The Leaders’ Camp 2014 Experience

BOOM!

Gusto ko sanang subukan i-describe yung experience ko sa Leaders’ Camp kaso mahihirapan yata ako, so magkwekwento nalang ako.

Months before Leaders’ Camp, sinabihan na ako ni kuya Justin, VG leader namin, about this camp. Pagkasabi niya na Php3,500 yung babayaran sa camp, NANGLAKI YUNG MATA KO kasi hindi biro yung ganung amount ng pera para sa isang estudyanteng katulad ko, lalo na’t hindi naman kami mayaman. So sabi ko, pag-iisipan ko muna kasi malaki din yun at masama naman kung i-pressure ko si mama na bigyan ako dahil inaasikaso niya pa yung gamot niya.

Weeks passed, and I slipped the thought of attending Leaders’ Camp at the back of my mind. Pero iba talaga si Lord, magaling sa gulatan. Nakatanggap ako ng text from kuya Mon and ate Juls about helping us financially para sa camp then bayaran nalang before the camp, which is about 2 months away pa. Sobrang nagulat ako kasi hindi ko naman sinabi sa kanila na wala akong pambayad, ang sabi ko lang baka hindi ako makasama. Tinatanong ko si Lord na, “PAANO YUN LORD???!?!? ZOMG!!!!!1!?!?!!!!one!!”  dahil hindi ko talaga ma-comprehend kung paano nangyari yun.  After 2 months,  nabayaran na yung pinahiram nilang budget, and ready na para sa camp! Sobrang grateful ako kay Lord kasi nagproprovide Siya ng LAHAT ng kailangan natin. “…your heavenly Father knows your need.” (c.f. Mt. 6:32)

Tapos nung binabasa ko yung mga post from Leaders’ Camp 2012 sa page ng LifeBox U-Belt,I kept asking God, “Lord, will You let me experience more of You this camp as much as they have?” ,and it made me really excited kasi above the sessions, the food, the fellowship, mae-experience ko si Lord in a wider and more refreshing way.

3 weeks left. Nag-commit ako sa pagpractice ng SAWINGgawi Danz Trup para sa Leaders Got Talent. For 3 days, Cavite-UST-Cavite yung biyahe ko, at nung audition day na, hindi pa ako nakasama (huhu). Pero I still helped in ways that I can. 2 weeks. Naglabas na ng team listings para sa games. HELLO TEAM LIGHT GREEN! Binless talaga ako ni Lord ng mga teammates na matataba ang utak at creative sa paggawa ng chant, logo, etc etc pati na din sa leader naming napakasipag, kuya Jhoven! *applause* Nung nag-meet kami before the camp, napagdesisyunan namin na hindi namin goal yung manalo, gusto lang namin durugin yung ibang teams with gentleness. HAHAHA. 1 WEEK. Getting ready? Ako, medyo sabaw pa nun, kaya dahan-dahan lang yung pag-pack ng gamit. Chill lang. Hanggang dumating ang Thursday night, nagrurush na ko, pero chill lang.

MAY 30, DAY 1 – Nagising ako ng 2:30AM, paranoid na baka ma-late ako. Umalis kami from Cavite at about 4:30AM, at dumatin ako sa Center ng 5:30AM, one hour earlier than our campus’ call time, 6:30. So nagdecide akong bumili muna ng pagkain para sa camp, pero pagtingin ko sa wallet ko, naku po, deliks yata ang budget ko. But my God provides, kaya bumili ako ng inumin at makakain. Sa Bus 2 yung bus assignment ko, na huling umalis kasi may inasikaso pa sa admins. Sobrang saya sa loob ng Bus 2 – pagkain, kantahan, joke time, at pagkain! Wala yatang nakatulog ng maayos sa amin nun. Pero parang may mali, mas matagal yata yun travel time namin. Noong huminto kami sa isang terminal, doon nalaman na sira pala yun clutch ng bus, so kailangang maayos bago umalis ulit. Wala pa kami sa camp, may free time na kami! After a while, naayos yung bus, then bumiyahe na ulit kami. Pero di na kinaya ng bus, kaya lumipat kami. Mas malamig yung aircon doon, at nakarating na kami sa Caliraya (sa wakas) at nakahabol sa lunch buffet. Nagcheck-in kami, at OMAY GULAY natunaw yung kinain ko sa bus sa pag-akyat papuntang Hotel! Pagpasok ko sa room, nilapag ko yung gamit ko, tapos dun ko lang na-alala na dala ko pala yung isang bagahe ni ate Kira, kaya hinanap ko siya, at nakuha na din naman niya yun. After nun, nag-explore kami ni Aldrick around Caliraya, from Hanging Bridge to swings, hanggang makarating kami sa lakeside.

