I heard that the north was going to get some of the worst of the hurricane, but I brushed this information off. It wasn’t until an announcement was made that school was going to be out the next day due to the hurricane that I decided to take this storm into consideration.

I got home from school that Thursday and my dad was stocking up on food and water. I just told myself that this hurricane is just going to take a turn before it came to us, just like Hurricane Rita. I didn’t believe anything I heard about the storm. Friday passed and my dad and I kept our eyes on the TV the whole day, listening to any signs about when it would hit us.  During the night, all of our neighbors congregated and talked about what we should expect. My friend and I were talking and saying that nothing would happen. I just kept brushing off the situation like it was nothing. As we talked, the wind got stronger and stronger, so by dark, we were all in our homes, ready for anything the storm had to throw at us. Right before my dad and I went to sleep, we prayed. We prayed for our friends and for our own safety that we would make it out of the storm with God’s help.

I went to bed that night and I woke up at around 1 AM that Saturday morning to the flickering lights in our house, and I knew the strong winds would come at any moment. I woke up every hour after that and I heard the wind whistle and that’s when I started to get a little scared. I kept praying that our 2 tall pine trees that are about 60 feet high would not fall on our house.

I woke up at 6 to look outside. To my amazement, no major damage happened. The 2 pine trees were still standing, though a part of our fence wasn’t, but that didn’t matter because God had protected us through the storm. I took a look around and saw pine needles and branches and leaves EVERYWHERE. My mom was in Vancouver at the time, so every so often, we’d get a text to see how  my dad and I were doing.

In the afternoon our neighbors were all outside helping each other clean up. My dad and I looked around the neighborhood and we saw some horrible things. There were trees on top of houses, fires, the streets were a mess, and it was pouring rain. My friend stopped by to see how I was and we went around other neighborhoods to survey all the damage done. And may I say, the street that I live on is BLESSED. No major damaged happened, and everyone is safe.

We still don’t have electricity after almost a week, but that’s ok. God is providing us with food and water.
But now I realize how much I take those things for granted. But I thank God for keeping my family, my home, and my friends safe in the storm. It was quite the experience that I will never forget because God had protected us and blessed us so much.

Our church incurred damage, which included the demolition of our outdoor area (the kids will be heartbroken) and water/roof damage along the youth room wing.

However, as you’ll notice by the pictures… the sanctuary made it through pretty much UNTOUCHED!! GOD is so amazing and this proves it. This proves that He is TRULY a shelter in the time of storm. Keep praying for us and we’ll update you soon!

Bible bowl was quite the experience this year.

When Allison, Christian, and I heard that the Junior Division would be the only team representing our church, we felt a lot of pressure. Not to mention that there were only 3 of us and we had to finish reading about 7 books and comprehend and understand what we were reading. But despite these things, we knew that there was nothing more important than reading the word of God.

It was challenging for me to comprehend and focus on what I was reading, but I still kept trying.

It was the week before the actual tournament, and I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the amount of reading I had to get done. I tried and tried with Ate Jill and Elydon at my side. They made questions for me and we had practices.

The day of the bowl, I was feeling nervous. We pulled up to the church and I had so many doubts in my head. I knew I wasn’t ready, but it would be a good experience.

Our first game was a disappointment to my team and me. We tried so hard and answered what we could, and took a guess on those that we had an inkling about, but our opposing team was extremely good. Our second round didn’t go any better, but we still kept our heads up.

We knew that we weren’t really ready, but it taught us a lesson to study harder for next year. Despite our loss, we still got knowledge from the bible and I want to continue to participate for as long as I can. It is a great experience and we have more motivation for us to try harder and as they always say at bible bowl, “You’re always a winner when you read the word of God.”

The Operation Global Rain or otherwise known as the World Wide Week of Prayer was a great up-lifting experience for me. As my second year to attend the gathering, from May 1st to May 10th, each night my friends and family-myself included worshipped and prayed for the pouring of the Holy Spirit unto us. Speaking as a student, my weekday is filled with school, school, and more school and waiting till the Sabbath Day to come, but the Week of Prayer was an awakening for me. It brought inspiration and a feeling of comfort because of all the stress from school, those 10 days made me feel relaxed. Touched by God’s Word, it showed me that our troubles and problems are “only temporary” but the Holy Spirit is eternal. This special event to me is a new tradition in my life and memories that will last forever.

by Ely Don Lagazo

This year, the Metropolitan SDA Church is participating in Operation Global Rain 360. Operation Global Rain starts today and ends on May 10, 2008.

What is “Operation Global Rain?”

Operation Global Rain began when a few churches in Central California decided to hold a 10-day prayer event after the model of the early church found in Acts 2. There were no keynote speakers or Conference-wide conventions, but rather a small group of disciples pleading for the outpouring of the Latter Rain. So every night, Bible verses and Spirit of Prophecy quotes were presented, together with prayer in groups or as a congregation.

