The fruits!

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When I Woke This Morning, God Gave Me These Words

Well, my name is Ligaya, and in English it means joy. God wants me to be joyful no matter what the circumstances are. That’s not easy most of the time—especially when my body is in terrible pain, when my loved ones are going through difficulties, or when the world seems to be falling apart. But I thank God for reminding me that no matter what, I can place everything in His hands and choose joy in all circumstances.

PATIENCE
I must have a bucket of patience, because I am an impatient woman. I don't like waiting—especially for someone who is always late. If I want to do something, I have to do it now. If someone is telling a story, I don’t want to hear all the details—just tell me what happened and be done with it! For me, "time is gold."
But God is saying patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit. So I suppose I have to let the Spirit of God work in me—and give me a bucket full of patience! :)

KINDNESS
Well, maybe this is the easy part. I worked in an activity center for the elderly—and I loved them. So showing kindness to them was natural for me.
But how about showing kindness to the people who hurt me? That, I need God’s help with—not only to forgive them, but to show kindness to them. God gives us opportunities every day to show kindness—not only to our loved ones, but also to the unlovable.
Well, that’s an everyday challenge. And that’s what makes life exciting!

LOVE
What is the definition of love? Everyone longs to be loved—and to love.
I believe the greatest love ever shown was when God gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for us sinners, so that those who believe in Him can be forgiven and saved.

God’s definition of love is found in 1 Corinthians 13:
“Love is patient and kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
Well, I have a long way to go to love like that!

PEACE
In today’s world, peace can be hard to find. We are surrounded by noise wherever we go. And not just noise—problems and sickness that make us worry. The storms of life can rob us of the peace we long for.

But God says:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” —Philippians 4:6–7

There we have it! That is the secret to having peace, no matter the circumstances.

FAITHFULNESS
Am I faithful in everything I do? Well, I’m faithful to my husband, my work, my family.
But how faithful am I to God? In prayer, in trust, in good works, and in faith?

I have to depend on God to help me be faithful to what He has entrusted me. I’m not perfect—none of us are—but He is. And I can call on Him any time of day, and He is faithful to listen.
I just hope each one of us stays faithful in listening to God—because His wisdom never ends. :)

GOODNESS
Do we experience God's goodness every day?
Sometimes people become blind to it, asking, “Where is God in the midst of all the bad things happening around the world?” But God’s goodness is everywhere—in nature, in the people who lend a helping hand.

God is good—He has given us eyes to see, ears to hear, hands to touch, feet to walk, and minds to think.
He has given us one another—to love, and to be loved in return. He’s given us talents and the ability to develop them. God’s goodness is too many to count—we just have to open our eyes :)

GENTLENESS
I’m the kind of person who’s always on the go, always doing something—often multitasking.
Most of the time, while doing one thing, I’m already thinking about the next task.
The result? I sometimes forget to be gentle with what’s right in front of me.

I remember when I was very young, I worked as a dishwasher in a cafeteria. The first month, I didn’t earn anything—I broke so many plates and glasses because I was always in a hurry! My employer didn’t pay me. That’s when I learned dishwashing wasn’t the job for me :)

Now, I work with elderly people—and I need to be gentle with them. I suppose I’ve become very good at it now.

SELF-CONTROL
The cat in the picture is a great example of self-control. I need that kind of self-control when our cat uses the floor as her toilet.
I need it when my teenage daughter is doing “her thing” and won’t listen to me.
When my husband wants to listen to country music on Saturday night—and all I want is a quiet evening with him.

Oh, how I thank God for creating tears—because sometimes I just cry, and I feel better afterward.

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Dear God,
Let the fruit of the Spirit be seen in me—and in us—so that this world can become a better place to live for each and every one of us.

JOY

Bulgaria

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One summer my family agreed to spend our vacation in Bulgaria. This time in Varna!

 Airport in Bulgaria. Just waiting for our luggage.

We stayed on this hotel. It has a swimming pool for the guests. Nice and clean, but those who worked there were not so polite. 

We arrived at the  hotel past midnight, hungry and thirsty, met by a  receptionist who was not friendly at all. We asked her where we can buy drinking water and food, and she just told us to go outside, walked ca 500 meter where we can find another hotel who was open past midnight and selling something to eat. But to go out past midnight in a dark and unknown place was not so easy for us. But we were so thirsty and hungry, so off we went. And I just prayed while we were walking, asking God for protection. And we indeed found the hotel and found something to eat. 

Next morning, we passed by the reception and say good morning to those who worked there. Or else they would not say a word. What a difference! 

We spent a vacation in the Philippines in 2004 and my husband was so impressed of the hotel employees that  were so polite. Always smiling and greeting us good day and opening the door for us everytime we passed by. Well,  there is difference in culture. And maybe it is tiring for the employees also to say hello to every guest  whole the day. So, I understand them. 

Anyway we were there to enjoy, so here we are roaming around!

 My daughter just had to go to all the shopping stall. Looking for something to buy. She thought that we had a bag full of money. But she was wrong, coz his daddy is not a millionaire. But we had  follow her anyhow. Lucky that she didn't find much that she liked. Good for us and our wallets. 

 

 The hotel is only one kilometer away  from the beach, restaurants and shopping area. So it was a nice walking distance for us. But sometimes, we took this train to roam around, when our feets needed rest.

 Enjoying the ride:)

Stopped by in many different places!

Since we were on vacation there, we didn't cook our food in the hotel. We tried different restaurants. They do serve big portions meal for very low prices. And they have also welcome drinks, but since me and my daughter does not drink alcohol beverage, my husband drinked them all. 

