CADA Chronicles v9i4 - Christ's Ardent Disciples in Actionlifewithcada.com/chronicles/cadachronicles_2009_1012.pdf · OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2009 Official newsletter of Christ’s Ardent

OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2009

Official newsletter of Christ’s Ardent Disciples in Action (CADA) © 2001-2010 Vol. 9 Issue 4 page 1

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MESSAGE FROM PEDRO ESTEVA

he year 2009 like in previous years, the Lord showed us

His mercy and patience and after a few years of receiving

the call to make CADA an independent community, CADA

was accepted by the Sword of the Spirit’s community of

communities. The work ahead is plentiful, but with the

Lord’s provision we will be successful. 2009 was a year of life

as many in our group were given the gift of life with new

children or successful operations while others were reminded

of our future life with Jesus in heaven by the death of loved

ones. In all situations the continuous support from our

brothers and sisters from community carried us through. It

has been easy to see that just below the gifts of life and family,

the gift of community and its relationships is truly an awesome

gift from the Lord.

BAGONG TAON, BAGONG BUHAY

By Toni Esteva

e’ve made it through another year. We’ve made it

through an entire decade. Everywhere you look,

whatever media form you prefer to browse, there are lists, lists,

and more lists. The year in review. The best or the worst of

the year. The best or the worst of the decade. Faces of the

living and those that have moved onto a better (hopefully)

place; events that moved us, that rocked our world, that made

us laugh, that made us angry, and that made us cry. Let’s not

forget our favorite New Year’s resolutions and goals for the

New Year which are abandoned when we‘ve figured that the

year isn‘t so new anymore. New Year’s eve is always a great

time for reflection. Amidst the parties and the toasting, are we

able to take a brief break to thank the Lord for the blessings of

the past year and to celebrate His faithfulness to us year after

year, from the last decade to the next?

CADA has much for which to be grateful to our Lord. He

continues to move us higher up and deeper still into His love

and knowing Him even more. We have grown and are

continuing to do so in our life together. We are forging new

and deepening established relationships with our brothers and

sisters in other communities that are part of the Sword of the

Spirit. Individually, a number of us are recognizing our gifts

and how much we can give to make our families, our

friendships, our places of work, our churches of which we are a

part, the schools where we send our children, and CADA better.

Even through the difficult moments that we have all

experienced at some point during the past year/s, the Lord has

remained steadfast, faithful, and merciful. Through economic

hardships and uncertainties, family members in peril because of

natural disasters, sickness and death, draining relationship

issues, and seemingly hopeless situations our Lord has never

abandoned us. On a personal note, my brother-in-law who has

been going through insurmountable trials of every sort

humorously told a priest during confession that he was going to

change his name to Job. As he was going through his “list” of

misfortunes, the priest actually told him to stop because the

priest himself was getting overwhelmed. Hope is the grace that

my brother-in-law desired over and beyond the solution to all

his family’s sufferings. Are we likewise able to seek for that

which is most life giving to us and our family? Are we likewise

able to recognize that we are not in control and that we

constantly need God’s grace?

Let us all celebrate the New Year “in a spirit of praise” because

we recognize Jesus as our incarnate Savior. Let us welcome

2010 “prepared to receive the many rich graces of the New Year

T

W

OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2009


with souls enflamed by faith.” And yes we are still in the

Octave of Christmas (until Epiphany) so may the blessings of

the birth of our Savior bring us true joy during this season and

throughout the New Year. Come let us adore Him.

ALL MICHIGAN SWORD OF THE SPIRIT GATHERING

The annual All - Michigan Sword of the Spirit Gathering was

hosted by the Work of Christ Community in East Lansing on

December 6, 2009. Attended by brothers and sisters from the

different communities in Ann Arbor, the Detroit area, Jackson,

Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Saginaw, it is a time to experience

how indeed good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell

together (from Psalm 133). This was the passage Paul Dinolfo,

senior coordinator of the Work of Christ community used to

open the gathering and usher the time of worship.

Mike Shaughnessy who is head of the Community Building

Team, head of the Kairos youth program, and is also one of the

elders of the Servants of the Word gave a talk on rejoicing in

hope in the light of the second coming. As a people our main

hope is the hope of heaven and of seeing God face to face.

Following his talk were sharings on what the Lord is doing in

the Sword of the Spirit which gives us cause to rejoice and

which helps us know what to pray for. In the University

Christian Outreach, the two significant ongoing events are the

Campus Outreach Academy which trains students in

discipleship and outreach and the Fan Into Flame Retreat

which is a weekend Life in the Spirit Seminar for all UCO

chapters.

