Photo Challenge Day 26!

Favorite night?!? I mean, what's a favorite night, man? How can there be a favorite night? Everyday there's every night. How can I choose a favorite night out 8,395+ nights of my life? Come on! Is it when the moon is full? Or half? or crescent? or one-fourth? Urgh!

Kidding. I think the challenge wants me to post a photo of a night I surely treasured up until now. But, honestly, I have a lot of memorable nights! I can't pick which one is my favorite. So, let me pick one photo randomly from one of the unforgettable nights of my life.

That's me with a lot of unforgettable people! Regional Youth Conference 2011! Rock and roll! That was surely one of the nights that I will never, ever get rid in my delicate memory! That night saw us dance, sing, jump and shout in praises for God! One of the awesomest feelings a living human being can feel! Oh, come on! You gotta admit it! Worship takes you in the zone, dude. Sure, I had been into a lot of worships already! But not with hundred other youths! That's another thing, man. The hall was filled with voices solemnly and unitedly singing praises for God! Oh, how I miss it! Can anyone treat me a spot on next year's ICON? That'd be great.

So that's it! Day 26 done! There's a survey, by the way. Don't be shy and just click something, all right? God bless you all :D

Photo Challenge Day 19!

When it comes to things I love doing, that would be crazily numerous. I can even make a book out of it. So this challenge is, again, broad. That's why being alone is not an issue to me. When you're alone, it doesn't mean you're lonely. I've heard it somewhere. But it's true. It definitely applies to me. It just means that you could do a lot of happy things even when you're just by yourself. And that's one of the signs of security. That's not safety, that's the opposite of insecurity. You know, just try to understand. I can't explain it really.

So I'll just enumerate some of the things I love doing... with or without someone...

Who wouldn't love watching movies? It's a two-way ticket to things unrealistic, right? It takes you away for an hour or two from the hassles of the real world. And most of the times, it entertains you. And, admit it, you just don't wanna feel behind when your friends are talking about it and you just can't relate.

I'm 23 and I'm still into this thing. I'm a kid at heart. And let's face it, 80% of the video games released are for adults anyway. 

I'm a bookworm. I read a lot. Fiction most of the times. Like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Mortal Instruments, The 39 Clues, Sydney Sheldon, The Hunger Games and many more.

Once upon a time, I had a crazy dream to be a singer. But when I heard myself sing, it was really crazy. But that didn't stop me from loving music. It's just music doesn't love me back. I'm heart-broken.

Don't fool yourself, you love eating too.

Internet. Can't live without. Well, it already includes Facebook.

50% of my life is shared in the web. And apparently, so is the rest of the world. Some even share their whole being. Social media sites, admit it or not, are totally ruling our lives.

I'm a Youth for Christ. And if there's one thing I love about it, it's because YFC taught me to worship God. That's true. When you get to love worship, and get in the heart of it, you never stop wanting for more. It's like God being nearer and nearer to you. Worshipping Him has been one of the many things I love to do. Again, with or without someone.

That's it. That's just some of it. There are a lot more, of course. But those are the tops. Arigato.

Day 19's done. Peace yo. 

Photo Challenge Day 17!

A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently. That's the challenge for today. And after a lot of thinking... I think this would best suit the challenge...

Yep. The Capul Parish Youth. Talk about impact, man. These youths became instant friends. My circle of friends expanded exponentially! Two of them even became instant fans. Nailed it! *<laugh>*. These people here is one of reasons why every single time, like out of nowhere, I wanna pack my things and go back home. We shared a pretty small amount of time together. Like half of December and half of January. That makes almost one month. And that's not exactly a long time, right? But the bond and friendship we created makes us feel like we met each other a million years ago. It's like the friendship we made was tested and proven by time. You know what I'm saying? That's just it. These people, these children of God, just made me see and realize one of my missions in life. And that is NOT to stop fighting for the youths. That they have a say in this society. And that God still has hopes in them. The Parish Youth Days 2013 was a big proof of that. PYD 2013 really made a big impact in my life. And that's saying something.

If there's a first runner up for this kind of thing, I would say this...

You're seeing it right. That's Line. One of the many free messaging apps that keeps on popping out. There's Kakao Talk, Viber, WeChat, BBM, Kik, WhatsApp and a whole lot more. But Line is my favorite and my most used out of all of them. I think it's actually the best there is. I tried all of them and Line was the only messaging app left un-uninstalled. Geddit? So, what did Line do to me that impacted me that much? Well, it reconnected me to one of my favorite people in the Philippines. Except, of course, she's not in the Philippines anymore. She's in Australia. Yeah, my daughter. The only person in the world I can talk with anything. Everything! Line made it possible for us to chat, talk, share photos and send live stickers. That's what basically Line can do. But in every chat and calls, there wasn't any idle time. We keep on talking about anything that comes out. Mostly nonsense, really. But fun, nonetheless. Our latest topic was daylight saving time. Who would in their right minds would talk about daylight saving time?!? Just us.

Done. That's day 17.

Photo Challenge Day 8!

