Kuya Erwin's Blog: Hope Angeles

http://hopeangeles.com

Hope Angeles

Kuya Erwin is back again on the web. Sorry guys if I haven't been posting on here. This will be the blog site for Hope Angeles. It is a church planting project in cooperation with Converge Worldwide, Baptist General Conference and United International Christian Church in Detroit, MI.

I'll post more information soon.

Back in the Day!!!

TO ALL PINOY KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 50's, 60's, 70's and early 80's!

First, some of us survived being born to mothers who did not have an OB-Gyne, smoked and/or drank San Miguel Beer or Syoktong, while they carried us. Themanghihilot was the cheapest way to deliver babies. Dinala ka ba ng nanay mo sa pediatrician for DPT? While pregnant, they took cold or cough medicine, cortal or medicol, ate isaw, and didn't worry about diabetes or cervical cancer.

Then after all that trauma, our baby cribs were made of hard wood covered with lead-based paints, pati na yung walker (andador)natin, matigas na kahoy or rattan at wala pang gulong.

We had no soft cushy cribs that play music, no disposable diapers (lampin lang), ( noon cloth or rattan duyan lang tied to the posts or ceiling, babies fell asleep sa sobrang hilo )and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, no kneepads, sometimes wala pang preno yung bisikleta.

Take-out food was limited to Ongpin's pansit or Aling Toyangs pre-cooked ulam in kalderos. No pizza shops, McDonalds, KFC, Subway, Jollibee; and, coffee was just kape hinde ga-mahal as in Starbucks.
As children, we would ride in jeepneys libre pag kandong,hot un-airconditioned buses with wooden seats(yung JD bus na pula), or cars with no airconditioning & no seat belts (ngayon lahat may aircon na)

Riding on the back of a carabao on a breezy summer day was considered a treat. (ngayon hindi na nakakakita ng kalabaw ang mga bata) Did you make your own saranggola and pasted bubog on the strings?

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle purchased from 711(minsan straight from the faucet or poso)walang 711 noon, sari-sari store ni Mang Akong to buy sarsi, suntan, RC cola or choco-vim.

We shared one soft drink bottle with four of our friends, and NO ONE actually died from this or contracted hepatitis.

We ate rice with star margarine, pampatangkad daw, took raw eggs straight from the shell, and drank softdrinks with real sugar in it (hindi diet coke), but we weren't sick or overweight kasi nga......

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, and get back when the streetlights came on. Sarap mag patintero, tumbang preso, habulan at taguan.Tandaan mo ba PIKO, step-no-step- yes, trumpo, garter & mala-ahas sa haba na goma? Kung naulan, jackstones, pick-up sticks or sungka, bahay-bahayan, tinda-tindahan, titser-teacher- an or swimming sa baha or kangkungan.

No one was able to reach us all day (di uso ang cellphone, walang beepers). And yes, we were O.K.. Sipol lang ni tatay ang meron noon!

We would spend hours building our wooden trolleys (yung bearing ang gulong) or plywood slides out of scraps and then ride down thestreet, only to find out we forgot the brakes! After hitting the sidewalk or falling into a canal (sewage channel) a few times, we learned to solve the problem ourselves with our bare & dirty hands.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 100 channels on cable, no DVD movies, no surround stereo, no IPOD's, no cellphones, no computers, no Internet, no chat rooms, and no Friendsters, Facebook. MSN etc. ....... ...WE HAD REAL FRIENDS and we went outside to actually talk and play with them!TV viewing was a treat, kilala mo ba si Popeye, Gumby, Betty Boop & followed the bouncing ball in Melody Tunes? That was karaoke then, LOL!

We climbed walls and trees (to get aratiles and catch salagubang & tutubi - tied them on the neck with a string), fell out of trees, got cut or "bukol", broke bones and teeth and there were no stupid lawsuits from these accidents. The only rubbing we get is from our friends with the words..masakit ba ? pero pag galit yung kalaro mo,,,,ang sasabihin sa iyo..beh buti nga !

We played marbles (jolens) in the dirt , washed our hands just a little and ate dirty ice cream, fish balls & inihaw na baga. We were not afraid of getting sick or germs in our stomachs.

We had to live with homemade guns, gawa sa kahoy, tinali ng rubberband , sumpit , tirador at kung ano ano pa na puedeng makasakitan, pero masaya pa rin ang lahat. We made up games with sticks (syatong), and cans (tumbang preso) and although we were told they were dangerous, wala naman tayong binulag o napatay... paminsan minsan may nabubukulan lang.

We walked a lot, rode bikes, or took tricycles to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them to jump out the window!

