BYE BYE SUMMER, HELLO FALL

That feeling when you wake up and you can literally feel the start of school in your bones. I'm not concerned with this but when you're in a household with three younger siblings, then you cannot avoid the feeling of new challenges, new beginnings and new experiences. Even though I still have another month off, I still have to work my butt of to pass these exams that are coming up.

However, set all these things aside, how great was summer'13? I definitely felt alive throughout the past months. I got to travel twice, had some great hangouts with my besties, was able to support my older brother with his projects and was also able to get some practical experience concerning my major. This summer was also quite challenging, which cannot be a bad thing either. The Congress Season was one of the most humbling experiences ever and I am glad that I was part of it.

So here we go, new month, new season, new beginnings. I wish you guys all the best and a great start off into the new school year. Don't forget to be great #studyrangers!

Brian Puspos Choreography | From Adam by Travis Garland

I believe I always lived the greatest love story, but even the most beautiful stories have their horrid chapters. 7 long years I found myself constantly chasing after something that I thought was my soul mate. I attempted to give my heart away many times within that duration, and realized It was impossible because someone else still had it. During those years I saw it as an opportunity to bettering myself as a man, and all the traits I thought that she deserved, after all she deserved a superman. In the end no transformation into any man could sway her back in my arms. Me being so stubborn and determined never stopped me. As many of you know I always fought what I believed in. Never give up on something you love..but when do you stop being defeated? When does the self humiliation end? Is this worth the pain?
I then realized the simplistic brutal truth that I knew was there the whole time, and didn't want to accept it. It's not going to happen. It's not going to work out. It's not worth it anymore. I held on when she let go a long time ago. It just wasn't meant to be. Today marks a really big moment for me. As hard as it is I know I have to.
It's my turn to let go.

In the end the people that do matter will always be there for you. That's the real love. I now see that this wasn't my greatest love story. My greatest love story is yet to be told, and I'm excited to tell it with whoever it may be.
To you:You can't say I didn't try lol. I haven't felt this happy since the day I met you, which is in 4 days. Happy Anniversary? haha but seriously, thank you so much for this journey. You are the real reason why I'm living my dream. You are the real reason why I'm the man I am today. I'd spend lifetimes trying to repay you. Well, at least you know that there is one man out there capable of loving you so much. I thank God for allowing me to share such an experience with a woman so beautiful. I wish you the best as always. Goodbye.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
I await this :)

REAL FREEDOM. TOTAL HAPPINESS. TRUE LOVE. CREDO.

Just how time always seems to fly by, so does the Congress season. Somehow I couldn't find the time to recap everything on here, but here I am. Writing and recalling every possible blessing that I have encountered during the European Singles and Youth Congress.

The Congresses were indeed very special this year. All my friends were Firsttimers and it's such a huge blessing that we could experience all this together. After all the downs I had before the ESC, God truly blessed me with fulfilling all my prayers. Hearing Him talking to me and feeling his presence during Adoration was the most humbling thing I could have ever encountered. He indeed moves in mysterious ways, yet we can truly rely on Him and know that after every setback we are prepared for a great comeback. The sessions as well as the workshops were very touching. So touching that I've been tearing up during most of the sessions because they were THAT relatable. They were great reminders of what's next for me and in which areas I still have to improve.

The EYC on the other hand was somewhat more challenging. The heat, the preps before and during the Congress as well as standing in front of 50 Youths was an experience. I was just so glad that everything turned out fine. Amazing how God works and how awesome He really is. There's been so many challenges even before the Congress season and I just never felt alone. The Service Team was so great to work with and it just amazes me how well our synergies worked during all this time. I am really looking forward to working with everyone again in future. After the EYC I was just left in awe. Everyone stepped up and have grown so much which made me very proud to be a witness of that development. Big ups to the speakers, the big Kuyas for all the YFLs now! The Trinity has indeed inspired me in so many ways. Seeing you stand in front of hundreds of people, letting God really speak through you was so inspiring to see. I'm really proud of you guys and I respect you so much!

I still feel very humbled that I was chosen to be part of the Service Team. Five years back from now, I wouldn't have ever imagined to be privileged to serve during a huge event like the Congress. The preparations were sometimes tedious and chaotic, but the results turned out better than I have expected. Knowing that greater things are yet to come, makes me really excited for Europe. We never know what the guy up there has in store for us, but I truly believe that it's going to be greatness.

The Congresses were such a huge blessing to me. The realisations I got, the fellowship and worships with all countries and also witnessing how God is working in us, just makes my conviction even stronger to have FAITH. 

d.f.t.s,

Ezzy

ON ACCEPTING YOURSELF.

How many of us walk around day by day putting up a facade to just be agreeable to other people? How many of us try to impress other people by pretending to be a person they are not? How many people walk around with a huge pit in their stomach, knowing they need to be that and that kind of person just to fit in with their peers?

I know, it does sound a bit Highschool-ish, but let the truth be told, even when you're out of Highschool, you will still find yourself hiding your truest self behind a mask. But why is that? Simply out of fear of being rejected. A lot of us, including myself, always seek to be perfect in each and every life situation or to each and every person you meet. Honestly, I can say that it used to be a lot easier for me to be myself around people in the past because I knew who I wanted to be surrounded with and who not. Nowadays, you come across gazillion of people and your attempt to be perfect will always get harder. A couple of months before a good friend of mine told me, she really liked how I was so confident around a bunch of different people and how I would never pretend about who I really was. It really struck me because I've never seen myself that way. When she asked me on how I managed to handle that so well, I told her exactly that - to know who you want to surround yourself with. 

In the course of time, you will surely see how bad people want to stay in your life because when it comes to the point where your ugly and your worst version comes out of the closet and is revealed, only the people who are worth it are going to look past that and accept you for who you are. But most importantly, you have to accept that as well. You have to accept that just by trying your hardest to be pleasant and agreeable to every person around you and live up to their expectations just to stay in their lives, won't get you to that goal because you're not doing it for yourself but for the other. You were put into this world to His perfect image and His likeness. It would be such a waste to think you should be different just to conform into this world because the secret is, that you out of all people are already perfect to one - to God. It is something very unlikely to believe at first, but isn't it a lot easier to know this detail in a world full of judgement and superficiality? Whenever I try to remind myself that little yet powerful detail, I sometimes wonder how I should survive in this civilisation that is only about your looks, your material things and your social status. Then I simply just count how many people I know that love me the way I simply am and not what I have - and that is enough. It is such a huge blessing to know that no matter how much you messed up and how much you are still going to mess up, they will always stand by your side. Friends will come and go, it is inevitable, that's why keep the ones close who are willing to stay in your life and who are making an effort to do so. These blessings should be appreciated each and every day as much as you have to appreciate yourself too.

Don't hide from your weaknesses, but come out and turn your can'ts into cans! Be free from your imperfections and your shortcomings by simply accepting your faults and live in freedom!

d.f.t.s.,
Ezzy

FEAR.

Picture: http://25.media.tumblr.com/13df4555930fe6880115eefe15dd5c75/tumblr_mosspjBsmI1ssjx7ro1_500.jpg

Each and every person has fears. One would fear spiders, the others would fear needles or heights, or students would fear exams or tests, but what about fearing life and its happenings? See, people's actions are motivated either by love or fear*. Which, in some way is very true. How often have we refused a potential life-changing situation out of fear of changes? How often have we avoided serious conversations out of fear of being rejected? How often have we failed to open up to people who loved us out of fear of getting hurt? And how often have we tried to control each and every area of our lives out of fear that everything would fall apart?