Feast Bay Area Morning Bulletin for Mar 3, 2019

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BLESSING BLOG TWO TALES OF TWO NBSB’S Twentysomething Alyanna Mae Ilagan from Feast SM Manila and thirtysomething Rhea Nodado, from Feast PICC AM, both accountants, tell their different stories of finding Mr. Right. Alyanna Mae Ilagan writes: I planned my wedding day on May 14, 2022, summertime before I turn 26. It would be a Saturday so all my friends and relatives would be there among the 250 guests. Bro. Bo Sanchez would be one of the ninongs (No harm in wishing, right?). I would walk the aisle of Baclaran Church and the wedding reception would be at a hotel nearby. More than those details, one important detail is missing in this scenario – my Mr. Right, my would-be husband. Not only am I an NBSB (No Boyfriend Since Birth), I’ve never been on a date either. I was always the hard-crusher, but hardly anybody’s crush. The dreamer, but never anybody’s dream girl. Whenever I am exclusively crushing, I would write letters that would never reach my crush, I would think of what could be and my heart would break for all the wrong reasons. It was a tiring cycle. Heartbreaks from crushes are real. However, it’s not the memories that made me cry, but the time wasted on making them on my own. “Why, Lord?” I’d then ask. His answer came through the talk series: Looking for Mr. and Ms. Right. It dawned on me that I had been seeking approval from others when my Father calls me His Beloved. I sought security in men when the Lord holds my future. So one day, I scratched out my wedding plan, moved on from the toxic exclusive crush I had, sorted my priorities and straightened out my relationship with God. Mr. Right is not the priority – being Ms. Right is. God wants me to be as happy, a woman after His own heart. And when the Lord deems that I’m ready, I know that my heartbreaks from the men who aren’t for me will be no match to the love story God Himself wrote for me. I might have planned when, how and where I would want to get married but I trust that He has something better in mind. Rhea Nodado tells Bulletin staffwriter Timothy Quintos: Back when I was an NBSB, I was excited to have my first boyfriend. Then, I met Jojo, through her tita, my colleague. His smile made me my heart flutter. My father said to choose someone responsible and mature. But I followed my heart. What if he had no regular job? We’ll manage, I thought. We became sweethearts. After a year together, I got pregnant so we married in a civil ceremony. Later, my husband decided to work in Qatar to provide for our growing family. Friends said, “Naku, dapat alam mo ang password ng asawa mo sa Facebook para malaman mo kung may iba na siyang kinakasama.” I retorted, “Eh, di iisipin pa n’yang wala akong tiwala sa kanya.” Check on him like that? To me that was being childish. But fate has a funny way of showing me the truth. In 2012, he forgot his password and asked me to open his email for him. That’s when I found out about his affair with another woman. Immediately, I confronted him. He explained that he was just lonely and homesick. But when I asked him to choose, his reply shook me, “Hindi ko alam.” My whole world fell apart. Di ko alam kung anong gagawin ko nung panahong ‘yon. While I sought refuge at the Chapel of St. Padre Pio and surrendered everything to the Lord, I also sought diversions to numb my pain. For the first time in my life, I drank and smoked. By myself. I pretended everything was okay. Papasok ako sa trabaho na wala sa sarili. In truth, my heart was bleeding. I badly needed someone to talk to. But instead of turning to my squad – family or friends – I turned to this male colleague who lent his ear. My biggest mistake. Before I knew it, I was falling for him. I prayed, “Lord, I don’t want to commit the same mistake my husband made. Please, Clockwise from left bottom: Rhea with husband Jojo, and sons Daniel and Christian save me.” After a month, he was removed in the office. I continued my drinking and smoking for months and fell into depression. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I wanted to end my life. When I was about to do it, I saw a picture of Jesus from the window. He was hugging those who pray. That brought me back to my senses. I realized I should stop focusing on my husband’s misdeed and instead focus on my two little boys –Daniel and Christian. I went back to the Chapel to nourish my spirit. A month later, I received an unexpected call. It was Jojo. He was in the airport. He asked for my forgiveness and said, “Gusto kong baguhin ang lahat ng maling nagawa ko.” Like a real man, he also asked forgiveness from our boys. Finally, my Mr. Right was home. Our relationship with each other is now way better than before. We regularly attend The Feast and our two teenagers are active at Youth High, thanks to their Camp Calye experience. Got an inspiring story? Email your respective Feasts. Feast Ermita: a1media.feastbayarea@gmail.com Feast MOA: info@thefeastmallofasia.com Feast SM Manila: shareyourstory.tfsmm@gmail.com Feast PICC AM: iamblessedatthefeast@gmail.com Feast PICC OPM: fba.opm@gmail.com Feast PICC PM: fbamedia.m3sy@gmail.com FBA BULLETIN 030319.indd 2 2/28/2019 10:36:43 PM
SCENES FROM LAST WEEK Across the Feast Bay Area The happiest servants are at The Feast (left) because we say, The Feast is the happiest place on earth. That’s probably why we’re always packed during the Feast PICC AM sessions. At the Feast PICC PM, Bro. Alvin Barcelona, Feast Bay Area district head, and his son, Aio, love to sing and play music together. Here, they render Father and Son by Cat Stevens and other hit songs to culminate the talk series, Looking for Mr. and Ms. Right. Fr. Bob McConaghy blesses the kids after the Mass. Guest speaker Rissa Kawpeng, book author, inspires the singles of Feast MOA to enjoy life. Kuya Lep Sumera (top photo) and Doc Ryan Capitulo (bottom photo) tell their young audience, “You are valuable than you think you are. The Feast Ermita is where healing abounds and love overflows. Its builders, Bro. Adrian Panganiban and Bro. John Ben, exchange banter onstage. Through a skit, at the Feast MOA, actors illustrate how like the blind we try to search for our partners when we don’t use our head with our heart. Right: Feast PICC OPM Coach JC Libiran exhorts Feasters of PICC Overflow, also called OPM, to listen to the Word of God. Left: Coach JC and his wife Milen, ask Jel Directo, founder of Verses.ph, and March Nacino, digital marketing expert, about the blessings of being single. Right: Youth Home attendees listen to Bro. Tony Valenzuela’s talk. Left: Bro. Mon Reyes (right) announces YH’s new Instagram account – @youth_home – where the young can stay connected virtually. RECAP The Gospel According to Luke 6:27-38 | Love Your Enemies “Forgiveness is setting the prisoner free and discovering that the prisoner is you.” -Fr. Michael Laguardia Why do good to those who hate us and forgive those who have offended us? When we forgive those who have offended us, we’re not doing them a favor, but setting ourselves free from bitterness, anger and hatred. Who Do You Deserve? We don’t attract whom we deserve, we attract whom we think we deserve. If you have a negative perception of yourself, you will attract a broken person. Do not be impatient. Be the right person first and the right person will find you. Accept singleness as a gift. While unmarried, expand your world, form your character, join and serve ministries, deepen your spiritual life, build your business and focus on yourself first. Accept the struggles of singleness. Singles are prone to loneliness and Series: Looking for Mr. & Ms. Right Big Day Big Message: God is enough. sexual temptations. The antidote: Stay with your squad. Invest time with your family and friends. Join an LG or a Light Group at the Feast. (See P4 for details.) Single Life Is Blessed. Enjoy this season. If you’re not happy while you’re single, then you won’t be happy being married. Understand that you are complete because you have the Lord with you. You don’t need a spouse to complete you. God is with you. He is enough to give you the joy, peace, purpose and the love you need. FBA BULLETIN 030319.indd 3 2/28/2019 10:36:50 PM
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Feast Bay Area Morning Bulletin for Mar 3, 2019

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