In the Detroit Community Outreach, Life in the Spirit Seminars

were conducted in the spring and fall. The focus of youth

work was also shifted to discipleship. Finally, the youth of

DCO have been attending the Ignite Youth Group activities of

the Word of Life community.

Kairos Fellowship was formed to address the needs of the

Junior High Boys. The following activities have been held for

the middle schoolers: Wilderness Adventure Programs which

had the boys backpacking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the

Appalachians, and in Canada; and the father and son retreat

called Preparing for Adolescence Weekend which the two

Pedro Estevas participated in last October. An opportunity

was also given to a number of boys to give brief sharings about

their participation in the various Wilderness Adventure

Programs.

The regional youth program of the SOS, Kairos, was busy with

the annual Yes Retreat, the Winter Conference, and the

Crossroads Retreat, as well as the Standing in the Gap Program.

The Third International Conference of Women Living Single for

the Lord in the SOS was held last October in Michigan and the

most significant outcome of the conference was the formation of

the Bethany Association and the ratification of their charter.

The call to live single for the Lord is also finding its way into

Protestant environments as doors opened for a team of brothers

and a sister who are all living single for the Lord to speak about

this radical call to discipleship at a National Prayer Breakfast, to

a group of evangelical leaders called the Tentmakers, and to

students at Huntington University.

Finally, Paul Dinolfo presented the developments in the area of

community building. A number of communities have expressed

interest in the SOS or are moving along in their level of

commitment, as well as in their formation towards becoming a

full member of the SOS. Notably CADA was mentioned as one

of the communities who has moved to an affiliate status. Paul

also went over the different areas of growth in the different

communities.

By Toni Esteva - December 6, 2009

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION 2009

Year after year, we set aside a time to celebrate

Christmas. However, in this economic recession when people

are losing their jobs, their homes and their hope, I struggled

with the thought of such festivities. As I pondered upon it, it

dawned on me that this is exactly what we need. At a difficult

time like this, God turns our gaze away from our earthly



possession to the one true hope and joy that we can have – His

son, Jesus. And the theme for the Christmas party is such a

great reminder of God’s immense love for us and His

generosity --“For in You is the fountain of life, in Your light do

we see light.” (Psalm 36:9). God did not give us just a cup of

life but a fountain of life – overflowing and non-stop. What a

generous God we have!

The CADA Christmas celebration was held at St. Priscilla last

December 12, 2009. People started coming in as early as 6:30 to

set up the place. Across the stage, the theme for the

celebration has been hung the night before by Warren, Renz,

Jun and JP Quesada. At around 7 pm, families and friends

came in greeting one another happily with a smile. Tom and

Ellen Gryniewicz also blessed us with their presence in this

celebration. We are grateful to them for sharing their lives with

us, teaching us and helping us grow in our walk with God.

As fitting for every occasion, the celebration started

with prayer and worship. When the prayer and worship drew

to a close, we prayed for the person beside us and prayers

were said for those who were not able to come. The prayers

were followed by one of the best things in life that God has

given us – a sumptuous feast. A celebration is not considered

a celebration without the array of food lined up at the long

table for us. We are grateful to the Bagtas family who

organized and lovingly prepared the food for us with the help

of their men’s and women’s group. The much anticipated

activity of the night is the entertainment program hosted by

Don and Crissy. The children were running all over the place

with glee as they participated in the children’s games and

received their prizes. But I have to say that on this occasion,

it was the grown-ups who were having the time of their life as

they tried to guess the Christmas songs and who were

compelled to let their God-given talent shine as they had to

sing the songs they had guessed.

Each year, I have always looked forward to the children’s

presentation. It is so wonderful to see how the kids grow up as

they shared their talent with us. Their presentation started

with a video showcasing the kids’ talents who sang, pulled out

gymnastic stunts or simply smiled in front of the camera. We

were also awed by the singing talent of Alyssa and Angelica at

such a young age who according to their mom, Annie

practiced on their own. The Esteva siblings, Simoun, and

Josh shared passages on the blessings of talents, while Kyle

played the piano to the tune of “Pasko na Sinta ko…”

(a Tagalog Christmas song). Dasha sang “Away in a Manger”

while playing the piano. Gail, Gio, Miles and Niko sang. Bea

and Tristan gave a rendition of “May Bukas Pa” (also a Tagalog

song) complete with actions. Carmela also played the Sesame

Street theme song on the piano. How amazing can these

children be to have the courage to perform and share their God-

given talents with us! They also remind me of how long the

community has been together as you look at the children and

how they've grown in age and number – all of which tell us of

God’s faithfulness to us all these years.

