Php100,000 faith check to real check!

To tell you frankly, it is not that easy to have a prophet friend in one's life. It involves a sacrifice.

At first, a prophet would prophesy something good to happen to you; but he would ask you to give something sacrificially after prophesying.

MONEY!!!

This, I could hardly understand in the beginning; but when I have been acquainted with the Word of God, it is easy to follow the law of giving.

But when you are faced with a dilemma to choose between obeying and filling your stomach, your soul struggles within.

It is, indeed, a real struggle on your part -- to give or not to give.

But I have experienced my first concrete financial miracle with Don the prophet after a year and four months of our mail friendship.

Don wrote me a letter after receiving so many others from him and instructed me to offer Php1,000 for the ministry!

If I be able to give the amount he asked for in that letter, God would turn the money back to me a hundred times over!

That was a word from a prophet.

I never had the money but I desired to obey him as the prophet of God.

What I did, I pawned my wristwatch and offered Php1,000 to the local ministry office.

In reply, Don mailed me a sealed faith check in the amount of Php100,000 in my name.

Of course, that was only a "faith" check and could not be made into cash!

But after about three months, I received an unexpected real check of Php109,600 (USD2,000) coming from my father in the States!

Naturally, Don and my father never knew each other.

That miracle happened in December 2003.

Don even wrote me in early December that a financial miracle was coming.

And that it was going to be truly a "merry Christmas" for me.

Sure, it was.

I was so overwhelmed by the miracle I had everything photocopied.

Yes, even the two bills!

Because, when I cashed the check, I noticed the two bills from a bundle of Php100,000 had my initials on in its serial numbers!

First time: I touch a live python snake!

Yes, I touched a live python snake last Sunday!

It was a four-month-old pet python, the size of a diameter of a finger, owned by a neighbor of my nephew.

I ran my fingers through the back and the belly of the snake. It was unbelievably soft and smooth.

I was a snake-phobic before as everyone else is. And it was a long-time personal challenge to be able to touch it.

Many opportunities passed in the past but fear always overtook me. Last Sunday was another chance but I was very afraid. "Now or never," I told myself.

And I did it.

And speaking of snake, I have a story to tell.

One day in my fourth year high school, I was stationed to guard the back of the school together with a classmate. It was part of our civilian army training course.

We were guarding the wire fence whole day when we spotted a crawling, big-headed, slender-bodied, green baby snake in front of us.

I don't know if I participated in it but the snake was stoned to death!

Fear crawled through our spines when we came to think: when there's a baby snake, there's a big mother snake around!

It was creepy and more when we thought of eyes of a big snake looking at us at that very moment - somewhere on that grassy field beyond the fence!

We were not guarding the fence from illegal entrants anymore. But for a big green snake to appear suddenly.

If it did appear, we already knew what to do - RUNNN!!!

Fear only stopped when school that day was over.

Sighs of a desert soul

O Jesus,

You are all-knowing.
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You know that I am already

so tired of waiting.

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You know that I am already

so exhausted of giving.
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Until when are You going

to keep me in wait?

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Until when are You going

to stop the test?
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Yet, You have promised, Lord;

You have promised;

fulfill Your promises now - please?
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But who can question Your Wisdom?

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Who can say You're wrong?
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But I am human.

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I am already extracted.

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No more tears left.

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I am already as dry as a desert.

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No one else is here.

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I am all alone.
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It seems hard to get up.

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I thirst.

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And the air I breathe is heat.

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Yet my lungs cannot help

but accept it.
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Sighs! - sighs! - sighs! - are all I hear.

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I want to leave -

I need to.
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But I have nowhere else to go,

and You alone are God.

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I have nothing else to do -

but wait

in trust in You.
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A sack-dragging, old woman

I was walking home last night from the market, and it was drizzling. I saw an old woman by the street, dragging a sack full of something while holding on to her bag and other things.
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"Where you going, 'Nay'?" I asked her. ("Nay" [pronounced "nigh"] is short for "Nanay," ["nun-nigh"] vernacular for "mother." We address old women this way here.)
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"To the market," she replied.
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I am not that strong but I offered help. I went back to the market, dragging the sack full of fresh red peppers.
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We were passing by a busy sidewalk when I noticed a folded 50-peso bill falling from a young guy. He was unaware of it. It was a temptation. I wanted to keep the money. But I saw from whom the money fell. So, I picked it up and handed it to the young man - to his surprise! He thanked me with reverence.
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I continued dragging the sack. And thanks God, the place was not as far as I thought it was. "Nanay" asked me how much she had to pay.
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"No, no," I said, "I just want to help you."
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Then, off, I went.
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I never heard a "thank you!" from her. No problem. It is all for Lord Jesus.
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I am, frankly, in great financial need.
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I was from the market earlier to look for food.
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A store-owner, a friend, gave me one of her food wares about to get spoiled when I asked for it.
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But, as I was walking home, a motorcycle passed by me in such a way that I lost grip of the food I was holding on. It fell to the muddy pavement. I picked it up but the wrap was already torn. I threw it in the garbage bin.
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O my soul, continue doing good despite poverty. Soon, God will manifest Himself in your life if you but never get tired of "well-doing."
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I have had similar experiences but let this be only an example of so many.
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A dream, a diary and a cook

