Couple of hours, as I was laying on my bed, suddendly I felt like in the mood of taking pictures, so I got up, took my cameras and went to highest open deck. To my surprise, today there was a lunar eclipse and I was just about to miss it. I mean, I've seen many lunar eclipses along my walking on this earth, but it is always good to be part of this astronomical events. Anyway, I took couple of pics to the moon, to bad I dont have a bigger lens though. So as I was taking pics I ran into these two people who are cruising this week and we started talking about the particular event and then we went on to talk about boreal aurora and all this amazing views you get to see in alaska among other places. Conversation was very interesting, I was only listening, cuz one of the guys wouldnt stop sharing his experiences. He also talked about vortexes...I had no idea what was that, he kind of explained it to me, and it is a weird thing, I dont get to understant yet. So I logged onto the net to check for more info about that and guess what? nothing! arg! As we were finishing our convo, it just hit me, how can people still be hard of mind, I mean, it all makes sense, when you realize how perfect and amazing nature is we have to come to the conclusion that there have to be a wonderful Creator who did it. When you get to see this events, you feel like connected to something superior and still most of ppl refuse to believe.

You are who you are for a reason
You are part of an intricate plan
You are a precious and perfect unique design
Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason
Our God made no mistake
He knit you together within the womb
You are just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose
And no matters how you may feel
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind
And they bear the Master's seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy,
And God wept that it hurt you so,
But it was allowed to sahpe your heart,
So that into his likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's rod
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God.

By Rusell Kelfer

Isn't it true?

Leadership, Purpose on Life, Future

I;ve been reading this book that reads about my purpose in this life. And it is been so refreshing, because sometimes, I just get myself confused and freaked out with so many things like, what's gonna be of me in the future, where I want to go, how I am to make it and all sort of things you can imagine. And there I loose my focus. Along with this, I've been attending Carnival College of Managment and there, among other things I've been given a lot of information on how to be a better supervisor, like the difference between people oriented manager and task oriented manager and all that crap, and the director has been sharing his own ideas of success in this life and happiness and I've been listening to all these wordly things that doesnt apply fully to my life, because something is missing. Anyway, the course is intended to have one on one meetings with the hotel manager who is one of the facilitator of the course, and he did ask us to fill in one paper with some questions about the course overall. And talking about leadership I stated that everyone and all of us are leader in one way or another. We are meant to impact in a positive way which is never an easy task because it implies self-sacrifice or we can do it in a negative way which might affect negative in others, but always whatever we do, think, speak, believe, behave and walk will leave a footprint and we will be held responsible for it. When he read that out of my paper, I was reading his facial expression to determine what might be going on inside his mind.....expressionless lol. But he did say, interesting. I mean, to me it sounded deep and to follow this is definitely not easy. To live by example, to walk the talk will always be difficult, its not the easy road to follow, but at the end of the day it is totally worthy. When I do what I preach at the end of the day I feel that I've fullfilled my purpose for that given day, when I dont, I feel empty and dissappointed toward myself and so is God. But it is a good thing that we are given the opportunity to try it everyday. When I have this in mind, my future, my goals, my dreams, I leave it in God's perfect and able hands and He will make my understand and achieve all of them. Amen.

Latest News

Where to start....hum. Its been kind of busy lately with many differents things. However, last sunday I got a very interesting news from my dad. It happens that I've got an aunt and her husband that I've been praying for long long long very long time ago, but she seemed reluctant and indiferent to all speeches about Jesus. And I'd been praying and I wondered if someday they would accept God's mercy, I even wondered if my prayers were useless, cuz my aunt really felt like she didnt need it. But lately she has been having so much family problems and she did ask my dad to have a conversation, so they had it. My dad says that he witnessed her and shared with her the gospel. He says she seems more open to it and he will give her, along with my mom follow up. I mean, this battle hasnt been finished, its not over yet, but I clearly see that God is working it and my prayers were not in vain and now I feel like with new energies to continue with my prayers for those loved ones and friends who havent accepted God's salvation. On the second note of the moment, I am going back to day shift...enough of batman style.
I suspect that my boss is not very happy with me lately, lol, and I dont blame him. I've been pushing him lately for things he has not been taking care bringing as consequence bad results in a couple of areas. So since he is the boss he is changing me back to day shift which has some advantages and disadvantages as well. At first I felt bad when he gave me the news, but after thinking a little bit, I know that I have been constantly trying to give my best. The bad thing is that this coming sunday I had planned to go to Universal Studios in LA and now it wont happen. Maybe some other time.
And last but not least, couple of days ago, God gave me the opportunity to share a special moment with one of my collegues. We were just hanging in the office talking about nothing special and then like usual I dont know how we began talking about God, his plan and purpose for us and all. My friend Danny has a very strange way to think about christianity, he calls himself christian but doesnt agree with the Bible and has his own way to see things. So we spend almost two hours talking and talking, I was trying to give him examples and things for him to think about, and at the end he recognized that he hadnt enough arguments to support his own ideas. So I pray that our mercy Lord have mercy of Danny. I mean, the truth has been exposed to him, he wont have a chance to say, he never knew about it, like he use to say about those in far lands inside Africa. Anyway, I thanks God, cuz I never thought we could have this kind of conversation, we are not very close to talk about faith and belives. Next day we started to talk again about some other stuffs and we ended again in the same and the funny of it is that he complained to me because I would always refer to the Bible to answer his questions. I told him, Danny, I cannot talk something that I dont know, my believes are fundamented in the Bible, it is our owners manual, thats how I know what to do, how to do it and why. Anyway, I think I will be from now on, stressing about this more frequent with him, and he might complain but it is for his own sake.

