When Dad found out

Your dad and I were talking finances the other night and guess what! He found out about the donation I told you about here!

Turned out he was using my iPad and my Facebook messenger was logged in to that device too. So dad was able to see the exchange between me and my classmate. We were talking about some payables that were due and how we don't have extra money to eat outside always, and here was how the rest of the conversation went.

D: Di naman ako galit no, pero kasi akala ko Messenger ko yung nakalagay sa iPad. May dinonatean ka? Para saan yun? 

K: Ah oo, para sa mga bata yun na taga-Buscalan. 

D: Okay pero di ba masyadong malaki? (I gave an amount that is equivalent to us going out on a date for movies and a not-so fancy meal.) 

K: Di naman tsaka one-time lang naman yun.

At this point, we/he decided not to push the topic further and shifted the conversation to something else. You may also note that I did not give too much information on the outreach. I was tempted to give him the link to the post I made! Hahaha. But knowing your dad, that would lead to more questions and me feeling like I was being interrogated for putting someone's needs above our own.

What was running through my mind was that we are so blessed materially more than the kids of Buscalan. Do we have problems with money? Yes. But these are problems that we can still address or put off. Remember: no one is too poor that he cannot give. I want you to remember this as you grow up.

So, anyway, let's see if this topic comes up again between your dad and I. Praying for a generous heart for you and your future spouses.

God's persistence

So I had a dry spell again, and now I'm back writing letters to you, guys. :)

Last May, one of my classmates from high school set up an outreach program for the children of Buscalan, which is a small village North of the Philippines. This classmate was a close friend in 2nd year high school, but kinda drifted apart after that year. From his Facebook posts in the past years/months, I learned that he is battling depression, and that makes me so proud of him that he has found his calling with this outreach program. He plans to distribute school supplies and health kits to the kids, as well as have a short program with snacks.

I reached out to him ofcourse. Unfortunately, I could not give actual supplies nor go with him on the trip, so I asked for his bank account so I can share a small amount that could hopefully still help. Again, this was back in May.

Well your dad and I aren't really ideal models of financial stability, and you know how he felt about charities. In short, I kept putting off the donation mainly because we were running short of funds. Also because I didn't have the guts to tell your dad that I'm setting aside money for kids in a faraway village.

Fast forward to yesterday. Lola and I brought M to your pedia for his vaccine. I didn't feel the need to check his baby book but I knew I had to set aside Php1600 for vaccine. I even sent a text message to the pedia earlier that day to ask what was the vaccine worth Php1600 so he can bring a vial for M later that night. He said it was for MMR and that was it so we brought M. Turned out M already had his MMR so we just did a well-baby check up and was advised that next vaccine is for M's 5-in-1 shot, which costs Php3000 and is due 3 weeks from now.

So yey I have extra money and I was thinking finally I could go out and eat more at work. I could also save the Php1600 so I could just worry about the rest of the cost of the 5-in-1 vaccine later. But surprise surprise! God had other plans! Here was how God spoke to me --

1. Suddenly I remembered that a few days back, I read a post from Ptr. Joseph Bonifacio talking about how we should guard our hearts. He also speaks of giving away (i.e. share) material possessions because of generosity and because this is what is good for our hearts.

2. My classmate posted a number of items that they still need for the outreach.

3. Even after seeing #2 above, I did not quite get it. I was thinking maybe my classmate already forgot about my pledge and I no longer need to fulfil it. Then this came today - this is a post on a Verse of the Day application on my phone -- 

1 Corinthians 10:13

Like God was telling me not to be tempted to back out on my promise.

4. You know how God gave me a "way out" as He promised in #3? You see sometimes, I transfer a small amount from my salary to my savings account. This is done before all the budget plans for the payout are made. The money almost always get used up to make up for shortages in the budget plan, e.g. we ate out or we made pasyal, etc. For this payout, I actually forgot all about the money. Your dad and I were so frugal that halfway along the payperiod, the money was still intact! I believe this is God providing for us, reminding us that if we are bent on providing for other people, He will provide for us. Dont't you think so?

5. To cap it all off, the Responsorial Psalm and gospel for today's mass is all about God's providence too. The gospel was about the miracle of the loaves and fishes, while the psalm is shown below --

So, yes, God. There is no denying Your message to me. I sent the money the same night and sent a note to my classmate.

I pray the outreach will be a success and that they will be able to connect with a lot of children. I pray for the children that they be inspired to achieve their dreams and that they get encouragement despite whatever struggle they are currently experiencing in their lives.

Amen.

2015 Resolutions

I never really meant any of my previous New Year's Resolutions. This year, I want to really focus on them with an aim to end 2015 as a better person. Here it goes!

Live healthier. Less food portions. Healthier food choices. Be more active, at least walk around more.

Serve more. Serve dad, mom, darwin, kids, Franco, and even the help more. Serve God more, too.
I had kind of a feeling that we rely too much on lolo and lola to manage the household. Since lola is leaving for SG for a few months, I think it is a good training ground for us to be more independent and more responsible when it comes to raising you kids.
I hope I will be able to make you feel that your dad and me are always here for you. That in our family, you will always be secure and loved.

Strive for continuous improvement. Learn a new skill, or improve program processes. This is mostly grounded on my work tasks.

Save for the kids. The bible says "It isn’t the children’s responsibility to save up for their parents but parents for children" (2 Corinthians 12:14 CEB) and I want to honor that. These first years of our marriage has been a bit selfish for your dad and me. I want to rectify that. I am praying that God heals us from vanity and pride so we can focus on preparing for your future.

There you go. Four major points to keep in mind for 2015. Do you make New Year's Resolutions? Let me know so I can remind you when you forget.

You may also want to read about my other prayers for our family.

Do You Enjoy Financial Freedom?

How do you say you enjoy financial freedom? Here is a simple test that I heard from Bo Sanchez' Truly Rich Club ---

"Suppose you lost your work today. How many months can you stay unemployed without being bankrupt?"

Something to consider when you plan your finances right? Let me know your thoughts. Love you both!

Invest while young

Hi Kids,

Will you please invest in stocks and real estate as early as you can?

Think about it: you graduate in your early 20s and retire in your 60s. That gives you roughly 40 years to invest for your retirement. The purpose of your retirement money (or pension) is so you don't need to be dependent on your children when you grow old, plus so you can maintain your lifestyle even if you no longer get your active income from your 9-5 work.

So when you wait until you're 40 to start investing, what happens? You're left with just 20 years to save up for your retirement. Yes, this still looks like a considerable amount of time, but do you know that people purchase a house/property with an average payment option of 10 years to pay? Eh you still need to send your kids to school tapos may other payments to be made pa.

Maybe you can still enjoy your first 5 or 10 years after college before going full-steam in your investment plans? Para naman you do not feel bad na panay save na lang ng save. Of course, it is imperative that you still reward yourself for your hard work. Let me know your thoughts and plans ha.

Credit Card

Sweetheart, it's been awhile since I last wrote you a note. I'm happy that i can do this now beside you, thanks to mommy's new phone and the pitfalls of my credit card management.

If you have a credit card by the time you're reading this, let me tell you now -- YOU DO NOT NEED THAT. No, not for emergencies, not for gifts that you need to buy, especially not for your groceries or daily needs.

Cut up that card, or I will cut it up for you.

I love you Esha.