As the fun night ended, Don and Crissy thanked all those who

have worked hard to prepare for the celebration. Then

everyone gathered in prayer to bless the food donations to St.

Priscilla for the needy and to thank God for all that He has

given us.

How beautiful it is to see families and friends come together to

pray and worship God, share a meal together, and bursts into

laughter just like one big happy family. Indeed, we are a gift to

one another just as Christ is the greatest gift to us! What a joy,

what a blessing!

The Christmas celebration has ended but the memory of God’s

generosity lingers on. Gratitude fills my heart as I recall what

God has done for us. I am grateful not only to God but to the

brothers and sisters who generously give their energy and time

to prepare for this special event; for those who brought canned

goods for the needy; and for those whose presence and laughter

added to the joy of the occasion.

By celebrating the true reason for the joy of the season, we feel

blessed, joyful and peaceful even in times of difficulty!

By Jing Demetria – December 12, 2009

FAITHFULNESS AND ORDER -

MANAGING OUR TIME AND FINANCES

By Tom Gyrniewicz - October 11, 2009

Tom Gyrieniwicz gave a talk last Oct. 11, 2009 on how to

manage our time and finances. He started by saying that God



wants people that are generous (2Cor. 9:6), that are faithful

(Matt. 25:23) and has a good relationship with God and others

(Galatians 6:10). But we need something to help us do these

stuff and that good order is what the Lord wants us to have,

since this is what the Lord is like (1Cor. 14:23; Colossians 2:5).

Tom explained that it is hard for us to do it all since, first, we

are challenged in almost everything in our life, we have so

many options and it consumes our time, thoughts and energy.

Second, is that everything in life is scheduled, too many things

to do and not enough time, we can’t do whatever comes up

that needs to be done. Tom said that we need to learn to put

our life in order because we can’t control everything; some

things are just going to be the way they are. Tom further said

that what we can do instead is set up a framework in our life

and compare how things are going and it would help us

manage our time and finances. First tool is writing down your

priorities- stop and think about our main responsibilities in

life: church/community/CADA; family/household;

work/school; personal upkeep/fun; then we break it down to

things that are essential, important and optional. Conflicts

sometimes appear and pressure from others but since we have

it written down, we can now know better to make new

commitments; Second tool is to make a schedule (daily,

weekly, monthly, annually) with the hours of the day and then

go to your priority list and write in when you are doing it or

should be doing it; start first with the essentials, important and

last-optional. Tom said that this really helpful because if you

already have a framework, you can have something to work on

between you and God. This is also good to married couples;

they should have a husband-wife meeting regularly to talk

about kids/family or a regular planning time.

Tom also talked about managing finances. The difference

between time and money is that time is fixed, you only have

24hrs, no more no less, but in money , the amount that you get

in varies, expenses also varies, you can spend more than you

can earn. For us to be generous we also need to have a

framework, the tools are the same: church/community/cada;

family/household; work/school; personal upkeep/fun and then

break it down to the essential, important and optional. We also

cannot buy everything and we still can’t control everything.

Second thing is to make a budget, singles are recommended to

do this but married couples are different; conversations with

spouses about money is challenging, do what you can

specially with the common commitments, do the discussions

with love and trust in God, not on bitterness. Tom advised that

if you are in financial trouble, you should get help now and

don’t wait, you can start talking to you group leader and not

face this problem alone. If your spouse is not in CADA, be

realistic about what you can do and what you can do together,

be reminded that the spouse didn’t hear the talk (1Cor 10:32).

In summary, Tom said this takes some work and discipline;

personal discipline should be our goal and making a framework

will be a big help. We shouldn’t be afraid since it takes a whole

lot of work. Practice makes perfect, just start it and time makes

it easier. We also need support in our time schedule and

finances, we can talk about it with our men’s and women’s’

group. Lastly, we also have to be flexible; we are doing this so

that we can respond to the surprises of the Holy Spirit. If God

wants us to do something, we are ready and we have the time

and money to do it.

By Lynette Trinidad

IDENTIFYING PRIORITIES IN LIFE

October 2, 2009

It was on this day, Sunday, October 25, 2009 that we had our

meeting at Royal Oak. The Place was at Mahany/Meininger

Senior Community Center. Fall was imminent at that time as

the weather was turning gloomy and colder. It was a blessing

to do that gathering at a Senior facility as the heater at the place

was cranked up.

Our CADA gathering started with the praise and worship of the

Lord. Although the place was not too big, the prayer festivity

was big in terms of outpouring for the Lord.

The topic of our sharing was managing priorities in your

Christian life. The members were grouped that day to discuss

this topic. We have categorized these priorities as essential,

important and optional.