Oh yeah. I didn’t even think hard about this. If there is something that I’ve been holding onto for the longest time now (that means you treasure it, right?) that would be this…

My Youth for Christ Covenant ID (in HDR soft filter :D). Do I even have to explain this? I have always pointed out that YFC is a big part of my life. It totally changed my outlook in life. What I am now and what I have become, most if it is because of YFC. YFC introduced me to God and gave me the chance to serve Him in little ways that I can. This ID has been with me for as long as I could remember. I was baptized on Oct. 23, 2005. That makes this ID 8 years old! Oh, boy. It’s even older than most seven year old kids… and, uhm, things. And our great leader once said that if I were to die and climb to heaven, I would just show St. Peter my ID and I’d be welcome. That’s awesome to the out-of-this-world level!

Day 8 easily wore off. Have a good day :D

Photo Challenge Day 5!

A favorite memory. Oh, boy. This is, by far, the mostiestest, difficultiestest challenge. I mean, how could you have a favorite memory? But, ok, I’m gonna try to rack my mind, the innermost part of my memory, and look for something that I could label as my favorite. Let me see…

How about this...

Forget about the people in the picture. They’re not the focus of my favorite memory. Look at the building instead. That’s Capul Agro-Industrial School’s Vo-Ag Building (Edukasyon ang Solusyon according to Sec. Lapus). And come to think of it, up until now, I never knew the meaning of Vo-Ag! How silly of me. So, uhm, let’s try to come up with something that best suit the name of the building. Is it Voracious-Agree? Or Vocabulary-Agitation? Whatever. It doesn’t matter anyway. I grew up calling the place Vo-Ag. So, I think it’s better to keep it that way.

Anyway, that’s my favorite memory. Not only that I spent a lot of cool time with my high school friends at that particular building, it’s also the same building that witnessed me emerging into a full-pledged Youth for Christ! Along with 59 other participants. See? That’s something you may consider favorite. YFC has been and still a great part of my life, and it all started there. The rooms in that building served many purposes. 

Take a look.

Oh, boy! Forget those faces. I mean, they have nothing to do with what I have to say. *<laugh>*. Sorry, you guys. That building to your right served as our kitchen. It’s also the same room that witnessed me eating Ampalaya for the first time! And it wasn’t bad after all. It’s just bitter. And we had no other choice. It’s either you eat and get energized, or not and die! The room next to it was our Mathematics room. And I had a lot of funny memories in there. Oh, high school. Come back please! The room at the far end, the one near that lady in orange used to be the Baptism room. It’s where we were taken to be baptized on that fateful night. Pretty logical, obviously. And in the afternoon before the baptism, we had our confession in there. With Fr. Añosa, I think. That was really awkward, man. Face to face with a priest. I can’t do it anymore. I’m close to most priests now. That’s just too awkward. I still love confessing with my face hidden.

That’s me! But don’t mind me. And that photo bomber there. Look at your left. The first door belongs to the room that served as our session hall during our youth camp. It is where most of the activities were done, including the five talks and all the crying. There were games too. I remember “Chimmy Chimmy Chummy” and “Buntis na Anay”! Oh, nostalgia! And there were a lot of teaching of songs. But the one thing I learned first (and the only song I learned the entire youth camp) was “Sure Foundation”. A very easy song to remember, indeed. But I know a lot of praise songs by now. I just love listening to songs for God. It takes you to the zone, man. You feel like you’re near heaven. Oh. Heaven!

And if you walk straight, then turned left, you’ll reach the room where we slept for two nights. The room that witnessed all our craziness. It used to be our Senior Filipino room. I don’t know if it is still Filipino room now. You see, Vo-Ag is shaped like a U. with a concrete path at the center separating two Kalachuchi trees. And directly opposite to where we were eating was our barracks. Our sleeping room. I couldn’t find a photo of it, though. Sorry!

So that’s it! Day 5 done! Don’t forget to comment. 

Heroes of My Life: Kuya Brent

I think it’s time for the next SUPERHERO in my life. This sure was not easy to think about. I mean, who comes next? Because I have to weigh in the amount of influence and inspiration of all the people I thought to qualify to be a HERO in my life. But I think this next one deserves the 2nd spot. Because, once in my life, this one made me persevere in my service even when Ate Rhea left. Not literally left, of course. She just transferred to another place in search for a greener pasture. But all her teachings are all left behind. And still inspired us to fight for God.

And just like what I did with the first HERO of my life, all the pictures in this post were taken from my albums. Just so I would not be violating any copyrights.

Let me now introduce you to this guy…

Quite a charmer, huh? You betcha. Now this guy here is called Brent. This was taken millions of years ago when we were both still college students and super-duper active with our service in YFC. I’m out of college now and he’s a teacher (believe it!). We kind of tracked different paths now, but all of the things he shared with me (and that also include the fun things) are still etched in the deepest part of my heart. This man made the Green Lantern look like a boy who couldn’t lift his ring. He was so perseverant with his service that it came out from his system and transmitted it to me and to all the other pips out there who came across this little charm’s way. It’s like an aura of a Super Saiyan. People like Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Goten, Trunks and a whole lot more. This photo was specifically taken during our out of town trip to Malbar, Catarman, Northern Samar to hold a Youth and Kids Camp simultaneously. The challenge, however, wasn’t in the camp. We were trained for it, man. The true test was the walking-for-two-hours-in-a-muddy-terrain-while-raining-with-no-footwear-going-there-and-going-back-home part (I’ll give you more visuals later with some photos). Whoa. Quite a big work, huh. But we managed to get through with it and even had some time for a little fun that included picture-taking, swimming at the river, more picture-taking, and still more picture-taking. At that time, we were both members of what is called PCG or Provincial Core Group of Northern Samar. He was the Sector Head of Sector A and I was the head of Campus-based Program. Sector A covers San Vicente, Capul (a very beautiful island with very beautiful inhabitants… sorry for being biased… I came from that place ), San Antonio, Victoria, Allen, Lavezares, Rosario, San Jose and Bobon. See how many YFC’s would that be? And Kuya Brent is the head of all those towns mentioned. A very challenging challenge that challenged his already challenged challenges. I love challenges. Lol. What I’m trying to say is that it will take tons of determination, perseverance, commitment, and hard work to handle and lead such a colossal group of YFC’s. But he managed it, man. See? He’s the man.

