yung owner ng house (kalimutan ko kasi name eh) at nag-excuse sandali tapos pagbalik may binigay na $100 kay Mark. Haha!…JACKPOT!…I mean BLESSING!…kulang na lang ng 4 zero and $1,000,000 na! Yes!!!

Well…well…well! This is also my “Secretary Day”! We answered some emails and finished the Newsletter para madala kay Cathy. Woowhewh…edit…print…read…edit…print…read….edit…print…read ….edit…print…read….edit…print…read…and finally we have a good copy to print and give to Cathy.

This is also Bro.Mark’s appointment day with his surgeon to find out the result of his MRI. Ayun naka-sked sya ng surgery sa shoulder Tuesday next week.

After we dropped by at Cathy’s house to give the copy of the Newsletter, we head to BORDERS (Bookstore-Music-Café) for our interview appointment with Joseph Pisani from Bethel Church. He was endorsed by Lauren & Ardiz of Bethel Christian Church so he can write an article for us. Ibinili nya kami ng coffee & tea dun sa Café tapos he started the interview with his Sony recorder. He asked us about the ministry and the Mission’s Center.
…..balik bahay.

[Len’s Account]

DAY 14

Today, we are exactly two weeks from getting off the plane in San Francisco. Mostly domestic work day. [Was asked to cook sinigang—again—for Ate Junice. Bro. Mark said I should start charging…heheh]

We went out to meet Joe Pisani, the guy from Bethel, who interviewed us for the newspaper article. We met at Borders Bookshop & Café next to Stonestown. Joe is a Maltese and half European descent.

Borders is a nice bookshop and a lot of interesting books. I saw a few books by Alexander Dumas (Count of Mone Cristo, Man in the Iron Mask, etc). Wonderful!

DAY 13 – Mon, June 30

2008-06-30T21:41:00.000-07:00

Nag-send kami ng Prayer Update
Nag-burn ako ng mga videos (copy DVD) na galing kay Sonia (8 yun kaya lang may 2 pa). Limitado kasi dun sa na-download ko na burner program. Yung isa allowed lang mag-copy ng 6 DVD. Yung iba naman mag-copy pero di naman mapanuod saying land DVD discs. Hintay ko na lang yung Roxio installer nila Ate Junice para sigurado.

[Len’s Account]

DAY 13

We didn’t get up until 8:15am. Nothing [official] is on the agenda today. I cleaned the bathroom. The viands I prepared today are sinigang and two kinds of paksiw—milkfish and tilapia. The sinigang was (modesty aside) a blockbuster, and I quote Bro. Mark, “Very Good!” The verdict was humbling. Ate Junice wanted me to cook the same recipe on Cheska’s birthday. I SHOULD do well.

I had a good nap after lunch. Then, as promised, we went out to take Cheska to her school—John F. Kennedy. It’s nearby. We then took a drive to San Bruno Mountains. We had a great view of San Francisco from the top. It’s a fun-relaxing day for all of us.

Tomorrow night, we’ll be interviewed for a newspaper at Bethel. Before we went to bed, we prepared Cheska’s birthday loot bags. Now, I need to sign off.

DAY 12 – Sun, June 29

2008-06-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

Worship Service at Northgate Christian Fellowship in Benicia.
It’s about an hour drive from Daly City. We went early around 7.30AM
Services was at 9.30 & 11 AM.

The worship was good led by Brian Logue. Pastor Ken Jensen delivered the message and it’s part of message series called “Can You Hear Me Now? – Learning How To Pray”. We were at Week-5-Unlimited Long Distance:
HOW YOU CAN PRAY FOR GOD’S WORK
AROUND THE WORLD
a. Pray for New Opportunities
b. Pray for Clear, Communicated Message
c. Pray for Wisdom & Integrity (authenticity)

Part si Bro.Mark ng message. He was interviewed by Pastor Ken how their prayers were answered and how they were led by the Lord to go the Philippines as a missionary. Nagkaroon din ng opportunity para mai-share ni Bro. Mark about the needs in the Philippines and the White Harvest Mission’s Center so the church can pray for God’s work in “unlimited long distance”. We had a good response from the congregation and before each service ends we would go the table at the back and entertain the inquiries of the people. We pray that many contacts and open doors will be established. Halleluiah!!!