Operation Global Rain Catches On

The participating churches all experienced revival and a true spirit of unity, repentance and mission took hold of the members. It was then presented to their Conference with the idea that all the churches within the conference could participate and petition at the same time for the outpouring of the Latter Rain.

The Vision of Operation Global Rain

The vision of Operation Global Rain was seen to be much bigger than is mere beginnings. What if all the churches not just in California but in North America praying for the same thing at the same time? Even better, imagine not only all the churches in North America but all the churches around the globe praying for the same thing at the same time. And so the global operation commenced.

The early rain was bestowed upon the early church, as the disciples prayed for the Spirit to heal the sick, preach in different tongues, and convert the first Christians. Now, about 2000 years later, what if global prayer and supplication will pour out the latter rain? Where will the rain fall? Will the Gospel be preached to all nations? How will the world be converted?

In Revelation 18, the prophecy of the third angel is near its consummation.“The prophecies in the eighteenth of Revelation will soon be fulfilled. During the proclamation of the third angel’s message, “another angel” is to “come down from heaven, having great power” and the earth is to be “lightened with His glory.” The Spirit of the Lord will so graciously and universally bless consecrated human instrumentalities, that men, women, and children will open their lips in praise and testimony, filling the earth with the knowledge of God and with His unsurpassed glory, as the waters cover the sea.” {2MR 21.3}

Join the Metropolitan SDA Church and Participate!

So please join us…as we pray and supplicate! We extend this invitation to people of all ages to come and experience Operation Global Rain every night at the Metropolitan SDA Church, May 1-10, 2008.

A chapter of my life is coming to an end. For some people, graduation is just this sigh of relief. It’s over, it’s done with, great. For some, it’s this huge fear just pounded on them of “Oh no, what am I going to do with my life now that high school is over?!” And for the rest, they feel both emotions. I consider myself to be in the “in-crowd” of the people who have both emotions. I definitely feel that sigh of relief. As I look back through the years of my grade school career, starting from a small, dependent, lost feeling child who was attached to the hip of her mother, to now, as a grown, mature, and somewhat independent young lady, I can see how much I have changed and how much I’ve been blessed. But then, I look towards the future, and I can’t help but feel fear. I don’t know what the future holds, I don’t know what to expect, and to be honest, I don’t know where to even start to be able to launch off my future. But one thing’s for sure, whether it be my past, present, or future, I know it was and will always be in the hands of God. God walked me through that wonderful journey that helped mold me into who I am today, and I know he will also walk with me hand in hand towards my future.

I’m sure most of you know what it’s like to grow up. When people think of the stresses of high school, they automatically think grades. And yes, it’s true; grades are probably the number one thing that a student worries about. But there are so many other stresses as well that comes those years. You know … the puberty that makes you feel a little off, the new friends, taking your driving tests, the first significant other, your first job, the transitions from elementary to middle school, to high school, and of course, the unfortunate temptations that strike you as a teen. There can be plenty of times where you can feel different as a person, tired physically, and sometimes even lost spiritually. But always, always know, that there is only one thing in this world that can find you, give you strength, and never leave you. And that is the grace of God. I know that for a fact because I went through all this “teen struggle” stuff myself. The thing I thank the Lord for while growing up is for never leaving my side. I know that He was the one that helped me get through those struggles and was the one that walked me through my high school career. For me, my high school struggles weren’t grades. I mean, yes I did worry about them because I wasn’t the daughter who made all A’s. I was horrified every week I knew progress or report cards were coming home. I would check the mailbox everyday until I could snatch it with my own hands before my mom could find it and give me the eye. I still had that struggle, but my struggle that stood out the most, the struggle that I felt really struck me through these years was not knowing myself and distancing myself from God.

I guess we really don’t really weigh out our blessings and realize how much the Lord has showered us with them. When I think about high school, I just think about how much God helped me get through things. My struggles came my sophomore year of high school. And this can sound so cliché, but the Lord helped me get through it. I guess growing up was just hard for me that year. I remember one night I sat on my bathroom floor. I felt out of breath and tears just kept flowing down my face. It was a night that honestly nothing happened to me. I just felt so lost, I felt like I didn’t have anyone to talk to, and worst of all, I felt that I wasn’t worthy enough to pray to God to comfort me. I called a close friend of mine and just let everything out, especially the feeling of not being able to find comfort in God. And I remember she told me, “Rosalynn, you need to remember, that He is the only one that will never leave you. He is the only one that will never judge you, He is the one that will always listen, and He is the only one that can forgive.”

And after she said those true statements, I really felt relieved! I could feel the tears stopping, and me being able to calm down. “This is true!” I thought. It says in I Corinthians 13: 4-8:

“Love is patient, love is kind …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.”