Mini basketball teams had tryouts and not everyone made to the team. Those who didn't pass had to learn to deal with the disappointment.Wala iyang mga childhood depression at damaged self esteem ek-ek na yan. Ang pikon, talo.

Ang magulang ay nandoon lang para tingnan kung ayos lang ang mga bata, hindi para makialam at makipag-away sa ibang parents.

That generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, creative thinkers and successful professionals ever! They are the CEO's, Engineers, Doctors and Military Generals of today.

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had failure, success, and responsibility. We learned from our mistakes the hard way.

You might want to share this with others who've had the luck to grow up as real kids. We were lucky indeed.

And if you like, forward it to your kids too, so they will know how brave their parents were.

PS - The big letters are because your eyes may not be able to read this if they were typed any smaller (at your age!)

While I'm Waiting

Every Thursday my wife and I go to a growth group at GCF. One particular Thursday was different. Pastor Arnold and Tita Flordz showed us a movie called "Fireproof" which stars Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains). Quite honestly when they told us they were going to show us a Christian movie, I was a bit skeptical because 99% of them (with the exception of "Facing the Giants") is not very well made and B-Rated. As soon as the movie started, I was hooked. I highly recommend this movie.

One song they played in the movie made me teary eyed. Its lyrics (not the premise of the movie he he) reflect where my wife and I are at. We are waiting on the Lord...for direction, for my sister's healing and for my parents' financial freedom. 

I want to share this song with you guys.

My wife, the movie actress

So I'm sitting at home putting Zoe to sleep and I'm channel surfing. Right on cue I see my wife Blessing on Cinema One in a movie called "Labs Kita: Okey Ka Lang" with Jolina.

Everytime I ask her about her short lived modeling and movie career she avoids the subject and changes the topic. Finally I can put it to rest as I watch my beautiful wife on tv.

It's just funny how I always wanted to date a movie actress (a billion men out there most likely dreams this too). God does give you the desires of your heart, including the silly ones he he he.

Finally back in cyber space

Sorry guys. Kuya Erwin has been crazy busy with Zoe, getting the radio show together and helping GCF Baguio with their youth group. But I'm back and will write once again with the same Kuya Erwin passion.

Thank God for hi-tech phones he he he.

Back from Boracay and lessons learned

Right after the Life Changers event in Baguio, Blessing, Zoe and I decided we needed to get out of the city and head towards sunny Boracay for a well-earned and overdue vacation. For my American friends, Boracay is an island off the coast of Aklan which is right in the middle of the Philippines. 

The trip from Baguio City was a six (6) hour bus ride to Manila. Then, another hour from Manila towards the airport. An hour by plane to Aklan. And finally, about 30 minutes from Aklan to Boracay by boat. YES! It was one long journey but we made it.

When we arrived (around 4pm), my buddy Peter (homie from Los Angeles) met us there. He's been living in Boracay since December 24 and has been bumming around the beach ever since. We dropped our bags at the hotel, changed to beach clothes and hit the ocean right away (we mountain people don't see the ocean often he he).

Here are a few things I learned from being in Boracay:

1. You can get "ALL YOU CAN EAT LOBSTER DINNERS" for 200php each.

2. You don't have to stay in a nice hotel to have a blast in Boracay. You're barely in your room anyway.

3. Sunblock doesn't really work for me. I have a tan 24/7 and my color did not change with or without sunblock.

4. You can easily spot a tourist in Boracay...look in the mirror.

5. If you're a tourist from another country and want to learn Philippine culture, DO NOT GO TO BORACAY! It's definitely the wrong place to get some culture. 

On a more serious note, while we were there, God painted the most awesome sunsets for us. I know what He was doing. My God, Savior, Lord and Creator of all the worlds was showing off His glory and splendor and telling me, "Erwin, look at the things that you can do. Now look at what I can do. You can merely do things that are insignificant by yourself. Yet, I can turn that insignificant thing into a magnificent work of art if you stick with Me." Looking at those sunsets and seeing how insignificant I am made me realize whatever talents and skills I possess, they do not mean squat. It is God who uses my skills and talents not for my glory, but for His glory and that an insignificant guy like me can be used in an awesome way by a God who sees me as significant.

Basta Lovelife dudes in Baguio City!!!

Kevin and I will be in Baguio City on January 15, 2009 at the Baguio Convention Center. Admission is FREE!!! Kevin will be promoting his book and will do some book signing 3-6pm. My band Pslam 23 will be playing at 7pm onwards. Hope to see you guys there!

