I Was Running, When I Should've Stopped at the Cross

John 16:33

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

i was running. i didn't know how fast, and i didn't care. i just knew i had to run. No, i wasn't running away never to return, i was just running under the pouring rain to a place where i knew was going to be safe for me to stay for a while.

Again, i screwed up. Things weren't going well around the house, so before i could do something terrible or vice versa, i ran out of the house with no second words. i probably hurt my brother and grandparents pretty bad, and i got them worried, but i just took off.

It was a long way from my house to KJ's. i guess i forgot, but when i got there, my breathlessness turned into tears. KJ wasn't there, but Ate M was. She was very concerned, and made sure i got warm. It was a pretty low day for me, especially since i was so afraid to face the people in the house once i returned.

After a while of waiting, KJ came back, and we talked. It was very encouraging for him to remind me how much love was surrounding me.

Then after dinner, Ate M got me and KJ to watch a sermon about trouble by Pastor Louie Giglio. It really opened my eyes more to what the Cross meant for me as a believer in Jesus.

First of all, it isn't true, what they say, that the Christian life was going to be an easy life. That God will always be the God we want Him to be; that He will never put us in a tight situation; or that in everything that happens, it alright, just because you're a Christian. Well, what if things get rough? What if they get so rough, you eventually come to that place where you question God's love for you, where you may question His existence, or where you just can't help but break down? What if? Where then, is the God that keeps us from the fires of life? Well, i'm here to tell you that that God doesn't exist. God is a God who makes you fireproof, not fire-less. Being fireproof doesn't mean that it'll never come, but that when it does, you'll be able to withstand it.

Now, back to what the Pastor was talking about, the Cross isn't something believers should cross once, and never to return again. Rather, it's the centerpoint of the Christian faith. It's when we take our eyes off the Cross that we begin to notice the waves all around us, and we forget to seek Jesus. When we focus our eyes on the Cross, we are reminded about how much love was proven on that very day at Calvary, and that He knows what's going on because He understands pain, despite our filth, He willingly took our place in death, and welcomed to His kingdom those who accepted Him.

Here in John16:33, Jesus talks about peace. True peace that can only be found in Him. The peace that He's freely given up for grabs to those who are willing to grasp it. But then, He says, "In this world, you will have trouble." If you think about it, peace and trouble are very opposite points in life, both of which, if you think about it, exist in the same sentence if they have "doesn't exist when there is" in the middle. However, Jesus continues, "But take heart! I have overcome the world."

As Pastor Louie Giglio said, this verse puts together two very different concepts, and associates them with what was going to happen a little while after. To have the peace Jesus was talking about, ou can't take the two sentences in this verse and focus on it, because that would lead to terrible theologies.

The first terrible theology when you take the verse apart, is that since you're a Christian, it's going to be smooth sailing from now on. Good times will come, and peace will be abundant. That sounds pretty twisted when you add a little reality to the broth.

The second, and more accepted terrible theology states that there's nothing but trouble in life, and that in order to live, you must accept it as it is, and just go on with your life. It's the more familiar theology in life, but nontheless, still very terrible.

Jesus takes two overlapping realities, and comforts us with His words. Yes, we're going to have troubles in life. Yes, it's not going to be easy, and it will bring us to the point of great distress sometimes, and it's not okay. But Jesus says, take heart! Have faith! Believe! Hold on! I have overcome the world. I am not bound by anything, and I will bring forth victory. Through this truth you have heard Me say, you will have peace.

The time i spent at KJ's house really got me through what was going on in my life. It's taught me to lean more onto Jesus and not let go of His promises. All the more, He's working out all things for the good.

Sometimes, we're put through fire. Sometimes, the sky's going to fall on us. Sometimes, the bottom's going to fall. But we have to remember that the Cross is what we should focus on if we call ourselves believers. It should remind us of what took place 2000 years ago. It should help us recall what our Savior went through, and that He isn't lacking in love. We should all the more turn to the Cross than from it when the weight of the world is on our shoulders. Jesus has overcome and overwhelmed it all, so let's take heart and hold on to this truth, and grasp the peace He's extending towards us!

1Corinthians1:18

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

Jesus Exemplified!!!

click here to view the first youth camp album (don't forget to check out days 2-6 as well)

1Timothy4:12

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

Last year, i wasn't able to join Youth Camp because God had better plans. This year, i prayed long and hard to be able to join, and amazingly, God's confirmed it to me time and time again that it is in His plans that i would join.