Pagkatapos po ng service sa Northgate pumunta kami sa house ng friend ni Bro. Mark – a couple named John & Becky. They have a really nice home and a nice black Labrador dog named “Jessie”. We went to their son’s (Michael) baseball game. It was a District level match and guess what?….they WON! Hurray!!!! Alright!!!

At siyempre habang nanonood….(masaya na naman J) we were eating this big 6” sandwich (mine is turkey, others salami & beef) and we had soda and chips. Meron yata 4 na baseball field dun…Wow!…and lawak ng lugar. Masaya na ko na nanonood at kumakain…hehe….I’m not into baseball actually. J

Tapos bumalik na kami sa house nila John & Becky and we had chocolate cake….sarap! sarap! Tapos coffee & tea….and we played with “Jessie”. We had good conversations and sharings with the family – John, Becky, & Michael.

Tapos po…uwian na ulit…balik na ulit ng Daly City.

[Len’s Account]

DAY 12
We drove to Benicia at 7:20amand got there at 8:15am. We’re scheduled to attend both services of Northgate Christian fellowship: one at 9:30; another at 11am. We’ve seen the worship team’s practice and the song leader, Brian Logue, kept saying, “Are you happy? Any questions, comments, suggestions?” which was ‘hilarious.’ Before we left, he gave each of us a copy of his album.

Pastor Ken interviewed Bro. Mark to elaborate on the vision. It was a blissful and gracious venue he gave us. He said that Northgate will have a special offering, “Thanksgiving Offering” that will specifically go to White Harvest. The response of the brethren was overwhelming especially at the booth where we’re able to share more about the ministry.

We went straight from the church to John and Becky’s house in Benicia and had lunch while watching their son, Michael, play baseball for the Benicia District. It was awesome out there in the field! I had a great time. They have a cute dog (Lab) named Jessie and I love that Lab!

At home was pizza night and prayer night.

DAY 11 – Sat, June 28

2008-06-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

Editing of “People Need the Lord” video
Went to Northgate to give the video of WHMC
Arlene & Jovell went to Francesca’s VBS at Crossroads
Went to Cris & Vicki Vinculado’s house, San Francisco, vision-sharing

*We tried to call Sis. Clarita. The 2nd attempt, her niece answered andsaid that she’s in San Francisco and will come home the next day.

--------------------------------------------------------------
xTRA…xTRA
*We’re gaining pounds!!! (totoo kaya yun?)
*back to normal na weather sa Daly City (malamit ang simoy ng hangin…hehe)
*We miss our friends and families….hayyyy! :-)
*Masarap mag-Icre Cream….Cool!
* “Who’s turn for the “SILENCE ALARM”?”
-------------------------------------------------------------------

DAY 10 – Friday, June 27

2008-06-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

Laundry for the girls
Vision sharing, Filipino Fellowship of Bethel Church, Daly City
Coordinated by Bro. Robert

[Len’s Account]

DAY 10
We worked on our laundry in the morning.

We went to the all-Filipino fellowship from Bethel Church. The hosts were Ate Judy and Bro. Ron. It was an evening of food and fellowship but moreso a time of God’s work.

The response to the presentation is simply powerful. We thank God for touching the heart of our kababayans (fellowmen) for this project. This is the first time we presented the vision since we got here.

Kuya Arnel and I worked the whole day before this night preparing for the videos and captions. It turned out good. Amen!

DAY 9 – Thurs, June 26

2008-06-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

Extended sleep, kelangan mag-rest from the pagod sa conference & travel.

[Len’s Account]

DAY 9
Lunch with the Northrops.
It was past 11am when we came and PC is not even ready for lunch. Am I excited to see them again?! I hugged and kissed Grandma and gave her our gift. She is as lovely as ever. PC gave me a warm hug. I’m glad to see him, too.

Grandma toured us around the house and related stories behind the pictures on the wall. She even showed us her many collections and her stamps too. I showed the group mine and Apple’s rooms. Bro. Mark and PC were left in the kitchen.

At lunch I sat on my spot. (PC asked me prior when I cut my hair.) We had tilapia seasoned like the steelhead trout (it’s not available), broccoli, Rice-A-Ronnie. It was a good time of fellowship. PC promised it won’t be the last. We’ll be at their church on the second Sunday of July. He makes fun of himself but got two strikes from me calling him “eagle beak” and ‘obviously’ mentally-challenged. Haha!

