Mementos of Momentum - ENCS @ 20

ENCS ( Every Nation Church Singapore ) is a multi cultural church that loves God and advances His kingdom by loving people and serving nations. The church started in 1995 with the vision to spread God's love by raising leaders through leadership schools, building community through life groups and growing in God's word while building strong worship and prayer ministry. Now, 20 years later, the church continues to grow by sending missions teams, planting churches and reaching nations.

July 26th was a significant event for ENCS. With "Momentum" as the core theme of the celebration, everyone was encouraged to invite friends and family to celebrate the church's milestone. The volunteers from each ministry worked tirelessly for weeks to make the event possible. From back production, music, logistics up until the live prod.  It was a collaborative effort from everyone who selflessly offered their time, talent and finances.

Photo credit :  Vanessa Castro

Photo Credit : Jezreel Rombaoa

The doors of Suntec Convention Center opened at 16:30 SGT but we were already at the venue at about 14:00 ( you can tell we're totally psyched ). Loot bags were provided and the atmosphere was vibrant. You can literally sense the excitement from everyone's faces. Donuts and coffee were readily available and people were lined up to get their faces snapped at the photobooth. We managed to score a group photo ( see below - Compress! )

The night started with prayer and worship. The worship team did a marvelous job showcasing their talent and keeping the crowd engaged while singing praises to God. Pastor Larry Matsuwaki offered a prayer and presented an AVP which showed a brief history of how the church started and the pivotal events which led to this fateful day.

Steve Murrell, the president of Every Nation Church shared the word from Luke 10:25-37- The Parable of the Good Samaritan.  We all heard the story. It was taught in Sunday school and catechism classes; yet it was the first time I was able to see the story from a different perspective. Compassion and love for neighbor. How many times did we see someone in dire need of help, broken and abandoned, yet we chose to look away and head to a different direction? Sometimes , our actions and willingness to show sympthaty become dependent on who's asking for it. God died on the cross for all of us. He could have said no and spared Himself from suffering yet He chose to save us instead. He is the good Samaritan and we are the broken and wounded Jewish man. God's love never fails and it's meant to last. Its wide enough to cover everyone and long enough to last for eternity.



The overall experience was beyond words. To sing praises and offer prayer along with my spiritual family ( BCE ) - It was such a blessing to be part of a community and a church who believes in extending God's love through love of neighbor and nations.

Indeed, it was a night of praise, prayer and fellowship - A festivity to celebrate Jesus, our God.

"Momentum happens when we allow His goodness and glory to shine through us"

♥♥,

Jhesy 

Shrug Off Your Sleeves

Let's veer away from serious writing a bit and talk about what I love best - FASHION.

Fashion favors an old favorite this season. Moving on from crop tops and mid riffs, off shoulder dresses and tops are making a huge comeback this summer months - and I say comeback because it's been around in 18th and 19th centuries. If pearls, lace and corsets were all part of Victorian, baring your shoulders had its fair share of limelight in the fashion timeline.

If you live in Singapore, weather conditions can be pretty erratic. However, most people would agree that it is rather humid and dry on most days thus, heat can be very oppressive and we tend to find ways to self ventilate.  This season's must-have has been spotted on bloggers, fashionistas and A-listers sporting this look from day wear to night. Make your fashionable statement in mid-length skirts and high waisted shorts. Be a beach babe and bask under the sun in all white off shoulder dress silhouettes and even cut offs, baring just a hint of skin. Surely, "bare shoulders" is the new frontier of sexy.

Off Shoulder Dress by Aldrin & Laura

This trend is so easy to pull off. Shoulders have been spared from the overly picky eyes of fashion critics which should take off any apprehensions on whether you'll look great in this pair or not. Good news is,there are no ideal shoulders. Whether you're plump, petite or blessed with an hour-glass figure, you can have fun and be confident in this number. It's age/body/season/style/ appropriate. Talk about confidence boost yeah? 

So shrug off the world from your shoulders and carry your sleeves instead. It's an effortless, chic and feminine look that I'm sure we'd never get tired of soon. 

Stripped Navy Blue Off Shoulder Top by Aldrin & Laura

♥♥,
Jhesy 

Night Changes

The night mimics the melancholy my heart unwillingly feels. Darkness abound as you stood there with piercing eyes but not seeing right through me. I have loved you in silence, longed for you in those moments when you are at arms reach and mesmerised by your mere existence. The poignant smell of your shirt lingers,taking me back to the first time our paths crossed. Your warm re-assuring smile is my home, my refuge making me feel safe, loved. Your face is the star against my dark skies shedding a spark of hope to my restless, calloused heart.

I might have felt the need to let go, that I have always known with your blank eyes that I can't and willl never be the one to fill the void. The pain sliced through the hope you unconsiously sprang on me. Your thoughts often wander while I was so eager to capture the littlest detail I could possibly document in my mind. You're always holding on to something, trying to keep yourself pre-occupied to refrain from being alone in your thoughts. From being alone with me.

Incessantly, I have been loving you. All of you. Your silence, your bizarre character, your lowlights, interests ( or lack there of ) and your lack of coherence which leaves me perplexed at times.

The night wind is singing a familiar song of grieve for the love I lost. In the distance, people are dancing to the beat of their hearts but mine weeps silently as it breaks into pieces. I fronted a smile to conceal the pain for you will never know and you will never let me in as someone has already took shelter to your once fragile broken heart.

I have loved you long enough in silence and I will; for the time being continue to love you til I find the reason not to.  Tonight is not an ode to you but; a soundless wail of goodbye as ours will never have an end as we have had no beginning.


"Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Though this be the last pain that he makes me sufferand these the last verses that I write for him".  - Pablo Neruda

♥♥,

Jhesy 

Turning a New Leaf

I have always been fascinated by people who have the luxury of time to document everything that's happening in their lives. It is amazing really, to read about their daily grind, their picture perfect getaways donning their most favoured piece of clothing, taking a snap shot of it and voila! #ootd. According to bloggers, it definitely takes hard work. It is more than just striking a pose in front of the camera looking all dandy. The process takes hours from the content to the layout and yes, title and caption can be a pain if I must say. I am no blogger. Heck I tried to. I remember creating accounts in Tumblr and Multiply, even pushed myself to start a travel blog back then but, the lazy me couldn't keep up. I remember keeping a journal when I was a kid. It was my secret garden, a curated chaos of my personal thoughts, lines from movies, quotations from some random i.e books, artwork or blogs. I used to write about everything I found to be amusing or say ,interesting. But years passed and I've grown, my interests shifted from reading to just staying up late watching The O.C wanting to look like Marissa Cooper. My life evolved and passion has been replaced by a sedentary lifestyle of trying to climb the corporate ladder.

So I welcome you to this blog as I fall in love yet again to writing. It's a collection of entries culled from the unfiltered musings of my grossly enamored love for fashion, my travels, random thoughts of the world and the people who unselfishly without hesitation shared their lives. It'll be a space to share life's lessons, my funny, epic adventures, frustrations of "clean eating" and my experiences. No, this is not about being narcissistic nor trying to conform with worldly definition of trending. This is me wanting to do something which hopefully can ignite change and spring encouragement if not for a lot of people but at least to a few. This is my way of connecting to the digital world in the hope that it will inspire those who will come across this space. So I earnestly persuade you to take a chance and bookkeep your life not to boast but to spark hope - ignite change and light a fire of desire. 

"Be the change you want to see in the world" - Mahatma Gandhi 

This is me taking the first step, joining the bandwagon and starting a new chapter. -#blogger

♥♥,
Jhesy  

Obligatory Blogger Pose