So i was so excited about camp, that i packed most of the stuff i knew i needed about a month before Camp was scheduled, and yes, you read it right, ABOUT A MONTH. I was so excited because i knew i would come out changed just like the Sweetly Broken Camp. Little did i know just how i was going to be changed. I also praise God that He planned for my brother to go as well.

Okay, so i heard that a bunch of the youth planned to meet up at church and go at 1pm on the day of Camp, so my brother and i were ready to go about half an hour before the time. Unfortunately, our mom and aunt were (yes, and i really DO mean what i say) a bit TOO PARTICULAR with our stuff even though we were all set. We arrived at church at around 1:17, and nobody was there. Thank God that one of the people there whom i knew offered to help us get to the vicinity because none of us knew where CCTC was. Mom gave us some money to get there. We arrived at 1:42, and we both got registered. They all gave us free time because Camp starts at 4:00pm. While there, my brother started taking pictures, and he met Kuya Michael (who is, btw, a cool photographer), and they both started talking about photography stuff that would just leave me bleeding at the nose. Anyway, me and some girls practiced the dance we prepared for Talent Night which would be on Friday.

At 4, KG welcomed us at Camp, and we proceeded with the Icebreaker games. First game was to give up one of our slippers, pile them up, grab one that's not yours, and get to know the owner. It was real fun (and thank God, not as smelly as expected). Next was rock, paper, scissors, dragon where everyone plays rock paper scissors with someone, and the loser goes to the winner's back, until we all fall in one large dragon of a line. Kuya Miggy won. He (Kuya Migs) then borrowed my guitar pick because it was the one thing he forgot to bring. The worship team the proceeded with teaching us all the Camp songs, Your Name High, and No Reason to Hide. Really cool songs, but since it was still the first day, everyone was just standing, clapping, and looking at the lyrics. We had dinner at 6, where afterwards, Kuya Migs broke the news to me that he lost my pick. It wasn't a big deal, but i still decided to test my acting skills, convincing him i was really upset, and that it would take time to get over with it. He was real depressed, until i told him i was just acting, which, i'm sure, he was very relieved with.

We then had our first session, "From the Inside Out" led by Pastor Jo in Ephesians4:29-30. The message was all about speech, and that what we chose to say really affects everyone around us, including ourselves, and that a Christian should strive to be set apart from the rest of the world, speaking things that build up and glorify our Creator, and be like Jesus, since from the beginning, though technology and styles have changed, never has the heart of man because the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. It takes a live fish to go against the flow, and it takes a dead fish to go with it. i love that line. Eye openners for our blind faiths. It was awesome.

We then had our counselor hunt, a way of knowing what team you belong to. All lights were out, and we should be able to find the leader (not exactly counselor, but yeah) we were assigned to. Problem was, CCTC was a wide place, so it was a lot like looking for your keys in the grass. i think none of us (in our team) was able to find our counselor, but time ran out, and we had to stop. So i belonged to one of the six teams called Gideon, composed of Kuya Aaron (team leader), Kuya Cole (team counselor), Yana, Alex(o), Alex(a), Anjo, Bangs, Ronna, Shay, Moymoy and Brian. Afterwards, lights out. Awesome first day.

i had a terrible night, trying every position i could think of to just fall asleep. That nightmare went on for hours, until i decided to check the time, and discovered it was 3:44, which got me tossing and turning a while after. Not until 5:30 when i woke up that i discovered i had slept just over an hour. Anyway, we then had our devotion, then breakfast (sit with your team, which, btw, was the noisiest table in the canteen), then a game called DODGEBALL!!! Teams had to partner up to form just three teams. Our team won second. Lunch was served, our table being the (proud to be) noisiest in the canteen, then we had free time. After that, the Workshop started, led by Kuya Mike, the topic being Devotions. Though much of it was covered during the Core night prior to this, i still learned a lot about devoting time to God, where it's all about Him. It was great.

That night, we had our second session, "Shine" with Pastor Jo in Matthew5:13-16. To be honest, i was drowsy during much of the session because (not to make excuses but) of the night before. The topic did not only concern being set apart from the rest of the world, but also about us influencing those who are in the world, and not being influenced. We (young as we are [and in a lot of years, were,]) are to be as Salt and Light, preserving, cleansing, adding to life, thirsty, dispelling the darkness, exposing truth, and leading to the way out of Satan's grasp. So dear flock, step up, step up, for Jesus is near!