DAY 8 – Wed, June 25 [3rd day, Dreamit08]

2008-06-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

The first session speaker was Matthew Kelly (author of Dream Manager). He talked about “dreaming the dreams” and our ability to dream.
- “The way you see the world determines the way you live.”
- Develop intimate understanding of the human person
- 3 Questions to ask:
1) What is it that you want?
2) What does God want?
3) What do we need to have more energy?
Energy management vs. Time Management
- What is/are your dreams? WRITE THEM DOWN!

After Matthew Kelly, there was another panel discussion led by Doug Reid (Assoc. Pastor of Capital) and Pastor Rick Cole. They shared about how their church journeyed from stagnant church to a vibrant church. It’s not easy. It’s a process. It takes hard work. But it’s worth it.

After that….we met Kirk Ellis (not Kird, hehe…nagkamali kasi ako minsan dun sa email eh). He was the one who returned Bro. Mark’s phone message and email and did the registration for us so we could attend the conference. He’s a cool, calm, and great guy. He plays the keyboard for and back-up vocal for Doug Reid Band. Kirk even took us to the Activity Area where we’re treated for a FREE Lunch (masaya na naman…busog na naman! – ribs, chicken, bread, drinks….Oooohhhhlala!)

Tapos nun break ulit at bago ang next session, me and Bro.Mark drove to Kaiser Hospital to pick-up his medicine at the hospital’s pharmacy – medyo nag-adventure nga lang kami ng konti kasi hinanap pa naming yung Kaiser)

We got back and a little bit late for our breakout session. We went to “Knowing God’s Love Through Discipleship”by Jake Larson – Lead Pastor at Arcade Church in Sacramento and co-founder of Fireproof Ministries. It was good.

Ang maganda nito si Ate Nora, Arlene, & Jovell, attended the Worship Lab and Martin Smith (vocalist of Delirious) handled the session. Wow! Whewh! Grabeeee! They had a time of their life chatting with him and of course, “CLICK-time” – Smile! Cheeze! Picture-picture!!!

Free time again….so we looked for a part nearby. Meron bayad sa unang pinuntahan naming so hanap ng iba kaya lang we’re lost so we ended up having a picnic at Capital’s parking lot and we had nice chats, snack, and “kodakan”.

….Up next??? We’re pumped up and XXXcited! Ahehe! The session started with short worship by Delirious.

Then after that, the last speaker was Ed Young, Jr. (pastor of Fellowship Church in Texas) He taught about “The Table.”
- Jesus is the Bread of Life
- Present the Word in unique and creative ways
- 3 things:
1) A pastor is a franchise player – it takes a lot of money, “super-SIZE” cash to run the church
2) Preaching will wear you out.
Not really! 70% preacing, 30% delegating, plan around a theme
3) People will leave your church
Ed Young was good, insightful, and funny! What a pastor! What a leader!
Oh? I learned another thing from him….H.N.L.
….a wHole ‘Nother Level

And now….here we go! Worship by Delirious!!!!
“I’m gonna be a HISTORYMAKER in this land
I’m gonnd be a speaker of truth to all mankind”

…What a great and awesome Xperience!!! :-D

…Umuwi din kami after the conference….a 2-hour drive from Sacramento to our house in Daly City. We arrived past 11PM. (antok na, ehehe!)

[Len’s Account]

DAY 8
Dream It Conference
Yesterday was good. Today is Awesome!
The speaker, Ed Young, Jr., from Texas is the most relevant and animated speaker to see and hear. His message was clear and his illustrations were practical. It was a blessing to listen to him.

Also WE HAD A PICTUREWITH MARTIN SMITH!!!! Yup, he is DELIRIOUS! Yahoo! And also with a nice guy named Kirk. He's VERY nice.

Awesome worship led by Delirious closed the session. We went home to Bonnie.

DAY 7 – Tues, June 24 [2nd day, Dreamit08]

2008-06-24T21:10:00.000-07:00

Second day of the conference, first speaker at 9AM was Eric McManus he talked about “Space Travel” based o Acts 17.
1st Space – v.16 – Jews, God-fearing Gentiles (church, Christian circles)
2nd Space – v.17 – public square to all who happened to be there
3rd Space – vv.19-21 – Paul was invited to explain his hope to the unbelievers
…move from 1st space and be present in the 2nd space and be invited in the 3rd space.

