Mooncake Festival!

I had to write something about my very first Mooncake Festival that Dennis and I celebrated with his colleagues at work, most of which are bachelors and bachelorettes. I felt really welcomed by them. They were so nice, warm and friendly. I had a blast. They gave me a lantern to hold and we walked to the park and back. We played games, ate and talked. It was clean fun! I'm glad that I spent it with them. They're all smart too.

I've asked around why we are celebrating this auspicious occasion but they don't seem to know the history behind it. An older colleague of Dennis have some "speculation" but none really KNOWS. So I thought I'd google it. But anyways, it doesn't really matter sometimes if we know what we are celebrating... but we always try to find ways to celebrate, to get-together with friends and just be around with each other and have fun.

Twin - Separation Anxiety

I thought that being married and separated from my family, especially from my twin sister for quite some time, I will be spared from ever experiencing separation anxiety. But having my sisters over for holiday, and spending a quality time with my twin sister was awesome and when she left, we are both experiencing separation anxiety. I lie on Two-Two's bed and smelling her pillow and hugging her blanket... and wearing the shirt she bought for me. And to make it worse, I am now catching a flu. She on the other hand, as soon as her plane landed was ill again and she started crying. Little did she know that when she was crying, I was too. I miss her so much ---- separation is stingy.

I've been having a hard time sleeping for a month but when my sisters where here, I would sleep at 10pm... or as soon as we get back from our "jalan-jalan" (pamamasyal)... I would sleep like a baby. And as soon as they left, my sleeping disorder is back.

I am forever grateful for my family... they are my bestfriends, my confidant. They are my shield against the storms of life. I look forward to the day when we all will be together again with our Mama - never to part.

Faith

One of my most treasured blessing is being a part of a worldwide sisterhood in the Church, Relief Society. I truly feel a great sense of belonging with women of the Church who exhibits great faith as they live each day of their life. Being so overwhelmed with my lack of faith recently, I found myself barely hanging on. Sister Dimples shared a lesson about faith in Jesus Christ today in our Relief Society class and she was truly inspired. It was a direct answer to my prayer.

She wrote on the board five direct result of lack of faith: doubt, discouragement, lack of determination, disbelief, & distraction. But all the things she wrote on the board was what I have been experiencing. She went on and talked about how we can increase our faith... and in my case, how can I regain it. What am I to do when it seems like all hopes are gone? Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is a principle of salvation. It is the "hope for things which are not seen, which is true", it is trust in the Lords Jesus Christ that we obey His commandments. "It is a principle of action and power that motivates our day to day activities". To increase my faith in Jesus Christ, I should go back to the basics - read & study the scriptures, pray daily, go to Church every Sunday, and ask for Priesthood blessings, serve others, etc.

Sister Jessica said faith is to not give up. You just keep doing what you know is right and even if you can't see the result that you want, just carry on! I think that's what I needed to hear... JUST CARRY ON! "Bitter may be the bud, but the fruit will be sweet".

At this point in my life, I desire to increase my faith in Jesus Christ more than anything else. An inspired song about faith that I have loved for a very long time comes to mind, "Where Faith Lives" by Cherrie Call... [Faith] lives in the shadow of affliction just before the morning sun comes out... and it lives in the window where you throw away all your doubts.