Home Loans

We have purchased this house that we are currently living with the help of a home loan from a bank 6 years ago. We are the 2nd owners already of this house and we were quite blessed that we got this for a low price only. Though we had to pay extra for the refurbishment of the house since it looked old and had a number of repairs that needed to be done. We also changed the tiles in the bath room and the flooring tiles too.

After 6 years, we are still paying the bank but we are glad that the bank has refinance home loan options. We have paid some lump sum amount and we asked them to recompute the interests and the monthly amortization. We requested that they retain the monthly amortization amount in the hopes of shortening the number of years we need to pay. True enough, after computation, the number of years shortened and as of today, we have 2 more years to go to fully pay the home loan we got from the bank! I just hope that the interest rates won't go higher in the next 2 years!

I am glad that banks offer home loans. It allows people to purchase houses and pay them within their means. It is like helping them reach their goals or dreams. I just hope that the interest rates won't be too high though. :)

WFW - Joshua 1:8

A reminder to all of us - if we want to be successful and prosperous in whatever we are doing, we need to meditate on God's words - day and night. This is something we need to pass on to our children too!

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Then Sings My Soul Saturdays: Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)

It is by His grace that I am set free!



Happy weekend!

Then Sings My Soul Saturdays: With All I Am

Jesus you are the reason that I believe... you are the reason that I sing.

WFW - Psalm 121:1-2

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The Lord is the maker of heaven and earth.
He knows what is happening to our world.
He cares about us.
He loves us.

So when we can't see the goodness out of a situation in our life,

let us choose to trust in Him and in His goodness.

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You Are Inspirational, Gentle Hands

Gentle Hands is a Christian social welfare agency located in Metro Manila. They rescue children who are abandoned, abused, or malnourished. They are also a licensed foster/adoption agency. To learn more about it, go to http://www.gentlehands.org/

Here are some of the recent "rescues" and "adoptions" as shown in the Gentle Hands FB page.

I am inspired that Gentle Hands is run by non-Filipino missionaries who are called by God to work here in the Philippines, to help this specific group of people. They bring hope to some of the most depressed families and children in our society.

Most of the time, we Filipinos, don't have much time to help out in our community, much more these abandoned children. As a blogger, I have realized that we don't need to stay behind our blogs, but we can actually start to go beyond blogging. Maybe we can start to donate, or help them buy some of their needs.

Gentle Hands Current Needs List

1. Stuff for the Children and Babies
A. Daily Needs
1. Onesies baby undershirts
2. Cloth diapers
3. Receiving blankets
4. Baby wipes, baby powder, lotions
5. Diapers – size 000 – preemie pampers
6. crib sheets
7. Diaper rash creme
8. Bed sheets
9. thin blankets
10. Summer clothes

B. Bigger Needs
1. Air-conditioners X5
2. Ceiling fans X10
3. High chairs X6
4. Special Infant Cribs (6 @ P8000 each)
5. Big TV and DVD player for kids

2. Medical Stuff
A. Daily needs
1. Antibiotic ointment
2. Hydro-cortisone creme
3. Anti-fungal creme
4. Children’s Tylenol
5. Children’s Vitamins
6. Bandages
7. Gauze
8. non-stick gauze

3. Food & Personal Hygenie Items
1. canned goods of any kind
2. rice
3. milk powder for babies
4. toothbrushes and toothpaste

ONE-TIME NEEDS:

1. Medical Stuff
1. Nebulizer X2
2. Portable O2 machine & tank
3. O2 tank
4. Regular weigh scale
5. Microscope for labwork
6. 2-hospital beds

2. Office Stuff
1. typewriter
2. fax/copier/printer all-in-one

Hopefully, we can gather together our resources and make a difference in a child's life! Leave a comment if you are interested to join me.

Then Sings My Soul Saturdays: Still

With the recent Japan earthquake... It reminds us that God is always in control of everything. No matter what happens, we know that we can trust and rely on God. In times of uncertainties, I will be still and know that God is in control!

WFW - Deuteronomy 1:21

When we feel discouraged, we should always remember the promises God has made to us. The Israelites themselves experienced severe trials while they were in the desert, but in the end, they finally made it into the land that God has promised them.

Whatever you might be undergoing, do not lose heart. Do not be discouraged!
We have hope in the Lord Jesus!

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Then Sings My Soul Saturdays: Trust His Heart

God is too wise to be mistaken,

God is too good to be unkind...

So when you don't understand,

when you can't see His plan.

When you can't trace His hand,

Trust His heart.

Our First Year Homeschooling

The school year is almost over. We are about to finish up on our lessons and conclude our 1st year of homeschooling. It has been a great journey so far. I am so grateful that we have more "up" days than "down" days so far. I have seen my daughter grew in her love of reading, learning and studying the Word of God. I also learned more about my daughter's strengths and weaknesses. My son also has finally begun to love learning on his own.

We were also blessed to have been able to find a local homeschool support group which meets once a month. I have learned so much from veteran homeschooling parents and of course, I am glad that my kids met other children who are homeschooled too. At least, they know that they are not alone in their homeschooling journey. We were also able to find a ballet class located near our home so we could easily attend the classes. In fact, they will be having ballet recital very soon.

During this summer break, I want to find an art class, sports lessons or music lessons too. We might look for guitar lessons or piano lessons which are affordable. We were not able to focus much on those areas during the school year but I am really praying for good resources.

It is truly inspiring to see your kids learn and to learn about them at the same time! Thank you Lord for such a great opportunity that you gave me.

WFW - Deuteronomy 3:28

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I can't imagine how Moses must have felt knowing that he will not be able to go into the promised land. Imagine, he has been leading the Israelites for awhile now. But instead of sulking, the Lord has special instruction for him. He is to commission, encourage and strengthen Joshua.

When something in our life doesn't go the way we expected them to be, we should seek the Lord's direction and go along with His plans. Let us not allow our emotions to overcome us, instead, continue on serving the Lord and doing His will for the glory of God!

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Introducing Mommy Talks

I will be launching a new section under my parenting blog The Mommy Journey. It will be called Mommy Talks. Mommy Talks is my new monthly feature of the different moms around us. Hopefully, we will be able to feature different celebrity moms, single moms, moms with special kids, moms with businesses, moms with multiple kids, working moms, work-at-home moms, homeschooling moms, young moms and many others. I want to feature these moms because I know that we can all find inspiration together from other moms! We can also learn from their unique experiences. Hopefully, we can also encourage one another. Being a mom is no easy job and there is no short cut in becoming a good mom. We may be in unique situations but we all have a mom's heart. My prayer is that may God use this as an avenue where moms will be encouraged and inspired to become the moms that God has intended them to be.

I actually created a very simple logo for this new feature section. I am not very good with logo design ideas so I hope that this logo that I created is nice enough! :) Mommy Talks will start this Thursday and will be a monthly feature. Hope to see you there!