…and in I John 4:16, it says, “God is love”. Therefore, if God is love, then God also, is patient, kind, not rude, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrong, always protects, and most of all, love NEVER fails. We are all worthy to turn to Christ, at anytime. No matter how wrong we can be, or how lost we feel, God will always be there. He will be there to help us all go through these struggles of school and work. He’ll help us make the right decisions about our friends, he’ll mend our hearts when we go through our first heart break, and still love us when we fall in the trap of temptation. Ill never forget the advice my sister gave to me. After our conversation, I hung up the phone and found myself in a twenty minute prayer, asking for forgiveness, thanking Him for all the blessings, for the comfort to help me find myself, make the right decisions, and most of all, build a strong relationship with Him. And honestly, with no exaggeration, I felt better. I began to read my Bible more, try to go to church early enough for Sabbath School, and pray more than I intended on. From then, everything felt right. School wasn’t such a drag, I learned how to have patience, my relationship with my parents was great, just everything was great. I think it’s helped me mature into the person I am now.

I think the Lord has brought me a long way. And to be honest, I am ready to go into the “real world”. I do have my fears, yes. I was at first stuck between two schools: Houston Baptist University and Southwestern Adventist University. I wanted to go to an Adventist school to have that atmosphere to become closer to Him. However, my parents would give me puppy dog eyes asking me to stay in Houston, and I had the Met SDA youth who I knew I’d be crushed if I left them. After going months being stuck between the two, I thought to myself, “Forget it! I know the Lord has a path for me, I just need to pray that I make the right one.” So I prayed for about two weeks to make a decision whether to move to Keene, Texas, or stay in Houston. Well, after many prayers, visiting one of the campuses, getting different results financial wise, and weighing out my true feelings about leaving or staying, I came to a conclusion to stay in Houston. I felt the Lord sent me enough signs to say, “Hey, I should really stay.” And I can say I’m confident about this decision, mainly because I pray about it. I know God does have a plan for me. I know that Him having me stay is just part of the path that he’s planned out for me even before I even thought about college.

I can have my fears about meeting new people, having hard school work, and so forth. But to be honest, they’re not fears that I’ll dwell on because I know He’ll be with me. Just like how He helped me get myself together in high school and walked with me everyday, I know He’ll do the same for me when I’m in college. I just need to remember not to fear, I’m in his path.

“The youth lock in was unbelievably fun and a definite success. We had all the essentials… Apples to Apples and other board games, girls cooking AMAZING food (Thanks Jill, Jennye, Ellen and all your little helpers), and boys with their video games, but we also did a number of new things. A few of us stayed up till the sun came up, a major feat in itself as our last record of staying up was held at Jennye’s house at the inconceivable time of 5:30. Talking and just learning more about each other, we just didn’t want to go to bed. The next morning Jennye and I had a ping pong tournament with the boys. As amateurs we were naturals and almost beat the boys, but didn’t want to hurt their egos, so we let them win. The end of the day consisted of everyone chowing down on Jill’s world renown pancake breakfast before having another round of Apples to Apples. By then half the house had come down with something, but I’ve always thought that to be a major indicator on how good a lock in is. Thankfully we had Jennye’s delicious, spicy soup to help soothe our throats. Right before we left we played a little Guitar Hero…my now most favorite game ever!! I am definitely looking forward to having another lock in in the near future. Spending time with this youth group before I have to leave is something I will absolutely miss.” - Janet Cometa

“This past lock-in at Ronnie’s house was absolutely a blast! I have to admit, I have fallen in love with lock-ins. This is only my second lock-in within my whole life and I can already pronounce my love for it. The weekend lock-in meant a lot of laughs, great food, bonding, and of course, being locked-in a house with some of my favorite people. This particular lock in was special to me since my older brother, Raymond, and my cousin, Benny (a*k*a Timmy, Bennihana, etc.) were both going as well and since I don’t really get to spend a lot of time with them, this was a special time for me. We were also blessed with the presence of the bride and grom themselves, Ate Memorie and Kuya Duane.

The lock-in started late on Saturday night but our Iron Chefs (Jennye, Jill, and Ellen) along with the rest of the girls were still able to whip up a delicious late Mexican dinner complete with chicken tortilla soup, Spanish rice, and fajitas. !Muy Bien! After dinner, the girls decided to entertain the boys in song to convince them to clean up. It was quite a difficult feat but I do believe the boys love when we girls sing to them, especially Mr. Agui-NALDO. When the songs ended and the dishes were washed, we were all amped to start our favorite game of Apples-to-Apples and then Taboo. Cranium was missed but Apples-to-Apples provided lots of screams and laughs. After the board games, the boys went off to do what they do best, Halo, and the girls with the older guys went off to do what we do best, talk and get to know each other more. It was a fun and relaxing night that ended early around 4:30/5am. We were all able to squeeze in a couple of hours/minutes of sleep before waking up to Jill’s banging in the kitchen and Jennye’s prominent voice, always one of my favorite ways of waking up.

