November 2015

I spent the week back to "reality" doing my regular schedule and errands (e.g. raking) in Morris. I would share bits of my time of Hawaii last month from a day to day basis on my facebook photography site. It was "ok" weather, but not too cold. I was able to till my garden during the first week of the month. I also finally was able to get new tires in my new purchased bike after struggling with a cheap bike tire replacement tool. The weather has been nice and above average lately until Thursday (12th) as it got the coldest all season. Unfortunately, it was just one day and it got warmer afterwards. I haven't been used to the cold that I didn't go outside to watch it till the "last minute", but was late as the parade was over. The weather got so warm that I was doing a digging (egress project) for a friend of mine with just a shirt on Saturday (14th).

The temps started to drop throughout the third week. My friend was going to try to have me do one more egress window digging project, but haven't been able to with colder temps. Towards the end of the third week, there was a theatrical play my former director (for Aladdin) was doing. I was interested in checking it out as some friends (e.g. church) were in it. Plus, I wanted to enjoy watching it as an audience member instead of a performer. I went to workout on Friday (20th) after work and decided to just drive straight to the high school "last minute" to watch. I came there to find a long line and wasn't sure if I'll be able to see it as showtime was getting close. The director (Joe) came down from the booth to see the long line and decided to wait till everybody came in. While waiting, this lady came out of the auditorium waving a single ticket to see if anybody was solo. She came up to me and I said-"Yes"! I was very happy as I left the back of the line and went straight in to sit with this lady's (Allison) family-friends. I happen to know some of the people she was sitting with, so that made it less "weird". She ended up sharing that she saw me at "Real Ministries", so that made it even more comfortable sitting with these folks. The play went well and I had to take a pic with some of the characters before I left...

I would later make a comment on the event wall of "The Addams Family Musical" and a friend replied if I can tape the show. I thought to myself, I knew this was going to happen! ;)...I thought it was a "sign" after another "hint" from a friend on FB giving me a hint about it. I decided to do it by going to the matinee performance (2pm), which I had to get all my gear ready. Unfortunately, right before intermission, I ran out of space in my camcorder. I was like sweating, but not too much as a couple of people were videotaping the event. Plus, I had the evening performance to tape as a back-up. However, I wasn't feeling as "energized" as my eyes were bothering me. I would later find out it was "pink eye", so I was praying I didn't affect anybody. After coming back for the evening performance to video tape, I would rush out of that place right away as I didn't want to affect anybody. I thought it was a "God divine" thing that I had technical difficulties as I had some great conversations with a couple of community residents in the evening show too. Isn't that cool? May this be a lesson to all of us that things don't workout the way we plan as there is sometimes another door of opportunity for God wants to use us-just gotta be open and willing!

I started the 4th week with my once a month worship team service, which I look forward to worshiping God by singing-along with learning new songs and practicing singing too. I then went to the Chinese restaurant with a friend from Jane Addams to talk about my presentation on the Philippines next month. It was my first time eating there too after it has opened for over most of the year. I then had to miss work on Monday (23rd) due to my "pink eye", which I got diagnosed after seeing a doctor later in the afternoon. I got the "ok" to work the next day after getting my anti-biotic eye drops. I was kind of hoping I would get the permission by the doctor to rest for several days-have the whole week off, but that didn't happen..he he! :( Ironically, I scheduled my physical exam the same week, which was good news! I found out I had good lab results after a blood test for cholesterol level, sugar level, etc.....praise the Lord! I thank God for good health and getting wisdom on making wise healthier lifestyle choices!

We had great weather prior to thanksgiving day, which I would drive to the cities late Wednesday night to avoid the holiday rush hour going to the Twin Cities along I-94. I ended up leaving around 6ish from Morris and didn't have to deal with any traffic compared to last year. I ended up stopping at Albertiville Outlet Mall to get a pair of shoes. I went to one of the stores and they told me they have their "Black Friday Sale" already after I asked if their were any sales going on. I got $10 of a pair (final cost of $45 only, cool huh?) of cool looking Nike shoes. It was my first Nike pair of shoes since my extravagant high school days. Another blessing, I'm thankful for, which I try to be grateful all season long.

