33. Wala ka sa Lolo ko. For he was hungry and the Lord sent people who gave him something to eat. Amen.
25 September 2020
In December 2014. No trace of the hunger, famine and severe affliction encountered during the period 2000 - 2005.
God is truly faithful. Grabe.
Matthew 25
35 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.”
Matthew 25
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”
Matthew 25
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’”
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
Today 25 September 2020 is my 60th birthday.
I can only be truly thankful to the Lord for sustaining me all these years, I cannot ask for more.
I am even humbled that the blog today happens to refer to the top verse, it could not have come at a more appropriate time as today, you will understand why.
Exactly 16 years ago, in 2004, I was kind of adopted, by Kuya Nanie and Ate Becks Perez, to celebrate my birthday along with their daughter Adorz, then a senior BS Computer Engineering student at De La Salle Lipa. We have exactly the same birthday.
I was in hunger, famine and severe affliction during the period 2000 to 2005.
Kuya Nanie and Ate Becks are my benefactors in Christ.
I was hungry and the Lord sent Kuya Nanie and Ate Becks who gave me something to eat, literally for that matter.
As I had it in an ealier blog.
“Around those times, for several times, my wife Marlou would tell me we are going to Pizza Hut at Robinson's Lipa for dinner with Kuya Nanie and Ate Becks. I never felt awkward, they made me feel loved, they cared about my plight and would later lend me P 90,000 to update the house loan amortization, which could have gone to the drain had the house been foreclosed by the bank. Good thing, Marlou was able to arrange sale of the house, sa kanyang kinakapatid, inaanak ng biyenan ko.
What endeared me to the couple as Kuya Nanie and Ate Becks regarded me? Had chat with Ate Becks while writing this blog, it's that their house was also almost foreclosed years earlier that they empathized with me and went out of their way to lend me such big amount.”
Having said that, having the privilege of a being co-celebrant that time, I never felt out of place.
It was held at El Madero Resort in the town of Mataas na Kahoy near Lipa City. We had a house in Lipa City near Fernando Air Base in 1998 until we had to sell it in 2006 in order to pay off debts. We then rented an apartment in Quezon City when our youngest Paolo started college at UP Diliman, while our two daughters Vannie and Patty attended Ateneo.
Habakkuk 3
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
Around 10 years after, Marlou and I would stand as principal sponsors during the wedding of Adorz and Joseph in December 2014 at Shercon Resort and Ecology Park also in Mataas na Kahoy.
At the wedding reception, I was asked to give message to the newly wed, and I quoted John 14:2 KJV “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
The connection, since 2006 to that particular time, and up to the very present, we do not have our own house; as of now we stay in a rented housing unit, empty nesters as we are.
That time, I said I do not have a house, yet with all gratitude I look forward to a mansion, a mansion in Heavenly Hills as I referred in a recent blog. I won't be a Christian, if not for the parents of Adorz, and I don't know if I would have survived adversity, without their help and that of family and friends. It was my way of giving tribute to the Perez family.
It was even heartwarming that I would come back as wedding principal sponsor, with much light countenance, with no trace of the hunger, famine and severe affliction I went through during the period 2000 - 2005. God is truly faithful. Grabe. The Lord restored my health, the Lord restored my life.
Yesterday, while working on today's blog, I requested pictures from Adorz, here are another three.
Adorz could not recall if there were pictures during our combined birthday celebration in 2004.
My Dear Family and Friends to whom this greetings may come, without naming names, from the bottom of my heart, wala ako kung wala kayo, maraming maraming salamat. I would not have imagined reaching this milestone in my life without the life of every single one of you. You are all God-sent, and my prayer for each one of you, is that the Lord continue to bless your heart for you are a blessing to neighbors.
My special intention for Ate Becks for comfort and strength, and the whole family of Kuya Nani, with his passing away some days ago. In a blog, I gave salute to Kuya Nanie, a retired AFP Lieutenant General, an officer and a gentleman, a modern day centurion of great faith and great compassion for the sake of others, of which I am foremost.
By the way, today there is a Zoom birthday party arranged by our children, not a surprise one, because Marlou celebrated her 60th birthday in July, that one a surprise, me being one of the conspirators, so I have some idea what's going to happen today.
My Dear Onliner Friend, if you won't mind, if you have similar very memorable experience like mine, in the proper time, I encourage you to express your thanksgiving to those caring people in whatever appropriate medium for your situation, and even share your story to others as I do, giving praises and glory to God, the Lord of all mercy, grace and compassion. Amen and Amen.
Wala ka sa Lolo ko. For he was hungry and the Lord sent people who gave him something to eat. These very words someday, my children's children will utter with thanksgiving to the Lord. Amen and Amen.
If you have been blessed with my message, I request that you please share it with family and friends whom you believe will be blessed as well.
Also comments in the space provided for this blog will be highly appreciated.
Maraming Salamat. God Bless Everyone.
Thank you Perez family ❤️
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