Sunday, June 21st, 2009
What makes a Dad?
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle’s flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
And then there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it - Dad.
~Anonymous
(i remembered when i was still a kid… i wrote this on a sheet of paper and drew a father and child cartoon and gave it to daddy :-P)
Friday, June 5th, 2009
I am sooo happy to announce the birth of Charles Gabriel Cabahug-Macaraeg. Born on June 4, 2009 (40 years from the day Dad was baptized in 1969) at 3:13 pm.
He weighs 7 lbs 6 oz… and 20.5″ long. So nice to have an additional blessing in the family! All thanks to God, the giver of life. 
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
“Remember NOW your Creator in the days of your youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw near, when you shall say ‘I have no pleasure in them…’”
-Ecclesiastes 12:1
“Rejoice, O young man, in your youth; and let your heart cheer you in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes: BUT know you, that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.”
-Ecclesiastes 11:9
That was the theme for this years camp. I really like it, and i think it is very fitting since the campers are still young, and by remembering their Creator young enough, they could avoid mistakes that could result to permanent damages.
During the first week, we had counselors training the whole day for three days… and the first thing the camp director asked each one of us is “Why is it important to remember our Creator in our youth, before the difficult days come?”
One answered that in the end times there will be a famine of the word, and if you didn’t do your homework now, it will be difficult for you to fight the fiery darts of Satan.
I answered “one of the reasons why, is that when you remember Him, He will remember you. (means that from your youth, you’ve been serving Him, following Him, haven’t compromised)… that when the evil days come, it will be His time to save you and rescue you. You now have the courage to ask Him to help you…”
Then kuya reuel also added that we cannot be sure if we’re still gonna live that long. We may die tomorrow, the next week, next year, and so on… so it is important to Remember Him Now.
I think this years camp was very good, spiritually and in the physical sense.
Christian Living Classes - Every morning we started each day with it for 2 hours, but sometimes we even exceed the time and i think every session is very helpful. The camp director would give each group an assigned topic for us to discuss throughout the day and present it the next day. This years camp was also unique in a sense that we added “true-to-life” experiences and stories.. where a volunteer would tell a story about their personal experiences about a specific topic like (feast days, sabbath compromise, outside relationships, etc.)..
Riflery - we had this activity at the bulwagan area since it was raining… my score was 300.. 
Inline Skating - i was very impressed with my campers knowing that they haven’t tried inline skating before but in just a short time they were able to skate, w/o holding on to the railings. 
Swimming - i think it was only our dorm who had the swimming activity w/o raining… but still, it was very cold. Nevertheless, we enjoyed it! we played waterpolo after.
Soccer - i enjoyed this activity a lot… inspite of the soles of my shoes were starting to wear off one after the other. As i was running, my shoes were flapping as though it was cheering (go meryl! go meryl!) hehe. Until i decided to take it off and continued to run. It was so funny to see the girls play. The whole group chasing the ball wherever it goes, and the fun part is that in the midst of the flocking girls, shoes would fly up over head. lol and our team won! yAy!
Softball - this was a nice activity too. it was my first time to be a catcher, so i wore all these gear, helmet, vest, shin guard, so i can hardly move. i look and move like a robot. so funny. but yAy! our team won too!
Dance - we were taught the swing but different steps… but because of lacking time we were not able to master it, so we decided to continue practicing during fellowship time… and then we performed a dance number for the talent show
Confidence Course and Wilderness Skills - we arrived back at the campsite almost 1 in the morning. it was raining, muddy, we cooked under the rain, did wall climbing, monkey bridge, pulley slide, hiking, mud tunnel… going through all of those with a raw egg to protect. ahhh… so nice. hehe.. it was so fun.
It has been raining a lot during this camp… so it was extra challenging and you need to clean your shoes constantly because of the mud… but it didn’t dampen our spirits… as they say “the show must go on”…
Being a first time counselor this camp was entirely a different experience even tho i’ve been an assistant counselor the previous years… but thankfully with God’s help i was able to make it! i got 5 first-time campers.. and only 3 have been to camp before. I admit it was tough but an also rewarding experience.
overall we thank God for blessing this camp and being with each activity. We will definitely Remember our Creator, and Remember UYC 2009.
Friday, May 8th, 2009
Weeee!!! One more day to go and i’ll be off to Eden!!
which reminds me… i havent packed my things yet… hehehehe. but yes, i already had my checklist written down… and colored.
aahh… its been a crazy week… soo busy… finalizing lists, sewing, texting people (informing if they’re accepted or not), typing schedules, menus, compiling (awadees and graduates list for the UNA), checklists, looking for things, cleaning, purchasing, and i already finished sewing the dorm flags..
the camp’s color theme are Olive green, Rust and Beige… i know, it looks red in the pic.
anyway, just wanna update just before i go to camp…
i’ll be a counselor in one of the dorms… probably 1G… ooo… big responsibility. i hope and pray i could do it.
this is the last available time i could fast, so i am right now… and later in the afternoon i need to cook for sabbath dinner… even tho i cant taste. i need a taster.. hehehe…
the first ones to arrive will be from Leyte… Reuel and Eunice… i think they’ll be here for dinner… and tomorrow afternoon, the Dagupan delegation… then the other staff will follow.
im gonna do last-minute laundry as well… and hoping the weather cooperates…
well, tah-tah for now…
love you all… mwaaah!!!