Sobrang tahimik at peaceful nung lugar na iyon. I breathed in the wisps of the gentle air, listened to the gentle nodding of the trees, and saw the stillness of the lake. Then I felt as if Jesus was talking to me. “Hey kid, look at this. The wind whispers, but it also roars. The lake might be still, but it can be wild and vicious at times. Irony, right? That’s how I painted life. In order to be the greatest, you must be the least. Life in death. Beauty in the ashes. Streams from deserts. And if any, I use the darkest strokes, so that in them you find hope, a hope that anchors your soul. Me.”  Speechless. Wow. From then on, napagdesisyunan namin ni Aldrick na tawagin yun na Jesus Bay.

We ate dinner, tapos we started the first session at the Session Hall. Windang na windang ako nun kasi ang daming nangyari, pero God kept pressing this verse: “You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3), which really comforted me and kept my mind focused on the thought in the midst of what happened today, He knows what He’s doing, and I shouldn’t worry, because He’s got me and I got Him by my side. Pastor Ferdie spoke about leadership, about how God chose us as leaders even before our birth, but our leading should be based on serving people with love and compassion like how Jesus served and loved people. After the session, one phrase keep rewinding itself, like a broken record. “Love is the bedrock of servitude and ultimately, leadership”. Pagkatapos ng session, my teammates and I had a meeting, then afterwards the men of LifeBox UST had a sharing and bonding time. I went to sleep shortly after that, hoping to wake up early to have my Quiet Time by the lakeside.

MAY 31, DAY 2 – Weeeeeell…I woke up an hour before breakfast, with my original plan of waking at 4:30AM was destroyed. Oh well, as Oswald Chambers had put it, sleep is God’s “celestial nurse” so it’s a win-win situation nonetheless. Ang sarap ng breakfast, lalo na yung pancakes pati yung “Mac & Cheese na lasang itlog” (Kuya Dax, 2014). After kong mag-breakfast, kuya Chester texted me, mag-DG daw kami. So we went by the lakeside at naupo kami sa loob ng isang kubo. Kuya Che, Alan, and I had a fun time catching up to each other’s lives, since 2 months na kaming di nag-DG. Oh how I wish nakapag-VG din kami nila kuya Justin at James! Ang refreshing na makarinig ng kung paano si Lord naging faithful sa buhay nila even if we tend to lose grip sometimes, He holds on. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful…” (2 Tim. 2:13)

Session 2 was led by Pastor Jurray and the main topic was Provision. Na-heart check din ako, kasi minsan nahihiya pa rin akong idulog kay God yung kailangan ilatag sa paanan Niya. Pastor Jurray reminded us that the Word of God should change our PoV as well as it changes our thought processes. But God says that material things won’t matter at the end of day. Heaven and earth will burn and fade away, but His Word will stand. So instead of putting our hearts’ attention to earthly treasures, why not set it on things above, those that are eternal?

GAMES! Kahit di kami yung nanalo, we had fun during the game and had awesome bonding moments with our teammates. Couldn’t be thankful enough for them.

After dinner, we had our Leaders’ Night. Ika nga ng mga kasama kong nagdinner, madami daw ang mga pastor mamaya kasi puro nakaputi hahahahuhuhu. Madaming fun activities at pagkain, tapos nadaplisan pa ako ng pintura (ang sakit huhu). Leaders Got Talent, and we witnessed High School, UST, UE, FEU, and Mendiola (I think??), perform with amazing dance moves and kwela routines. I was jovial when UST won, kasi nakita ko din talagang nagpapagal sila sa practice (congrats friends!). In the distance, I saw thunderclouds flashing with lightning. I was astonished at how they seemed to zip back and forth so fast that the whole night sky glowed with their light, blazing energies reflecting an energetic God.  A dance floor and kwentuhan sessions later, I went back to the Hotel, only to find our room locked. Bonding time naman sa room nila Jephtee, Gian, Moi, at kuya Kiane. We played games and ate chips and played games and ate chips (repeat til fade). Slept in late, ready for the next day!

