JennPunzalan.com

Posts Tagged ‘janina’

It was around four years ago when our daughter, Janina, realized how much she enjoyed performing on stage. Since then, every summer was spent on musical theater workshops and voice lessons. She was serious about developing her talent and building her confidence in front of people. So when Janina auditioned for Sound of Music, I knew it meant the world for her to get the part. We are grateful to God for giving her this opportunity. Hopefully, this is only the start.

Having said that, it is with great pleasure that I invite you to watch her. Here are her playdates:

• October 16, Sunday 3pm
• October 19, Wednesday 8pm
• October 29, Saturday 3pm
• October 30, Sunday 3pm
• November 2, Wednesday 8pm
• November 5, Saturday 8pm
• November 9, Wednesday 8pm
• November 18, Friday 8pm
• November 19, Saturday 3pm
• November 23, Wednesday 8pm
• November 26, Saturday 8pm
• December 2, Friday 8pm
• December 3, Saturday 3pm
• December 8, Thursday 8pm
• December 10, Saturday 8pm

Tickets are available at Ticket World outlets or call 8919999. Please take note that they offer 20% discount to senior citizens and 10% discount to students. Bring your I.D. when you buy.

Hope you can watch!

Sometimes it seems the easiest thing to do is to give our child what he wants and make him happy. It is such a temptation to be the answer to our child’s wants and needs rather than teaching him to believe God for it or to work for it.

When our daughter, Janina, got her new puppy, Briggie, it wasn’t without faith, hardwork and tears.  When she first brought up the idea of getting a Maltese, we told her that she will have to use her own savings. Not only that, we wanted her to be the one to look for one that is affordably priced. Paolo and I thought that this would be good training for her. We would pray with her for the puppy but we expected her to do all the legwork necessary.

We saw Janina spending hours online and on the phone looking for a Maltese and comparing prices.  She learned what questions to ask the sellers and how to haggle for a lower price. There were nice, accommodating people and rude to very rude people, and she learned to deal with all kinds. One night, after weeks of doing that, she was in tears because she couldn’t find one that fit her budget. It was at this point when Paolo and I almost gave in, and thought of just raising the money ourselves to help out our little girl. But somehow a voice inside us told us to step out of the way and teach Janina to wait on God and believe Him for His provision. Janina was already getting impatient and desperate, yet God commanded us to stay away from the situation. That is not always easy for us parents especially when we see our child distraught and discouraged.  We realized that this was as much a lesson for us as parents as it was for Janina.

A few days after that incident, Janina auditioned for the musical “Sound of Music.” Thank God for His favor, Janina made it! With the money that she will earn, she could finally buy the Maltese she’s been wanting and be able to pay even for the dog’s food for life . No wonder God told us to step out of the way–He has already set His plan in motion!

I think about that and wonder what would have happened if we took matters into our hands and made things happen for Janina. Then Janina would have missed out on experiencing first hand the faithfulness of her Heavenly Father as her provider. And we as parents would have missed God’s assurance for us that He will take care of our children.

I realize that sometimes our goal for our children is so short-term. They want something, we give it to them. They’re happy. End of story. But God is not just concerned about our children getting what they want and making them happy.  He wants our children to get to know Him better and to grow in their faith as they wait upon Him. He wants a relationship with our children.

“Oh how great is the love the Father has lavished on us!”

This is Janina’s new puppy, a 6-week old maltese, whom she named Briggie. She is so cute isn’t she? The story of how she got her is coming soon!

We were at the Every Nation building when Nathan came up to me to ask for P500 from his allowance. When I asked him why, he said he wanted to give it to a guy he just met this afternoon who was selling chocolates to raise money for his ticket to the Ignite Conference. It was no surprise to me that Nathan would give out of his own pocket because he’s always been a giver. But it never fails to warm my heart everytime he does it.

Moreover, Janina told me that she wrote a letter to one of her friends who has offended her in hopes of patching things up. Her friend ended up giving her a hug and now their relationship is back to normal.

My children rebuke me. I wish I was like Nathan who doesn’t think twice about answering someone’s need, even a person he just met. I wish I was like Janina who easily overlooks differences to restore a relationship.

After loving God with all of their hearts, mind and soul, the 2nd best thing I wanna teach my children is loving their neighbor as themselves. There are many ways to demonstrate love for our neighbors. It can be through giving, sharing, encouraging, forgiving, serving. It is not always easy. There are days our kids are so self-centered all they think of is “I, Me and Myself.” But I am thankful for these moments when I see that my kids are getting it.

Matthew 22:39 And the second (greatest commandment) is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’