It was a great visit visiting family for the Thanksgiving weekend. I was able to hangout with all of my family members. I didn't do too much big. I just wanted to spend quality time with family (e.g. sharing pics of last month's trip to Hawaii and learning more about my dad's past). I was also able to get my battery holder fixed after a long time dealing with my loose battery cables. Also, I spent most of the weekend preparing my Philippine presentation, which I would chat with my dad of what I found out. I felt like a college student again!

October 2014

I started the month by donating blood as the American Red Cross Bloodmobile was in campus. I missed the last opportunity when I was in the Twin Cities during the summer due to miscommunication. I try to do this regularly as I feel a cleansing in my body and plus it benefits someone too medically. The next day, I went to worship practice at my local church. I also made a video of the song "Come Lord to Morris" as part of my recent songs inspired by God since the Storm of the Planet Conference.

The 1st weekend of the month was UMM Homecoming, which my friend Joey P. came to visit all the way from Jacksonville, Florida. It was the first year that our friend Shannon couldn't make it due to personal reasons. It was a great homecoming as I met old college friends, one from Louisiana.

On Monday (6th), I finally found the "water line" (just 2 inches or so next to the "sewer line") after getting some leads/advice from some local experts (e.g. utility guy that marks them and city engineer guy). This was such a relief as it helped me know where I can finally put the drain pipes in and what area to target whenever we dig to replace the sewer line. I also did another video "Don't be Afraid to Step in Faith".

On Friday (10th), I was so thankful to God for an answer to prayer (A "friend" that was in a vehicle accident late this summer is getting "better" and will be coming "home" soon after being in the hospital for awhile).

The following day, a friend visiting Morris from the Cities called me up to hangout with him and his family. It was a beautiful day to hangout at the WCROC Hort Gardens. Earlier in the day, I did Zumba with a friend/co-worker, so this got me "energized" for the day. On Sunday (12th), it was awesome to see a couple come to church for two Sundays in a row. What makes this exciting is this couple hasn't been to our "local church" for years. It's such a blessing to know how God has been working on them and never gave-up! Just like the story of the Prodigal Son. After church, I joined a "friend" for lunch at Don's Cafe as she shared about her trip this past summer to Honduras. Later in the afternoon, the worship team from my local church got together for a bonfire hangout at one of the family's place out in the country. We had a great time playing soccer and football before our "potluck" prior to the bonfire chat.

On Monday (13th), I was relieved to hear another prayer answered after sharing a facebook post on praying for friends in Japan. There was a forecast for the "world's largest storm" to hit this island country, but I believe many prayers (mine included) were answered as the storm downgraded-Praise the Lord!

After some dialogue on the "bullying" issue, I decided to write a blog about it-> "Ways to deal with Bullying as a “former” victim and bully too"

When I went to my part-time (overnight) job, I was asked by my co-worker for prayer (health issue), which I told him I'll gladly pray. The next day, he would tell me that he feels better, which was an answer to his prayer-healed! On the 16th, a friend I've been praying for almost a year declared that he's "cancer free". This was such a faith builder as another friend shared recently online declared this too.

I took my 1st week of vacation from October 18th-26th from both jobs, so I decided to head to St. Paul to visit family for a week or so on Friday (17th) after work. I enjoyed taking pics of the Fall color changes along I-94, particularly during a long traffic delay (1 lane only) around Rockville Minnesota. I'm always thankful to God for the safe drive home every time when I drive from Morris. The 1st full-day of my vacation, my parents and I went to this Vietnamese restaurant, which I like the soup. Unfortunately, my parents thought the sodium or MSG was too high (Seafood) for them as they didn't feel good afterwards. In the afternoon, I drove by Mounds Park to take pics of the fall colors around downtown St. Paul. I would end up taking more pics throughout my vacation of the fall colors as I drove around the Twin Cities. On Sunday (19th), I decided to check out this church (Church of Acts) along White Bear Avenue I've frequently drove by every time I'm visiting the area. It took awhile to start as the 1st service (8am) was just finishing and the 2nd service (10:30am) didn't start a little after 10:45am. It was a great service as the worship was rock music and there was a lot of dancing and interaction. The people were very welcoming as almost every member came to welcome me. I didn't get out of the service till a little after 1:30pm, which I decided not to stay for the potluck with time.

