Anyway, I am to share about my experiences about this Life Skills Training for At-Risk and Vulnerable Children. Last January 7-12, 2008, we had this Life Skills Camp wherein I was one of the facilitators. It was an activity of the Davao Advocates for the Rights of the Child (DARICH), in partnership with UNICEF and the City Government of Davao. The team who handled the entire event were all young people from Youth in Action for Community Service (YACS), the youth group of DARICH. It was a stay-in activity at GSP Mindanao Regional Training Center, Camp Alano, Daliao, Toril, Davao City, Philippines.
There were over 110 participants and were all children ages 14-17 years old and were gangsters, street children, out-of-school youth, high school drop outs, and high school students. They had these street-like mannerisms that's why it's quite hard for us to handle them. We could not even tame their tongues. But to God be the glory, everything was still in control. We all had fun and we were all blessed.
Di ko muna ikukwento dito ang highlights ng event. I am to introduce our youth team muna kasi magiging bahagi sila ng mga susunod ko pang stories. So here they are:
Role: Resource Speaker
<-- I call her Oni Apple. She's Yasmin Uy, 24 years old, a registered nurse who graduated BS Nursing at Ateneo De Davao University. She has chosen to follow God and is very active in her ministries. She's churching at Throne of God Fellowship. She's a great musician. Lead guitar ng Houseband 1 ng Toril Interchurch Youth Fellowship (TIYF) and a great composer too. In fact, some of her compositions ay napa'air na sa The Edge Radio. She has her powerful life testimony na maiinspire ka talaga. Yung testimony niya ay related sa music kaya to all musicians out there, you will truly be blessed by this powerful musician of God.
Role: Resource Speaker
---> This is my Oni Hazel, 22 years old, a graduating BS Computer Science student of University of the the Philippines - Mindanao Campus. She's the President of YACS, the Secretary of TIYF and one of the lead vocals of Houseband 1 of TIYF. She also has a great life testimony na pag-naiisip ko, naiiyak ako. Her father is suffering Luekemia and that is the greatest challenge of the Lord to her life. But still she remained powerful and strong. She's churching in our church at The Christian Community Fellowship (TCCF) - Assemblies of God.
Role: Facilitator
My beloved discipler, Athena Chloe. She's 20 na, a graduating Special Education student of Mindanao Kokusai Deigaku (MKD). She's a sanguine person with her heart na super in-love kay Jesus. I'm truly blessed by her used-to-be-suicidal-turned-to-Jesus-addict life testimony. She's a people-oriented type of person whose heart belongs to children. She's a pastor's kid (actually, daughter ng pastor namin sa church) and a good speaker. Member ng Kabataan News Network (KNN) at core team ng YACS. Isa sa mga malalaking tao ng Media Productions ng TIYF. She's my accountability partner too sa Prayer Journal 101 namin. TCCF din siya nag-chuchurch.
Role: Facilitator
She's my Oni Jing-Jing, 22 years old, a Public Administration graduate of the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP). This sweet power woman of God is working as a full-time volunteer staff of the Philippine Jesus Disciple Movement (PJDM), a campus ministry wherein isa siya sa mga main leaders sa whole Davao City. Pastora na tawag namin nito sa church kasi she's churching at TCCF too. She's our church's worship leader at matured na sa kanyang faith. God has made her a blessing in our youth group.
Role: Facilitators
Ate Love, Kuya Ryan, and Kuya Jomar (below left)
There were over 110 participants and were all children ages 14-17 years old and were gangsters, street children, out-of-school youth, high school drop outs, and high school students. They had these street-like mannerisms that's why it's quite hard for us to handle them. We could not even tame their tongues. But to God be the glory, everything was still in control. We all had fun and we were all blessed.
Di ko muna ikukwento dito ang highlights ng event. I am to introduce our youth team muna kasi magiging bahagi sila ng mga susunod ko pang stories. So here they are:
Role: Resource Speaker
<-- I call her Oni Apple. She's Yasmin Uy, 24 years old, a registered nurse who graduated BS Nursing at Ateneo De Davao University. She has chosen to follow God and is very active in her ministries. She's churching at Throne of God Fellowship. She's a great musician. Lead guitar ng Houseband 1 ng Toril Interchurch Youth Fellowship (TIYF) and a great composer too. In fact, some of her compositions ay napa'air na sa The Edge Radio. She has her powerful life testimony na maiinspire ka talaga. Yung testimony niya ay related sa music kaya to all musicians out there, you will truly be blessed by this powerful musician of God.