I first saw him at our Alma Mater back in high school. But we’re not yet close to each other at that time. I stick with my classmates, of course. And thanks to YFC, I was able to extend the range of my friendships to other year levels. Awesome times thirty two! We started being friends at our Youth Camp in October 21-23, 2005. I will never forget that date, dude. We’re batchmates, man. And that started the great chemistry between us. Nah. Don’t think about chemistry as chemistry-chemistry. What I really want to say is that we had this, uhm, harmony in doing the same thing we both love to do: serving God through YFC. After that Youth Camp, a whole lot more opportunities opened for the both of us… and that included being provincial leaders. Cool. But before that, we, together with all those people behind the youth camp and those newly baptized YFC’s, shared a lot of fun activities to last a lifetime. Unfortunately, due to limitations in technology at that time, I don’t have documentations of all those activities. Cellphones at that time were cameraless, man. There were a few, of course, but that would mean tears on my parents’ pockets. So forget it. Even digital cameras at that time were for the richest of the richest only. So forget it too. But other than cameras and phones, there’s another thing that would capture every event… memory. Your internal memory. Unless, of course, you have 15-minute short term memory loss just like Sanjay Singhania. But that’s another story. But since those events happened eons ago, I only remember few things. Let me enumerate them for you. A fair few numbers, of course. Not all of them.

1. Our first fellowship. Well, we’re still not close at that time. So I still have no idea about his greatness.

2. Our Covenant Orientation. Same old, same old.

3. Our Household Training. No idea.

4. Highlights I. Now that I know of. And allow me to extract some of the things that happened that time in my memory system. This idea of conducting a whole day activity before that year’s Vicarial Youth Camp at Lavezares was Kuya Brent’s. Together with some of the parish youth leaders, we had a meeting at the Church grounds to discuss some things for the upcoming VYC. As far as I could remember, that particular meeting were composed of Kuya Ace (that time’s Parish Youth Head), Ate Manel, Ate Dianne, Ate Rose, Kuya Brent, and me. There were probably more, but it’s all what I can remember. We talked about the gap that somehow existed between YFC’s and Familia Singles that time. Not that we meant for it to happen, it just did. Kuya Brent thought that this indifference between the two renewal groups would somehow affect the unity and teamwork of Capul’s delegation. You see, our delegation was composed mostly by youths from the two said communities. So he came up with the scheme to bond the two groups with a super glue. What do you call it? Bull Dog? That’s it? Oh… what I mean was to bond the two groups with an activity that would bond the two groups. Uhm… redundancy alert. I really don’t care. *<Lol>*. It was even Kuya brent who came up with the event’s name. He wittingly, out of nowhere, called it Highlights. See? Very artistic. In fact, there came two more events that were named Highlights. It was called Highlights II and Highlights III. So that made the first the Highlights Highlights I. Correct me if I’m wrong. This said event opened friendships between the two groups. We shared a lot of moments making it a momentous event. Bravo! I can even still recall that I was a speaker during that day. My talk was entitled, uhm, egg? I’m not really sure. But one thing I am certain of is that the title contained ‘egg’ in it. The talk included a short activity that involved an egg (fresh, unbroken, unbeaten and most of all, unstinky), newspapers, masking tapes. The idea was to cover the unspoiled egg with the newspaper and locking it in place with the use of some password. Kidding. With the masking tape, of course. We did it by group. I even made them name their groups with ‘egg’ in it. And I can still remember one group who eruditely called their group ‘Eggning’. See how creative the youths of Capul were. The main challenge of the game is for the egg inside the taped newspaper to endure being dropped from a relatively high ground without breaking. Seemed impossible, huh. We started few feet high from the group consecutively dropping each groups’ eggs. And it got higher and higher and higher until I couldn’t extend my arms any longer. And the group with the least damage in their egg, or none at all, wins the game. I really couldn’t remember which group won but I’m pretty sure one group won. In between those drops, by the way, the members of what was then called Lucky Me (a group composed of me, Kuya Brent, a dude called Cyril, another called Louie, and yet another called Jan Jan) had fun throwing and catching the groups’ eggs with some distance in between just so to add some intensity on the game. I miss those guys. Sigh. I may have forgotten the winning group, but I totally still remember the message of game. It’s all about eggs getting more and more expensive as time pass. And other than that, I told them that the wrapped egg represented us in general. The egg (not yet wrapped) signified the youth in their most vulnerable selves. Temptations around them are most powerful when they lack faith in God. One drop would have spilled the insides of the egg even with just few inches above the ground. The newspaper and the tape together resembled the Christ-centered youth groups that introduced them to God and nurtured their spirituality. Even when I dropped that winning group’s egg from a great height, the egg remained unscathed. I hope you get the idea. And so, along with the other talks and fun games, the event sure did reach its goal: to break the gap between YFC’s and FS and made a united, bonded and stronger delegation for VYC. In fact, as of this moment, the friendship still remains.

