“The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.”
Psalms 118:6

The word, “Do not be afraid” in the bible has been mentioned hundreds of times. I am not sure how many but a friend of mine told me that it is mentioned 365 times. I am not astonished with the words, “Do not be afraid”; what makes me more amazed are the words that come after that, “…For I am with you.” You can see so many of these lines in the bible (Mostly in the Old Testament). This was said by God to many of His chosen people in which I will name a few as I go on with the discussion.

He didn’t say
“Do not be afraid for you have the intelligence,”
Or
“Do not be afraid for you have the skills to defeat your enemies”
Or
“Do not be afraid because you are well-built and strong and courageous.”

What he said was
“Do not be afraid because I am with you.”
See how God’s presence can do so much?
Can you see how much God can do just because He is with you?
Without God, do you think Moses will be able to deliver the Israelites out of the Egyptians hands? Without God’s favor, do you think the Israelites would reach the Land the Lord has promised them? Without God, do you think the Israelites would win against other stronger nations? Without God’s favor, do you think Gideon will be able to win the fight against the Philistines? Without the favor of God, do you think a boy shepherd like David could win his fight against the giant fighter Goliath? If you’d ask me, I would say no. Apart from God, there is nothing. Victory comes not in the numbers of battles they’ve won but genuine victory is when God’s favor was upon them. God called the Israelites as his chosen people; what could ever be more rewarding than to be one of God’s people? God is there to rescue us in times of trouble; He is there to oppose the evil hands of the enemies. The enemies shall flee because they know that we are God’s chosen people. We don’t need so many things in this world. We only need God and how will we receive God’s favor? By simply having faith in Him. We can get His favor by believing in Him, by believing in what His son Jesus Christ did for humanity at the cross and if we believe that He fulfills all his promises. God is perfect. He is our armor in battles and he is the greatest protector we could ever have. Apart from God, we die. Death is not the most tragic thing to happen in life, the most tragic is when we exist without even knowing that a living GOD is there to shield us from harm and share our pains and happiness, sorrows and joys, loses and victories. Smile always and do not be afraid for God is with you 
He will have no fear of bad news;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Psalm 112 : 7

When the next meeting came, all the people were there including the boy who still wore the same way he did and sat where he sat last time.
Then the priest asked,
“Who among you have read what I’ve asked you to read?”
Everybody raised their hands except for the boy. All eyes were at him again and the people were looking at the boy as if he had committed murder. The crowd began to whisper and talked about the boy’s behavior. The murmur was getting louder and louder until the priest ordered silence.
The priest then asked, “Why didn’t you read Romans 17:1?”

The boy nervously answered, “Good day sir. Honestly, I tried to look for that chapter and verse in the bible but I didn’t so I wasn’t able to read.”

The priest smiled at the boy and looked at the people,
“This boy is telling the truth, there is no Romans 17:1”