Bulgaria by night! Don't judge us! We just took picture outside the casino. 

Like I said, it was cheaper there, so we went to the beauty shop for hair treatment.

Time for entertainment! Fiesta Bulgaria. A bus pick us from the hotel so we can see  a showcase of Bulgaria's specialties.

A few of them. It was a very long program, so the result....

Before and after!

At last my husband found his long lost friend. The pirate:)

But me, I preferred  to wait for my chicken barbeque. The smell reminds me of my homecountry. 

It was very nice in Bulgaria, but there is no place like home..................................................................!

Bulgaria in 2007

JOY

Baked buns with vanilla cream filling

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This is the day that the my spirit lead me to baking. And since I have been baking cakes for quite a while, this time I will try another variant. I found a recipe in one of my collections " baked buns with vanilla filling".

It is called " sømmer boller" in norwegian. This has no fillings in it. I just used the recipe for the dough and put vanilla cream fillings in it. For a change:)

These are the ingredients for the dough: 4 eggs, 200 g butter, 2 dl sugar, 6 dl fresh milk, flour and yeast. And a little bit salt. I doubled the portion since I am going to served this to the elderly in our service with them  tomorrow.

                                          I combined the dried ingredients....

                     Melted butter and put the milk in it and added to the eggs in the bowl.......

and the rest og the ingredients.

This is the dough after my food proccesor did the work for me:) 

The dough after one hour in a warm place!

Now time to make my buns!

This is the vanilla cream that I used. It is creamy, but not so sweet.

I took a small portion of the dough, flattened it with a rolling pin and put one spoon of  vanilla cream on it. 

folded the dough sideup

and put in a muffins form upside down!

And now after I lined them up in two baking pans.

 This lining up reminds me of my elementary years when we (students)  must line up in straight lines every morning to sing our national anthem. Rain or shine. As you can see in the picture, the other pan was not totally full. Well, not all the students were present either during my school years:)

And now they are in the oven and my reflection.

And my mind drifted again during my school years where I felt the pressure of being  a student. Try to fit inn, to be liked, to attain good characters, to be a nice girl and so on. And I changed school three times during those years. Very tough!

 During my adulthood, more pressures to survived. But like this dough that is now in the oven, the heat in the oven makes this pastry perfect. And so with my life,  I think. I became stronger by the heat or the pressure of life. 

And the result!

And the best part. To taste the finished product:) I put powdered sugar on top .

This is how it looks inside after baking. I suppose I can say " bon appetitt"

I hope the elders will like my " baked buns with vanilla filling. Coz after eating, I can say nam nam!

JOY

God whispers........

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I was about to take a shower one day when I heard God whisper something in my ear:

“I can wash you clean with My words.”

What? You don’t mean to say that I can use Your words like soap and water to make me clean?

“Soap and water can make you clean on the outside, but not inside. My words can cleanse even the deepest areas of your soul.”

And then He reminded me of this verse:

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
— Hebrews 4:12–13

Wow! That means God’s word is sharper than the wok knives the Chinese chefs use!

Is that what they call being online with God 24/7?

Like lightning, His voice just struck—anywhere it wants to. I can hear His promptings in the most unexpected places, even in the bathroom!

Now, I have something to think about while taking a shower. I started to reflect on how shampoo makes my hair clean, how conditioner makes it soft to the touch, and how soap and scrub cleanse my body. And sure enough, when I’m done, I feel good and smell nice—ready to face the world.

Really?

Then a thought came to my mind... is it enough to face the world looking clean on the outside, but not on the inside? I’m sure you’ll agree with me—the answer is no. Because no matter how well we hide what we feel or who we truly are, it will eventually show. It shows in how we behave, in the look on our faces, and probably—most of all—in our eyes.

If God can make me clean inside with His words, then I should take His words like shampoo, conditioner, soap, scrub, and water—to make me clean from the inside out.

So now, I need to grab my Bible to know how :)

And God led me to this verse (Isaiah 1:18–19):

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

Isn’t it exciting to talk to God, our Creator? To reason together with Him—not to be condemned, but to be made white as snow and to be like wool.

Have you seen how white snow can be in a picture? We don’t need a bleaching agent to be clean—we only need God and His words.

But He didn’t just say we’ll be white like snow—He also said we’ll be like wool. And that got me curious: what are the characteristics of wool?

I searched and found these:

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• Wool has the ability to regulate temperature
It doesn’t trap heat. This means in hot weather it keeps the animal (or you) cool, and in cold weather it keeps you warm.
→ Think of that! As wool, we can be unaffected by our environment. Protected, no matter the season.

• Wool clothing does not cling to the skin
It allows air to circulate, contributing to comfort and insulation.
→ That means comfort to me!

• Wool readily absorbs water—and can also release it
→ The ability to give and receive.

• Wool is naturally fire-resistant
It doesn’t easily burn.
→ As people like wool, we can be resistant to the fiery darts of the enemy—not easily tempted.

• Strands of wool are crimped
They stretch and return to their original length.
→ To me, that means we may be stretched beyond what we think we can bear, but we can be renewed again.

• Wool is strong and durable
Its fibers hold together through much twisting and turning—like a lock of hair. This makes it long-lasting.
→ Like wool, the more we’re twisted and turned, the stronger we become. We learn not to give up, no matter what.

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What a revelation from God’s Word. Just think about it!

God’s words can make not only me—but you—clean and white as snow. Like wool: protective, comforting, able to give and receive, resistant, strong, and durable.

Who wouldn’t want that?

That’s why I love God’s words. Never-ending wisdom. :)

How about you? Do you hear God whisper?

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