Role: Resource Speaker
---> This is my Oni Hazel, 22 years old, a graduating BS Computer Science student of University of the the Philippines - Mindanao Campus. She's the President of YACS, the Secretary of TIYF and one of the lead vocals of Houseband 1 of TIYF. She also has a great life testimony na pag-naiisip ko, naiiyak ako. Her father is suffering Luekemia and that is the greatest challenge of the Lord to her life. But still she remained powerful and strong. She's churching in our church at The Christian Community Fellowship (TCCF) - Assemblies of God.
Role: Facilitator
My beloved discipler, Athena Chloe. She's 20 na, a graduating Special Education student of Mindanao Kokusai Deigaku (MKD). She's a sanguine person with her heart na super in-love kay Jesus. I'm truly blessed by her used-to-be-suicidal-turned-to-Jesus-addict life testimony. She's a people-oriented type of person whose heart belongs to children. She's a pastor's kid (actually, daughter ng pastor namin sa church) and a good speaker. Member ng Kabataan News Network (KNN) at core team ng YACS. Isa sa mga malalaking tao ng Media Productions ng TIYF. She's my accountability partner too sa Prayer Journal 101 namin. TCCF din siya nag-chuchurch.
Role: Facilitator
She's my Oni Jing-Jing, 22 years old, a Public Administration graduate of the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP). This sweet power woman of God is working as a full-time volunteer staff of the Philippine Jesus Disciple Movement (PJDM), a campus ministry wherein isa siya sa mga main leaders sa whole Davao City. Pastora na tawag namin nito sa church kasi she's churching at TCCF too. She's our church's worship leader at matured na sa kanyang faith. God has made her a blessing in our youth group.
Role: Facilitators
Ate Love, Kuya Ryan, and Kuya Jomar (below left)
They were from The Lord's Hallelujah Alleluia Fellowship (TLHAF). Ate Love is 25 yeards old and an Architecture graduate of the University of Mindanao (UM). She's active in her ministries and a powerful woman of God too. I could still remember the time she taught us the "HUA!" expression. If ang 300 may Haruu! Haruu! at and PBB Celebrity 2 ay may Ahuu! Ahuu!, then we have the HUA! She explained that HUA means "Heaven's Unshakable Army. Great di ba?
Kuya Ryan, 27 years old is a BS Nursing graduate from Mati Doctors College. I'm truly blessed by the power of this guy. Bihira lang yung mga lalaking grounded talaga kay God, but si Kuya Ryan, annointed talaga! He's working full-time in his ministry as one of the DARICH Youth Religious Instructors at Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School (DRANHS). He also worship leads at their church at lead guitarist, and he has this great testimony. He's sanguine kaya mahilig magpatawa. What's great about these two young people is the heart they have in following Jesus. Kuya Jomar, 20 years old at disciple ni Kuya Ryan. I'm blessed by this Ilonggo. Hehe. He's working full-time at DRANHS too at drummer ng church nila.
Kuya Ryan, 27 years old is a BS Nursing graduate from Mati Doctors College. I'm truly blessed by the power of this guy. Bihira lang yung mga lalaking grounded talaga kay God, but si Kuya Ryan, annointed talaga! He's working full-time in his ministry as one of the DARICH Youth Religious Instructors at Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School (DRANHS). He also worship leads at their church at lead guitarist, and he has this great testimony. He's sanguine kaya mahilig magpatawa. What's great about these two young people is the heart they have in following Jesus. Kuya Jomar, 20 years old at disciple ni Kuya Ryan. I'm blessed by this Ilonggo. Hehe. He's working full-time at DRANHS too at drummer ng church nila.
Roles: Support Staff
Jenefa, Jessa, Kuya Jim-jim and Kuya BJ
Jenefa, Jessa, Kuya Jim-jim and Kuya BJ
Jenefa means Jesus Never Fails. She's 19 years old at member ng core team ng YACS. Jessa is 17 years old, isa sa lead vocals ng YACS band at matagal narin sa ministry. Kuya Jim-jim, 21 years old, is churching at Throne of God Fellowship, bestfriend ni Oni Apple at bassist ng Houseband 1. He's still a student of University of Mindanao. Member din ng Philippine Jesus Disciples Movement (PJDM). Nakalimutan ko nga lang course niya. Kuya BJ naman, 25 years old and the best drummer in town. Hehehe. He's the drummer of Houseband 1 ng TIYF at sa lahat ng drummers ng nakita ko, siya ang pinaka-passionate drummer na kung mag-peplay ng drums, you could feel his love for Jesus. He's working at ABS-CBN Davao as Musical Scorer.
Role: Documentor and Data Analyst
And who's this girl?? Her name is Jazzy, 17 years old, churching at TCCF. DARICH staff, Secretary ng YACS, at isa sa Lead Vocals ng Houseband 2 ng TIYF. May-ari po ng blog na Embracing His Love.