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7

This is what makes God a God. God is not a God if He was just looking at the same way the man looks at other people. There maybe some moments in our lives where we tend to judge a person by how he looks or how he stands, how he dresses up or how he speaks; but you know what? We can never tell what’s in a person’s heart. Are we God for us to tell that the person is not living for God? Physical appearance is not important to God, what’s most important to Him is our hearts. It’s not proper to ask “What’s in you heart?” because honestly, it is not a “What” but a “Who is in your heart?” When you see people happy, it’s not actually a “what” that’s in their hearts. The reason why you see believers so happy is because CHRIST is in them. Do you have Christ in your heart? God is not concerned about our riches or fame or whatsoever, he is more concerned about the contents of our hearts. Is your heart filled with anger? Do you find money in it?, Relationships perhaps?, Riches or Fame?, or is your heart filled with so much love for Christ? In prayer, we cannot say that person who says a longer prayer is praying better than the one who prays a short one. In fact, this is not a length-of-prayer contest. Before, when I wasn’t saved and I haven’t accepted Jesus as my Lord, I didn’t actually want to pray. I’ve always thought someone else was better at it and I was not used to do it. I always pushed someone to lead us in prayer, most of the times I refused. But I want you to know that there is no right or wrong prayer; only sincere and insincere ones. A prayer is a conversation with God. You can actually tell God just about anything under the sun. Prayer is one way of worshipping God and God is well pleased with those who worship and honor him whole heartedly. In singing Christian songs, you can’t actually tell that a person who raises his hands and closes his eyes is better than the worshipper who just stands at the corner. We don’t know what is in a person’s heart, but God does. He knows what we feel, what we desire, what we know, what we want, he knows just about everything about us. The heart is the core of being human and the soul is the core of our being. In the heart, we feel pain, happiness, grief, satisfaction, joy, loneliness, and the list goes on. This is why the heart is stated a lot of times in the bibles because God values the content of our hearts. Be careful of what you feel. Before you acknowledge the feeling, ask God first if He will be pleased if you will feel that way. For instance, someone has sinned against you. Asked God first if being angry at the person would glorify Him; ask God first if feeling anger will please Him. If you are truly in love with God, then you would try your very best to please Him in every way possible. Let God take over your lives. Let Him be the master of your emotions, relationships, decisions, time and finances. God is the all-knowing God as well as the “best-knowing” God. He always knows what is best for us and that’s why trusting in Him completely is never a wrong decision. It is perhaps the only decision you should make. Nothing else will work in this life.

For me, this line seemed so ordinary that I didn’t really understand what Jesus meant with “taking up my cross.” I know I am nothing without Him and He can build up His kingdom even without me but if there is any way, anything where He could use me in establishing His kingdom, then I would humbly submit my whole self to Him. Then, when I finally prayed for Him to use me as an instrument for other people to also be saved, I realized how hard it is to follow Him. True enough, it is not easy to be a disciple of Christ.

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”
–Matthew 17:24

As Jesus said, “Men would hate you because of me, but stand firm and you will be saved. You are my servant and I am your master. No servant is greater than his master so if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. In this world I will not promise that there is no trouble but take heart! I have overcome the world.”
I never really imagined how hard it is to follow him. I never thought it would be this painful yet as the song goes, “I’m trading my sorrows, I’m trading my shame, I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord,” I will find joy in all of my sorrows. He also said that “Find delight in your weaknesses; boast in all your sufferings for I am always with you even in your lowest moments. I will never abandon you nor forsake you. When you are weak, then you are strong” What would life be without Him? I’d rather suffer than live a life without Him. Why would I worry when He said in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I am holding on to His promises. I am one of the “endangered species” in this world who lives by true faith and God has chosen me. In Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I set you apart.” I would be His disciple and take in with a light heart all of the insults, hardships and sufferings because it is when I am weak that I am truly strong. Why would I be anxious about my tomorrow when I know that the God who is high above but looks low is praying for me and is mindful of me? He would calm every storm in my heart because He is in control. Worrying is an insult to Him, it is just an affirmation of how little my faith is to Him so in my every day, I will not worry nor be anxious because with Him there is joy and He will always be enough.

In all days of my life, I would continue to live by faith and pray that He will water the seed of faith that he has planted in my heart. I would wait for the day when the seed he has planted in me will grow into a tree where birds could find food in it, where people could rest under it, and where people could find refuge in it.

How about you? Who are you? 

I am so happy and blessed for despite all the challenges and struggles I’m dealing with, I can really feel God’s miracle working in my life. He works to inspire me and to give me hope. He tells me to have faith in Him and so here I stand before Him saying YES to everything He desires me to do. I know I am the right path when I am with Him. I have never felt this contented and happy in my entire human existence. It just feels so different when I had accepted Him to work in my life. I just remembered what I said to my co-chess players, “In Chess, the game ends the moment you surrender but with LIFE, it truly begins the moment you surrender it to Christ.” I, with all my heart, believe in this and I have no doubt.

The youth, they say is the hope of our country, but can we still call them HOPE when they are so busy engaging themselves in activities that would harm them and their future? With activities I mean, Pre-marital Sex, Drug Addiction, Clubbing, Drinking, Smoking and the list goes on. I remember someone asked me if smoking or even drinking is bad, and so I asked him in return, “do you believe that God is in you? Do you believe that your body is holy and that you must take care of it so that when the time comes that the Lord will rise again, you will be so proud to present yourself to him cleanly?” he didn’t answer. Well, I guess, he never told me what his answer was but I know, I can feel it that he got my point. I want the youth of today to know Christ for a life is more meaningful if Christ is involve in it.  AMEN.