Afterwards, we had the Life Game. A game requiring incredible teamwork where we are all one body to get the parts of the key and set our tied up leader free. Anjo played the eyes, Tiyan, the ears, me the mouth, Moymoy and the girls, the hands, and Alex and Brian the feet. We had to perform all tasks blindfolded, eyes excluded where the eyes whispered the commands to the ears, then the ears to the mouth. The mouth was the one who spoke out the instrucitons, and the only one allowed to speak up (and yes, i was very comfortable with that position, especially with the food part!). Sadly, our team didn't finish on time, and our poor leader, who was the most secure just sat there waiting. We all still had a blast, especially what happened in the horror chamber, right guys? After that, lights out.

This time, i had the sleep i needed. Didn't take a bath though (and no, i didn't stink, coz i asked a few people), becaus i knew we were eventually going to get down, dirty, sweaty and messy after the morning. We then had our devotion and individual devotions. It was awesome having alone time with the One who created all things. After that, we had breakfast, then the game VOLLEYBALL!!! No, we didn't win again, but since during our game, the opposing team only had a point more than we did, we were thankful for the really close fight. We then had lunch, then rest time (which, btw, we usually used for dance practice), then the Workshop, led by Kuya JB, concerning FRIENDSHIP. Concerning this, it was a really good and encouraging workshop. It's really cool to know that when you're building up someone, you sometimes fail to realize that you too are being built up as well. After that, i was really encouraged to encourage.

We then had dinner, then our third session, "Unashamed" led by none other than Pastor Jo taken from Daniel3. It was an awesome message because i really don't like comprimising about my faith, because, sad to say, that's where most of us tend to fall when we pud down our shields. I want to strive for the Saving Faith that puts all hope and trust on things that are for eternity, and not the Demonic Faith that only believes with the mind, nor the Temporal Faith that focuses only on things that are on this earth. It taught me that we should have faith NOT in God's answers, but in His person, that whichever way He chooses to lead us, we would accept it, be it a walk on the beach, or a boatride in the storm, we would accept it the way Job accepted his trials in Job1:21 because God is a God who know what He's doing. Afterwards, we then had a short movie. After that, God reminded me that one of the reasons He placed me at camp was because there was a problem that needed to be solved in me. i then went over to talk with Kuya Cole since he was the one i was most open to at the moment. We talked, and God just revealed to me that i was still in shackles, because for a long time, i noticed i was fearful with getting real close to people. God showed me that it was because of all the pressure i was putting on myself not to mess up, or sin, or cause anyone harm, partly because i did hate it when people get hurt because of me, and because of the fear that they would condemn me or do harmful things back, and that this has caused me to be too serious for my own good with a lot of things. But the truth of the matter is, i'm still made of flesh and bone, and as willingly as God has gifted me to forgive people, so has He gifted every sibling with the same willingness to forgive. God wanted me to be free during that period of time. Free to unload my burdens, free to express myself, free to not think too much, free not to worry, free to make friends, free to teach, free to be taught, free to breathe easily without paranoia, and free to just be in awe of Him without any distractions. An awesome night.

Next day, we woke up, did our awesome individual devotions, ate breakfast, then had our third game, popularly known as KICKBALL!!! We had fun, but this time, most of us were in un-Christ-like mode. i could clearly see some of the rules being broken, some of us not saying things encouraging, and we had the least cheers that game. That wasn't right. So to make fair, fair, we all decided to give all the teams the same number of points. After lunch, we were all encouraged to take a break since later that night, we were going to have the AFTERGLOW, so that meant no practice for our little dance group. It was fine though. We sure needed the rest.

After that, we had our third workshop concerning PURITY. It was convicting, especially for us guys (btw, KG lectured the guys, and Ate Abba lectured the girls separately). Anyway, the message was awesome, changing, and fun. We then had dinner, and then the fourth session, "Sacrifice" in Luke10:25-37, and 1Corinthians13. It was a very cool message. Pastor Jo talked about the four loves, Eros, Estorge, Phileo, and Agape (the most important). I began to see more of the unique beauty in each of the four loves, especially the wonder found in Agape, which requires no condition, no task, no reward or anything. How God loves us oh so much.