Let's define these terms as simple as possible.



Essential-means basic and fundamental or absolutely necessary

Important - needed but not absolutely necessary.

Optional - left to personal choice

Each member has his or her own opinion and we shared and

respected that.

The categories to which we need to apply these were grouped

into the following:

• Church and Community - e.g. Going to Church ,CADA

meetings , inspirational or daily readings.

• Family and/or Household- e.g. Preparing food, washing

clothes, throwing garbage.

• Work and School - e.g. Doing your duty at work and doing

your assignments and studying.

• Personal Upkeep/Fun - e.g. Exercise should be essential but

some have alternatives like tennis , soccer, basketball or

other physical activities

• Other Priorities - e.g. going to gatherings or celebrations,

enrolling in classes to improve or add skill to your

talents, joining groups with similar hobbies or interests,

etc...

On the second part of the discussion, we shared our schedule

from Sunday to Saturday and what we do in our daily life

from morning until night time to achieve these goals.

The day ended with a closing hymn and thanksgiving for Our

Lord's guidance and wisdom for that day.

By Dave Demetria

PERSONAL ORDER WITH FINANCES

By Jun Siwa and Lawrence Tejada – November 8,2009

Jun attended a seminar called Financial Peace University

conducted by Dave Ramsey. More information about Dave’s

plan can be found on his website at http://www.daverams

ey.com/. Jun learned a lot about finances and his presentation

was a sharing about the seminar. One of Dave’s plans is called

the Seven Baby Steps to Financial Peace. These steps are the

following and should be followed in order without skipping a

step.

1. Have $1,000 in an emergency fund or $500 if your

income is under $20,000.

2. Pay all your debts off. Starting with the smallest one

first, this is called the “Debt snowball”. This allows

you to claim “Quick Wins”.

3. Build your full emergency fund that should be 3 to 6

months worth of savings.

4. Invest. Start with pre-tax retirements such as a Roth

IRA. Your target should be 15% of your household

income.

5. Build a college fund for your children.

6. Pay off your house mortgage early. Most mortgage

terms incur interest over the term to equal or more

than the original loan. This means a $150,000 home will

cost you $300,000 when you are done with the term.

7. Building wealth is important, but you should also be a

philanthropist.

Jun wrapped up the sharing with some words of God, “If I give

all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,

but have not love, I gain nothing.” which is from 1 Corinthians

13.

Lawrence read Dave Ramsey’s book “The Total Money

Makeover” and called it transforming. Minding your priorities

and the Lord should always be your focus, when you have

achieved that discipline, his financial steps come easily. When

Lawrence’s family in the Philippines started having problems,

he was already following the Dave’s steps. This made it easier

for him when they needed his help both financially and

emotionally. In addition, he shared about some personal

mistakes he made financing his car and home. As part of his

sharing, Renz, distributed some work sheets that were aimed

at working out a budget. In conclusion, you should always look

at the amount of interest you will pay over the term of the loan,

and avoid credit cards.

By Philip A. Senger



LIVING A SIMPLER AND PURPOSEFUL LIFE

By Jon and Jen Azucena – November 22,2009

In today's society and standard, living a simpler and

purposeful life proves to be a continuous challenge for many

of us. The world offers a lot of options (or should I say

temptations) out there that makes it difficult for somebody to

live simply. If we are not cautious enough, soon our lives will

be cluttered with no room for rest, prayer and meditation and

worse lacking in purpose.

On our Nov 22nd prayer meeting, Chris Simon led our

community to praise and worship. He also gave us a summary

of the previous talks we had heard regarding personal and

financial order in our lives. In summary, by putting order in

our personal schedules and tasks as well as our finances, we

will have more room for the most important aspects of our

lives, that is, serving God and one another. We will be free,

able and ready to live out the purpose of our lives on any

single moment that God may call us to do.

During this occasion, we also had a time to hear personal

testimonies from our brothers and sisters on their experiences

since hearing and putting into action the teaching regarding

personal and financial order. We were also graced to have Jon

and Jen Azucena (coming from Chicago), whom the

community regarded as the best example of a family who lives

a simple and purposeful life. We heard them share some

important, practical tips on what, why and how they do what

they do best - living simple for God's purpose in their lives.

They shared that because of living simply, they were able to

save enough money that when Jon's father needed monetary

support for a major surgery, they were able to send money for

the expenses. They believed that at that point, this was God's

purpose why they were able to save. They also shared how

they teach their children by asking them the question "how

could they live simply". Their children, at a young age,

answered the following: "by not going out to dinner too often",

"by not buying so much toys or things", "by not having a fancy

bed" and the list goes on.