5. Vicarial Youth Camp. It happened at Lavezares, Northern Samar. Three days and two nights of fun with God. I’ll not narrate everything that happened during the camp. Maybe a few things that still remains in my delicate memory. I remember getting on the venue together with all the members of our delegation on Mano Bobit’s jeepney. Literally on Mano Bobit’s jeepney because I happened to ride at the, uhm, how do you call it anyway?... rooftop? Whatev. I remember waking up late at night because the sky decided to cry and our tent wasn’t strong enough for the tears from heaven. In no time at all, our place would have been flooded if we hadn’t evacuated and took all our belongings inside the Church. I remember going to Allen with Kuya Brent for a very important Provincial Core Meeting at Allen’s YFC Couple Coordinator’s place. Can I say sorry? Well, we kind of, went to that meeting without asking permission. Sorry. I remember teasing Mikee (Micaela Ma. Agnes C. Tan) about the headbanded boy who talked with her, sort of, privately. I remember sitting with Mikee ((Micaela Ma. Agnes C. Tan) at the Church for a mass still teasing her about the headbanded guy. I remember writing ‘Mikee love Headband Boy’ at the back of my ID. I remember walking around the town with candles in our hands. I remember getting pissed over the poor reception at Lavezares. I was kind of texting the whole time. I remember having fun. That’s it. Perfect.

6. Vicarial Youth Camp at Capul. I wasn’t there, actually. I was in Manila taking my vacation. And can you just imagine the frustration I felt that time? An epic event I had the most unlucky twist of fate to miss. Pfft. I couldn’t tell anything that’s connected with the things that occurred during the camp. But I could tell you that during this event Kuya Brent was made the Chapter head of YFC Capul. Awesome! And Mikee (Micaela Ma. Agnes C. Tan) as the Chapter Leader. Awesome times two!

7. Batch 11 Youth Camp. This was epic. This was the first youth camp that Ate Rhea wasn’t in. But I knew that time that her prayers were with us because the camp ended a success. Kuya Brent headed the event. And he sure did his work great. He even made me the speaker of the first talk: God’s Love and His plans for us. He put a massive faith in me to entrust a very important talk for someone like me who, at that time, was still doubtful over his self. And I made it a challenge to myself to not fail him over this gargantuan responsibility of introducing God, His great love, and his wonderful plans for us, to the participants. And I hope I did my part well enough. From the first minute to the very last of that youth camp, I was happy. And I knew for a fact that we, with Kuya Brent’s leadership, did our jobs well. And it was sure memorable for me. It was the day I, eherm, met a, uhm, girl. Yeah. A girl. I couldn't really divulge the details. Lame.

8. Youth Camp at Allen. Whoa. This is one of the most memorable youth camps ever. This is the first time I served at a youth camp outside Capul. Let’s see. Kuya Brent, with her connection to Ate Mae Ann, the chapter head of Allen, invited us to serve. Apparently, they met at the weekly YFC campus gathering at UEP. I’m not really sure. And so, together with Kuya Brent, Leonel, Ate Cherry Ann, and Kier, we went to Allen for some action. And, again, Ate Mae Ann made me talk. Talk one again. But, hey, I accepted it. Because I had to. She gave me the manual a few hours before the start of the camp. Can you believe that? This girl sure loved everything instant! And she also made Kuya Brent the speaker for talk two: Who is Jesus Christ to Me. Whoa. The good thing was I already did talk one. And I was pretty confident with the talk. Plus the fact that my audience would have no idea who I was. If I messed up, well, they didn’t know me. And again, narrating the whole thing would mean longer webpage. So I would just cite few moments that sure made that camp memorable (in no particular order). I remember meeting Kuya Jayson, a former Provincial Youth Head, whom I didn't have any idea that he would be my teacher in my course today. I should call him Sir Jayson. He told us about a particular sin most Catholics fail to acknowledge. It’s called sacrilege. Receiving the Body of Christ during the Mass without confession is a sin. From then on, when I go to Church to hear the Mass, if I’m not yet confessed, I refrain from receiving the Body of Christ. Ate Mae Ann even told me that Sir Jayson was his inspiration in her service. Something that happened during the ILC in Subic. I remember doing the participants ID’s a few hours before the start of the camp. I remember learning the song ‘Through it All’. A song Sir Jayson taught during our free time at the camp. I remember making friends with a lot YFC’s from Allen. I could still pull some names like Jeff, Esbie, Zaira, Denel, etc. Etc. is not a name. Just for clarification. I remember eating our breakfast at our house in Allen. Together, of course, with my pips from Capul. We even took a bath there. I remember getting annoyed with the creatures of the night when I went to sleep. I’m not even sure if I did sleep that time. I remember facilitating a group. Oh. Goodness. I don’t remember any of my men that time. So sorry. Memory loss. But I sure did remember a few eps of my one-one-one talk with them. The details. Forget it. Because I already did. I remember, oh, and will always remember that that camp was AWESOME!