JUNE 1, DAY 3 – My body clock didn’t betray me this time. I woke up to the silent atmosphere that blanketed over Caliraya. It was cool outside, so I decided to take my camera and go take pictures. Makikita mo talaga yung exploding proclamation of the trees, the clouds, the wind, the flowers, the rocks, the waters – all resounding mightily their praise to God. I heard them booming like cannons, gripping my ears, widening my eyes, fascinating my soul to what majesty and brilliance the Creator possesses reflected in these. It was really awesome.

After having breakfast, I took a bath and got my bags ready. We went to Session Hall for the last session, with Pastor Faythe speaking about the lost. “…there are yet four months, then comes the harvest? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are ripe for harvest.” (Jn. 4:35) The verse text really encouraged us to take responsibility in participating at the harvest of souls that is happening at our campus, and be quickER, because the Enemy is quick in devouring and bringing with him souls to hell. We also prayed to receive the Holy Spirit, which is a HOT encounter, that brought a burning sensation to my body, as if I was standing in a raging blaze. During that time I was convicted of my pride, because sometimes I let my pride get the best, hurting people in the process. Indeed, if I am to walk with and in Christ, I have to put to death everything that is earthly in me, and it includes my pride.

Nung pababa na kami mula sa Hotel, nakakita ako ng kambing hahaha! Pero may ni-reveal din si Lord about pride. Di makikita ng mga kambing ang harvest. Bakit kamo? Kasi puro “MEEEE MEEE”. At kung pangungunahan tayo ng pride natin, hindi tayo magkakaroon ng compassion towards people kasi yung attention natin naka-focus sa atin lang. God reminded me that humility is counting others more important than yourself, and results from a compassion for people brought about by our passion for God. Sabi ko sa sarili ko, ang galing talaga ni Lord, kasi sinagot Niya talaga yung prayer ko na ma-experience more of Him sa camp.

Bus 2 ulit pauwi! Lahat kami tulog, but then nagising kami ni Shawn at kuya Apegs and he decided to take selfies with those that were sleeping, na gumising sa buong bus. Sa Bus 2 din nabuo ang Artists for Jollibee United Jollibee United (AJUJU), na isang malaking inside joke sa mga kasama namin sa bus. Hinuli din kami sa SLEX, pero okay lang, may Jollibee naman kami. Nagsabay na kami nina Tristan at Carlo pauwi, at nakarating naman kami sa mga bahay namin ng matiwasay.

And thus ends my Leaders’ Camp experience…not??? SIYEMPRE HINDI! With a month left before school starts, I am more than excited to share Jesus to my classmates, friends, everyone! I am ready to lead and serve my campus, and prepared to take charge in the great harvest set by God upon UST and U-Belt. Pero kaya ko ba ‘to sa  sarili ko? Of course golf course hindi! I am able because my God is able, and I am not alone.

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25)

FROM U-BELT TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH!

Footnotes:

1.Ate Kira’s side of the Ang Nawawalang Bagahe story can be found here.

2.Nawawala yung artworks ng AJUJU. Kapag nahanap, maaring ipagbigay-alam sa mga kinauukulang awtoridad.

3.Nag-Mud Slide ako na walang slide. Mud lang.

4.Sobrang sarap ng ulam. Pwede ba yung Ulam’s Camp 2014?

Losers.

Losing.

We all shrink and make ugly faces when we hear this word. After all, who would want to lose? We all want to win. We want to be victorious and glorious and great and all, so why give an opportunity to lose?

Forgiveness.

We like to talk about Jesus forgiving us, and how we are to forgive, but when the time to forgive comes, how many of us find it easy to forgive? We talk of it as if it were a nice little theory to be discussed, argued, and thrown back and forth, then put aside on the shelf, ready to bring it back if we need to discuss it again. And seldom do we find forgiveness easy to act upon instead of being the topic in our conversations.

Forgiveness is losing.

Yeah, I know. The times that I have to forgive are hard. I mean, why should I forgive you? You’re the one who should say sorry to me, because you’re the one at fault. But then Jesus tells me to forgive seventy times seven times. He says to turn the other cheek when someone slaps the other side. All throughout the Bible, God tells his people to forgive.

