Updates

Update: May 7, 2012

A Deep Appreciation

(sharing you a part of the personal email sent to my Christian Blessings family and now, to all my friends here)

Hello all! :) Yes, it’s me. Let me apologize first for not updating you and for missing your past posts on the site. I am sincerely sorry for that. The Lord did accomplish His purpose and plan while I was away from blogging for a while. Thank you for all of your prayers, God has been so faithful in allowing me to pass all the exams this week. And I have a few weeks break before the semester starts after I will be fully accepted this coming May. I just trust the Lord for whatever results He will give as I obey His will in my career.

My husband did arrived last March and went back also last first week of April – which gave us only 14 days to be together. Yes, the loneliness has affected me for a while, adjusting to our new home and learning the chores alone. It was tough for me weeks ago but thanks to the goodness of our Lord for His unfailing love and strength. Through these struggles, I have found myself to be closer to Him. It was really hard at first (even though this is not the first time my husband left for work to Europe and US this time), since this is the first time I’ll be left alone in our new home and the silence seemed so deafening for the past weeks. I was self-centered to think that I’m lonely, missing the part that my husband is feeling the same way too – much worst;  since he is on a constant voyage through the different ports where he can only face the ocean 24 hours of each day, and he is the only Christian aboard on that new ship. The challenge we face is not new yet it is still extremely difficult to overcome without God’s help. When I look back, I found our distance and the loneliness we felt as a small factor compared to the blessings God gave and continues to give us – 2 of his siblings got saved recently, 1 cousin accepted the Lord Jesus and my father-in-law is now showing a lot of improvement, particularly, He is now comfortable talking about God;  we(in the local church) baptized 23 souls this month from the work that started in the mountainous areas which we have prayed to reach out (as mentioned in one of my blog posts last year)and now we are building a meeting place there with the Lord’s provision. We are extending towards the most mountainous areas, areas where no gospel was preached and where people’s lives evolved only on farming, selling woods and coals and with limited tools for education – we pray that God will continually strengthen us for His work and that His Holy Spirit would continually work in each of our members to have the burden for lost souls. The visitations are done twice to thrice a week. I can see that Satan truly makes his way to ruin (as a roaring lion) our focus and this time, he targets our (my husband and I) emotional stability. He used loneliness to try and blind us that this is something I should complain to God about. He used the distance to try in giving us doubts if this kind of marriage would work. He used our emotions to try in destroying the involvement and commitment we have in our local church and in the Lord’s ministry. And just as before He can penetrate successfully, the faithfulness of our Lord intervenes, praise God! Instead of feeling that way, we were reversely relieved – knowing that God has a greater plan (more than what we can think of) behind all of these challenges and that His love is always bigger than our hearts, than our loneliness and the miles of distance.  Sometimes I smile when people tend to tell me, “oh you must be so lonely, oh I pity you, oh I can’t survive that”-kind of conversation. Then I remembered this from one of my devotionals:


Who says I’m alone? I’ve got Jesus.

Who says I’m unhappy? I’ve got His love.

Who says I’m worried? I’ve got a Big GOD.

Having HIM made and can make all the difference!


and remembered the song “Blessings” by Laura Story:


We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe


When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this world is not our home
It’s not our home


What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life, is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy?
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?


Thank you for all your prayers, I deeply appreciate each of them and God bless you! 

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Update: December 25, 2011

A New Blessing

December 19 – I got an inbox alert from the owner of http://ptl2010.com/. I smiled as I read that she was reading my recent post, 172nd. The next sentences made my smile even bigger. I am invited to become one of their contributors! This humbling opportunity is right at my door but I bent down my knees and prayed for God’s direction. I knew this is such a serious task for God’s glory and if it’s God’s will, He would surely speak to me.

December 22 – God led me to accept the offer. I know it would require me more time as I join the goal of having a Tagalog (our own native language) blog category come true. But what’s on my mind as accepting this privilege, is the question: who am I to resist? I post as God enables me by His grace and strength. What can I do more for my remaining days? but to serve Him in every possible way I can, to reach out my fellow countrymen working outside Philippines and to spread out His love on others.

December 24 – I clicked the ”Accept Invitation” and started to muse around the site. I’m loving the new environment, surrounded by fellow authors who are inspired to write for the Lord. I don’t have much experience as a full time writer but it is only by His grace that I share thoughts and spread His love.

December 25 – Ayee! I’ve been announced! If you missed that post, click here to read it. I give all the credit and glory to God, who fills me with His love, blessings and courage in doing this stuff.

Thank you Christian Blessings for this opportunity. May Christ is seen in every post that I make in your site and may our goals be blessed as the new year starts to unfold.

I pray that you continually support me in this new adventure. I always look at blessing the other way around – as testing. That if we can handle it correctly, giving glory to God, He will bless us more and more.

Stay tuned for the next update. God bless! :)

Update: December 21, 2011

Good Tidings!

It’s another year coming up and I thank you for all the support you have given to this blog – for reading my posts, clicking ”like” buttons, leaving your comments, getting in touch with me through emails, sending invitations for guest posts, nominations, and most importantly, for sharing my JOY.

If I were to describe my reaction for 2011 in two words, I would say that I’m flabbergasted!

The best gift this year is your friendship. When I started this blog, I never thought God would lead me to meet wonderful people like you (ahem, yes, I’m serious!). Your encouragement pushed me to show more effort in sharing my daily walk in the Lord. If you think this blog has inspired you in one smallest way,

please know that God used you to inspire me first.

I pray that you continually join my journey as we zealously spread to others the amazing love of God shown in our lives.

God bless and enjoy the season,

Joyce Ann Abella-Bait

~ by the way, that’s my real name :) ~

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Update: December 21, 2011

Up For The New Look

Aloha friends! I’ve changed my theme to something light, news-market type and easy. :) With featured posts, you’ll never have to click on categories or archives since the theme displays it right at my home page. Thank you WordPress Themes!

 ”Nuntius” is so perfect for what I want this site to look like. While I admire Koi, Coraline, iTheme2 and Twenty Ten for their designs, the  Slider Post feature of this current theme is simply irresistible.

About, Awards, Listings, Contact, Featured Scribbles – these pages and their links are seen on the top most part of the page.

I have added a new widget for ”Verse of the Day” feeds. Those daily verses are written with articles by Phil Ware of Heartlight. Be sure to move your eyeballs to the sidebar on the right to see it. :)

The blogroll is already updated! Get mused on the pages and I’m sure you’ll be surprised to find your blog name and link there.

Good news for those who get dizzy on navigating more pages, the new Comments page has been created for your general thoughts and messages. Now, you can enjoy reading a little, and sending a remark at the same time. Don’t worry, size doesn’t matter. Your opinion does.

What’s still new? Codes for JBS Badge Stickers are now available! You can either put it in your Text or Image Widgets.

Go, share some clicks and let me know what you think! Remember, your opinion does matter. :)