9. Sector Assembly in Allen. I really can’t tell you everything about this. Coz’ I forgot most parts of this great day. I can only remember that YFC’s from Capul went to Allen to attend this assembly. YFC’s from all over sector, too. I remember having fun. That’s it! Kuya Brent was, of course, led our way.

10. Many more!

Well, I ran out of memories! My RAM is depleted. Sorry, you guys. Im’ma just share to some of the photos I have in my album that shows Kuya Brent. Here goes.

These pictures were taken during the Provincial Kid’s Village. It’s a gathering of all the Kids for Christ of Northern Samar. And gladly, Kuya Brent and I were among the YFC’s to stand as Kuya’s and Ate’s (that includes extending our patience longer. And, I mean, longer!).

That’s him and with whatever he came up and excused it as a pose. Don’t get confused with the jacket thing. The PKV was held December 2009. It was pretty cold that time.

To your right, is a man called Jay. The one with the cap (my sexier version… a lot sexier version) is me. The shoulder I’m touching with my chin belongs to Kuya Brent. And obviously, whatever he’s seeing was more important than the camera. The woman to the left is Ate Lois (say Lowa! That’s an order!). and she’s also busy with whatever Kuya Brent was watching.

Kuya Brent is just too happy about something. I really don’t have any idea what.

Oh, come on! This! Don’t look for me, ok? Urgh. You saw me already. Well, at least look at Kuya Brent too. Thank you!

At last, all four of us looking at the camera. An achievement!

The next pictures were taken during one of our monthly GK (Gawad Kalinga) Build. We kinda have it in our schedule as PCG members. 

Pour that cement, Kuya Brent! Do your job fast! *<laugh>*. Sorry, I don’t wanna sound mean. 

That’s Kuya Brent holding the, uhm, that thing. Ate Lois and Ate Kiti are with him. They’re about to do some mixing. Hooray to you, guys!

The day’s done and a house was built. Not entirely a house, of course. You can’t put up a house in just day with these people. We love to talk while we work. Forget about deadlines. *<Lol>*. And what better way to compensate our tiredness but to take a group picture. Oh, yeah!

Kuya Brent is nowhere to be seen. That’s just me and Ate May. Yeah. Kuya Brent’s wife.

The next pictures were taken before and during one of out-of-town trips to Bugko, Northern Samar for some teaching. 

That’s the guy. He’s wearing this come-to-me-and-I’ll-eat-you look! Beware! 

Me, left to right: Dama, Ate May, and Kuya Brent were the ones sent by the higher authority to take care of our minions in Bugko. Don’t take me too seriously, ok.

That’s a husband and wife photo. But they were not married by the time I took this photo. Well, not yet.

Can I just stop for a while and just express how much I miss this little cutie here? He’s been with me as far as I could remember. And Ate Joy took him away! I demand justice! Give me back my Snoopy! Oh, that’s not Snoopy, you say? Who cares?!? Then give me back my Kororo!!!

The next pictures were taken during our Christmas Party called Yahoo! many years ago.

Oh my! Two of my heroes in one pic! Give me oxygen! This is just epic! Waaaaaaaaaah!!!

All my respect to Kuya Brent just flew away! Just like that. Gone. Never to return. *<laugh>*. Nah. The other guy is Jan-Jan. A very close friend of mine. Kuya Brent’s too. See how close they are.

Urgh. Next picture please!

The next pictures are the ones I managed to salvage from my old phones. They are random.

We were bunch of losers. *<laugh>*. On your left is Justin. The one holding the guitar is Jan Jan. Next to him is Leonel. And, yeah, Kuya Brent. And the only girl, Ate Kris Ann.

Eeeeeeeeeeenk!

This was during the most exhausting, energy-draining, no-sleeping, yet fulfilling, unforgettable, memorable youth camp ever!

At Jasper’s house. One of PCG’s most valued possession. Me, Leonel, Kuya Brent with the, ta-da, Christmas tree.

See that? That’s me and Kuya Brent playing teks. Yeah, right. Did I mention we’re crazy? I didn’t? now, you know.

And feast your eyes (more like endure) the next set of pictures!

Hooooooo! I’m glad that’s over! Yeah. You can open your eyes already. 

Kuya Brent has his own life right now. He is, in fact, happily married to Ate May, a YFC too. And they already have children. Lots of it! *<laugh>*. He may be away, and was away for most of the activities that followed, his influence still remained. His leadership is still with us! Thank you a lot, Kuya Brent!

PS. Sorry for the low quality of the photos. I mean, they were, like, a million years ago. So, no sweat. Word, man!

The Blackest Day of the Year: YFC Black and White Christmas Party!

          I’d like to emphasize one great thing about my life again… I am Youth for Christ! And once again, with God’s greatest glory, His army proclaimed yet another victory through YFC Black and White Christmas Party 2012!

            Last December 30, 2012, a miracle happened. This may not be that a-dead-man-stood-once-again-and-drew-breath kind of miracle or that orange-tree-bears-apples kind or iPhone-5-for-sale-for-only-two-hundred-thirty-five-pesos kind, but for those who in one way or another became a part of this epic celebration, it was indeed God’s miracle working in us. 50 or so Youths for Christ gathered once again to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ through a fun-filled yet full of learning activity at Danao, Capul, Northern Samar.

