An Unexpected Blessing

This picture was taken just outside our cottage in Baguio City one early morning after a night of rain.




Be glad then, you children of Zion,
And rejoice in the Lord your God;
For He has given you the former rain faithfully,
And He will cause the rain to come come down for you--
The former rain,
And the latter rain in the first month.
The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,
And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

- Joel 2:23-24

God is indeed the God of the surprise visits. He just loves to delight His children with unexpected gifts.

When my friend Tina asked me a few weeks ago to come with her to spend a few days in Baguio City upon the invitation of our other friend, Rosemarie, I already had a big yes in my heart. The added bonus to the invitation was the fact that Rosemarie also gave me a free plane ticket to Manila.

Baguio City, as I had already mentioned in a previous post, is a place that holds so many beautiful memories for me. Located in the beautiful mountains of Benguet Province up in Northern Luzon, Baguio is six hours away from Manila by car or bus.

Many summers ago, my parents, sister and I visited Baguio. Although I was just a little girl, many memories still remain in my heart of that trip. We rode a bus and it seemed like forever as it traveled along winding mountain roads. We called them the zig-zag roads.

Upon reaching the top, which is Baguio City, I will never forget the strong pine scent permeating the cold air.

This is also the place where my husband and I spent our honeymoon 31 years ago, in a beautiful house located on Outlook Drive.

When our children were small, we spent several summers in this city, and we still have many pictures of those events:

our family horseback riding on Wright Park,

boating at the lake on Burnham Park,

playing mini golf on Camp John Hay,

and taking long walks along Baguio Country Club, where we were staying.


The last time I was in Baguio was in October 2004 during the Jesus Revolution Convergence, where about 60,000 Christians from all over the country converged to seek God's favor upon our nation, pleading with Him, as the priests did as written in Joel 2:17

Let the priests who minister to the Lord,
Weep between the porch and the altar;
Let them say, "Spare Your people O Lord...."

It was such a memorable time of hearing many specific things from the Lord.


I've always had a longing to return to this beautiful city.


And so when the invitation came for me to join my friends to spend a few days up in this city for the purpose of seeking God's face and hearing His voice, it was an opportunity that I didn't want to miss.

This is a story that I don't want to rush into writing. At this point, I'm still waiting for God to give me the right words... as I do with every blog post that I publish.

For starters, let me share a few pictures of my recent journey.

I left Bacolod City on Sunday, August 30. This photo was taken at 5:30 a.m. on my way to the Bacolod-Silay National Airport, 40 minutes away from where we live. Notice the sugarcane fields on both sides of the road.

I took this lovely dawn shot of the mountains of Silay City from the pre-departure area while waiting to board my flight.

After spending a few days with Obedient One in Manila, I was all set to board the bus that would take us to Baguio City. By 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 2, Tina, Macky, and I were on our way to our destination on board Victory Liner Bus # 7004, pictured below.

And this is Tina, a very close friend of mine; we sat together on the bus.

Upon arrival at Baguio City six hours later. This shot of Tina and me was taken by Macky, in front of the bus terminal on Utility Road.

Waiting nerby to pick us up was our friend Rosemarie, in her van. We eagerly hugged one another, and then we were on our way to Camp John Hay, where she had rented a cottage for all of us. My camera never left my hand, as there were just too many beautiful shots waiting to be taken!

Nearing Country Estates now, inside Camp John Hay.

This is a picture of the cottage where we met with the Lord for five days!

I couldn't resist taking a shot of this lamp by the door as I walked into the house. There is just something so beautiful about lamps!

The cozy living room...

and a table ready with freshly cooked lunch waiting for us, spoke of the kindness and warmth in my friend's heart, who had everything prepared for us upon our arrival.

A Baguio specialty: tiny fish wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in vinegar, salt and garlic!

Snapshots of the lovely view just outside the dining area: pine trees wrapped in fog!

This was my first day in Baguio. And because of the beautiful scenery that my eyes feasted on, I knew that God really did have something special in store for me! So unexpected!

I never even knew that my dream to come back to Baguio City one of these days would come true this year!


Thank you, dear Father for You are indeed the giver of every good and perfect gift.