That’s why forgiveness is unpopular. Our pride is very hostile to this attitude, the I-am-laying-my-pride-down kind of disposition. We all want to be on the top, and we don’t take chances to come down. So why does forgiving feel like losing?

To forgive someone means you really have to lose. Whenever an injury happens, someone has to live with the pain, and to forgive means you absorb it, you’ll live your life with it, and the offender goes free.

Forgiveness hurts. It does.

Imagine forgiveness to falling on a grenade. If a grenade was thrown at you, you could do three things. You could run, but then who’ll end up as collateral damage. You can throw it back, but then the situation won’t get any better. Or you can use your body to cover the grenade and absorb the explosion and die. Die just to let the people around you live.

Every time we forgive we die. Jesus had to die. To make us righteous, justice had to be served. The bomb had to go off. But instead of throwing the judgment and condemnation that was rightfully for us, Jesus absorbed it himself.

At the same time, grace isn’t cheap or popular either is because it’s not cheap. Giving away grace means having no regrets. It does not give us a chance to be bitter and envious. Death is a must. But if Jesus said to forgive the very people who crucified him, and if the same power that raised him from the dead lives in us, then I am sure that He can give us the power to lose, so the weapons of those who hurt us will be rendered powerless. That by taking the full impact of their attack, their offense is nullified, hostility is defeated, and love conquers death.

Remember who you are and how you’ve been forgiven. If think you’re better than them, it will only make you more bitter. What cost Christ to redeem you be engraved in your heart that it becomes a source of your joy to accept the cost of forgiving others.

It may be hard, it may feel like losing, but that’s what forgiven people do. Forgiveness will make us losers. As an old saying goes, “Hurt people, hurt people.” Well, “Forgiven people, forgive people.”

(Adapted from Tenth Avenue North – The Overflow Devo Day 2: Losing. Bomb allegory and similar concepts also from aforementioned reference.)

Jesus values your big efforts – and the small ones too!

“Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.” – Zechariah 4:8-10

” “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”  Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number.  Jesus then took the loaves, and, when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted.” -John 6:9-11

Being in the modern world where “big” means spectacular, noticeable, or amazing, it is easy for the modern Christian to be tempted to do things “the big way” – we need to have lots of money before we can go on this mission trip, we should have a big audience in a big stadium, with the big speakers and bright lights, because after all, it needs to be a “big” event.

But seldom do we know that in doing these things, our mind hinges on a mindset that everything should be done “big” in order to be noticed by everyone. And then we find ourselves constantly worried and thinking how to make something spectacular, to the point that we sacrifice our time, our energy and more in order to go big.

Now don’t think I’m making fun of people who organize such stuff – I applaud their efforts and skills to maneuver a big event such as those. It’s just that many people are so hooked on that mindset that they forget the value of the small things they do.

Your small efforts matter to God.

Yes, they do! That time when you listened to someone’s problems and grieved alongside them, that time you blocked out your schedule for the whole day just to encourage and lift somebody who has been depressed down, that little things you’re doing to slowly put a habitual sin out of your system, and those countless times that you’ve done something good for someone, hey, God’s proud of you!

God told Zechariah not to despise the small things, and that’s true. If God won’t despise the small things you do for the Kingdom, what right does anyone have to?

When Jesus fed the five thousand, it didn’t start with grandiose caravans of royal kings bringing the most expensive bread and their princes with the finest wine, it started from a kid and his five loaves and two fish. It was all that he had, yes, it was not that grand, yet he still gave it up and let Jesus do his thing. Jesus did not say, “Your loaves do not have sesame seeds on it, neither does your fish come from the exquisite waters of the Caribbean, of which I have majestically created”, He knew that that was what the kid had and cheerfully gave, and He was okay with it.

It does, really.

Sometimes we try to do something and then we try to assess our selves if we could ever do it and pull it off with aplomb, but then we scratch our heads because we can’t do it like that.

Why don’t we start small?

From the mere dust of the ground God formed the first Adam, and from a mere carpenter and an ordinary teenage girl God put the Messiah.

Loved one, God is proud of your small efforts for the Kingdom. He never looks at as if it were trash, but then He holds it on His palm as if it were a costly jewel.

So today, even if you only did one little teeny-weeny good act towards others, rejoice! Your efforts will never be in vain, because Jesus values it and continues to be proud of his little kiddo (which is you), and He loves you and the efforts that you do for the least of these.