Overall, this was a refreshing meeting and we thank Jon and

Jen Azucena for sharing with us great experiences to teach us

and inspire us.

By Ivy Senger

MEN/WOMEN’S GROUP UPDATES

Central Women’s Group

Our new members, Annie and Lulu, were able to attend the CG

meeting during the last quarter of 2009. We had our regular

meetings in October and December. For November, some of us

attended the Women’s Catholic Conference sponsored by the

Archdiocese of Detroit before we had a brief meeting.

Central Men’s Group

The brothers had a busy last quarter particularly Clifford who

was in the last stage of home improvement on their new house

in Livonia as they had scheduled to move after Thanksgiving.

All of the brothers were able to lend the Obsum’s a helping

hand; if not with the projects, it was during the move. They had

one last meeting on December and Clifford hosted the event in

part as a gesture of thanksgiving.

Women’s Singles Group

Our cell group's last quarter was busy, fruitful and blessed. We

welcomed Kristine and Jhoanne last September with a follow-

up scripture meditation and sharing on WOL's Women's retreat

which all of us attended last August. It was then followed up by

a make-up talks on October and Elma's bridal shower/

wedding. Kristine hosted our November's personal order

course follow-up by spending time in making our own

schedule/budget. We ended the year 2009 with a blast! Four of

us participated in a week long Advent household. We learn

how to honor and serve one another by closely living together.

More importantly, we learned how to honor the Lord by

starting and ending our day with prayers. Finally, we celebrated

Christmas by dining out in Bucca di Beppo. We are looking

forward to 2010's God's work in our lives!

Single Men’s Group

The east men cell group met once a month basically to follow up

on the different talks and topics discussed during the prayer

meeting. In October, we discussed the Children's ministry

projects and talked about the different issues concerning CADA

like low attendance during prayer meeting, tithing and the

practice of spiritual gifts during the PM. In November, we had

some time to make a weekly schedule patterned after the

guidelines provided by Tom G. We also took time to honor

brother Warren on his birthday. In December, we had a follow



up on the ways the personal order talks has helped us (e.g.

budgeting and prioritizing schedule) We also took some time

to go over the questions on the Annual Review Guidelines.

MINISTRY UPDATES

Intercessory Ministry

Mayeth came back from sabbatical leave on Jan 2010.

December ministry meeting was cancelled and will meet on

Feb 20, 2010. Lulu took over as head of the ministry from Dec

to Jan while Jackie is on vacation.

Information Ministry

The ministry is happy that we were able to release 4 issues of

CADA Chronicles in 2009. We were not able to distribute the

usual "year-end Christmas" CADA Chronicles due to a lot of

things that kept us busy. Pedro and Toni's year end message

for CADA will be included in this current release. Aside from

writing articles, we also had divided other tasks among

members so everyone gets involved and learns at the same

time. The members of the ministry also had an early meeting

this Jan 2010 to discuss plans, goals and activities. We decided

to meet once every quarter with one meeting that's dedicated

to fellowship and fun. The rest of the goals and plans will be

discussed on the coming State of CADA meeting.

Children Ministry

The last quarter of 2009 was mostly dedicated to preparing for

our CADA kids Christmas Presentation and planning for 2010.

Based on the meetings held, Children Ministry is trying out

new materials/curriculum for the Grades 5-7 class. We hope

that this would be more effective for their age group and

also simpler for our teachers.

The kids Christmas presentation was themed: "Every Kid is

Special, Every Kid Can!" Our kids were taught in their CADA

class that their talents are gifts from God, and what they

do with them are their gifts from God. So they were

encouraged to hone their gifts while they're young, and now or

later, they can use these gifts for God's purpose. In doing this,

they will find real joy, and give glory to God.

Thank you to Joanne who spearheaded the program, Jonah

and Nic for compiling the DVD, and everyone in the group

who pitched in tremendously their time and own talents to put

the presentation together. Thank you to our CADA

parents also, who prepared their kids, rehearsed them,

and submitted the materials for the presentation. We honor you

for guiding your kids to recognize and develop their God-given

talents!

Admin/Finance Ministry

In an effort to improve tithing, they provided envelopes to

CADA members.

COMMUNITY UPDATES

ASSIGNED KIDS MINISTERS/ASSISTANTS

FOR JANUARY TO MARCH (NOT UPDATED)

Feb 7: Jonah, Portia, Chad / Perl and Gener

Feb 21: Jonah, Portia, Chad / Lot and Renz

Mar 7: Crissy, Kristine, Pedro / Ivy and Rey

Mar 28: Crissy, Kristine, Pedro/ Elma and Dax

Apr 25: Amy, Jhoanne, Nic / Annie and Chris

For updated copy, please refer to our website: lifewithcada.com

under the Children Ministry in Cell Group Directory.