After Eric McManus, there was a panel discussion (Q&A). The Senior Pastor of Capital, Rick Cole, facilitated it with Bill Hybels and Eric McManus on the panel. After the discussion, me and Bro.Mark even had the chance to approach Bill Hybels and consult with him about the vision for the White Harvest Missions’s Center.

After lunch we attended our first break out session. I went to “The Gutter” by Craig Ross. He is the founder of XXXchurch.com, a website devoted to telling the truth about porn. The website had over 70 million visitors since it began 5 years ago and almost half a million people using X3watch Accountability Software. (binigyan pa nga nila ng CD nung software lath ng umatend ng conference….Cool!)

After the breakout, we had 3 hours of free time. Session resumes at 6PM. Pumunta muna kami sa house ni Bro. Mark na si Dave & Sue Batz. Malapit lang sila sa Bayside Church also in Sacramento. What a nice house they have and a BIG backyard….with picnic tables, hammock, and lots of fruit trees – apple, grapes, pomegranate, etc. (Masaya na naman!!! :-D) ….and we had another “Lasagna Dinner”….whewh!…busog na naman. We had a nice conversation with them and Bro. Mark shared to the couple the vision for the Mission’s Center. There were very kind and generous. They opened their home and assured us that we can visit and stay when the need arises. Praise the Lord! What a blessing!

Balik na kami ulit sa conference at Capital.

The session started with worship led by the first musical guest, Israel Houghton and The New Breed – the Worship Team of the largest church in America, Lakewood Church in Texas, pastured by Joel Osteen.
Pastor Rick Cole was the speaker. He talked about “how big is our God” and dreaming BIG dreams. He shared about his dreams for their church and what God is doing in his life and their church. From a church that was stagnant for eight years, they grew 20% and now attendance is reaching 4,000.

Uwian na ulit….

[Len’s Account]

DAY 7
Dream It 08 Conference—Day2
Capital Christian Center, Sacramento, CA

Awesome speakers!
Erwin McManus; Bill Hybells; Rick Cole
Everyone’s been affirming God’s vision to us. Amen!
The Worship: Doug Reid is good; Israel Hope & Newbreed is great!

Had a chance to meet an Americanized Filipina, my age, going to CCC. Her name is Kresten.

Met some Filipinos, too. They know Crossroads; we gave them our email.

Went near Bayside Church to have dinner fellowship with Dave and Sue—awesome, delicious lasagna. The fruit-bearing trees in their huge backyard have prunes—it’s good. This is the first time for me to see trees with fruits of grapes, pomegranates, almond, peach, prunes…umm, what else?

DAY 6 – Mon, June 23 [1st day, Dreamit08]

2008-06-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

Visit to Bro. Mark’s grandmother at Santa Rosa.
Na-meet ulit naming sister ni Bro. Mark, Ate Susan, and we toured Jovell sa backyard nung house and showed all these flowers and apple trees and etc. Siyempre!….picture! picture! Na-meet din naming yung cutie dog ni Ate Susan na si MONTY …Awh, awh, awh!

Also, we went to Ate Susan, because Bro. Mark’s grandmother, Nana, had an accident. She fell on the bathroom and hurt her hip and pelvic bone. (That incident really shocked her system and after 5 days she died. Pupunta nga kami sa funeral sa Wednesday, July 1)

After that punta na kami sa Capital Christian Center for the conference.
Wow!…malaki yung church. It looks like a former theater that was renovated and converted to a church. Nag check-in kami sa Travel Lodge which is a short distance from Capital.

First session started at 6:30 PM and Bill Hybels (Willow Creek Church) was the speaker. Worship was led by Doug Reid Band (worship team/band ng Capital Christian Church). He shared about vision formation, refinement, and declaration.
Tingnan mo nga naman ano….what a nice start for the trip because we’re gonna share the vision for Mission’s Center. We learned a lot and we had fresh ideas. (Galing ni Lord talaga!)