I had a dream a month before year 2009 began. I never realized it but the dream started to happen right after.
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This was my dream.

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I saw a hill and I was standing on the hill's foot. On top of the hill was a big tourist platform. It looked like the eyes and face of a man drooping its head to look down on me and those below. I felt it was unsafe for any tourist to go there and take a look. It was architecturally incorrect to build a structure like it, and I sensed it was going to collapse any minute. And sure, it did - bit by bit. As it started to fall, I vacated the place immediately - but I realized I had a companion, an old woman, my grandmother! I returned. I was trying to rescue her in such a way that my body was first out of the danger area. But I was wondering, "Why am I trying to rescue grandma when she's already dead long ago?" END OF DREAM.

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I remember my diary entry of January 17, 2009: it reads and I quote, "There is someone in the market who is getting on my nerves. He is a cook at an eatery next to where I take snack food for credit. When he looks at me taking food there, his eyes are insulting, looking down on me. One time, he even banged the door in my presence! They know I have my food for credit. I thought, he owns the eatery because of his arrogance. He is not! Just a cook. He has a companion who treats me the same way. When I was able to pay recently, they were like kittens, looking at me so meekly. But they know I am on credit again. They are back to 'normal.' Last night, I was tempted to display some arrogance. I tried to show off in a subtle way the envelope I had that reads CHECK ENCLOSED. Actually, the envelope was from prophet Don; and it was a faith check for P100,000. I prayed and included him and the woman in the Mass this morning. But when I saw him in the market, I was enraged again and intended to side-sweep him. I touched him only lightly in so doing. I must shoot him with many prayers and masses. Jesus, forgive and help me. I must stop going there to prevent myself from sinning." END OF ENTRY.
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But I admit I did go back there after some time - exclusively, for food. He was there, the cook. He was on my path. He never gave way. I side-pushed him and I did it intentionally. There was also a force coming from him. It was like a head-on collision. I know both of us were hurt in the process. But none complained. He went his way. I went my way. I decided never to go there again. I confessed the sin a month ago to a priest.

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Last night, I had a monthly confession during a Holy Mass. I feel so heavenly after each confession. I went back to my seat so recollected and happy. And during peace, I did a reverent peace to a familiar face, to someone standing in front of me left side. The cook!!! Yes, the cook! It was unexpected. I never knew he was there. He never knew as well I was there. And that sealed it all. We had peace together. And my name is J-O-Y! :-)

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A small world or a miracle?

I am a Catholic. I belong to the Church in Rome. I was a few months old when I was baptized. It was done in the church of the mother of a Saint - in the sacristy, to be exact. I was baptized in a hurry, my godfather had to catch up a flight. I have never seen him in person. I know his complete name. I grew up to see my old, original baptismal certificate. It was signed by the priest who baptized me. I still have it with me. You know? God did a miracle! It was a big miracle for me. I am seeing the Hand of God in my life in this part of my story. The last time my father knew of my godfather was after my baptism. He was leaving for a big city in the South, his hometown. Papa never heard of him since.

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I was two years in college. I decided to take up Mass Communications as my major subjects. No other course was closer to my interest in writing. My professor was a writer. I always saw her by-line. Her maiden name was familiar. I had never asked. When I came to know she was also from a big city in the South, I asked her right away if she knew somebody by the name of [...]! "Daddy!" - was her reply. "He's my godfather!" I was surprised. "What a small world!" - was all she could say of the coincidence of our meeting. "What a miracle!" - for me. She remembered her father telling them of the baptism he attended before he left the king city. I brought the pictures. "Father was yet young!" - was her immediate reaction. Ma'am and I became even closer. She wondered - she said - the first time we met. Her feelings were light and easy towards me! I could feel, even at the start, there was a soul connection between us. But I am wondering where they are right now. Is my godfather still alive? And my teacher friend? My prayers go to them whether they are yet in body or already out of body.

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