The Happiness Advantage

Looking at reviving my blog...found this in my drafts. Should have been posted 2 years ago. Meant to be. :)

Our Busiest Months

As youth coordinators of both the Parish Youth Ministry and CFC-Youth for Christ, April and May are the busiest months for my hubby and I.  Ask me why... (Why?!) ... because most students are on vacation...that's why. 

Here's how we lived out the 4 weeks of April 2019...

WEEK ONE

April 5-7, 2019 | CFC-Youth for Christ International Conference | Davao City

We attended the CFC-YFC International Conference in Davao City with 12 of our members.  We left for Davao on April 4, 2019, with the hope of being able to go around the city since ours was an early flight out.  But just like most (if not ALL) of the flights to Davao that week, our flight was delayed.  Thus, we only got to visit 2 tourist spots in the city --- the Japanese Tunnel and Jack's Ridge.  I was hoping we could visit Museo Dabawenyo, however, it had just transferred to a new location and they weren't open yet.  

Japanese Tunnel

Being the life wide learner that I am, after entering the Japanese Tunnel, I had each member share what they learned from the experience.  When someone shared that it made real what they learned in school...I was like, "Hooray for this experience!" :)

Jack's Ridge

I wasn't bent on going to Jack's Ridge because one of our members excitedly told me, "Ta, para siyang Cloud Nine sa Antipolo!" So I was like, bakit pa tayo pupunta doon kung pwedeng sa Cloud Nine nalang.  But because Museo Dabawenyo was closed...nasunod ang gusto ng mga bagets.  The visit offered us some fresh air and IG worthy spots to take pictures.  

We ended our day with dinner in the Roxas Night Market.  

The next morning, Friday, April 5, 2019, we woke up bright and early to take part in the opening of the conference in the gymnasium of the University of Southeastern Philippines.  The inn that we stayed in was a 5-minute walk to the conference venue.  Talk about convenience. :) 

The next two days were all a blur with our members attending workshops, listening to talks, and worshipping the Lord with all their hearts.  Then before we knew it, we were back in the airport and you guessed it! Our flight was delayed again, but being the resilient bunch that they were, our delegation managed to keep themselves entertained while waiting.

Francisco Bangoy International Airport, Davao City

LESSON LEARNED: I was so focused on taking care of our young delegation, that I wasn't able to enjoy being in the presence of our God the duration of the conference.  At a certain point, I should have let go and let God.

RECOVERY PERIOD: Morning of Monday, April 8

WEEK TWO

April 9 & 11 | CFC-Youth for Christ Youth Camp Preparations | Our home

[to be continued]

Passion for the Mission

(My September 30, 2018 reflection -- the final day of the Novena to St. Therese)

St. Therese of the Child Jesus: 

Patroness of Missions

Good afternoon, brothers and sisters. I am Arlyne Acosta, assistant coordinator of the PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL. My husband, Noehl, is a lay minister. Together, we are the current coordinators of the Parish Youth Ministry and the couple coordinator of CFC-Youth for Christ.

St. Therese is the patroness of missions, but she never left the convent to go on mission.  However, she made sure to constantly pray for the missionary priests through the steps she would take inside the convent.    

St. Therese had an immense desire to be a missionary priest. Though she COULD not actually become a priest, she had nevertheless a “priestly” heart. She told Jesus, “I would travel every land to preach Your name... One mission alone would not satisfy my longings.” 

After graduating from college, I became a teacher.  I never imagined that I would be one, but it turned out that I really enjoyed working with young children, so much so that I found myself CONTENT with the joys of teaching.  I thought that it was my mission to be a teacher. 

However, after 8 years, I had realized that I wasn’t getting any younger and that I needed to get married so that I could have children of my own. So, when a co-teacher of mine told me, “Teach, sabi ng parents ko 95% ng sumasali sa SINGLES for Christ tumutuloy sa COUPLES for Christ...let’s not be part of the 5%!” So agad-agad ako sumali sa Christian Life Program ng Singles for Christ at sa 12 consecutive Sundays ng CLP, syempre, wala... akong... absent... ganoon AKO ka desperado!