Tapos nun balik na kami siyempre sa Travel Lodge. :-D

DAY 5 – Sun, June 22

2008-06-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

Attend kami Bethel Church at Valencia St. in San Francisco. (nakita ni Jovell mga Victorian houses and the cable car/train)

Nag-attend muna kami ng Bible Study/Sunday School @ 9.45AM – Si Bro.Mark & Sis.Nora sa couple’s group kami naman sa Journey - Young Adult/Single. Meron pa nga young ladies na visitor from Russia – Elena & Anastasia. The topic is about the baptism of the dead and resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15.

Worship was at 11AM and Pastor Norm Smith delivered the message about “Prayer: From Talking to Listening”

There was a man from Kenya who shared about their ministry in Nairobi. Gosh!!! He shared some horrific news about what was happening there – babies just months old were being raped – even old women were being gangraped!!! - he told about how they are helping these people and especially talking to thousands of boys to respect the girls and women. (You know what?…while listening to that man, I just wrote in my notes – “I’m BLESSED! Praise God!…I’m spared of what that man is talking about! Whewh!

After that we were invited to go to a luncheon (for FREE of course) for the benefit of their San Francisco Team who will minister to different people in their area. After the lunch and fellowship, we went home.

Before 3pm, we went again to Crossroads Church. Bro. Mark was invited to have a basketball game with the youth & some men of the church. (Where are they?) The church is renting an elementary school facility. There’s basketball courts and playground at the back.

While Bro. Mark was playing we (Ate Junice, Cheska, Arlene, Jovell & me) got into the van of Sis. Lucille and we went to a grocery store. Ate Junice bought some ice cream cones, bottled water, & a bag of candies. Then we went back to the basketball courts.

When we got back, we found out that Bro. Mark hurt his arm and shoulder and they decided to go to Kaiser Hospital – a very nice and modern hospital. We went to the Emergency Room. We left Bro. Mark and Sis. Nora there and Arlene, Jovell, & me went to the waiting area where there’s a television. The check-up took about 30-45 minutes while we’re watching CNN and having conversations.

After the check-up, we head back to the car and went home.
(Nag-Restroom muna nga pala ako bago bumalik sa car and laking gulat ko nung kukuha na ko ng paper towel eh bigla na lang nag-dispense mag-isa….ahehe…AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT DETECTOR DISPENSER pala areh! Whewh…wowwwh!)
JOVELL-sabi ung dispenser “eeeengk”.. saya.. nung kinukuwento ni kuya arnel yun tawa ako ng tawa.. paano nagulat nga sya doon.. J

Ayun when we got home we were all HUNGRY….and we heated up all the leftovers and ate it. Hmmnnn….busog!

Up next?….preparation for the 3-day “Dreamit08 Leadership Conference tomorrow at Capital Christian Center in Sacramento.
[11.11PM…tulog na ko antok na eh… (^.^)]

DAY 4 – Sat, June 21

2008-06-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

Medyo pahinga ulit….

Laundry time….gumawa po kami ng sampayan sa backyard para magpatuyo ng damit. Yup! You read it right…remember summer dito sa Daly City at dapat magtipid kasi sayang ang kuryente! Hehe J

Also, linis-linis muna ng bahay.

Pagkatapos nagpunta kami sa “Chocolate House” – kila Sonia….and Nemo (the dog) was very excited to see us). Siyempre kumustahan again….kain ng chocolate….nakipaglaro kay Nemo…watch “Alvin and the Chipmunks” (kalahati lang) on the 65” screen TV…yup! Yup! Yup! (wow! Nakakapanibago manuod sa ganun kalaki screen….yeah men!)

JOVELL- nkakahilong manuod sa ganoong kalaking TV…malaki pa sa akin yung TV dun sa chocolate house na yun..

After pu nun…dumaan kami sa Pacific Super (big grocey store) to buy some veggies and “Super BIG” tilapias. Wow!…kasinlaki ng pinggan!
Back home Ate Nora fried 3 tilapias as others help prepare the veggie salad and steamed broccoli. What’s next?…Super Eating Fellowship! J

DAY 3 – Friday, June 20

2008-06-20T20:46:00.000-07:00

Mark & me went to Lake Merced at nag-walk-jog-run po kami dun. We did not run the entire 5-mile circle of the lake…hehe…hinay hinay lang muna…next time siguro. Kalahati lang muna…ikot kami dun sa may bridge para makabalik agad. After that idinaan namin kila Kuya Ray yung CPU and Pentium processor, si Lola lang nandun. Tapos dumaan kami kila Sonia just to say hi/hello and Mark talk to her for a while.