I was truly blessed by these young people. Walang ibang pinag-uusapan kundi gaano ka-good si Lord, ka-great si Lord, ka-awesome si Lord, yung movement ni Lord, revelations ni Lord, lahat about kay Lord. Oh Jesus! Hallelujah! I'm so blessed I have a team like them. I mean, all of us were blessed 'cause God never fails. That's how fun working for God's business. You see na fruitful talaga yung labor mo, plus the blessings, plus the joy, happiness, satisfaction. Gaano man kahirap, God still fulfills His promise that He will never leave us. We admit it's never easy following God, but hey, you see and you feel the love of Jesus and the love of Jesus for those children we handled. We need to feed them, not because may utang na loob kami kay Christ cause we're saved but because we love God and we want to be with Him.
May iilan sa kanila (the persons above) who have chosen to be busy sa ministry since enjoy talaga ang mag-work sa ministry. May iilan sa kanila na marrying age na pero di inuuna yung love for the opposite sex but their love for the Lord. Blessed talaga ako. Glory to God! Hallelujah!
Some people may not understand us that easily, some people may find us corny, some people may persecute us, but we won't stop until Davao is for Christ. We had this covenant na no matter what, even if we will be stoned to death, we will still continue spreading the gospel, fulfilling the Great Commission, and sharing that Jesus love you!
We stand not as extraordinary young people who have an ordinary work but ordinary young people who have chosen to work for an extraordinary job. We couldn't say we're following Jesus until we are willing to suffer for His name! So what if we'll suffer here on earth? That's where true joy is found, taking gladness in every moment we suffer for being a Christian.
July 13, 2007 - I accepted Jesus and I decided to follow Him. Knowing that I've chosen the uncommon way, the hard way, the way of standing for my generation and stepping out from my comfort zone, I've told myself:
So you reader, don't forget Jesus Loves You and He longs to be with you now. He's knocking on your door. Would you let Him in?
Soli Deo Gloria.
[Watch out for the Part 2 next post.]
Role: Documentor and Data Analyst
And who's this girl?? Her name is Jazzy, 17 years old, churching at TCCF. DARICH staff, Secretary ng YACS, at isa sa Lead Vocals ng Houseband 2 ng TIYF. May-ari po ng blog na Embracing His Love.
I was truly blessed by these young people. Walang ibang pinag-uusapan kundi gaano ka-good si Lord, ka-great si Lord, ka-awesome si Lord, yung movement ni Lord, revelations ni Lord, lahat about kay Lord. Oh Jesus! Hallelujah! I'm so blessed I have a team like them. I mean, all of us were blessed 'cause God never fails. That's how fun working for God's business. You see na fruitful talaga yung labor mo, plus the blessings, plus the joy, happiness, satisfaction. Gaano man kahirap, God still fulfills His promise that He will never leave us. We admit it's never easy following God, but hey, you see and you feel the love of Jesus and the love of Jesus for those children we handled. We need to feed them, not because may utang na loob kami kay Christ cause we're saved but because we love God and we want to be with Him.
May iilan sa kanila (the persons above) who have chosen to be busy sa ministry since enjoy talaga ang mag-work sa ministry. May iilan sa kanila na marrying age na pero di inuuna yung love for the opposite sex but their love for the Lord. Blessed talaga ako. Glory to God! Hallelujah!
Some people may not understand us that easily, some people may find us corny, some people may persecute us, but we won't stop until Davao is for Christ. We had this covenant na no matter what, even if we will be stoned to death, we will still continue spreading the gospel, fulfilling the Great Commission, and sharing that Jesus love you!
We stand not as extraordinary young people who have an ordinary work but ordinary young people who have chosen to work for an extraordinary job. We couldn't say we're following Jesus until we are willing to suffer for His name! So what if we'll suffer here on earth? That's where true joy is found, taking gladness in every moment we suffer for being a Christian.
July 13, 2007 - I accepted Jesus and I decided to follow Him. Knowing that I've chosen the uncommon way, the hard way, the way of standing for my generation and stepping out from my comfort zone, I've told myself:
"Jazzy, NO TURNING BACK!
NO TURNING BACK!
NO TURNING BACK!
WHY TURN BACK???
JESUS NEVER FAILS!"
NO TURNING BACK!
NO TURNING BACK!
WHY TURN BACK???
JESUS NEVER FAILS!"
So you reader, don't forget Jesus Loves You and He longs to be with you now. He's knocking on your door. Would you let Him in?
Soli Deo Gloria.
[Watch out for the Part 2 next post.]
In Christ
Alone
galing ng picture mo!
pang-heaven ang dating eh!
:-)