         I said miracle and here’s how. One, that whole week, from December 24 to December 31, the weather played savage. Constant rain filled our little island. But not on two of that week, December 29 and December 30. December 29 was the day we prepared the venue. At nine in the morning, the service team who was composed of God’s mightiest soldiers went to Danao to prepare the place for tomorrow’s event. We were gifted by a nice sunny weather just perfect to set all the things that needed to be set: the improvised stage, the black and white doors, the spider web, the battles, and a whole lot more. At lunchtime, even with uncomfortable growls from our stomachs, we practiced the songs to be used, and our little production. We only went home after that. We went home with great hope that tomorrow’s big daddy of them all would be the best Christmas Party of the season. 

             December 30 was the day the party took place and engraved an everlasting memory in the hearts of those who attended. But before I go the details of that great day, wouldn’t it be nice if I relate to you, guys, how this Black and White Christmas Party even became possible? Oh, I think that’s a great idea. Okay… here it goes.

             To save time, I’ll quote something from my daily journal (yeah, I have a journal… and I call it “diary of a hard rock kid”, step aside Greg Heffley) about the history behind the realization of Black and White Christmas Party. Here’s what happened at our Household Gathering con planning…

             “December 22, 2012

…The next day was also memorable, man. Our supposed meeting with the YFC's for our Christmas party turned to a Household gathering at Mikee's residence. It was so nostalgic, man! We had this kind of gathering for, like, a million years ago. You could just imagine how euphoric I was. As usual, our supposed 1 o'clock meeting time wasn't followed. In fact, we started at few minutes before 3! Quite late, eh. That's us, man. Anyway, even with that, the Household still went smoothly. The worship gave me a huge overwhelming feeling, man! For me, it was the best part of that day. It made me go back to the zone, dude. It felt like so heavenly. Sigh. I wish we could do it more often. There's nothing really wrong with that, right? After the worship, we had a small sharing focusing on two of my formulated questions. First, 'how much do you miss YFC?' and second, 'how far will you go to revive YFC?'. It was also fun, man. It's one of the things that's great about YFC. Youths are given the chance to talk about their opinions on some things. Plus, it helps improve their confidence. After that fun sharing, we came to the most critical part of the meeting, the planning for the Black and White Christmas Party! Before that, however, I explained first why's the theme 'Black and White'? Christmas is supposedly the most colorful season of the year, and yet we're gonna make our celebration so colorless. Of course, I had my explanations. An idea that actually had its roots on my daughter's text message containing her conversation with his little sister about colors. According to that text, white is the absence of all color. Just like it, we, the YFC's, who had gone on different paths, became white. And black is the result of combining all colors. So, with that, when YFC's get together again, we became Black once again. Can you see the magic? Well, the planning went smoothly too. We agreed on all things. In fact, I feel the eagerness of my fellow service team members to really make this oh-so-special event a reality and a success. The things we only need now are fine weather and huge attendance. So help us, God.”

            That was a part of my journal on that day. It mentioned something about Household, meeting, Black, White, Menchie, Mikee, magic, and, things, event, attendance, of, the, in, etc. But I’d like to go back a few days before that. The day how the idea of having a Christmas Party started.

         One day, I woke up with five messages in my inbox. One of them came from a fellow YFC, who apparently, misses YFC just as I do. She asked me if there would be a YFC Christmas Party that year. I said it would not be impossible if people would work. I can sense that time that she was eager to help. I played along. In fact, I miss YFC activities too. It has been, like, three hundred thousand two hundred forty eight days since we had a huge event on YFC. And so, after a few exchange of SMS, we agreed on teaming up once again to make this dream a reality. Her part was to gather as many YFC’s present in Capul as she can to be a part of the service team. My part was to make an invitation, spread the good news in Facebook specifically in YFC Capul Facebook page, and further spread the news wherever I go.

          I would also like to elaborate my explanation further on that entry about the true meaning of Black and White and how it affected the entire event. By the way, that event’s speaker was unfortunately, eherm, me. And since it was me who devised the theme and found a suitable Bible anchor verse for the event, that by the way, was taken from the 1^st letter of Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 1, verse 10 that goes this way, “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree on one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought”, it felt just right that I should be the speaker. Please bear with me. 

          Before my talk, an all-out performance was given by the members of the service team. The production was simple. It showed the bad and good acts of the youths. The twist was, the youths doing the good things, exited through the black door while the bad ones went out through the white door. Quite ironic, eh? Well, that’s the whole point. That’s where the theme enters. I told them that us, the YFC’s, are the colors of the community. When we got on separate ways doing things in our own little worlds, YFC became white. White, according to Menchie’s group message, is the absence of all colors. When all the colors of YFC went on with their own lives, YFC became white. Black, on the other hand, is the result of combining all colors. So, when all YFC’s, the colors of the community, gather again in His name, YFC became black. Thus the birth of YFC Black and White Christmas Party. Yahoo!

        Another thing. The Bible anchor verse mentioned something about unity and division. Well, that’s the whole point of the talk I made a day before the event. It was pretty easy actually. I already had in mind all the things I wanted to say in my talk. Putting it in a step-by-step manner wasn’t really hard. Here’s the outline of my talk I made on the ‘Note’ app of my phone.

