Today is my husband’s  birthday he is now 29 years old and it’s our first time celebrating together as couple. I started my gratefulness journal about him two weeks ago and I just want to share some of the things I am grateful about him.

I am grateful for his hard work to provide for us.

I’m grateful for he has been patient with me as I am still adjusting and growing as his wife.

I’m grateful for he always tells how beautiful I am.

I’m grateful for he understands my needs as a woman

I’m grateful for he respects and understands when I need to be quiet

I’m grateful for he cooks and wash dishes especially when I am not feeling well.

I’m grateful for he has been gracious to me especially when I am not in good mood.

I’m grateful for he always brings out the trash even without reminding him.

I’m grateful for we pray and read the bible together.

And most of all I’m grateful for he loves the Lord and wants to please Him in everything he does.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Thank you for doing your best to be the husband that He wants you to be.

I LOVE YOU!

 © 2009 the emissary’s feet

I’ve been reading articles and blogs  about proving their beliefs are right that the version of the bible they are reading are the most accurate version, that they are right and others are wrong. Sadly but these are among believers.

I was raised in the Pentecostal background; I would only enter a church with the same background or denomination as mine.  It was two years ago that God opened my heart and eyes, he made me realize that these people are my bothers and sisters no matter what denomination they are. You see here in China there are no Presbyterians, Pentecostals, Baptist, Anglicans etc. Christians here don’t have time to argue about what they believe in.  Their hearts cry is that Christ be glorified that His name be known and lifted up among the nations.

As Pastor Richard Wurmbrand said the founder of the Voice of the Martyrs and spent fourteen years in a communist prison in Romania “The menace of persecutors and the sufferings of the underground church are scarcely ever mentioned in the church periodicals today. Instead, there are endless discussions about theological matters, about rituals, about nonessentials. In formerly communist Russia, no one remembered the arguments for or against child or adult baptism, for or against papal infallibility. They are not pre-or post millenialists. They cannot interpret prophecies and don’t quarrel about them, but I have wondered very often at how well they could prove the existence of God to atheists"

I bet when these persecuted Christians were in the prison, they did not talk about what version of the bible they are reading, or about speaking in tongues, or what background or denomination they are into, I bet what matters to them was Christ.

YUMMY! 

One thing wonderful about China is, tipping is not a practice here, unlike in our Country it is a shame not to give tip especially in the big restaurants and hotels.

Japanese and Koreans bow when they greet each other while in China handshake is a common practice.

Embracing or kissing when saying good-bye or when meeting friends are highly unusual. Generally, Chinese do not show emotions and feelings in the public but I think that was before, today’s generation is different, nowadays, you can see couples especially young people displaying their affections in the public. When I first met my in-laws I hugged them, I felt that it was a strange thing for them. My husband told me  it’s not their practice to do that.

Wives don’t use the surname of their husbands; I’m still thinking if I will adopt their practice, I’m still using my maiden name up to this time.

Chinese do not usually accept gift, invitation or favor when it is first presented. I remember when my husband’s student invited us to dine out in the restaurant; my husband wanted to give a moon cake coupon as a way of saying thank you, but no matter how he pleaded with the wife she really did not accept it. In our culture it's a kind of rude not to accept gifts. It means you don’t like the gift unless of course if it’s given with a wrong motive like bribing. For Chinese politely refusing two or three times is a sign of modesty and humility. For them when you accept something in haste it makes you look greedy. In my culture, it is always a pleasure to receive and accept invitation or gift.

 © 2009 the emissary’s feet

We oftentimes lost in the jungle of life, preoccupied with so many things, every day we face the challenges of life, trying to fix everything , trying to hold our world together, but the more we do it the more that we become frustrated and discouraged. We’re overwhelmed by the circumstances around us that we forgot we have the Father who owns the universe. He has everything under control and He is in control and never be threatened of all the challenges we are facing no matter how big they are. He knows the beginning and the end of every circumstance we are into.

No matter how big the challenges are, let’s fix our eyes to Jesus our Father instead of the obstacles around us.As we focus our thoughts in him not only will He give us the strength to cope but we will realize that in every challenges we are facing in life, if we face them with the right attitude and view them the way God sees them, we will be more and more like our Father in Heaven. We will reflect more His grace.

Hebrew 3:1 “fix your thoughts on Jesus”

 © 2009 the emissary’s feet

There's a funny saying here in China "they eat anything that has wings except airplane"

God has been demonstrating his faithfulness and miracles since I came here in China. When I arrived here this April I experienced severe coughing, I thought It was swine flu but I thank the Lord after two weeks of suffering he healed me even without seeing a doctor, I trusted in his promise to heal. Last week I experienced again severe pain in the upper part of my abdomen. It was my first time to feel it, with that kind of pain I thought I would be operated. I hardly sleep and eat for a week.

When you are in pain, you have the tendency to think of your past life and sins, your neglect of duties , the failures you’ve had, questions like, have I been faithful with the task He has entrusted to me? Have I done or given my utmost to the Highest? If I die right now have I accomplished the purpose that the Lord has willed me to do. These questions came into my mind when I was in terrible pain.

During those sleepless nights I was trying to comfort myself with His words written in the bible, I was trying to read and remember the promises He has, we did all kinds of prayer from binding and losing to speaking in tongues to crying, but in the end it is Him, that small voice in my mind and heart saying “Everything is possible for him who believes” that comforted me, though I was in pain I knew in my heart that I have been healed. I am not saying that prayer does not work, prayer works indeed. What I am trying to say is, it‘s His word that gave me assurance. He assured me that He is my great healer.  It is God who armed me with strength and comfort.  

Now, I don’t only believe that Jesus is our great healer because the bible said it or others said so, I believe because I experienced it myself.

I thank God for those who prayed for me, my family, family in the body of Christ and my husband who fervently interceded for me, his warrior spirit came out , It was my first time to see him praying like that.  And above all I thank our Lord Jesus Christ who abundantly demonstrates his unfailing love and grace to us.

© 2009 the emissary’s feet

 Sunset in Manila Bay!