CADA CASH FLOW

AS OF DEC. 31, 2009

Cash Received:

As of As of Net Increase

12/31/09 12/31/2008 (Decrease)

$ 4,647.00 $ 5,997.00 $ (1,350.00)

Cash Expenses:

Equipment: $ 845.25 $161.38 683.87

Venue Fees: 2,574.00 515.00 2,059.00

CADA Sponsored activities: 952.85 1,641.88 (689.03)

Children Ministry activities: 196.89 975.02 (778.13)

Miscellaneous: 237.84 179.21 58.63

------------- ------------ ------------- Total Expenses $ 4,806.86 $3,472.49 $1,334.34

Net Cash Increase ------------- ------------ ------------- (Decrease) $ (159.83) $2,524.51 $(2,684.34)

========== ========= ==========



October 25, 2009 Prayer Meeting - Psalm 46: 1-3

Lyrics to “You Are Mine,” by David Haas

“The Lord is telling us to continue to hang on. To have faith in

Him – no matter how difficult or how hard is. We should

continue to be strong, and be faithful to Him. I know we are

experiencing struggles, or economic difficulties now but we

should continue to be strong, and pray to the Lord for He will

continue to guide us in the right direction in our life.”

“Be still and know that I Am God. To focus on know that He is

God, and how great He can be. And that is reason for us to be

still, and truly know and believe that He is God.”

November 8, 2009 Prayer Meeting - Matthew 12: 4-8

“Each one of us here has a role to play in building our

community. So each one of us here is called by the Lord to

share the talent He has given us. Our different talents working

together – this is responding to God’s call for us to build His

Kingdom here as a community to be able to move ahead if we

work together in unity.”

“We should love one another in Christ. No matter how

different we are from each other we are still parts of One Body

the same Body. “

November 22, 2009 Prayer Meeting - 1 John 4: 7-12

“The Lord is calling us especially in this season to share our

lives through love. To continue loving our brothers and sisters,

and sharing our lives with them. As we celebrate the greatest

love to all mankind as He gives his son to save us all.

Let us continue to love God, and love our brothers and sisters. “

“The Lord is calling us, inviting us to experience Him more at

this time. By this He is inviting us to come to Him on our own

without all the baggage we have in our lives, and offer

ourselves, our very self to Him. That we may experience Him

fully this coming Season.”

“My children, I have told you this many times, through

perpetuity, and I tell you again. All thing s are possible only

through Me. Only through Me are things made possible. All I

need is a willing heart from you. Your willing heart is all I

need. All things are possible only through Me.”

“Make love your aim. Make love your aim, my children. As

you put order in your lives, as you seek me, make love your

aim. As you put order in your time, in your priorities, make

love your aim. As you worship me, as you love me, as you

spend time with your families, as you spend time with your

friends, as you spend time with your brothers and sisters, make

love your aim.

As you put order in your resources, and be good stewards of

the resources I have given you, make love your aim. I want you

to be generous with your resources in order to love other

people, make love your aim.

As you put me as your King, make love your aim. Know Me,

know Me through the scriptures, know Me through your prayer

time, make love your aim, says the Lord.”

December 2009 Christmas Theme - Psalm 36:9

“For with thee is the fountain of life, in thy light do we see

light."

COMMUNITY INTERCESSION

� For all the unborn children and for an end to

abortion.

� For peace and blessing this year

� For strength to live out our call

� For discipline in living the faith

� For the healing of all who are sick physically,

emotionally, mentally and spiritually

� For our activities and plans for this year

� For enlightenment, guidance and new beginnings to

our brothers and sisters who have once lost their

way

� For aid to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti and

for strength to recover from this tragedy

� For the spirit of brotherhood and love and above

all, faith in God, to get us through hard times and

trials



ALLYN OJEDA

1. Name of each family members and profession (including

kids and age, grade in school if applicable)

I am the second (2nd) to the oldest among six (6) siblings,

born to Alejandro L. Ojeda, Jr., and Evelina G. Cuevas-

Ojeda, christened Allyn Aleve Marie Cuevas Ojeda. I am

the only sister, nicknamed “Girlie, ” to the following

brothers:

• Alaine Alvyn Peter

• John Francois

• Christian Noel

• Alexis Avalone

• Deene Francis

At this time, I work full-time as a Clinical Psychologist in

the position of Behavioral Health Case Manager at Blue

Cross Blue Shield - Michigan.