For so long I’ve hated and I thought that I could never forgive. I just have to forget that the person ever existed in my life. There came a time when I was asked why I hated that person so much. Honestly, I didn’t have an answer. I’m clueless. Maybe I was just used to hating this someone until the hatred grew more and more until I already forgot the reasons behind this feeling. I know this isn’t right but how can you forgive someone who have caused you so much pain?

Some people exist to make your life happy, some exist to make it meaningful, and some exist to teach you lessons.

Maybe this person was meant to teach me lessons which are really hard to learn.

This may still be unclear to me today, but as time continues to help me understand, then maybe all the terrible feelings I have will vanish into thin air. I am hypocrite to hate someone while I’m asking forgiveness from God for the wrong things I’ve done.

Maybe this is the time that I should let go of all the anguish inside of me.

If I don’t start to forgive now, then when will I?

I will not wait until this emotion will win over me and destroy me as a person.

Maybe I’m not yet ready to smile at this person, but I also have no right to hate.

I remember a phrase my dad said, “Even a small hole in a plastic container can drain up all the water inside it.” Just like hatred. Even if you have a slightest hatred in your heart, it will soon consume you without you knowing it, and soon, all the love that you have in your heart will die.

Nothing good will bear out of hatred and nothing bad will happen when you do things with love.

Let’s start small and forgive those who have done wrong things to us.

According to Mother Theresa,
“We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love.”

He kind of said something like,

“Ay o, masunog ka. Plastic man gud ka. Duslitan bi” Ha-ha.
(Oh, yes. You’ll burn because you’re plastic. I’ll throw a match at you.)

If only you guys could see his face while he said that. He grinned and his eyes were playful. He was teasing. We both were laughing. There is no particular person we were referring to at that time, but I had one in mind. Ha-ha. So much for that, before the name slips out of my mouth, I better move to the next humor.

We were singing “My Humps” together, well, that’s not the kind of news that will startle you, but we sang it without having a hard time remembering the words.

So my bro said

“Hey, the song bugs me a lot. I mean, before, it had been playing in like everywhere we went to for almost two months.”

(I just have to translate them into English, before my eyes get hurt because of those tiny red lines under each word not included in the English dictionary) ha-ha.

“Yeah right. If I’ll be having a minor amnesia, I might retrieve the lyrics of the song and I might sing it as perfectly as I am singing it now. It’s kind of stored in my long term memory you know.” Then I burst into laughter. Ha-ha.

“Well, I am curios about the Amnesia thing. I really want to experience what it’s like to lose some of your memories. Amnesia interests me.” he replied, now serious.

I didn’t want the humorous atmosphere to be gone so I was laughing in response, “It might be a better idea for me. You just don’t know how much I wish to have amnesia”

We both ended up laughing. We both knew what it meant of course.

Well, there are just things that we want to forget and the things we want to remain in our not-so-genius minds. I prefer letting the short term memories go, and keeping those of my long term memory. Ha-ha. Well that may not be a perfect idea when I deal about my studies. I just might not remember the things taught to me within the last 6 months. Good luck. I may get myself a B or a C. Ha-ha. (D to F is a little overboard you know. I wouldn’t want to get that and I’m sure that I’ll be killing my brain to get the answer out of my head if I had to.)

I had enough humor today; I might as well save up for more tomorrow;

Until next time then.

