#ivcf

If there is one thing Kawayan Camp did for me, it was overturning the self-defeating narratives I had about myself.

I had walked away from leadership, defeated, feeling like an utter failure for not reaching the standard of leadership I had in mind. When I was asked how I saw myself as a leader during the first SR, I broke down in tears because all I could see was a girl still grieving and hurting, whose dreams of leadership had been shattered years ago.

I came into KC hoping to lay down that hurt so I could start believing and listening to a better story—one that is true, one that is redemptive, one that could change the way I see myself and the way I see Him.

God has been so gracious. When I first laid down my hesitations about faith and how I viewed His kingdom, He always took the initiative to meet me in my curiosity. I realized that everything I came to understand about Him was only possible because He made Himself known.

During the camp, He made it clear who He is: a God who is intentional, a God of order. He thoughtfully placed desires and dreams in my heart because they are part of His original plan and design. I am meant to play a role in His kingdom project simply by being myself, patterned after how He created me. He encountered me personally.

What’s even more amazing is how He revealed Himself through the lives of fellow leaders whom He called and convicted to serve Him. Hearing their stories, seeing how He redeemed and restored them, and realizing that we all shared the same burdens made me see His faithfulness more clearly. He has been faithful in their lives, and I came to realize He is also faithful in mine. In KC, I found the family I had long been searching for.

When I looked at all the student leaders, a part of me felt lonely. I wondered, what if I hadn’t walked away back then? Would He have used me the same way He used them?

But that narrative slowly shifted: how can I be someone who journeys with these students, helping them see their stories within God’s bigger story—just as He shifted mine?

InterVarsity Responds to Authors’ Protest Regarding Views on Homosexuality

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is an umbrella evangelical ministry working mainly in the US. (InterVarsity) Controversy continues to surround InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA (IVCF) after it announced authors would not be subject to the same restrictions as staff regarding views on homosexuality.  (more…)

At the end of October, I had my last meetings with students on high school campuses. Come January, I will finish my time as a minister with High School Ministry with IVCF. We celebrated over good food and singing, prayer and lots of laughter. It was incredibly difficult to say goodbye to the students. They have become like younger brothers and sisters to me and I cherish them deeply. I hope to see them grow, even if it’s from afar (or through social media), and develop into faithful men and women of God. I am so grateful for the chance to journey with them throughout the last five years.

As I reflect, here are a few things that I have learned about high school students today:

High school students today need adult mentors and role models in their lives. They are looking for someone to confide in, to keep them accountable, to give them perspective, and to aspire to be like in the future. So often when I talk about teenagers, the reaction I get from friends is either that they want to avoid any reminder of their own teenaged years, they have certain, and most often negative, stereotypes of teens, or they are afraid of and want to avoid teens at all costs. I have come to value more and more the positive impact of having multi-generational people in my life. There is so much we can learn from each other. If there’s a young person in your life, take some time to invest in them.

I’ve found that the message that I’ve shared to young people most often, and the thing they most need to hear is that they are worthy of love and belonging, and can find that in Christ wholly and abundantly. There is so much in our society that communicates to young people that they are not worthy to be loved or to belong. An encounter with Jesus and being rooted in the truth of his love and grace completely transforms us.

Teenagers never cease to surprise me. I’ve learned not to underestimate them, and especially what they can accomplish in a group when they have their minds set on something. They have great potential and raw gifts for leadership, and much wisdom, vision,, skill, and passion. Young people on fire for God can do so much for his Kingdom.

I am reminded again and again that the season of young adulthood is one of discovering God and discovering our gifts and limitations and allowing God to shape our character. Often students are preoccupied with the future, with their present circumstances and emotions, or all the things in their lives they want but don’t have. At the end of the day it’s often come down to the questions “Who is God?”, “How does this affect my relationship with him?”, and “What is he teaching/disciplining in me through this experience?” These are the key questions to ask in this season of their lives.

School is a mission field for students. This is where they spend 6 hours a day, five days a week for 10 months of the year for about 12 years of their lives before potentially pursuing further studies after high school. Being a follower of Jesus as a teenager doesn’t mean waiting until you’re an adult and have a full-time job to live missionally. It means starting to live in a way that shares Jesus in our daily lives, in our daily routines, and in the relationships with the people we encounter on a daily basis. I have seen how this shift in perspective can empower young people and transform the way they live.

Christmas feels here at IVCF home. Grabe, nagiging home ko na talaga ‘tong IV. Sobrang kumportable ko na rito kahit puro staff lang kasama ko. IVCF really is a gift to me, simula ng mainvolved ako dito parang nagkaroon ng kabuluhan yung buhay ko. Dito dinefine kung paano talaga maging servant leader. Nakakainspire yung mga staff kasi kahit madalas delayed yung sweldo nila, nandun pa rin yung passion nila to serve lalo na sa mga students.

Nakakataba nga naman kasi ng puso, as an SG leader sa chapter namin ang sarap sa feeling yung part ka ng paggrow ng isang estudyante spiritually. Crucial nga lang in a way kasi hinuhubog mo yung belief nila. Pero pag nakikita mo na yung gradual changes and growth nila, priceless eh. :) sayang at tsaka ko 'to naappreciate kung kelan malapit na kami grumaduate.

Pero pwede pa rin naman bumalik ng PUP, or tumulong sa IV. Inaasar nga nila ako, magvolunteer staff daw ako pagkagraduate. Tinatawanan ko na lang. Pero to be honest gumugusto na ko. XD kung dito ako inilalagay ni Lord, why not?