The Good (and SLOOOW) Life

A typical day-off here in Penang... [Warning: May cause drowsiness.] Hehe!

2004 Family Photos

The Object of MY Affection

And every time I close my eyes
I thank the Lord that I’ve got you
And you’ve got me too
And every time I think of it
I pinch myself ’cause
I don’t believe it’s true
That someone like you
Loves me too

What Does Love Mean?

I guess we've all heard the Victory wedding script often enough to remember these lines (or some version of it):

"The most misused and misunderstood word is 'Love'. We hear expressions like 'falling in love'. But we fall in holes, not love."

And "Love is a commitment..."

One great practice introduced (by Pastor Steve, I believe) was to substitute your name in place of the word LOVE when reciting the famous passage in 1Corinthians 13... "(Ida) is patient, (Ida) is kind. (Ida) does not envy, (Ida) does not boast, (Ida) is not proud. (Ida) is not rude, (Ida) is not self-seeking, (Ida) is not easily angered, (Ida) keeps no record of wrongs. (Ida) does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
(Ida) always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Whew! Now, that's a sure-fire way to get a good laugh... or guilt-trip. Pinocchio, step aside!

Well, the world does have an entire array of definitions of love. And here are some of the cute ones right out of the mouths of babes:

---- What does Love mean?
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, What does love mean? The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love. Rebecca- age 8

When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth. Billy - age 4

Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs. Chrissy -age 6

Love is what makes you smile when you're tired. Terri - age 4

Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK. Danny - age 7

Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss. Emily - age 8

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen. Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate. Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday. Noelle - age 7

Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well. Tommy - age 6

During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore. Cindy - age 8

My mommy loves me more than anybody . You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night. Clare - age 6

Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken. Elaine-age 5

Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford. Chris - age 7

Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day. Mary Ann - age 4

I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones. Lauren - age 4

When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you. (what an imagination) Karen

Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross. Mark - age 6

You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget. Jessica - age 8

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, Nothing, I just helped him cry. ----

It just goes to show that DC TAlk was right... "Love IS a VERB" It's what compelled our Lord to make the climb to Calvary.

Jojo and Jonathan fly home to Manila via KL

Start:

Jan 27, '06 07:00a

They'll be there for a week, leaving the rest of the family here in Penang. It's a week-long holiday here due to the Chinese New Year... which is a good opportunity for them to renew their driver's licenses and do my grocery errands, and meet up with a thousand and one friends (and eat sisig at Dencio's in Tagaytay, haha!). The other boys are SOSOSOSO envious.

Jojo turns 41

Start:

Jan 26, '06 07:00a

We already celebrated the occasion the other night with a family dinner at Mario's... It's uncanny that we still have a Mario's resto here in Penang that we go to for those types of occasions. But unlike the one in the Philippines, this one is Italian.

I Can Only Imagine

http://www.andiesisle.com/icanonlyimagine.html
Psalm 73 is a plaintive cry I find choked up in my throat every so often... There are seasons in life when you wonder if the things we strive for is really worth the toil. There are certain questions that beg answering, certain inconsistencies and mysteries of life and living. These are the times when we can only look up and exclaim, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Approaching the New Year

The days between Christmas and New Year should be dubbed as a season all in itself. So much happens during this time. Most families go on trips abroad. We stayed put, and it seemed like we were vying for the title of "The Most Happening Place in Penang."

PS You can see Jenny's version of this album on her page:
fabregas

The Every Nation Website

http://churches.everynation.org/
Excerpt from "2005: The Year in Pictures" : "During the course of this year, Pastor Jojo Henson moved from Manila to plant a new church in Penang, Malaysia. Other new church plants in 2005 include: Istanbul, Turkey; Doha, Qatar; San Jose, California; Denver, Colorado; Orlando, Florida; and the Philippine cities of Dasmarinas, Trinidad, and General Santos."

Pastor Steve's Site

http://www.stevemurrell.com/
This is the "office" my dear hubby punches into daily. And now, I'm hooked too. It's a sure cure-all for those missionary blues. Thank you Pastor Steve.

What are the chances?

http://www.lovecalculator.com/
In keeping with the Valentine theme, I'm posting this link. It calculates the probability of your relationship working out based on your names. Jojo and I scored 52%...68% if I include middle names,haha! So you be the judge...

Happy Ever After...

Jojo and I began receiving texts from friends in Manila early in December, such as: "We're at our D12 Christmas tea party at BIZU. Thinking of you.." (from Danette), and “We’re at the senior pastor’s Christmas Party at the Fort. We miss you.” (from Juray).

Christmas just isn’t the same out of Manila, and I ached for my friends and the traditions we keep. I missed Deborah's ornament exchange, our Alabang Village tour-cum-dinner, the progressive dinner we have with the Saisons and Kuehns, and the Fort Sambang Gabi. I tried to replicate some of those traditions here, but “there was no one to play with me.”

I began to despair around the 20th, and then Gia called out of the blue and surprised me with a visit. Shortly after, the Yuen family arrived. Po Seng preached our Christmas service. Our missionaries from India and Myanmar came for Christmas dinner. I ordered turkey… Everything was fine with my world.

Oh, and the Fabregas kids came to visit on the 28th, but that's another story...

Our Penang Christmas

Here is a glimpse of our Christmas celebration. Gia and family arrived on the 22nd, and the Yuen family on the 24th (Po Seng preached at our Christmas service). We had a grand time!