Places we've been

Summer Olympics 2004 Volunteer Missionary

       Ever since I was a child, I knew that God was calling me to do something that connects me to the world. I have always dreamed of going to mission trips and impacting the world for Jesus. My calling came to reality when I had the opportunity to be a volunteer missionary for 2 weeks. The venue was the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. I believe that God planned for me to go there at that time in my life. The experience was life changing. There were so many things going on in my life at that time that I needed to feel God�s love in an extraordinary way. I learned so many things in that trip and I saw God�s hand touching the life of everyone I came in contact with but specifically my own. I was there to serve and point the way to Jesus, but I feel as if my own life changed drastically because of what we were sharing. I had the wonderful support of my church family not only by prayers but also financially.

       I was part of the most exciting team members! I had some collegiate women from the United States and some wonderful experienced WMUs (Women�s Missionary Union) as part of my team. We also had housemates in Athens at the time we were there and they were the puppet ministry team from Scotland. We had a wonderful church host named First Greek Church of Piraeus with Pastor Argyris Petrou as the Senior Pastor. It was indeed a spiritual journey for me one that I needed to take. The most important thing that I learned is the urgency to share the news that Jesus died on the cross for man-kind and the only way to reach heaven is through Him.

Charleston Carriage Tour 2006

       For my birthday, the family came down with Melvin to Charleston to celebrate with me. We went on a Carriage tour of Downtown Charleston. It was impressive to see �old-town� Charleston. Some roads are still cobbled-stone. We learned some interesting facts about the city. We had a really smart horse. He would look left and right before crossing the street. We saw the Rainbow houses, the slave market (where slaves sold their products), and some historic houses and government buildings.

White Oak Canyon, Shenandoah, Virginia

       At last, we were able to do a hike together and with some friends! We have been planning to do some outdoor excursions and finally we can check it off in our to-do list. Anyway, White Oak Canyon Hiking Trail is the 2nd most visited trail in the Shenandoah Valley, Old Rag being the most visited. It was the first time Melvin and I hiked this far. The trail was about 8 miles with some scattered falls on the way. The view was nice from the top, but at the time when we were hiking, all we thought was finding a swimming hole and eating our lunch at the top.

       There were 15 of us in the hike. We were decked out for our first hiking trip: new hiking shoes, camelback, snacks, bandanas, walkie-talkies, and swimming attire. It was an experience we cannot forget, because the trail was full of challenges. The hike was steep upward and downward. There were several boulders, fallen trees, sharp rocks, and even black snakes. YIKES! It was a fulfilling experience. We have never hiked that far before. This will surely not be our last hiking experience. Perhaps hiking in the West Coast is possible when we visit again.

Cano/Ramos Nuptials August 11, 2007

       Our friend Sharyl was getting married to her boyfriend of more than 3 years, Frankie. The theme was pool. It was a traditional church wedding at Frankie�s home church in Carson. It was a beautiful wedding with such a big family! There were several friends from Agape that made the trek to Carson, California. It was like the Invasion from the East Coast. Many people reconnected with their relatives in this trip like the Diongzons, Em-Em, and the Laxa�s. Melvin and I also had a chance to visit and stay one night with my cousin Nikki, who happened to live in Torrance. The reception was held at this beautiful grand ballroom that accommodated more than 200 guests. They had this DJ that led all the line dancing! She even changed her outfit!! Overall, it was a relaxed experience on the day of the Nuptials. Everything else was prepare, prepare, prepare� You guys know how that goes�

       Besides the nuptials, it was exciting to experience different Filipino restaurants in California. Melvin and I took advantage of eating our meals there. We ate at Salo-Salo, Jollibee, and Pinoy Bistro. We would have tried other places if we had the time.

1st Anniversary Trip: Sea World and Universal Studios

       Thank God that he had brought us this far to celebrate our first year anniversary! We did not celebrate during July 1st, however, since the Cano/Ramos nuptials was not far away and Melvin and I have never been to California together. So we decided to kill two birds with one stone! I have a separate blog for the Canos/Ramos nuptials, so check it out there.

Want to see more of this trip click here: Sea World, San Diego

       Now, California trip! We planned to visit SeaWorld San Diego and Universal Studios Burbank. The day we went to SeaWorld was a hot day. Melvin and I actually got sunburned. Melvin has a toasted forehead and I have permanent tank top drawn on my shoulders. We traveled almost 3 hours just to get to San Diego. It was fun to see the different sea animals. We got to touch a stingray. Of course it was photograph fiesta for my husband who loves taking photos! I also got to convince Melvin to ride some rides with me: Positive thinking! (ABC retreat is on another blog)        During Universal Studios trip was also scorching hot. I think it was only hot in Burbank! It wasn�t hot at all in Carson where we were staying. Ever since a child, I�ve heard stories about Universal Studios from my grandmother. So I dreamed that one day I will go there and experience all that my grandma had said. The first time I went there was in 2000 with my cousins, the Aurelios. So this time, when we went, I knew that Melvin was going to have fun because he�s such a �matinee idol�. I wanted to go there again because there were so many things I didn�t get too see last time. We watched a live show of Waterworld. Again, I convinced Melvin to ride some AWESOME rides with me like Jurassic Park, Mummy: the ride, some simulator rides, and an indoor roller coaster. A few interesting things that we saw and experienced while on the Universal studio tour: Desperate Housewives set (the outside shot of the houses), passing by a live taping of Desperate Housewives, set for War of the Worlds when the plane c rashed, the house on Psycho, the set for King Kong (when approaching Skull Island-it�s not really that big), set for Jaws (the beach was not that big), the ocean view set of Evan Almighty, cars from The Fast and the Furious, and some set from a Clint Eastwood movie~which was the same set that they used on several movies.        Overall, it was a good trip and Melvin and I had a fabulous time, but next time, we prefer to visit for more that just a day for each venue.