                Black and White Christmas Party Event Talk

Unity and Division

  Production

  Explain the irony of the production

  Explain the theme and the bible anchor (the history behind the theme)

       -mention how the theme contradicts with the season

      -mention how black and white are coined as evil and good respectively and not in this event

  Narrate how things changed when YFC became white

       - the youths going on the white side

       - the youths committing several mortal sins

       - how was the youth before and the youth of today

Enumerate the things we need to do to make YFC black

        - do the things we used to do

       - unite in every way

       - recognize Christ in the center of the unity

Mention how other Christmas Parties are not Christmas Parties at all

        - Christ should be the reason why we celebrate the Christmas

Conclusion: quote the song 'if we hold on together, i know our dreams will never die... Dreams see us through to forever.. Where clouds roll by... For you and I'

       - encourage everyone to hold on forever and fight for the youth

  play dr. Kwak kwak

  - explain why all the games after will all be about unity.

          I also mentioned the words and, the, in and of. Well, they don’t really matter at all.

          And here’s another miracle, dude. One worry that we always have in events like this is the attendance. The never ending question of, “Hey, will people really go?” is always asked. Black and White Christmas Party was not an exemption. Despite our distributed invitations that reached even Landusan, numerous invites on text, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, MySpace, Multiply, Blogger, Google+, and Friendster… Hey, will people really go? Hey, will people really go? Hey, will people really go? Hey, will people really go? Hey, will people really go? Hey, will people really go? Hey, will people really go?... okay, you got the point. 

          But, man. God proved once again that our worries are no match to His greatness. We didn’t celebrate the party just by ourselves, but with fifty or more youths! See the magic. God is good!

       Nice weather and huge attendance. These two are exactly what I asked God in my journal (and I quote… “…The things we only need now are fine weather and huge attendance. So help us, God…”) And these were not only the things God gave us. He showered us with His abundant blessings, allowed us to have fun and made that day oh-so special for everyone. Thank You so much!

          And here’s another entry of mine in my daily journal. This would make you see how great God is and how He made that day the best day of the year! I apologize for some retelling of things and stuff.

       “…December 29. Another day of fun! In the morning, the members of the Black and White Christmas Party went to our venue to prepare the place. When we got there, we had a short briefing on the things we would be doing. Then the work followed. We prepared our improvised stage. We set the two doors for our production. We made the spider web (one of the games) out of straw. We filled the bottles with water for Water Conservation. We made a lot of water bombs. We practiced the songs we'll be using. We practiced the production for the talk. All while having fun! That was one of the things I miss about YFC. The busyness, the preparations, the practices... and yet still having fun. Awesome to the nth level!

        So, at past 12 noon, we went home. Everyone was pretty hungry. When we reached home, I immediately ate. Then I slept. Of course, we were still exhausted 'coz of the previous party (My ‘lil sister’s debut). I slept at three in the morning, man. And I had to wake up early too, because of that preparation. So you can just imagine how tired I was. But I still had to wake at three because I was again a godfather for a christening ceremony. This time, it's Elean Mae's daughter named Mandrell. It was an honor on my part, of course. Even though I have a bunch of godchildren already. And that ultimately means more hands to fill in. Before that, however, I could confess that I was disappointed. Elean Mae was one of those youths who was with us during a lot of activities. How about that last Youth Camp we had? Or that Jump for Unity event? She was with the service team all the time. And this thing happened. Oh, man. Her partner wasn't even a graduate in high school then. See what has become of the youth today? Things like getting pregnant are not a big surprise anymore. It happens all the time. Anyway, it already happened. There's nothing we can do about it. We just have to accept everything. And I hope they'll be great parents someday. So, when the clock strokes three, I had to stand up and get myself fixed. Ate Rose, a fellow godparent, was already waiting for me. Thankfully, there was a ceremony for the dead before the baptism. So we bought ourselves a few moments of rest. Not for us, though. Me and Ate Rose used the time to take care of some things. We went to Ma'am Jinky's house to borrow a beat box from her brother.

         After the ceremony, where Father Tobe reminded us again of the seven Sacraments and stuff, we headed to the parents' parents' residence for the reception. I had to note that it was the first time I ever attended a christening ceremony where there was no other batch of christening pips. I mean, we were all alone. And that's saying something, man. At the Marzol's house, the buffet didn't start immediately. It gave me time to catch a few things with my buddy, Sonny Ray. Then, we ate. The table was full of sea food delicacies much to my joy, of course. These past days, my stomach was always filled with meat: pork, beef, and chicken. That sure was refreshing. Thank you, Mandrell. 

