Riches to Rags

Last week I finally made my way to the surfing capital of Luzon. San Juan, La Union is just a hop and a skip away from the mountains of Baguio. It's quite a contrast having the high mountains on one side, and the ocean on another. God is great!

We arrived in the wee hours of the night in San Juan and went straight to bed. I laid in bed thinking it's been a while since I rode the power of the ocean under my feet. It's an awesome feeling! I got my phone and set the alarm at four in the morning.

Excited and desperate for the ocean, I set out to conquer the waves of San Juan. Surely enough it did not disappoint me. I had the best time! Even though the waves aren't as big as Ventura County or Solana Beach, they still did the job. Oh yes! I felt alive again. Just in case ya'all are wondering why I love the ocean, you can Google what the name Erwin means. 

Here, I'll save you some time. "Erwin- friend of the sea."

After a full day of surfing, we hung out with some locals and tourists enjoying the moon and the ocean around a bonfire. It was an interesting crowd. We had a local surf instructor whose last name was Pancit (I swear on my lucky draws I'm not kidding), and another local guy sporting the name Honeywell (what were his parents thinking?). We had a guy from Sweden, Sacramento, and Hong Kong (shout out to my boy Eugene!). But one person got my attention. Her name was Amanda (not her real name) and she was utterly interesting. We got to talking and I found out that she's the daughter of an extremely rich family in the Philippines. She's been around the world and back, hanging out and rubbing elbows with the who's who in Hollywood and London, sipping cocktails with Yoko Ono and Sting. She has five big houses all over the world, expensive cars, VIP treatment around Manila and yet as the conversation turned serious, she has been in and out of rehab and counseling for the past ten years. She's on Prozac and Xanax and could not function well as a normal human being without it.

Here I am talking to an unhappy bona fide socialite and all I could think of was my pair of ripped Gap jeans that I got on sale for $19.99 yet I was HAPPY! 

Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

James 5:2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

HAPPY! 

She might be well known in this life. I AM A CERTIFIED CHILD OF GOD AND HE KNOWS MY NAME! She may have all the gadgets and gizmos money can buy. I HAVE AN ETERNAL INHERITANCE IN HEAVEN! Not too shabby eh?