to quantify this excitement, let's just say i was more excited to attending the MinCon in April than to graduating in March ;)
maybe, part of my excitement came from the fact that i'd be seeing my crush again.. teehee... :)
but honestly, i prayed for this.. i don't know why but i was quite sure that i'd be able to attend the event.. i waited and prayed for it to come... along with looking forward to all that i can experience, i invited and urged brothers and sisters in CYA Davao to join in the event.. some of those i invited were firs timers, some were able to attend the event before.. and so i was a little sad when not many of the people i invited could come...nevertheless, we must always trust God's timing and hope the best for them.
at the start of the event, i set a goal to achieve - that is to be able to listen to the Lord better. i needed to hear His words and messages clearly. i need to find peace in myself. i need Him to dominate my life.
During the event, the greetings of my brothers and sisters never failed me. They were all smiles, some even gave me warm hugs. CYA provides a gathering for different people to meet and feel really at home and at ease with each other, even if they've met them for the first time. and i can't help but really give out my best smile! :)
Throughout the 5-day event, the theme of being chosen, sent and joyful was repeated in amazingly different ways. During plenary sessions, we were taught that even people from long ago were called and chosen by God - people like Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, David, Elijah and others. Each of them have their weaknesses but the Lord chose them anyway. During worship sessions, songs sung were about being joyful in living the life God called us to live. The passages taken from the Bible for reflection were also centered on the theme (John 15:11-16). During the sexuality courses, in my case for sisters, the message of "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" which is from John 15:13 (still under the theme) was also discussed.
i actually have one favorite event in MinCon, that is "True Love Waits". It is a sexuality course for ladies. The course is composed of three subtopics - the Essence of True Love and Why It is Worth the Wait, Sex and the Truths Behind It, and the Stand of CYA to the pertaining issues discussed in the first two topics. i'd like to enumerate the things i've learned:
- True love or authentic love is not a vague statement or a blind passion of intense feelings. It is an inner attitude that involves the whole being. True love consists fullness of self-surrender and the completeness of personal commitment. It looks at the other person not to use them but to serve them. Love is a gift in itself. ~ Pope John Paul II
- God is Love (1 John 4:8). God created man and woman in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26). Therefore, God created man and woman in the image of love. We were created for love. Our destiny is to share in the depths of His love.
- and the best time to enter a relationship is when the issues you have in the past are resolved, you are spiritually mature, you are mentally mature, and financially ready.
- there is a grace in your "yes". when you say yes to God, He will give you the grace to go through what you stand for
i would also like to share to you one instant when we were worshiping the Lord one morning. i thanked God for letting me be able to see Him in nature, in my family, in brothers and sisters in CYA.. then ultimately, i thanked Him because i am able to see Him in myself.. i did not say it out of arrogance.. but out of recognizing that God is also able to work in my life.. suddenly i was moved to tears. i am a sinner yet God chose me. i easily fall back to laziness but still God chose me. suddenly everything went still. Then the song played.. "this is my desire to honor You; Lord with all my heart, i worship You; all i have within me, i give You praise; all that i adore is in You.." which effortlessly moved me further to tears.. and then later, still during the worship, my favorite song played.. ".. here is my life, Lord, heart, mind and body.." Wow!
i would also like to share you this video
**thanks to ate Kaina - she sacrificed showing her dancing skills just to capture ours
this was during the sisters' night. We were taught by ate Badette some basics on ballet and contemporary dancing. Later on, we were given an exercise on making dance steps for a worship song. And the song for all of us was "My Mouth Shall Praise You With Joy". at first i was like, "huh? this is the song we're using? it sounds so old and unmoving!" But in the end, it all boils down to who you're praising. And so it turned out to be a marvelous song! We created really nice steps and i was unexpectedly moved by God.. ;)
this was during the sisters' night. We were taught by ate Badette some basics on ballet and contemporary dancing. Later on, we were given an exercise on making dance steps for a worship song. And the song for all of us was "My Mouth Shall Praise You With Joy". at first i was like, "huh? this is the song we're using? it sounds so old and unmoving!" But in the end, it all boils down to who you're praising. And so it turned out to be a marvelous song! We created really nice steps and i was unexpectedly moved by God.. ;)
Later, during the fourth day, i received a message from the Lord. i was having lots of issues with myself. Honestly, sometimes i feel like i need to be recognized, be appreciated or whatever. Yet, through ate Badette, i heard God say, "I must increase and you must decrease".. The message was solid. It was never about me. Again, during the evening worship, i finally understood it all, "He must increase and i must decrease".. After almost five years of joining CYA, it was in that eventful night that i fell in love with God and truly accepted Him in my heart.
>> i am chosen, sent and joyful!! :) may bonus pa... God says i'm beautiful!! ♥ ♥ ♥
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