It was nice to stay in the cities during the weekdays as I was able to hangout with my niece and nephew after school. I would play soccer out in the back (Battle Creek Middle School Playground) a couple of days during the week as it was a warm fall week. It was still chilly as I had pants, but moving around kept both of us warm. On Wednesday (22nd), I took my mom to the Mall of America after picking-up my smart phone to a techy to diagnose the problem of my smartphone that stopped working, which I ended-up paying $40 to find out the "SIM card portal had some H20 and is not fixable" (found out a month later I just needed a working SIM card from my network service since it expired). Prior to driving up to M.O.A., we stopped over at the new outlet mall in Eagan, which I wasn't really pleased as there wasn't much compared to Albertville.

On Thursday (23rd), I decided to attend at least one of the three days of this conference on Islam at Grace Church in Eden Prairie. There was high security due to the prominent speakers (e.g. former Muslims that became Christians) sharing. I left the conference early so I can pick-up my niece and nephew from school. We had a great time later in the evening watching Veggie Tales videos and skyping with their parents (vacation and work related trip in Las Vegas, Nevada). My niece would end-up doing my hair, which I didn't realize what she did until afterwards. I thought it was so funny, that I had to take a selfie->

On Friday (24th), I rode my new used bike for the first time around Battle Creek Park. I brought my nephew to this school's carnival fundraiser. It was fun to see him having fun and playing all these games. The past two days has been great picking-up and dropping off both my niece and nephew to and from their individual schools. I told my co-worker the following week that this was great training to be a father...someday!

I left to go back to Morris the next day for a friend's pre-wedding party get together at the local bowling alley, which would be cancelled. It was good to be back "early" still as I had to do some yard work (mulch leaves before the coming winter). I was blessed to have a former neighbor (Craig) mow part of my yard. I also came back early for the 2-day conference Passion for Jesus w/ Bob Sorge: Day #1-Oct 25th 2014 "Covenant", which would be another faith-challenge-builder in my life!

I would come back to work on the 27th after a week long vacation. It was great to be back as many from work showed how much they missed me. I would follow the World Series and the Kansas City Royals lost a close one (2-3) against now 3x World Series Champions (the last 5 years or so) San Francisco Giants. I was a little disappointed as I was rooting for the Royals (hasn't won a World Series Championship in 29 years). On Thursday (30th), I attended a community gathering called "Estar in el Prairie Reception and Artist's Talk in Morris at the local art gallery (PRCA). It was great to see some people from various parts of the community and a friend (former resident) too...

It's been awesome to see the Spanish community slowly becoming more integrated here in Morris, Minnesota!

September 2014

I spent my Labor Day (holiday) doing some house project as it showered a little in the afternoon. I put in the pipes and "bird seed" gravel over it in the right side (south eastern) of the month plus long trench project. I'm just glad I finish digging! I filled it in by hand using my neighbor's (Craig M, who is moving :( ) borrowed wheel barrel..a great workout! I continue to do this on Thursday (4th) as I did little by little like the month long digging project. I would do a little more of filling this 6-8 foot deep trench during the first weekend of the month between the workshops of this conference (Storm the Planet-see notes by joining Good News Ministry). This was such an inspiring motivational conference that I'm still "trying" to apply as I write this, which I'll be sharing more through this month's and future blogs.

Through the 2nd week, weeks after, and currently-God laid a "new song" in my heart, which was planted during the Storm of the Planet. I never ever thought I'll be doing this. Many years ago, there was a "prophetic" encouraging word that I'll be doing this, but my friend and I joked about this. Here is one song I wrote recently that took a month as I had to get a new piano to help me..

"Don't Be Afraid to Step in Faith" (October 6th 2014)

I don't spend too much time to "edit" the music as I usually just do one recording and then add my piano playing (still in the works too). Stay tuned for more as the "new songs" are to encourage people.