Last sunday I bought The Passion dvd movie. I saw it in the store I was shopping at, and I thought "you know, I havent seen this movie completely yet, and everybody has seen it. It happens that long time ago, I went to the cinema with my friend Travis who invited me to watch it, however I was having migrane that day, so at the middle of the movie I just had to go out, couldnt continue inside the theather. I was very very bad. It was a shame, cuz I really wanted to see it. Then couple of weeks later while visiting some friends at a nursing home where I use to work before, I had the chance to see part of it, but a the same time I was chatting with the people around, so I wasnt really paying attention to it. Anyway, everybody has told me since then what an amazing movie it was and everybody assures that it was a very feeling moving movie and weeping was part of it. Even my dad who is not too given to cry, acknowledges that he did. Well, the thing is that couple of days ago, I set myself for it and I saw the movie and it really made me thing and yes, why not, it took lot of tears out of me. Like everyone else, I´ve seen so many movies showing Jesus´ life when on earth, but this one, was very explicit and very crude, it showed how He suffered for us in order to gives us an opportunity to eternal life. Though I have a critic for it. It shows all the suffering and his last hours, and at the very end it acknowledges His resurrection, but it was to quick, I really expected a more impactant scene showing His victory over the death, maybe at the very end raising up into the clouds...you know, the way hollywood knows how to impress the mass. Anyway, I really hope many people get to know Jesus and accept His sacrifice and get eternal life.

Xtreme Makeover Part II

What inspire someone to help another human being?; Why would someone spare his/her free time to make someone else feel better? In most of the cases, would the motivation to do so is the correct? I found myself thinking about this as we were on our way from the ship to the place where we would help to clean and make a better place to live to a couple of abandoned elderly. We went deep into the heart of Mazatlan directly into the extreme poor side of it. We saw houses that doesnt deserve to be called as so, but indeed, they are to those people who live in there. Kilometers of cartons/zinc tiny boxes meant to be houses along the way, mostly of the time overcrowded with a bunch of little kids and starving people. I've seen this scene so many times in poor areas in my own country and I've been given the opportunity to help them out with their physical needs and spiritual needs as well. However, the right motivation is a tricky thing. Why do I put myself in such a critical situation if I dont really need to? Would it be, because it makes me feel superior, or because it makes me looks like a good person that only thinks on doing well to others, or would it be because I dont have anything else to do, or because I am thankful enough to God for everything He's given to me that I just feel the need to help others. Whatever reason you might have to help others, the second God's commandment says "Love others like if it was yourself" and with this you can sum up the whole ten commandments. People can do good deeds with the wrong motivation and still be able to feel the exquisite feeling of wellness after doing so, however if we are able to help others, with the proper motivation, we are gonna be able not only to feel the exquisite feeling of wellness, but also get eternal compensation from God. The Bible in Corinthios talks about Love and its attributes, it also mentions that if I gave all my possesions so others could eat and I do it without love, it is just worthless, says that if I gave my body to the flames and I do it with no love, it's useless. So summing up, doing good deeds is not going to grant me a good future after my death, I can do all the good things that might come to my mind, but if my life is not commited to Jesus Christ and saved by His holy blood, then it comes to be only that, a good thing that brings you well being, nothing else. All these came to my mind, cuz this was the first time I did charitable work with non-christian people, and all the way I wondered myself what would motivate these people to spare their time to do this, what would be their internal reasons, their justification. Unfortunately, I only got to know the reason of one of the team member, and it was pretty amazing to realize that this particular guy is from one of the most devastated countries of the caribbean by the last 4 hurricanes in the past month, that has killed countless persons even in his country, and destruction and devastation is all over the country, and still he being abroad, knowing nothing about his relatives because there is no phone and internet services, he feels the need to help in a foreign country to people who he doesnt even know. If he that is not a christian and is able to feel this and do it, why you and me who call ourselves followers of the Merciful God, and believe in Jesus Christ's love and compassion wont do it? The reason why I do spend time in helping poor people and put myself in a sacrificing position is because in that way I know I am being thankful to God for all the countless blessings He's given to me and my family. This is also a good exercise to measure how much you have even when you think you have nothing comparing to wealthy persons. This is a great time to witness people who because are in a more vulnerable position are able to accept God's salvation, mercy and protection. I've come to the conclusion that when you have very less or are in a very bad position, you are more open to accept help, and what better help than the one from Jesus Christ brought to them through us. Love is the key of all. Love can inspire someone to help another human being, and love is the right motivation to do so. Love is suffered, is patient, doesnt get irritated, doesnt seek its own wellness, is honest. Pretty good description of our Saviour. By the way, Xtreme Makeover was a success, even though there was not a very good organization, we managed to clean nicely inside the house and we brought brand new beds, linen, a dinning table and some other stuffs. Not to many people signed up for it though, but the team, who consisted of the paymaster, the housekeeping manager, the senior joiner, the lead nurse, two enterteiners, a cook and myself did a good job. Thanks God.