2. Where from the Philippines?

Quezon City, Metro Manila

3. Why did you decide to stay in Michigan?

At that time, my parents thought that Michigan was the

best place for me to pursue my studies within easy reach

of family. My maternal aunt and her family resides in

Farmington Hills, MI. And, I was awarded a full

academic scholarship for my graduate studies in Clinical

Psychology at Eastern Michigan University. Indeed,

Michigan appeared to be a very good choice for me.

4. How did you get involved in CADA?

* My involvement with CADA is the result of the

amazingly persevering evangelistic work of our very own,

Amy Apostol, that empowered by the Holy Spirit, and *

only through the grace of God, paved the way for a series of

life-changing events. From the last quarter of the year

2000 and through 2001, I had a very personal and

tumultuous encounter with God, Our Father, that

ultimately culminated in the full restoration of my eyesight

in January 2001 – a truly miraculous healing for me!

5. Any message for CADA

Please accept my heartfelt gratitude to each of you for

choosing to be part of my life, especially as we journey

together with Christ, with the eternal aim of reaching

heaven together! May Our Father continue to bless His

good work with CADA.

STEPPING OUT OF COMFORT ZONE

“You’ll go with me in a CADA household.” My sister Crissy

told me.

Just like everyone in the group (except of course for Amy who

led the household), I had no concrete idea of what we would do

and what it was for. But considering that it was to live in

another place for one whole week, just bringing a ‘few’ of our

things, I knew it was stepping out of our beloved comfort zone.

December 6, 2009, Sunday. My sister and I started loading big

boxes of kitchen stuff in her car. It felt like we brought the

whole kitchen with us, plus our personal belongings, as we hit

the road going to the Obsum’s former residence at Redford,

Michigan. Upon arrival, we saw that Amy (with Allyn to help

her out) had unloaded already her own ‘kitchen and dining’.

Oh and did I mentioned she also brought her living room with

her? Soon afterwards, Lynette and Elma moved in with their

things adding up to the whole household stuff. The house

(which was once almost empty except for the few appliances

left for us to use) was already full and ready for the next days to

come. The rest of the night was spent in cleaning the house,



setting things up, planning for the whole week, and ended up

with a night prayer.

The activities for the week were structured. Each of us was

assigned to do a task for a particular day. Somebody had to

prepare the breakfast while another prepared dinner. Then

there was someone assigned to clean the dishes, to clean the

house, to lead the prayer, and so on. It was a tough thing to do

especially for those who had to go to work (of course not for

me, I have all the time that I need). Imagine coming home at

around 7 pm, tired the whole day, and still have to prepare

dinner when they could just drive thru a fast food chain to

satisfy their hunger. But then, we had to stick to the schedule,

right?

Every morning we had to wake up at 6:30am (I usually wake

up at 10am) to start the day with a prayer. For 30 minutes, we

read the Bible, say our prayer intentions, and sing songs of

worship. Everyone had their own styles of leading the group.

We started with acappella, then with the use of guitar, then

with CD, then with laptop. Everyone exerted effort in bringing

the best worship we could give to the Lord, Who in the first

place, was the reason why we are gathered for the household.

We also ended the day the way we started it… with a prayer.

At night, we surrendered ourselves to God’s protection.

Every night after dinner we also had activities before we did

the night prayer session. Amy gave us a talk about the true

meaning of service, which is to submit all that you can, all of

your best, for a particular service. And since it was God that

we are serving, we should manifest in our actions how God

would have served the people in our home, work place, etc., if

God was in our situation. We also did an in depth study of

how Mary of Bethany had spent her time with Jesus. We

discussed on how she illustrated the nature of love’s

generosity and total self-giving to another. And with that, we

reflected on how we can make her an example to our very own

lives.

Who says ratatouille can’t cook? Every dinner had been

exciting. Each (except me) had to prepare their own assigned

dish and had the group taste it. And the results were great!

From Lynette’s Sinigang (that lasted the whole week!), to

Crissy’s Adobo, to Elma’s Tinola and to Amy’s Seafood Pasta...

surely no one disagrees with me when I say that these Physical

Therapists might find themselves someday pursuing a new

career: Culinary.

To burn a few calories from the appetizing meals we ate, we

had Zumba that really worked in dripping out the oil out of our

bodies. It was fun!

December 13, 2009, Sunday, it was the last day of household.

The morning was spent eating the leftovers (still with Sinigang

from Day 1), packing things up, cleaning the house and leaving

it the way it was when we first stepped in 7 days ago. The days

went fast, and the household thing which we had no idea on

what to do at first, had just ended. And yes, I stand corrected.

