Rebolusyon ng Pag-asa!

I have so much to say about my first ever ILC, I don't know if anyone would stand reading the whole entry. Pero what the heck, I made the blog to keep my thoughts so I'll try to stick as much of them here.

The 14th International Leaders' Conference of the CFC- Youth for Christ was really a blast! God told me a lot of things through this event so it has earned the distinction of being among my most unforgettable experiences.

My being there was really a miracle for me. The first time I asked permission from my parents, I got a resounding no with the “pag tanda mo maiintindihan mo na” argument to match. It would have come to no surprise if it was some other activity but I had hoped that the nature of this event would elicit a different response. I was really shocked and hurt. I was serious about my commitment to God through YFC and coming there was a part of it. So I prayed and asked that He enlighten my parents to allow me to go there OR that He enlighten me that I may understand why I wasn't allowed to go. God is just so great He gave me both. OR na nga ginawa pang AND. Hahaha.

With the bleak hope of ever coming to Naga, I tried to think why God wasn’t going to bring me there. I knew for sure that if I was doing His will, nothing can stop me from making it happen. So either this statement wasn’t true or I wasn’t doing His will. And He made me realize that my intentions for coming to the event weren’t exactly as pure as I claimed they were. That time, I was excited at the thought of spending three days away to a place I’ve never been before. Dream ko talaga to travel and this was one chance I couldn’t pass plus the fact that I’ll be with my friends. Now if I really had His will in mind, I wouldn’t have these thoughts. If I really wanted to do service to Him, Naga wasn’t the only place I could do that. So in the end, I accepted the fact that maybe He didn’t really want me there and that if He did, He’d just carry me and bring me there (not in the literal sense of course :p). I didn’t lose hope so I tried to make my case on the safety of the trip etc. (imagine in over 5 years, two incidents pa lang! Mas marami pa sa EDSA ata e) but I knew if I still wasn’t allowed in the end I knew it was just God’s will.

And buti na lang He let me through that “purification stage”, so I was ready for what happened next. Hahaha. I can’t exactly attribute it to any one thing I did or circumstance that came to pass but it was God working to bring me to my very first ILC. One day they told me to drop the subject, the next they told me ok we’ll let you go. Iba talaga magwork si God. Hahaha. So that’s how this whole thing started.

So we rode a bus to Naga with the best company. haha. Clar, Fatima, Greggy, Dani, Nico, Karizz, Ben, Reynard, Ed, Dane, Ate Arielle, Kuya Joseph, Christmas and Ivy and later on Jef (who came from Bataan). Check out how vain everyone was (http://robroque.multiply.com/) 11 hour long drive. Hot Bicol Sun. Wonderful site – Metro Naga Sports Complex. House 300 m away from the site. Tricycle. Jeep to Downtown Naga. Pili shopping spree. Andami-dami-dami-daming nangyari. :D (Too many to recount accurately! :P)

The session I found most interesting was the second one where we were divided by gender. I found it surprising and a bit shocking. I’ve been in co-ed schools all my life so I’ve grown used to the idea that women can be leaders and even take over traditionally male roles. The point of the session was to remind us of our roles as men and future fathers and heads of families and communities. Three problems were pointed out to be the fault of men: (1) corruption (2) poverty (3) crime. Most politicians are men and most of them are corrupt. Most men as fathers provide for their families. Most criminals are men. The roots of these problems are that men take too many shortcuts (corruption is a very short route to prosperity), men are too timid to seize opportunities (poverty at the microscopic level is due to individuals being unable to earn) and men fail to dream (when all dreams fail, they resort to crime to solve the problem). And of course the solution to these is that men must learn to take the long, hard road to success, to seize all opportunities and dream big. I was really surprised when the speaker said, “matakot na kayo kapag mga babae na ang namumuno”. Sounds sexist if you take it as is, but if it’s in context, it has sense. The role of men is to provide and care for women which is why leadership must be placed on the shoulders of men (this is the case in YFC and other CFC organizations). Though it really sounds sexist, it’s NOT because the point of it all is that women are to be taken care of and not stripped of purpose and work. It may seem odd that women empowerment movement is the trend in the world today but when you look back, history says most women were oppressed and their best interests were not pursued.

Andami-dami-dami ding worship! It’s just amazing that at one moment everyone is minding their own business even while people are speaking in front but when worship starts, everyone is focused on praising God. It’s even more amazing that 8,500 youth would come together to praise God!!! Check out videos by Dani (http://chudawi.multiply.com)

The open-field mass was also great. The way the gospel was read was so clear that one could imagine the scene unfolding as it is read (story of Thomas and how Jesus erased his doubts). A bishop gave the homily and the point was a revolution of hope is incomplete if it is not founded on a revolution of faith and that a revolution of love will happen soon after. You can hope for nothing if you do not put faith in God and love is hope in action. Amazing din yung communion part. Ganun pala siguro noong feeding of the five thousand. Hahaha.

Grabe. May concerts pa at the end of the two nights. Spongecola sponsored by Globe and Rocksteddy sponsored by Smart. These two companies were major sponsors of the event. I don’t have anything against having sponsors for an event like this. The venue looked great and the sounds and lights were even better and these couldn’t have been possible without their support. Ganda nga tignan na these two rival corporations are working together in a cause like this. But I think these concerts were distractions and a waste of money. Hehe. The funds could have been used to build around eight houses at their respective GK sites (both companies have sponsored GK villages).

I learned a lot (practical and spiritual) because of this trip. But perhaps the most important thing He made me realize was that service to Him begins now and not when you’re financially stable. I remember my interview for the Star Scholarship, they asked me what I will be doing 10 years from now. I answered I imagine myself working and earning enough to satisfy my family and serve others. In choosing between UP and Ateneo, service was a criterion. There is no question that I want to serve. However, I realized I wanted it to be convenient for myself and service is not about convenience. That is why I hope before this summer ends, I’ll finally be able to serve in a GK community. (Clar ayusin mo ha. :p) Working full-time for YFC has also crossed my mind. Hahaha.

The revolution of hope is about showing the world why we are the “pag-asa ng bayan” NOW and working so that passing this torch of being the hope of the nation to the next “kabataan” would no longer be a necessity. God has given our generation so many tools, so many gifts, the only thing that we need is our resolve to join this glorious revolution – for the glory of our country and God.

The ILC, this year, I think was giving the message that all youth can be heroes, that we can make a difference not tomorrow but today. (Nakakatawa na ung videos sa simula nung sessions tried to mimic “Heroes” parehong-pareho pa ng font! :D) God is raising an army of heroes not slaves for He has made us to be great.

There were a lot of interesting paintings around the site but the most engaging was the one which shows REVOLUTION with EVOL inverted to LOVE. (ung picture ko ngayon sa ym) Any true and noble revolution must have love at the center – love for the cause you are fighting for. In our revolution, it is our love for our nation and our God that unites us, that keeps us noble and true to our cause.

I know I have this love. I am ready for the revolution. Are you?