On Thursday, we had another anniversary of 9-11 , which I will always find "new" findings of what "really" happened in this unfortunate event.

The 2nd weekend, I went to Moose Lake for my once every other month visit. I took pics of the "early-stage" of Fall colors at Moose Lake State Park in Carlton County. The next day (Sunday), our local church had a share by missionaries from India. Then we went to our pastor's house for more shares of this country and the mission experience overall, which prayer was the theme message that was heavily encouraged.

I finally found the "sewer pipe" by the foundation where I dug the trench on the 18th. It was by the water line that was marked, so that helped! The following day, my workplace was another challenging day as we were short-stuff, but thankful to God to get me through one of many more! What helps me to get through long hard workdays like this is looking at the future, I was looking forward to my once a month visit to the Twin Cities. I was planning to attend some events, such as..

Harding Senior High School's 1st Spirit Walk/ Run (Fundraiser)

Also, the same weekend was my nephew's birthday, which we celebrated at my younger brother's house.

When I got back to Morris, I would attend a special guest speaker at a church my friend invited me to. He shared a message that was a theme (e.g. social identity, gifts, etc..) from the conference earlier this month.

I started a new house project on the 23rd (1st day of Fall), which I put special rubber pavers in my garage driveway. I just did a little as I want to test how it work with the coming winter season. The next day, I bought pies from the the annual Faith Lutheran Church Bazaar. I shared one of them with my students at my weekly ESL-GED classes. I noticed my students didn't like it as it was too sweet, which I've noticed from the past that many international students feel the same way. America's "unnatural" desserts are really too sweet with fake sugar! On Thursday, I went to my local church worship practice, which I always look forward too with a "new song" perspective after the latest conference. On the 26th, I treated a new UMM student (Jackie from Idaho) to the famous Don's Cafe. I met Jackie online through one of my facebook group's (Good News Morris, which she joined almost a year ago when she first applied at the local college and wanted to learn more about our college-community. We've been in dialogue since and it was great to meet her in person (face to face) the first time.

During the last "Fall" weekend of the month, it was the 2nd day in a row with 80 degree (Farenheit) weather, so I had to take advantage of it since I wasn't able to do everything that I wanted to do during the summer. I invited a friend (Chris) to a game of tennis, which I would later go with him to celebrate his early birthday with his family at Pizza Ranch.

After making a long list to the "new songs" that the Lord laid in my heart since the conference earlier this month, I tried to come up with the lyrics to the titles and recorded my first song...

"Lord's My Healer"

It would be the first of more to come....

Gratitude: Didn't fall on my butt

I'm grateful that I didn't fall on my "butt" this morning on the slippery ice on my way to church. I woke up this morning (Sunday, November 21st 2010) expecting an inch or so of snow as it was forecasted last night. It was still green but wet outside. Well, due to recent yard work, my sidewalk was covered with dirt and gravel. Thus, I didn't realize how slippery it wasn't until later. I was putting up signs for my local church as I "try" to regularly every Sunday morning in Morris, Minnesota. When I was just close to finish crossing the street, I slipped and landed forward on the church sign. I'm just grateful that I didn't slip backwards and fall on my "butt". I guess it could've been worse-hitting the back of my head. I'm just thankful to God that He was watching me.

I started to write this after attending an evening church service (in Spanish at the Morris Evangelical Free Church) where they had a special service. They had folks come up to the mike to share about what they are thankful-grateful to God for. I guess, I could've shared this too! I also was inspired to write this as part of my daily share I plan to have on my facebook status as we head to Thanksgiving this week. I chose this particular subject after finding this video (down below) during my nightly "ritual" of reading-watching news online before going to bed.



I'm just thankful that I live in Morris and wasn't part of the minor-major crashes back in my hometown. My thoughts and prayers for those involved with the 370 reported crashes. Especially my prayer for the love ones of the one fatality. My slip this morning was very minor compared to many accidents. I guess it's all perspective on how we should be thankful to God for no matter what circumstances one goes through in a daily basis.

more..http://outdoors.goodnewsminnesota.info/fall.html