It wasn’t stepping out of your comfort zone after all.

It was stepping IN a comfort zone. It was the feeling of comfort

that somebody will take responsibility for you. Somebody will

ensure that you have a breakfast when you wake-up, and have

dinner when you get back from work. Somebody will wash

your soiled dishes for some time. Somebody will worry if you

are not home yet when you get caught in traffic. Somebody will

listen to your stories of a horrible day at work or your amazing

experiences with your patients. Somebody will be there to give

you the comfort of belonging to a group beyond friendship...

more of a family.

And most especially, the household had been a time to step in

the comfort of God’s hands. Nothing beats a morning of prayer

where you surrender your life to the Lord and the feeling that

whatever happens throughout the day, you still have a great

God. And the peace that you experience as you sleep after

ending your day with a prayer… it was very rewarding.

Truly, I stepped in a comfort zone, and the rest of the group

would agree to that. (“,)

By Olive Manalo

IN HIM IT’S POSSIBLE

It all started when I received the approval of my permanent

residency status (green card) in May 2008. Upon receiving the

green card, I immediately submitted my intention for a full time

permanent position with my client for whom I've been working

for 7 years. My immediate manager approved my petition and

submitted his recommendation to the leaders of our

organization who also approved it. But the economy turned

worse and all companies tried to cut costs. My client for 7

years announced a hiring freeze and started eliminating IT

contracts and consultants to cut on their expenses. I turned to

God and prayed not just to get the permanent position but also



to continue my job as a contract employee. The Lord indeed

answered my prayers, he blessed me with an impressive

excellent performance evaluation result that resulted in the

extension of my contract.

To survive this economy, my payroll company decided to cut

half of our benefits including our medical. It became a struggle

for me to survive, receiving only half of the benefits and

paying half of my medical expenses since I have a pre-existing

condition. I still wanted to continue working with the same

client doing the same job but I can't be working for the same

company. I turned to the Lord and prayed.

Mid-2009, I started my discernment. I prayed to be clear of any

worries and struggles with my employment and for the Lord

to reveal his plans for me. I started looking for a job and I even

considered applying out-of state. During November of last

year, I was told by my immediate boss that HR denied my

request for a permanent position since the company is still

on a hiring-freeze and it's not possible for our group's Vice

President to sign the request which is a step in the hiring

process. I didn't stop praying and I turned to God to humble

our leader's heart that despite the hiring freeze our leaders will

be very considerate and recognize that I'm qualified to

receive a permanent position in the company.

Truly the Lord made it possible, a few days before Christmas I

was told our Vice President signed the request however I still

needed to pass the panel interview. I continued to pray for the

Lord to bless me with knowledge to pass the interview. Two

days before Christmas, I received a call from the Human

Resource Department that the company offered me the

position. Jan 4 this year, I started working as a full-time

permanent employee. Throughout this process, I learned to be

patient and to turn to God for He is the only one who can

make things possible. Thank you Lord for this great blessing!!!

By Mayette Santos

FEBRUARY 2009

5 – Music Ministry Practice

6 – Filipino Mass (Sterling Heights)

7 – Prayer Meeting (Sharing/Talk)

19 – Music Ministry Practice

21 – Ministry Update/State of CADA address

MARCH 2009


7 – Prayer Meeting (ECL Talk #1)

13 – CADA Recollection (ECL Talk #2 & 3)

28 – Prayer Meeting (ECL Talk #4)

APRIL 2009


10 – Easter Gathering

16 – LSS Talk #1

23 – LSS Talk # 2

25 – ECL Talk #5

30 – LSS Talk #3

BAPTISM: Patreceo Cadelina

November 21, 2009

St. Michael Catholic Community

Sterling Heights, MI

WEDDING: Ryan and Elma Monzon

October 10, 2009

St. Michael Catholic Church

Sterling Heights, MI

CITIZENSHIP: Ivy Senger

October 22, 2009



CADA Chronicles is the official newsletter of Christ’s Ardent Disciples in Action (CADA). Established in 2001, CADA Chronicles is published quarterly in Southeast Michigan by the CADA Information Ministry. Staff: Renz Tejada Ivy Senger Phil Senger Dave Demetria Allyn Ojeda Jing Demetria Lynette Trinidad Contributors: Toni Esteva Olive Manalo Dax Almendras Mayeth Santos Send us an email at [email protected]. Learn more about CADA at http://www.rc.net/org/cada.

Documents

CADA Chronicles v9i4 - Christ's Ardent Disciples in Actionlifewithcada.com/chronicles/cadachronicles_2009_1012.pdf · OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2009 Official newsletter of Christ’s Ardent