At first, when the General Manager of Salad Dressing, Mr. Charlie Garces told me that I was going to host the event, I directly turned down the offer and told him that I will be a judge of the Dance Competition instead. Afterall, it was a battle of champions because the competing groups have already been champions of different other dance competitions.My excuse was, I lack experience and that I was too young for a big role. Later that day, I have decided that there’s no harm in trying. I said that I lack experience, but if I will never try, how could I GAIN EXPERIENCE? I remember the time when I decided to run for a position in the mass communicators organization in our school, I have learned from our mentor that I must grow where I am planted. Mr. Charlie Garces gave me that opportunity to host his event and I know how important this event was to him, and to trust it with a 17 year old? That is very flattering. Of course, I would like to thank my co-host, Mr. Cerj michael for guiding me all through out and for giving me tips before and after the show. I was even flattered because he gave me some more tips because he saw potential in me in hosting. For a very good host to say that to a beginner, I am very flattered. It was all because of God, believe me Guys, prayer works. I know that if I hadn’t prayed, I will be a total mess on stage.

I could say that it was a big challenge but I was able to make it through because of the people who are always there for me and the people who believe in my capabilities. I owe this to my family because they give me courage when I am afraid, the assure me when I am in doubt, and they inspire me when I am uncertain. That is a wonderful memory that I shall forever keep in my heart.

-Thank You-

I know that in a family of four (My mom, my dad, me, and my younger brother) and a pet dog, I am not an ideal sister or a daughter. Sometimes I talk back, I whine, I complain about nonsense, I get angry at them so much, but I tell you, none of these feelings is greater than the love I have for them. I know that my family isn’t aware of how great my love is for them; nobody in this world is and now I’m so proud to tell it. Our family is not a perfect family, but at least, we don’t leave each other behind.

My mom – LORETA P. ANDRADA
Even though sometimes I get irritated with how she nags at us, I still adore her and am very touched by how she cares for me and my younger brother. If she nags at me, I understand that I had made something wrong because if I hadn’t, then there’s no reason for me to get scolded.
I love my mom’s recipe. If only the world can taste it also. I love everything she cooks and prepares for us for meals. When I praise her ways in the kitchen, she says its love that makes her dishes so delicious.
My mom would do anything in this world to protect me and my brother. Believe me – anything.
She may be not a perfect mom but I tell you, she’s one of the greatest in the world.

My dad – ANTONIO S. ANDRADA JR.
My dad is where the family gets strength from. There was a time when he was really weak and downhearted, we really tried to encourage him and tell him that no matter how big a problem is, there is always a solution. We can’t afford to see him that way.
He is a corny joker. Haha. He can’t throw jokes well but I still laugh at them (the jokes) because of his funny expression. He appears very strict to other people but when he’s inside the house, he’s a whole lot different.
My dad is a hard worker. He does his best just to provide us with our needs – food, shelter, clothing, etc.
Sometimes, I really hate my dad when he nags at us because he had a bad day at work or there is something that had irritated him, but we know that he’s under a lot of pressure being the breadwinner of the family so we try to understand.
He may be not a perfect dad, but I tell you, he’s one of the greatest in the world.

These things may seem a small matter to another person, but the little efforts my parents exert shows how much they love us and what I am doing now, says how much I appreciate every little effort.

My brother – PAULO P. ANDRADA
My brother often gets on my nerves. Sometimes, I really hate the things he does. When we were younger, there was no day that we don’t fight. Well, I got tired of it, so I kind of tried to extend my patience a little bit for my dear younger brother.
I really want to spend so much time with him. Well, nobody in this world knows everything (oops! close to everything) other than my brother and my parents. I want to give my brother everything he wants as long as it will not give him misfortune.
Because of my brother, I am inspired to be a better sister. I so love my brother because even if there are times that I scold at him, he never keeps any grudge and he does the little things that I tell him to do. (Like to hand me something from afar)
He may not be a perfect brother, but he’s one of the greatest in the world.

My younger sister (a dog) – PAULA
haha. I have a pet dog in the house which we call Paula. Everything she does is just so utterly adorable.
How I wish she could learn language and talk to us if she wants to eat something else when she doesn’t like her food.
My family and I really adores her intelligence. She shows that she is also a part of the family because of her actions. (e.g. tail wags, licks our faces even we left her at home alone all day)
He may not be a perfect pet, but I tell you, she’s one of the greatest in the world.

This is my family. Well, sort of. If a calamity will arrive at our place, the first things that I would save are the pictures – Because none of these events will again happen in our lives. The expressions imprinted on the pictures, the memory it brings, and the infinite happiness that flows in my body every time I see them.