But as God would have it, He purified my intentions and my desire to enter into a romantic relationship was put on hold when I fell in love with Jesus.  As I delighted myself in the service of the Lord, He called me to become a full-time missionary worker for the education arm of Couples for Christ.  I was going around the Philippines training teachers who would be serving in the Child Development Programs of Gawad Kalinga. It became clear to me that my mission was to actually be an educator.    

It was during my mission in Gawad Kalinga, which was the work with the poor program of Couples for Christ, that I fell in love with my husband.  We had already been serving together in SFC for 5 years, but it was there that I saw his passion in serving the youth of GK Prayer Mountain. I was awestruck on how he would relate to these disillusioned youth as he conducted values formation sessions.  He was tough on them...ang ilan sa kanila ay mga rugby boys, tambay, out-of-school-youth...he would yell at them to get their act together, but in the end, kung yakapin at lambitinan nila si Noehl…damang-dama ko na mahal na mahal nila si Noehl at naisip ko, “Kung kaya niyang mahalin ang mga batang ito, lalo na siguro ang sarili niyang mga anak.”  

So naging malinaw para sa akin na yung FIVE (5) na binabanggit sa akin ng co-teacher ko ay ang five (5) years pala na paglilingkod ko ng buong-buo sa Panginoon bago ako nagkaroon ng GG o God’s Gift at napakabuti talaga ng Panginoon kasi hindi lang asawa ang binigay niya sa AKIN, kundi isang “Mission Partner” sa paglilingkod sa mga kabataan. 

We got married in 2006 AND in the following year, our FIRST mission as husband and wife, was to become chapter leaders of Singles for Christ in the Cogeo-Padilla area. 

In the summer of 2010 we found out that I was pregnant.  We were overcome with happiness.  Our mission for family life had begun!  But on the weekend of Mother’s Day, we were told that our baby had no heartbeat.  Our joy had turned into overwhelming sadness.  Hindi ba dapat misyon ng mag-asawa ang magkaroon ng sariling pamilya?

In 2011, the Lord put our hearts back on track with our mission during the Feast of the Sto. Niño, when before the beginning of the mass, our former parish priest, fr. Neil Tacbas, spoke to Noehl about serving as the coordinator of the Parish Youth Ministry and before my husband could say anything, the opening hymn of the entrance song began.  After the mass, paglapit ko kay fr. Neil para mag mano, sinabi niya sa akin na tinanggap na ni Noehl ang pagiging coordinator ng PYM.  Parang na ambush kami!  

But we readily embraced our mission for the Church.  However, the kind of love that we were so used to giving wasn’t well received by the youth and their parents.  In front of fr. Neil I was told, “Paano mo mahahawakan ng maayos ang mga youth dito, eh, hindi ka naman ina?”  I was devasted!  For a year, Noehl served the youth alone.  Hindi niya ako pinipilit sumama sa mga activites, pero nakikita ko yung kalungkutan niya kapag aalis siya ng mag-isa para mag serve.  Mission partners nga pala kami…at sa tulong ng Panginoon, bumalik ang sigla sa paglilingkod ko sa mga kabataan ng St. Therese.

Lalong sumigla ang paglilingkod ko noong tinawag kami na mag serve ulit sa Singles for Christ dito sa ating parokya.  I was happy to be serving in the community wherein I had grown in faith and in love…and the best part was that they were serving as kuyas and ates to our Parish Youth Ministry members.  We were one big happy family!

Last year, was a year of affirmation that we were truly going about the mission that the Lord had called us to do. We took on our current service as the couple coordinator of Youth for Christ and it was here that I became a mother when a handful of our youth started calling me “momsy”.  In fact, without our prior knowledge, when one of them led the worship at a community gathering of ours, HE adopted US as his parents. Nagpakilala siya at dinugtong niya ang apelyido namin sa pangalan niya because in the absence of his missionary parents, he considers us as his family.  

It was also last year that that one (1) of our members from the Parish Youth Ministry and two (2) of our youth from Gawad Kalinga joined me in working in a non-government organization with the mission of educating low-performing, underprivileged youth.  Full circle na…ang dating pinaglilingkuran namin, ay ngayon naglilingkod na rin sa iba.

Just like St. Therese, who wanted to be a priest but couldn’t be one...I might never BE a biological mother, but I know that the Lord has given me a “motherly” heart to have been able to go on mission after mission to serve and continue to serve the youth that He has put under our care.