Breakfast was as delicious as dinner. Jillian Fortin can’t seem to do any wrong in the kitchen and delivered us fruit-filled crepes, turkey bacon, and eggs benedicts. (I make sure to include details of the food to show that our Iron Chefs do not simply throw cereal or microwaveables at us, they really throw down in the kitchen!) After breakfast, we had more memorable moments with Apples-to-Apples and Guesstures. The rest of the day was spent on the games, great talks, Wii (which I absolutely loved!) and Guitar Hero. Going home as always was quite sad but I’m sure Ronnie was ready to have his beautiful house to himself again.

This lock in provided so much fun for all of us and I really cant wait for the next one. I say that I love lock-ins because of the food and the fun but I really do treasure these moments that we all get to bond. Some of us are going away soon and being able to spend this time together means a lot to all of us. And as we grow together as friends in our fun and games, I do believe we are growing together as a church family as well. I sincerely feel blessed to have a group of friends to laugh and enjoy each other’s company with but that will also pray with me and for me.” - Maria Paguinto

>>View the whole photo set on Facebook!

In a recent post, Kemi Ola with the Adventist Youth Blog reflects upon a Seder hosted by the Adventist Christian Fellowship, who graciously invited the Metropolitan SDA Church Youth Group to attend.

“Bitter herbs, unleavened bread, and wine cease to be just parts of a ritualistic ceremony when you allow yourself to be blown away by the reality of their faith, belief and patience.” Read more >>

Many of us were touched by this experience. Most of us had never experienced a Seder, and the symbolism and tradition behind every ceremonial token was something that we all appreciated and took to heart.

The Seder was performed by Pastor Bill Cork of Houston International Church and sponsor of the Houston Chapter of the Adventist Christian Fellowship. Pastor Cork gave each attendee a copy of the readings and encouraged each person to participate, often calling on others to read some of the texts and also teaching us some songs in Hebrew.

The Seder celebration was a new to me especially, because I had no idea what a Seder was. Experiencing it first hand was very fun and enlightening. One of the first things I remember was dipping cilantro into salt water (which definitely opened my sinuses). I also didn’t know that when you raise your glass of Welch’s grape juice (representing wine), you basically drink the whole juice down and before hand because I like juice I filled my cup to the top… bad mistake (weak bladder). The different foods you put together by hand tasted really great and sweet. My favorite part of Seder was spending time with my friends and experiencing a new kind of celebration altogether. - Agui Cuaresma, Metropolitan SDA Church

Thanks again to the Adventist Christian Fellowship for allowing us to take part in such a meaningful practice. Happy Passover everyone!

>> MSDA Youth’s Flickr set for this event

The Jewish Festival of Passover commemorates God’s delivery of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. This year, it will start on April 19.

Houston International’s pastor, Pastor Bill Cork, writes:

“On Friday, April 11, at 7:00 p.m., at Houston International, we’ll join together in a Passover Seder, exploring the rich symbolism of this Biblical festival. It’s a time to read, pray, sing and talk about the wonders God has done for his people.”

This event is a potluck event - you know how much we love those! Bring a dish and share the love. Items unique to the Passover—bitter herbs, unleavened bread, haroset, grape juice, etc. will all be provided by our friends at International.

Please drop us a line or let Pastor Cork (billcork@sbcglobal.net) if you are interested in going. We hope to see you all there!

This past weekend, the Youth @theMet held their quarterly lock-in in the faraway land of Crosby, Texas, hosted by Jennye and Bryan Baysa. The youth members feasted on a decadent smorgasbord whisked together by Jennye and Ellen, which included topped eggplant parmigiana with a savory tomato sauce, garden vegetable fettucine alfredo and a made-from-scratch tiramisu!

After dinner, the youth took some time and opened the lines of communication, discussing ways in which the dynamic of our youth group could improve. In a discussion with our awesome youth elders, Kyle and Bryan, the youth talked about the representation of the youth and how to portray ourselves in a manner that reflects Christ 100% of the time. Looking back, I realize how blessed we are to be able to talk to each other in that way. Praise God. After our discussion and a worship, also led by Kyle, it was time for fun, fun fun — XBOX 360, Cranium, Apples to Apples… Do I dare mention what time we tucked in? (whispers - it was about 5:00 a.m.)

You can next catch the members of the Metropolitan SDA Church Youth Group at the local Bible Bowl competition on May 17, 2008. Which reminds me… Bible Bowl teams, happy studying!