THE DREAM:
It was dawn, my family and I are all sleeping until I heard a wake up call from a band outside. When I opened the door, I see big fire from the neighborhood. I can hear crying voices, the sound of the fire truck approaching the place, and I can hear the wind. I really panicked. Even though I am a dean’s lister, nothing seems to process into my brain because I can do nothing to protect my family from a calamity like such. Without anymore thinking, I picked up a handful of leaves and tried to know where the direction of the wind was to alert me if it was to our house. The leaves followed the direction of the wind, it was in a circular motion, sort of a hurricane or more likely a tornado. I looked at the big fire that was in contrast with the dark color of the skies. True enough, the fire was like a tornado – circular in motion. After that I couldn’t think of anything else, I looked at something I can’t remember in the ground and after a few seconds, a familiar face started to call out my name and pointed to the fire. The tree near our house grabbed the fire, the good thing was, it wasn’t so bad. It had just affected the leaves form the top and some parts of the tree. I tried to stop the fire to spread by rubbing the area of the tree that has fire with anything I have in hand. When the fire in the tree was put off, I saw the fire so near to our roof. It even touched the roof already. At that moment, I was so blank and still. I said to myself that I am willing to give up anything in this world just to protect my family. I was so helpless so I prayed and I prayed really hard to keep my family safe. Believe me – it rained.

With this dream, it showed how much I believe that there is truly a God that hears prayers and a God that wants me to write inspiring stories such as this for other teens to realize how much their family is worth to them. This dream had also inspired me to write something about my family and the great love I have for them.

With this dream I realized that if there is a bucket of problems, fear and hesitations, there is a continuous and endless river flow of blessings.

ENDLESS SHOW OF LOVE:
In every occasion,like “Christmas”, “Valentines Day”, “Mother and Father’s Day”, “Birthdays”, my brother and I try to prepare little things for our parents like cards and presents to show that we value them and they’re always in our top list of the people we want to give gifts to.

MS TEEN PHOTOS ARE IN MY WEBSITE; analoretaandrada.multiply.com / zhannij.multiply.com

thank you MS TEEN PHIL INT’L for that memorable vacation we had.

the memories,
the laughter,
the tears,
the “pose-like-a-pro” day to day scene with the photographers and cameramen,
the lechon feast every meal,
the chaotic scenario in every candidate’s room,
the “OMG” moments,
the whitewater rafting experience with team bisaya,
the parties we have attended,
the VIP treatment in every place we visited,
the 3 to 5 hrs sleep,
the funny moments caught on cameras,
the stiff necks we had when we slept in the BUS,
haha
all of those things,
i will never forget and i will treasure it in my heart.

to all the MS TEEN PHIL INT’L 2008 candidates, i’ll miss you guys so much! take care and GOD BLESS

i would like to say thank you to:
the photographers and cameramen
thank you for capturing precious moments guys.. i’ll never forget all of you and the times we’ve spent together..
Ms Mae Unchuan
thank you Ms, for giving us the privilege to be part of the MS TEEN PHILIPPINES INTERNATIONAL and for being a second mom to us during the caravan.
Ms Joanne
thank you for being our mommy and for giving us advices. thank you also for caring for me when i was sick. i’ll never forget you Ms.
Mr Glenn
thank you sir for all the support during the pageant week and for your patience. thank you also for disciplining all of us because without you we could have never matured.
Mr Jacki Aquino, Paulie, Pablo
thank you for directing the show and for working with us patiently
Mr Joe Phoenix Luna
thank you for giving me the chance to represent Cebu in the national pageant
Mr. Dexter Alazas
for being so patient with us (:P) during the Miss Teen Philippines – Central visayas pageant. we love you.

to all the guys i haven’t mentioned, it doesn’t mean that i have forgotten you. none of you guys, staff and candidate, i shall forget because your names have been carved in my heart.

i wish you the best of everything in life..

(i will further write about MS TEEN PHIL, as of now, this is all that i could say)

I LOVE YOU GUYS. take care and God Bless!