just some notes for me to remember...

As i was walking to work today...was praying and just some thoughts that came into my head and some reminders...

- Going on mission and building up your area goes hand in hand. It's not about building up your area first to be the best or like better than other areas. But mission is bringing God to people and its part of building up our areas. It helps in building up your area. I dont know for me, if your heart is there God will only do good things with it, as in if you really want to go on mission bring God's love to people God will make it happen. Regardless of how young you are, or how long you've had a personal relationship with God, He will use you. It is our mission has Christians, as Catholics to share and let people know about God's love and if we are not doing so...then we need to do more. God is asking so much more from us. He wants to strech us to the point where it hurts to the point where..we can only rely on His love, His mercy. So we should go on mission. If you have the opportunity to, take it, create opportunities for yourself to serve God in the most uncomfortable way possible, dont wait for the opportunities to come to you. If your worried about the things your leaving behind. Dont! God will look after it more than you know. I think for me that was one of the things that was hard to let go. Family at home..responsibilities, friends...But God is really teaching and humbling me that I dont need to worry about anything at all.. and He has already looked after things before we even ask Him. This is something I'm learning while Im here. He has sent His angels before and prepared the way. So we shouldnt worry. What if? How? God will and has looked after it already. If your worried about your family, Trust that God will look after them. Its funny if we think that nothing will happen if we go, leave home or if we let go of our responsibilies what we think we "have to do". Its like we dont have Faith that God will look after things. Sometimes we just need to jump...and take that leap of FAITH...and trust that God will catch us...coz He will.

3 wks...maybe 4 wks na yata??

OK. Sorry it's taken my a while to actually blog about what's been going on in my life now. IF you've been following, your aware that I am now in the Philippines and now have been for the past 3 wks. I've found it a bit difficult to put into words and keep track of everything that I've been doing. But here it goes...I'll try and run down the past 3 wks...

Week 1.

Arrived in the Philippines with my fellow AYAD's and then we checked into Linden Suites right near Megamall...and this was the beginning of our in Country Orientation. Just learning and being reminded of the things with have to do as Australia Youth Ambassadors.  We also looked around at apartments for those that are based in Manila to stay. ummm...and yeh...guess it was getting use to the environment. It was good to get to know the other Aussie's that are here too...oh I also found out that there's a chance that I'll be here for 9 months!!

Week 2

Ok what can i say week 2. I had to apply for permission to travel since the International Leaders Conference was in Davao (Mindanao) and coz the Australia Embassy was to observe safety measures. I had to asked for approval. and I didnt get it til 2 hrs before the boat was going to leave..hahaha...it was a PRAISE GOD! time..i had a sign of relief on my face. Coz if i wasnt allowed to go to Davao I wouldnt know what I'd do. This week was also "suppose to be" the start of work. althought it didnt feel like work. I did a few things. Imagine being on a boat fo 2 nights and 3 days. hehehe...it was interesting. there were different workshops GK Youth, YCOM (Youth Communications), Meet the Foreigners, Worships workshop..those are the ones i can remember. there was also mass everyone 3pm.

So we arrived in Davao and checked into Linmarr Apartel. Thurs - we went on a city tour around Davao, learning about the culture, seeing sites...it was beautiful! Hope I can load up my pics eventually maybe later...but yeh and the Fri - the ILC started. there were creative competitions during the day..and sports comps. man imgaine 7000 youth gathered! its AMAZING!! Worshipping with 7000 ppl makes you wanna worship God 7000 times more. then the praise parade competitions began...and then guess what happend?? it started to rain!!! woohoo...water works bring it on! hahahaha...it was so cool! super lupet (super cool)! hahaha as in! hahaha...something that you rarely experience and then saturday. was a packed day! there was program Conferences for each program in the community. and yeh I went to the SIGA Conf. and then...at night..guess what happend again? while we were worshipping?? its started to rain!! hahaha...it was awesome!! and yeh talks/sharings went on thru the night didnt sleep at all...although around me ppl were dozing off..hehehe..and we celebrated mass at 330am...and the conference finished at 7am-ish.

Week 3

Still in Davao, Monday - we went Island hopping. it was mad..hehehe...i was scared coz i dont know how to swim..hahah did you know that?? ahahha...there's some interesting facts about Tere that you might've not known...I cant swim. ahahaha...but yeh...had a life-vest on...so that was my lifesaver...hehehe...Tues we left Davao for Manila...Got to visit Arkong Bato...and visit my host family from O5 GAT. they still remembered me!! Praise God missed them so much! God really knows how to melt your heart...ehehehe...and then on Sat. moved into my new place. its nothing fancy. but its home now to me. it was good to have friends stay with me on the 1st night.hehehe..made it more of a home. then just being alone...hahahaha...and then on sunday...my Aussie friends left. Huhuhuhu...hehehe can you hear the cry in that? i thought i wasnt gonna cry and try and be tought and stuff...but na I broke...after they went in...awww...home is so far away now..and its just me..and my friends here in the Philippines...hahaha...sounds like a bad thing aye? na i think its just different...yknow...living in Australia for the past what 18 years...and then to live somewhere else for the next 9 months...it can make a big impact on one's life yknow? hahaha...

Week 4? is it really? that or i cant count...hahaha...

Ok..so this time i really started work. althought its stil a bit reflexable..it begins...being more independant...fending for myself...its different when you have ppl around who's here on holidays...coz you feel like your on holidays too..but since they left...i started work..hahaha...this week just been working on the registration for GK 1MB Kalinga Leyte and Bayani Challenge Build in Southern Leyte...woohoo..its gonna be televised also!! so watch out for it!! hahaha... but yeh leaving for Cebe this sat. so seems like im out and about alot...

yung lang...that's my update for now...i'll try and keep you all posted...for those that read this..hehehe...