Top 10 Things Kuya Erwin Will Do In 2009

In our Basta Lovelife New Year's special, we discussed seven (7) questions to ask yourself before facing the new year. One of the questions Kevin asked was "Are there any decisions that you have been putting off?" So here are 10 things your Kuya Erwin will do in 2009:

1. Move back to Manila. Yeah, it's pretty comfortable where we're at right now but the ministry we're called to serve is there. I'm just giving more time for Zoe and Blessing to relax and breathe some clean, fresh, non-air conditioned, all natural cold air. 

2. Take better care of my body. No, I'm not sick or anything but when I was in my younger years I suffered plenty of injuries doing crazy things like snowboarding, aggressive in-line skating, etc. and my injuries hurt when it's cold or when I'm stressed.

3. Learn French and Japanese. It's something I've been wanting to learn for a while now. It's always nice to upgrade your self, right?

4. Play the drums again. Ever since I moved back to the Philippines I have never been "the drummer." I miss playing my main instrument. 

5. Draw and paint again. My day is incomplete when I don't open my Bible at the beginning of the day. My day is also incomplete if I don't do something creative for the day and drawing is my ultimate outlet. I do miss my animation days.

6. Design our new witnessing tract. One of the most effective witnessing tools we use at Crossway Ministries is a tract called One Way. It is visually oriented (which the students love),  it produces more interaction with the students and it's not time consuming. But, we have had problems with supply and licensing. So the obvious solution, MAKE OUR OWN TRACT.

7. Consistently lead worship at Resonate. Not living in Manila makes this hard but the quick remedy would be to move back to Manila.

8. Lead more people to Christ. Evangelism is a lifestyle and in life, we always strive to be better. It just makes perfect sense to be better and more aggressive in our calling to evangelize.

9. Love God more and more each day. My Jesus is the main reason why I do the things I do. I am at "hello" when I think about how much I love Him. He gives me air to breath; so I'll use that air to serve him more. He gives me strength; I'll use that strength to build His kingdom. He gives life; I'll use this life to give life to others. He gives me love; I'll use this love to change the world.

10. LOSE WEIGHT, MORE MUSCLES, LESS FAT. Nuff said.

In Search of the Best Smartphone

Last month I left one of my phones in a cab and never got it back. The search for the holy grail of smartphones is on, for me at least. I have read hundreds of reviews, comments and technical specs on certain smartphones and the more I read, the more confused I get! How I wish there were only two choices, decaf or caf. But life isn't that simple anymore, is it? Now we got blended or iced, whipped or unwhipped, vanilla or mocha. It's madness I tell you, madness!

I'm actually down to two choices: the Nokia E71 (which I heavily favor to win this smartphone war), and the ever popular Apple Iphone 3g 16 gig (which after reading hundreds of negative reviews, I don't know why I'm still considering). For me, it comes down to three things: I need it to send text messages and make calls, play music and videos and view and edit office files. The E71 does all this with excellence except the video and music playback is quite mediocre. The Iphone 3g has a wide variety of third party software and the video and music playback is off the charts however, though I can view my office files, I cannot edit them. You really can't have everything, eh?

So, if anyone out there can help me out, I'd appreciate it.

By the way, Kevin suggested I get a 13.3 inch Macbook which was the original plan. But I do like to keep my options open. 

HELP!!!

Verse of the Day

John 8:12 NLT

"When Jesus spoke...'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.' "

My Late Christmas Gift

I know this blog is about faith, hope, love and relationships. But this morning I got a late Christmas present as I was sitting on my couch while putting Zoe to sleep. I want to share this present to the world. Here it is...

I guess now ya'all know I'm a hard nosed LOS ANGELES LAKER FAN. Joy! Joy! Joy!

Christmas Eve!!!

I'm a bit sad. I really miss my Parents, my sister, my niece and nephew. This is the first Christmas that everyone in my family is literally apart from each other. It's hard knowing that I can't do anything about it. I have hope and faith that next Christmas, we'll all be together. I don't know where but all I know we will all celebrate Christmas together.

If you guys are celebrating Christmas with your immediate family, consider yourselves blessed! Love them! Tell them how much you love them. Spend time with them. You don't know what tomorrow may bring.

Mom and Dad, Ate, Gabby and Willie. we might be apart from each other this Christmas. I'll make sure next year we'll be celebrating Christmas together like we have so many times. I love you all so, so much! You are in my thoughts and prayers every time I remember you... and I think about you all a lot!