St. Therese, patroness of missions, pray for us. 

(Picture courtesy of IPY)

You Have Chosen Me

If you really know me and I tell you that May 2017 was the "busiest month" ever in my life, you wouldn't believe me because I'm ALWAYS busy.  BUT it really was... and sadly, I was operating on sheer adrenaline.  Then before May came to a close, this song slammed into my face... Thank you for your reminder, Lord.  I am humbled.  I am nothing without You.

YOU HAVE CHOSEN ME

Verse:

Mighty One I thank You for Your goodness

Undying love that saved me from the darkness

You have chosen me, You have chosen me


With Your Spirit, I will carry on

To spread Your love to each and everyone

You have chosen me, you have chosen me

Chorus:
                          
Heighten my hearts desires to serve You Lord
    
To use me as a vessel of Your selfless love
   
Awaken Your spirit in me; fill me with Your grace
  
To bear a love like Yours

To bring people back to Your embrace

To the Christian Life Teachers and Theology Professors of the STCJPYM

To the Christian Life teachers and Theology professors of the youth we call the St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish Youth Ministry:

     It is with joy that I share with you pictures (with credits to the owners) of how your students, the members of our Parish Youth Ministry (PYM), spent the last days of Lent this year: they woke up early to practice for their service in the High Masses or for their dances for Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday and then they also gave up their afternoons to practice for the living Stations of the Cross for Holy Wednesday.  Yes, unlike most of their peers, they resisted the desire to stay in bed until lunch time and bore the heat of the early afternoon sun during practice.  Needless to say, it was an inspiration to watch them live out their faith. 

Production team and cast of the Living Stations of the Cross

     I, too, am a former CL teacher (one member of our PYM was a student of mine) and I recall how a seasoned colleague of mine shared that unlike other subject teachers who teach inside the classroom, “We only begin our lessons when we step out of the classroom.”  I would like to believe that we have taught our students well (by the lives that we have lived) and that they have shared their faith with others in the same way that we shared our faith with them.

Sr. Judy and our kapitan 

Jesus falls 

The people of Jerusalem

The Women of Jerusalem

    While getting ready to put on his Crucifixion costume, the boy who played Jesus in our living Stations of the Cross stated, “Buti nalang love ko si Jesus.” setting his heart right (as well as the hearts of the rest of the cast and crew).  It wasn't just something to do to while away the summer...it was for the love of Jesus.

The STCJP Youth Ministry with our Shrine Rector and Parish Priest
Fr. Aly Barcinal

PYM Animators with Fr. Aly and Sr. Judy before performing the "Dance of Fire"

STCJP Knights of the Altar before the Blessing of Fire and Water

    Your students, our youth ministers, made my Holy Week a more meaningful one through their boundless energy and enthusiasm to serve God in more ways than one.  Let us all pray that they, together with the rest of the youth ministers around the world, continue to love Jesus and promulgate the Catholic faith.

All for God’s greater glory! 

While Cleaning Up My Yahoo Account

While cleaning up my Yahoo Account, I found something I had copied from a blog last year.  If my memory serves me right, I came across this while preparing for our school's orientation.  Anyway, I just posted it on Instagram and tagged a number of friends with toddlers.  Got a handful of likes already. It was also favorited by "Dads Being Dads" on Twitter...don't even know who owns that account.  Hmmm... So I guess it struck a chord for a number of folks out there, so I believe it is worth sharing here.  Here's to parenting and teaching!

One Thousand Gifts to Thank God For (66-75)

66)  October 28, 2013 R & R in Tagaytay with Mike and Iya before THE planning.
67)  Catching up with "birthday boy" kuya Jojo (and the rest of the family) over cups of coffee (still in Tagaytay).
68)  PTC planning (in Tagaytay pa din) last October 29 & 30, 2013 with the guidance of our awesome brother and mentor, Arcie.
69)  2 PTC centers in 4 years!
70)  Sunday mass, breakfast at Rustic Mornings and grocery galore with the folks.
71)  Daddy Rudy is home after a night in the hospital.
72)  50 days before Christmas!
73)  50 days before hubby turns another year older!
74)  52 days before my (not so) baby brother comes home!
75)  Renewed zealousness to protect and pursue my personal prayer time and scripture reading.