The day didn't end there though. When we finished eating, me, Ate Rose, my lil' sis and Fides went on to our works as service team members. And, yes, man, I had the three of them on our scooter. So you could just imagine how much we were squeezed. And I had to endure the pain in my arms just to drive us to our destination safely. Luckily, we left my lil' sis at Mafil's and the three of us went on to meet up with Mikee. We went to Mikee's uncle's house to check on the generator and the sound boxes. They seemed alright so we went on with the other things to prepare. We went on separately with Ate Rose with me. Mikee and Fides went to Jadil to check on the black cloth we borrowed. Me and Ate Rose went to Sir Guido's house to borrow an electric guitar. He told us that the thing we needed was with with someone else and that we needed to ask Ma'am Jinkee's permission first. So, we headed to CAIS and looked for Ma'am Jinkee. Okay, she obliged. After retrieving the electric guitar where Mikee and Fides met up with us, another problem arose. The guitar didn't have its chord with it. How will we ever use it without its chord? Good enough, we met Lloyd along the way. He guranteed that he'll lend us one. So, problem solved. But again, the night didn't end there. Back home, where Fides, my lil' sister and me were sharing unending jokes, still had to cut out the letters for our improvised stage. And we were all, like, in our most exhausted state. So, instead of working, we continued with our joking session. Fides even slept at our house that night. Which gave her a fairly big amount of not-so-good reminders from her uncle the following day. Oh, well. That's life. When you enjoy, something bad will come. To balance life, man. Lol. That's how December 29, 2012 ended!

1:19 pm

December 30. Oh, man. This is it! This is the biggest day of the month! Aside, of course, from December 25. This was the day the Black and White Christmas Party took place. Oh, yeah! That morning, despite the strong will to stay on bed all day, I woke up early to do some preliminary preparations for that day's event. Together with Mikee, Ate Rose, Fides, Justin, and Myka, we went to Danao before 8 in the morning. We brought with us the things we needed that included the generator, the sound boxes and a whole lot more. The event was supposed to start at 8 in the morning. But YFC's always see to it that schedules are not followed. Lol. So, the 8 am event started at past 12 noon. Go figures. Before that, there was tension in the air, man. We couldn't help worrying about the attendance, the food, and even the weather. At that time, when we were preparing the stage, the weather couldn't make up its mind whether to be nice or savage. At even 9 am, there was no one showing up yet. But God proved once again that He is above our worries. When I got back to our house to fix myself first, the weather was really showing bad signs. Of course, I was praying against it. And God answered me right away. When I went back to Danao, fully groomed and with our foods, the weather was nice already. The sun is proudly showing its shining rays. Not only that, there were a fair few number of people already. How awesome is that?

To make the story short, that day was super cool, awesome, overwhelming and satisfying. Seeing the youths having fun was something I always take pride in. Especially when you're one of the main reasons why they were having fun. From the time we ate, to the worship, to the talk, to the games, to the reflection, to the praisefest, everything was perfect! Everything was in accordance to what we planned. The games (bring me, water conservation, action message relay, water bomb, spider web and 'ibaba mo ako') imprinted smiles in the faces of the participants. Everyone was having fun in the most wholesome way. Very overwhelming. When it came to the last part of the day, where everyone had to go into a sort of reflection, the aura changed. The youths were intent and silent. I made them see themselves in a dark room all alone. Left by everyone they all thought loved them. I made them realize that in the darkest times of their lives, where everyone lost the willingness to be with them anymore, there is still one more person that they can go to. And that's Jesus Christ. I told them to talk to Jesus Christ. I asked them to divulge everything to Christ. And when they did, both of them will go out that room and see the light that will give them new hope! Whoa. It gives me goosebumps. I challenged them to stand up when they already got out of the room. When all of them did, I showed them 3 plates with paints in it. Two being black, and one white. I told them to cover their hands with the color of their choice. I told them to hold hands while telling them that this act will mark a new beginning of a unity for YFC's. I even made them raise their hands in welcome for the coming of Christ in that little group of youths before we worshipped. What followed was one of the most steadfast worship I ever had! It was darkening already, but our voices overcame the darkness and made that place holy for the time being! Oh, man. That Christmas Party was beyond awesome! It was something I could treasure in my heart forever! Hearing the voices of my fellow youths singing for God is something I would not trade with anything else. To God be the Glory all the time! And after that intense praisefest, we all packed up and went home. But that's not the end for that night. One more activity made that day the awesomest day of the year!”

           Here’s a surprise. Our fund for that event wasn’t drained to zero! There was still a few hundreds left.  What we did was some sort of thanksgiving jamming. At our house, we invited the members of the service team and some other participants, for some snack. With Ate Rose, Fides, and Yeyen, doing all the kitchen works, we were left with a pretty fun conversation. Reminiscing the things that happened during our Christmas party. We particularly enjoyed the part where we talked about how amplaya became vinegar, airplane became fireworks, fruit salad became coconut, and little girl became dwarf! We laughed, like, all the time. it was like, hahahahahahahahaha there, and hahahahahahaha here! Hahahahahahahaha! Hahahaha! Haha! Hahahaha! 

          When the foods came, we all dug in. thanking God first for the blessings. And while eating, we still had fun! After eating, we still had fun! Fun!

         And I know you’re waiting for these. To help you visualize how much fun we had during the entire day, here’s some of the pictures that will surely change the definition of fun to super fun! To God be the Glory!

                

         See? See how we were all dressed in Black or White? See how God blessed us? Well, you saw it. Let the pictures tell it all.

       And I hope, that despite our busy schedules, that all the colors of YFC will still be united after the event! We may be in different places now, with different people, doing different things, if all the YFC teachings we acquired for being YFC’s for all these years are kept and observed in our daily lives, we will always be BLACK!

       ‘Till next time, folks :D