Then we drop by at Luckys to buy again some grocery needs.

Girls--Happy at home!

DAY 2 – Thurs, June 19

2008-06-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

Medyo pahinga naman kami…
Nag-groceries sa Safeway for our basic needs so we can cook our own meal.

JOVELL- nakalimutan ata ni kuya arnel na pumunta kami sa NORDSTROM.. kasama namin yung hosts namin.. di namin kasama sila bro. Mark kasi pumunta sila sa Kaiser, nadulas kasi yung lola ni bro. Mark sa banyo.. yun nga, kasama naming hosts namin kumain kami ng frozen yougart.. sarap!!!

[Len’s Account]

DAY 2
DAY 2 started out late as we woke up around 9am. I thought it was just am; must have been very tired with all the travels/roadtrip. We are grateful not to suffer much from jetlag.

I cooked chicken with broccoli. They liked it. Francheska, Ate Junice’ and Kuya Norman’s five-year old girl, said with conviction, “It’s good!” That certainly made my day.

The couple brought us to Stonestown Mall and strode a while. Francheska wanted some Auntie Anne’s bagels and I bought her one. We had frozen yougurt (ice cream) too. Bro. Mark Sis. Nora went to Sta Rosa (Kaiser Permanente Hospital) because Bro. Mark’s grandma slipped in the bathroom and broke her hipbone.

We ate THE chicken for dinner and got the verdict from Bro. Mark with this first experiment. They said I cooked well. Thank God!

Day 1 – Wed, June 18

2008-06-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!”
J…Thank you…thank you! {Arn}

Fresh from trip (around 1:00AM na kami nakatulog Tuesday night of our arrival, with only 3 hours of sleep – ako yun)…with all the “jetlag” effects, nagpunta kami ng Benicia (1 hr. siguro from Daly City) and we had a meeting with Ptr. Ken Jensen of Northgate Christian Fellowship, the sending church and one of the home churches of Bro.Mark.
Bro.Mark shared about the vision and the status of the land so we can have advice/input on how to go about the vision and have clear direction. (napatunayan ko na mababaw talaga ang luha ni Ptr.Ken – Secret!)

On the way pabalik ng Daly City bago pumunta kila Lauren and Ardiz, dumaan kami sa beach (sa may Cliff House). For the first time, nakarating sa beach na may BIG waves si Jovell. Summer kasi kaya medyo maraming tao and may mga nagsa-sun bathing (mapalad talaga ko hindi ko na kailangan yun! Hehe). Humiga pa nga kami sa buhangin ni Mark…mainit na buhangin at malamig na hangain…pefect combination…right? Ahehe! J

After sa beach, we went to the house of Lauren and Ardiz where a “Lasagna Dinner” (masaya na naman siyempre J) was waiting for us. Siyempre…siyempre…kumustahan blues muna and sharing of stories after another.

We had lasagna, salad, bread, watermelon, “yung ubas na may malaking butas sa gitna” (tawag namin ni Jovell), & apple juice.
BONUS: They sang a two “Happy Birthday” song to me. Wow!
Ardiz gave me a chocolate pudding with a lighted candle. Wow again!
She also gave me a card with a $-gift with a note – “for Beijing Buffet” …Ayooosh! Wow again, again!!!

Tapos nun uwi na kami siyempre.

[Len’s Account]

DAY 1
It was a pretty busy DAY 1 for the team. At the house (434 Bonnie St.), we helped Ate Junice folding her laundry before breakfast. (By the way, if I’d be a little negative in my attitude, I’d say my things were ALL MESSED UP with yucky liquid from the plane; thus the first night, I had to wash most of the clothes I brought.)

We then had a short visit to the grocery store then went to Benicia to meet Pastor Ken Jensen at Northgate Christian Fellowship. He was a blessing and a great encouragement to all of us, especially to Bro. Mark. Afterwards, we went to the beach (near the Cliffhouse) and took advantage of the warm weather (though it’s still cold, actually!) right before our lasagna dinner at Lorne & Ardis’ place.

The dinner was very good and Kuya Arnel had a little birthday ceremony-- so to speak. The couple was also a big encouragement to to all of us. Praise the Lord!