0 days...

12:58am (if the time at the bottom says otherwise its wrong.hahaha.) wow..the count down went fast. today's the day that i leave home to build another home for 6 months in the Philippines. So all my bags are almost pack...I'm almost ready to go..its waiting there outside my door..gotta wake up early to say goodbye...hehehe..

well it begins...a new journey in life...alot of ppl say its a brave and bold thing that I'm doing...ppl might even say its a bit crazy...its adventureous...but i say praise God aye..for this chance...if it may be brave, bold, crazy and adventureous...i just hope its not a trip wasted. it hasnt really sunk in how much of change this is. 6 months isnt a long time...oh 6 months is a long time...what the heck? what is it..a long time or not? hahaha..but i guess well see what i say when i get back...if it was long or not. but yeh...excited...to see what's ahead of me...and mixed emotions to what im leaving behind...

here's my list of things that i'll miss about home:

1. my family...

2. the house...(i even took pictures of it so i wouldnt forget how it looks like when i get home is that weird?)

3. my friends...the users....ppl that i serve with...

4. Aussie Humour...or maybe just the ppl i know...like laughing at sarcastic stuff....coz Filo humour is more corny...

5. MEAT! Ribs, Steak, Lamb, yummmmmm.....

6. driving...

7. being comfortable in a sense i know my surroundings its familiar...this time its familiar...but not so much knowing where i am etc.

ok...i think i could add more to that....but lets start another list...things that I'm looking forward to:

1. working with Gawad Kalinga (GK)

2. the experience of living in the Philippines and actually remembering it this time...coz i was too young before...we moved to Australia.

3. meeting new ppl

4. hopefully travelling around the Philippines.

5. being MORE independant

6. More time with God.

so...there's a few things....ummm...its really going to be interesting...what's life without Tere? and what's life without the ppl i know here at home? man..changes...i guess this is similar to the part in life where people get married and move away from home...or like living the single life and moving out of home...in this case another country...

yknow what...i wish sometimes...my mum was around to see the things that I'm doing...coz i wonder what she would say? or if things would be different? I know dad's proud of what im doing..his pretty happy...called a few things when he saw articles of me in the paper...hehehe...Praise God that i can bring happiness to ppl with the things that i do...but yeh just wish...I know i cant bring her back..and its okay...just like the comfort of knowing that mama's around...and that she's guiding me and watching out for me...but i guess she left at the time she needed to. coz she knew that it was ok to leave...and that we'll be okay....so mama...I hope your proud of me...I know ur watching us and looking out for us...the next 6 months...this is for you mama....pray for me...

til next time....see you in Philippines.... 

15 days to GO!

wow! the count down's almost here. 2 more weeks and I'll be in Philippines, even though Ausaid has told us their still waiting for confirmation, I'm going to assume that that's when I'll be leaving and embarking on a new challenge. I can't wait!

I'm currently in the middle of cleaning/throwing away alot of things that once belong to me. It's a kind...ummm...I dont know what the word is. But its like starting again...starting off fresh. Cause I know when I go to the Philippines it'll be like starting off again and also when I get back 6 months is going to have passed and things may be the same, but things may also be very different. And I, and probably neither will you will know what it will be like in 6 months time. So yeh...15 days to go...

I'll blog again later....I should get back to my cleaning....

It's been a while again since I've blogged, probably coz I didnt know where to start...but thought i'd give it a go again...well its now March 4 2006. and its about 22 days til I depart maybe more depending...hopefully it'll be confirmed next week and our tickets to the Philippines will be issued. But I'll keep you all updated (those that are reading this)...

So what else has been happening in the life of Ms Therese Santos since I've last blogged...well I went to a SFC discovery wkend...cant forget that...there was alot of discoveries that wkend...and it was just great to get away from things and relax think about where I'm heading in life..what is my purpose? what am I passionate about? what are my pains??  what are my pleasures (things that i enjoy/bring me happiness)?? and where does my power come form? who gives me strength. Even though I could say I've heard these talks before. It was what I really needed, to be reminded and to discover or re-discover things. Praise God for a great wkend.

I guess for the past 2 wks I have had time to pray and get over my pains. It's something we can't avoid, huh? being hurt? our pains, ppl that bring pain, or we may be a pain to others. It's something that we have too feel in life and its not neccessarily a bad thing, although at the time, its like we cant take it and a feeling we dont ever want to feel. But I think pain has its purpose, there's a reason why it exist in the world...I probably dont have the answer but i think to put it simply pain is exist for us to know what love is for if we didnt know pain we wouldnt really know how to love. thats what i think. 

So in all this pain that we experience in our lives God also wants us to experience happiness. And I can say that His blessed me so much with so much happiness, sometimes we can go through life focusing too much on the pain that we forget that we have to make a decision to be happy, and to decide to see the good that's happening around us instead of the pain. I'm able to admit that last year was a bit crazy and I was so drama. I think friends have heard enough of my drama..hahaha..thanks friends for listen to me sook, cry, complain..everything! Just as I share my drama's I hope I'm able to share my joy's and happiness as well and even more.

Just had a thought, the people that come in and our of our lives have such a great impact on what happens in our lives. Even if its just for a moment that you meet someone and talk to them for a bit, I'm sure for that moment it was important, because meeting people in our lives sometimes can turn out to be life long friends and those are the ppl that help bring happiness into your life.

hahaha...I feel like I'm starting to just ramble about anything...but that's the purpose of these blog's...hahahaha...so if you've read this far...congratulations...hahahaha...but yeh I'm sure I have a lot more to say...at the moment cant seem to articulate it...so tell next time....

God's speed....