DeSERVEd Leadership

Being a leader, I have seen myself in the context where there’s no other way to lead but in the act of serving. I was hauling up equipment to set up table tennis tables (you get the idea), photocopying hand-outs for my classmates, running from the Main Building to the Quadri Pavillion and back just to let the Assistant Dean sign the letter, and more.

 It is tiring, I know. I wished I was not the president of our class, I told myself. But I asked myself, “Will this help me if I step down? I’m pursuing a life of leadership, and now I’m quitting?”

No. 

As an extensive reader of the Bible (probably due to my bookworm-yness), I have witnessed God’s chosen men and women leading His nation, Israel, through thick and thin. Moses. Aaron. Joshua. David. Solomon. Jephthah. Deborah. Even in the New Testament, leadership was seen in the character of Jesus, the disciples, and Paul.  They were great men, used by God to lead Israel and worked signs and wonders.

They were great leaders alright. And we are very quickly to recognize ourselves in them. But have we looked into their lives and seen the very core of leadership in them?

These mighty men served. Yep, they served people. Moses acted as doctor (the bronze serpent), chef (manna and quail), and water boy (no pun intended) during the 40 years in captivity. The Judges acted as counselors, judges (well, uhm) and defenders during the time of conflict. The kings did serve their people too. Jesus too, though he was God, did count this equality “a thing to be grasped,” (Phil. 2:6) and yet instructed his disciples to serve, not to be served, just as he did (cf Mt. 20:28). He never considered the fame, fortune or the glamour that this world offered (cf. Mt. 4), but rather focused on this servitude, the people-so-mad-they-crucify-you kind of servitude.

Yes, he threw away the royals garments of heaven, wore the ugly clothes of man, and “he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak” (Is. 59:17). He came for the lowly, the unwanted, the shunned, the outcasts of the society (cf. Mt. 9:13). Oh, how had he humbled himself! That in him healing the sick, spitting on earth to form clay, raising the dead, loving the unloved, we have the ultimatum of leadership: SERVICE.Do not be afraid to serve. Whenever, wherever, whoever, however, whatever you see that you will be able to serve someone, saved or not (yes, no exemptions), do it. Aiming to be a leader? Serve. Don’t do it so that men will take notice and applaud you, but do it because you have to, and that’s what Jesus did. We are not after the glory of men, but we are chasing the glory that comes from the heart of God.In short, be Jesus – the greatest epitome of servitude.

Love like Jesus, serve like Jesus, and then will you know how to lead like Jesus. That is deSERVEd leadership.

Related articles

• Leading Like Jesus (developingkingdomleaders.com)

Love.

If am to be so bold as to speak with tongues of mere mortals and the angelic hosts, but have not love in my being, I am a noisy gong clanging in vain. If I am to be so close to God, that I can foretell and reveal all knowledge, that if I trust Him so much, that I can make the mountains jump, the dead rise from their slumber, and the oceans part, but have not even a sliver of love in it, all of these are trash. Even if I am generous, generous to even give all I have to poor and go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but do not love, what did I gain?

Love will wait, because it is patient. It knows the right time; it does not haste. It will be kind to care, yet be courageous enough to tell what’s wrong and be responsible for itself.

It is not jealous; it treats everyone as better than itself. It is not a jerk to be arrogant; it puts itself as the last and is ready to serve, not to be served.

Love will not insist on doing things the way it knows, but instead lets the Father do His will, to use it as He pleases. It understands and is responsible; it holds no criticism or accusation.

Love will rejoice in whatever is true, because to love is to be truthful and honest, no matter what happens. It hates evil, because like the seed in the garden of thistles, wickedness will corrupt and swallow it.

It will trust, understand, believe, and endure everything.

Love is eternal. Revelations may come and go; love won’t. Divine language may come and go; love is here to stay. Everything we know will surely pass away; love will still be here. For we haven’t seen the fullness of these things, but when it does, everything we’ve experienced will be nothing compared to that glorious event.

When I was small, I lived my life the way a child does. But when I grew up, why do I have to keep living as a small child? Surely I only see a bit, perhaps parts, but not yet fully. And I place my life on the assurance that someday, I will see Him, and as He has known everything about me from the beginning, I will see Him fully and finally.

Faith and hope, surely these are great and noble to behold, but the only thing that surpasses them is love.