We stopped for a while at Crossroads Church at Colma to see Ate Junice’s church. Cming home, we had ice cream before finally calling it a day at 11:20 pm. I need some sleep.

THE HOUSE –

2008-06-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

Wow! Wewh! More than we could ask for…di maliit…di malaki…tamang tama lang….Praise the Lord!…Glory to God! Completely furnished with ref, stove-oven, microwave, coffee maker, bathroom, washing machine, TV, DVD player, telephone, backyard with lemon and apple trees….Yup! san ka pa?….Halleluiah!!!

Taipei – San Francisco (11 hours, Boeing 747-400)

2008-06-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…..….ang habang paglalakbay!…mahigit isang araw na nasa ere…Wew!

Yung 1st meal sa plane?….uhmnnn, enjoy ko pa yun…hindi pa kasi hilo eh! Yun 2nd meal?… naku poh!…medyo sapilitan…medyo nagrereklamo na kasi sikmura ko….samahan mu pa ng pantog ko!…Weeeehhhh…kasi medyo napigil ang “pag-jingle all the way”…kasi minsan mahaba ang pila sa “box office hit” na C.R.

…medyo natambakan pa ko ng food ni Bigbrother…omelet at saka nakalimutan ko yung isa pang nilagay sa plate ko. Hehe (“-“)

At siyempre, habang lumilipad kami eh inaaaliw ng malaking screen na nagpapalabas ng status ng aming paglalakbay (cruising speed, temperature, time, etc.) movie, & meal information etc.
Dahil maaliwalas ang panahon papalapit ng San Francisco International Airport, nasilayan namin ang Golden Gate Bridge pag-landing ng plane.

Sinundo kami sa Airport ng friend ni Bro.Mark na si Herb na siya ring nagpahiram ng service vehicle naming – Ford Taurus.

Isu-surprise sundo sana kami ng aming house hosts – Kuya Norman & Ate Junice with daughter Franchesca – kaya lang nagkasalisi. After naming umalis ng airport saka sila dumating.

And the adventure doesn’t stop there!!!!!…Imagine all our Luggage (8 yata yun) + Balikbayan Box + 5 of us + Bro. Herb = squeezed into the Ford Taurus car….I know you can’t imagine….you can’t compute…. you cannot really calculate in your brain…..WE CAN’T BELIEVE IT FOR OURSELVES…. That’s why there’s this word called “MIRACLE”. J J J

THE FLIGHT

2008-06-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

Manila – Taipei ( 1 hour & 40 mins, Airbus A340)
Masaya naman ang aming paglipad…
Nakatikim na ulit ng “plane food/meal” (1st time for Jovell) – sarap ng Chicken Rice!
Good take off and landing…whew!
Pagdating ng Taipei medyo nagkaroon ng konting pagbabago…
Our Boarding Gate was changed from D1 to D4.

Malaki ang Tao Yuan International Airport sa Taipei.
Sumakay pa kami ng “Automatic SkyTrain papunta sa aming Boarding Gate”
Kung napapagod ka naman sa paglakad, meron umaandar na similar to escalator na pag tumapak ka don ay uusad ka…Wow!

Nga pala…dun sa Taipei meron signal yung OFW SIM ko (pero pagdating na ng San Francisco at Daly City…WALA NA! L)
Sa Taipei, meron lumabas na “Chungwa” sa cellphone ko…yun siguro yung Mobile operator/partner dun.

[Len's Account]

The Flight
We left Bro. Mark’s place at 11:40 a.m. and headed to he airport. At 2:20 p.m., China Airlines’ gate opened. We boarded the plane at 5:00 p.m. As I write this, we are seated at Taipei Airport waiting for our connecting flight to San Francisco. We arrived here at around 7:02 p.m. It’s exactly 8:18 p.m. on my watch (Manila & Taipei) and Bro. Mark and Tita Nora are both asleep on the ses to my left. Jovell is enjoying her ‘onion rings chips’ while Kuya Arnel roams the place; inspecting as usual, like a curious kid.

We met a new friend, Ana. She lives in Sacramento now with her sister; works there; and also studies Nursing. She said she lives near Bayside. Interesting.

It seemed that they switched the gates for our SF flights from D1 to D4. Anyway, we won’t be leaving until 11:10 pm.

My sister is really having a blast with the OFW Sim thing and is texting to and fro. Well, that’s technology!