PROCLAIMING
JESUS CHRIST
THROUGH
CYBER-EVANGELIZATION
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1st
CFC-FFL YOUNG MINISTRIES MEGA CONFERENCE SHARINGS
 Last
October 20 to 21, Tagaytay City played host to the first CFC
FFL Young Ministries Mega Conference (MEGACON). Kids coordinators
(and some kids, too), youth and youth coordinators, singles
and singles coordinators from all over Luzon came to hear
the continuing message of Lamentations – the message:
"Lead us back to you, O Lord, that we may be restored:
give us anew such days as we had of old." (Lamentations
5:21)
There
was nothing of the usual sort – competitions, workshops,
all night sessions – and instead the Megacon focused
on what was important: God and our relationship with Him.
Powerful and moving sessions were given by speakers on fire
with the grace of God –  Patrick
Oconer, Jepoy Meneses and Joseph Tesoro. Breakout sessions
for Singles, Youth and Kids were also given to see how we
can move on specifically to those ages.
It
was a great weekend of hope, joy and seeing the true message
of lamentations. That even in our suffering and tribulation,
we still have a God who is taking care of us every step of
the way.
Contributed
by:
F.
Xavier X. S. Padilla
Missionary
xavyniceday.multiply.com |
| I
have never been absent in any conference since I joined SFC
(1999) be it MMLC or the ILC.
Usually, the speakers and the sharers have maximum impact
on me. During the Mega Conference in Tagaytay, it was seeing
the Full Time Volunteers playing with the kids that had impact
on me.. It was seeing the service team secure their posts
well so they can join in the worship or attend the Mass. They
were actually part of the conference! This gave the speakers
credibility. Why? It is because the speakers were trying their
best to re-focus everyone to God. They said that our lives
and service is actually all about God. There was even a strong
emphasis on relationships.
Therefore, the service team's joining in the worship and actually
being there affirms what the speakers said. It made a great
impact on me because the whole conference is a celebration
for God and with God. It is not just a show the service team
was running.
Since they had the time to talk to us participants and smile
a lot too, the event was more relational than just work they
had to get through with.
I never knew what I had been missing till I found it in Revive.
Beeeeeaaaautiful!!!!!!
P.S.
I was never a 'fan' of FTW's. I served with some of them before
and they left a very bad taste in the mouth. After Revive,
I now see what true missionaries are like and they are in
our midst! You are now in my VIP list, as in Very Inspiring
People.
Contributed
by:
Chelo De Pedro |
Three
sisters spent the night at my place so we can leave early
for Tagaytay the next day for the first ever Mega Conference
of CFCFFL. We excitedly prepared our Hip-hop or Grunge outfits.
We even had to do research as to how it was like apart from
our usual corporate look.
When Saturday night came, we changed into our outfits and
laughed at ourselves silly! The guard even had to check
us out twice. He hesitated for a moment if he'd allow us
entry. Success! The research was worth it...our look is
convincing enough.
We struck poses here and there while relishing the cool
breeze. No rush. No time to beat, just all the bonding moment
we could soak up on.
The bands were awesome! I was hoping that there'd be some
recording people there so they can get discovered. We danced
like nobody's watching and sang our hearts out like no one
else could hear. It was FUN!
We were snuggly tucked in bed after a midnight snack at
10:30pm. I thought the clock went dead or something but
it was in perfect condition. It was me who was disoriented.
It used to be that at 12:30am, we're barely done at the
conference site.
After a leisurely bath and breakfast at 7am (what restful
night, huh?), we chatted some more and even had a make-up
session - as in cosmetics! To me, these are what beautiful
memories are made of.
This no-rush conference is refreshingly relaxing. We have
a word for its success--EFFORTLESS! I find this amazing
since the service team barely had a month to prepare for
it. In all this, I felt God lovingly taking care of me.
I got to enjoy Him more. This is not just the God whom I
serve because He is my Master; in this conference, I felt
His friendship to be so real.
I had been refreshed and indeed, REVIVED!
Contributed
by:
Chelo
De Pedro
|
| After
the Revive MegaCon, we had fun at the picnic grove. When we
were on our way to Manila, I tossed a question to the brothers
and sisters..."What was it about the conference that
struck you most?"
I was best able to relate to a sister who was most struck
by the priest's sermon. Father said God hears our prayers
but has reasons why it takes time. She said, she asked God
to let her pass her board exam. When she didn't make the cut,
she questioned God. I too have been asking God for blessings
that seem to take ages to come. I am at the point of questioning
Him too. When Father gave the sermon and shared the story
of the three monks, I was humbled.
God knows me better that I know myself. He knows the best
time for me. I am staying put because I may not see the answers
to my prayers from where I am right now but that doesn't mean
it isn't on its way yet.
The Revive Conference revived my faith and patience. I believe
that the sister who shared so feels the same way too.