To my best friends Cai (my brother from another mother), Chona and Rai-Rai, Laura and Mike, Karen, Peter  (my other brother from another mother), Russel and Jet, Rommel, Juliet and Jewel Samaniego, Doc Jason Saure, my mentor Johnny Ortiz and Cynthia, my ministry team at Crossway Kevin (my white brother), Joel, Emily, Judith, Raziel, Hannah, JD, Jeff, Meanne, Kathy, Sheena, Rosette and Luvelle, my home church in Baguio PBC, Pastor Art and Ate, Mel, TJ and Celine, Fritz, Cris and Elisha, and PBC UNITED YOUTH, to my band PSALM 23, Kuya Manny, Kuya Boyet, Kuya Vic, Jason, Arjay, Shake and EmK, to my PBTS buds, Saul, Don Enrique, BJ, JR, Yanver, Doc Bong, Joyce, Vincent O., Sheng, Pastor Joe, and Sam, my extended family at PBTS Auntie Joyce, Auntie Sonia, Auntie Adelle, Auntie Beth, Uncle Henry, Auntie Lilian and Pastor Jerry, to my best cousins in the world Kuya Nonoy (AKA Tranqui) and Doods, to my favorite Aunt in the world, Auntie Nena and Uncle Silver, my boys at YL Bobot, Leo Paul, Manolo, Jhob and Tim, my ex-band Ardent Joe Neil, Ronnie, Bong, William, my SLM Records bigboss Stan "the Man" Gibson (keep the faith bro), my P.U.P. kids, to the listeners and followers of Basta Lovelife, and to the entire University Baptist Church Manila alumni, in behalf of my family (Kuya Henry, Ate Mel, Emelyn, Norman, Gabrielle, William, Erwin, Blessing and Zoe)...

Celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with us! You are all very special in our hearts! God bless you!

Happy Anniversary!!!

Even though I don't see my parents often, I miss them a lot. They've been through a lot this year. It upsets me that I can't protect them from people that want to hurt them, oppress them and ridicule them. How I wish I can shelter them from all the trials that have come their way. But the reality is, I can't. God can!

Mom and Dad, you have touched and helped a lot of people. Both of you have led thousands and thousands of people to Christ. People may have positive and negative opinions about you but they don't really know you the way I do. They do not know the sacrifices you have made for me. They do not know how generous you both are. They do not have the slightest idea how much you love our Lord. They do not see and feel the passion you have for the lost. All they have are bits and pieces of information, put what they have together and make up one big story. I KNOW THE TRUTH! And the truth is YOU ARE THE BEST PARENTS ANYONE CAN EVER ASK FOR!!! Your lives served as a guiding light when I was lost and could not find my way back to Christ. For that, Mom and Dad, I owe you everything! 

Happy Anniversary! Hang in there! God has something wonderful for you ahead. You are blessed! You are set apart! You are loved by thousands and thousands of people!

I love you both so, so much! With all my being.

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?

Busy Christmas

My dear friends... yes, oh yes your Kuya Erwin is a busy bee lately. I've been wanting to sit and write some articles about my recent adventures but unfortunately I don't have much time. I've been helping out with the local youth group and also taking care of my precious Zoe. Yeah, she takes a lot of my time. But, it's time well spent! Here's a recent picture of her taken by my buddy Pete.

Be back later and I'll be posting some cool stuff. For now, we got the latest episode of Basta Lovelife. Peace!

Verse of the Day

Romans 12:12 NLT

"Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying."

Verse of the Day

Psalm 5:3 NLT

 "Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my request to You and wait patiently."

Empty Promises

I'm a fairly patient man. I understand that some things are just beyond my control. Yet recently my patience was tested by a well-known cell phone company who is also offering internet service. 

My internet went down on Tuesday morning (right after I posted my 'verse of the day') and right after I saved and published my blog...NO MORE INTERNET! I waited for a day until I called their 'HOTLINE' just to give them a chance to fix the problem on their own.

The next day (Wednesday) I called their HOTLINE again and reported the problem. They "promised" me that they will fix the problem within 24 to 48 hours. So, I then gave them a chance to do their magic and fulfill their promise but told them "You know for a HOTLINE, you're not so HOT." Saturday, came and still no internet. I gave them another call and told them what they had promised. They said their "field technicians" are already working on the problem as we speak. So once again, I gave them another chance.

Tuesday rolled in and lo and behold, STILL NO INTERNET! I was finally fed up. I went straight to their office and told them about the problem. I finally found out that they have not sent out any technicians to fix the problem. Their customer service department have been telling me what I wanted to hear but they never intended to fix my problem. 

Matt. 5:37 says "Instead, let your message be 'Yes' for 'Yes' and 'No' for 'No.' Anything more than that comes from the evil one." That's all I can say about that.

If you guys want to know which internet company I'm talking about, they are global.

So what happened? I terminated my contract with them and went with a cable DSL provider. Thank God for COMPETITION.

Basta Lovelife Episode 1

Well it's finally here! You guys can download the pilot episode of Basta Lovelife. I promise, it's just going to get better!

http://kuyakevin.libsyn.com/