The Mass may have been the last but it sure made an impact!
Contributed
by:
Chelo
De Pedro |
“Heaps
of Faith and Bountiful Joy”
My Megacon Experience
As
I attended the first meeting for the Mega Con and when we
were designated to different committees, I had the felt
that the people in the room were veterans to undertakings
like this. But God will never truly allow a bit of complacency
and pride to consume anyone of us. He placed us in diverse
scenarios that allowed us to believe that He is the only
one who can make the conference happen. As the days slowly
lead us closer to the event, the following uncertainties
beset us. There were the unconfirmed number of participants;
anxiety over the lack of financial resources, and lack of
manpower. But everyone facd these challenges positively.
These problems were not new to me because we experience
them in every conference. But the excitement and the serenity
in my heart were unique. Everyone in the team knew what
we were up against yet I felt that everyone had the passion
to see this through.
The
lack of manpower gave us the opportunity to be a family
of workers for God in CFC FFL. It was not the time to just
be concerned with one’s ministry, nor one’s
committee, for everyone needed to be there for one another.
I was honored to be part of such a team. Every one served
not for excellence alone, but to uphold the truth.
I
found my service as one of the stage managers a great privilege.
Aside from the fact that I really find it a privilege to
be part of the program preparations, I had the chance to
have a first hand view of spectacle of God’s hand
among those who attended the first conference of the Young
Ministries. The sight of hundreds of people passionately
worshipping God during every worship and Praisefest was
undeniably amazing. But little did I know that God will
allow me to witness a more astounding experience. It touched
me to see that even the service team were present in the
talks and in the worship. Truly, it is God first before
anything else. It was humbling because everyone knew that
the conference wasn’t just a piece of functional stuff
but a time to personally hear and experience God’s
words.
Affirmations
weren’t the end goal of those who served in this conference.
God was enough. But it has made God’s love and affirmation
more real whenever we hear good feedback from the participants.
One participant was touched by the cheerfulness and joy reflected
by the service team instead of a group of stressed people.
Indeed, God was moving powerfully among all those present.
Anyone who was there would truly say it was an event worth
treasuring.
I have that to say myself. It was really more than a conference
for me. I was really affirmed that I am in the community where
God wants me to be. I am blessed with a family of workers
who value God first and foremost, and who are willing to give
everything with faith and joy.
Contributed by:
Giella
Garcia Sanchez
|
I
AM HIS, HIS ALONE
 With
my conviction to respond to His personal call for me to bring
back my prayer life, serve Him with all humility and serve
Him with my family, I decided to move on to CFC-FFL
Youth about a week before the MegaCon. Honestly, the reality
that I have moved on to a new community hasn’t sunk
into my whole system; not until God brought me to
experience all of Him during the MegaCon. The first
morning of the conference, everything started to make real
sense. That morning, as I saw the big crowd with several new
faces along with the long tarp of CFC-FFL (with the new logo)
hanging at the stage, I started to tell myself over and over
again that the split in our community is real, that CFC-FFL
is real, that I had chosen to venture and dive into an unknown
deep ocean and that I have already started to gone off shore.
I started to sincerely realize that my walk with the
Lord and my experience of lamentations mattered and was at
every aspect life changing. I started to humbly admit
that all of these are never about me, that all of these are
about Him, and that all of these matter most to my
God. That morning was the start of a weekend I will
never forget.
God
amazed me the whole of that two day conference. He never failed
to bring me to tears the whole time I worshipped Him in prayer
and songs as He kept on whispering how much He wanted
my heart and all of who I am back into His arms.
He never failed to bring me to tears the whole time He speak
powerfully and personally through each of the talks, constantly
affirming me that all of these are about His personal
calling and His great plans for each and every one
of us. He never failed to move me to tears as He constantly
made me feel peaceful despite my countless doubts
through the presence of the loving family, friends, titos
and titas, and all the new brothers and sisters in Christ
I met during that great weekend. Genuinely, I was
brought back to the fervor of my first love with my God as
I desperately prayed for peace and the strength of heart to
accept His will. True enough, He granted me that
serenity of heart.
The
MegaCon was indeed God’s way of affirming me that all
things will turn out beautiful for I am called for a beautiful
purpose – a purpose whose beauty I can never
fathom with my weak human understanding. I came to the MegaCon
with so much unanswered questions. The whole weekend didn’t
answer all my questions but each moment of it persistently
reminded me of one certain truth that I am called to put my
faith in – one truth that is more than enough reason
to be still amidst the tempest – I AM HIS AND
HE INEXHAUSTIBLY LOVES ME SO MUCH. And it is certain
that such love would bring me only so much more than the best.
Today, I joyfully and excitedly wait for all these and more
that are yet to come.
I
am called. I stand firm to my conviction.
I am for Christ.
Contributed
by:
Joy Aguila
CFC-FFL Youth |
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