When Pasor Jo closed the session, we then had the AFTERGLOW. We all felt God's presence crash on us. It was an array of unexplainable moments where you would just feel His love pour out on you. i (and a lot of us, if i might add) found our eyes soaked up in tears. I fell on my face just praising the MIGHTY ONE who lives. It was too beautiful to be called beautiful. Barriers were broken, hearts and lives were changed, thoughts were expressed, and to think, Jesus would give us the freedom just to be in awe of Him! It was an awesome night, and afterwards, i lost a portion of my voice. We then had a bonfire where we took pictures, had fellowship, and just had fun. Eventually, we had to sleep.

Next day, we had to rise up early and have an early breakfast. After that, we crammed into the rides because we were going to the beach that day! When we arrived, we gathered next to the water, under a tree to discuss the rules, and have our devotion. KG called those who wanted to be baptized in the biblical way. He explained that baptism was an act of symbolically showing your love and devotion for Christ publicly. i decided to do so. Others also decided, and i was surprised to see my brother freely allowing himself to be baptized. i mean, i didn't even have to talk to him about it. They all prayed for us, then we began. It was awesome! Well, except for the part that i expected to be submerged in the water much longer, KG, Lolo Lloyd and Kuya Cole pulled me out and my head sort of got left behind a bit. i laughed when i saw the picture.

Anyway, after that, they prayed for us one more time, then we had our Relay Race! KG explained to us the rules, the tasks and the parts of the game. Each of us would be assigned to a different task. First, Yana and Bangs would do the three-legged race, then Anjo would do the army crawl, then Moymoy would do the back crawl, then i would swim around the far off buoy in the water, then Shay would skip rope to Brian who would walk with coconut husks under his feet, then Alexa and Alexo would do the death crawl then last, Ronna would do the pingpong ball balance to the finish line, passing the bug along the way. When we did the race, it was very exciting because we were far in the lead! We won 8000 points for our team that morning. It was really fun! Then we had free time until 3pm. We had real fun with the underwater cams, the boats, the fellowship, and (of course, never to forget) the FOOD!!! It was an awesome day. One really cool part was when schools of fish started to jump out of the water! It was SO COOL to see the little guys just doing what God made them to do! Eventually, 3pm came and we had to get back to CCTC.

When we arrived, we had free time, which we spent for practicing for what would happen that hight. After of which, we had dinner, which was a bit nerve racking since we were having TALENT NIGHT afterwards. I also met up to pray with the girls because i knew we didn't practice enough for the dance, but we reminded each other that this wasn't a competition, just an intermission number, and more importantly, we were dancing for God, just lifting back up our desire and our talents to Him.

When we all gathered there, the parents were already finding a place to sit, and we soon discovered that we were going to be the fourth group to present, so we readied all our stuff, our parts, our talents, and our hearts. The first three groups were really good and funny. Me and the girls were then called to do our dance, so we did. i cannot tell you how much we messed up. i loved every bit of it. TIJOC (Treasure In Jars Of Clay from 2Corinthians4:7) had a blast that night! After that, we were up! We gave each other last second reminders of what to do, where to go, and when to move. We then started. We all just had a blast performing what we came up with. For the most part, we were really glad to hear the laughter of everyone in the room when we presented. It was cool. Same can be said about the other teams. After the whole thing, when they announced the winners, our team really didn't expect anything, until Kuya Popong announced that we won first place, CD's of the Camp Tracks, stickers, and 10,000 points! We were so happy! We also won best props since we decided to get up in costumes, and use what we had. Awesome night.

After that, we had a second bonfire, then the TRIBALISTA presentation. You'll have to view the pictures to find out what happened. It was a really funny night. Then we roasted marshmallows and hotdogs until the night was over, though none of us wanted it to.

We rose up later than the usual 6am the next day, then we had our Community Devotion, then breakfast, and then the fifth session, "Jesus the Ultimate Example" in Psalm119:9, 1John3:16-18, Ephesians5:1-2, and 1John2:6. During the worship part of the session was different (like last night). We were just pouing our our all into worship, jumping, singing (a few of us off key, if i might add), dancing, and just being free, unlike the first time we arrived. Here's what i got: We as Christians need to have that ability to trust and surrender ourselves to the Living God, being set apart from the rest of the world, trusting in God's person, letting Him pour out His love on us, spreading it, growing, knowing, seeking, believing, reflecting, persevering, and just let Jesus in so we would be more like Him. We then had a communion.

After of which, we (sadly) had our last meal together, then we packed our things, distributed the shirts, had fellowship and picture taking, then we said our goodbyes.

Jesus continues to be awesome. He changed both me and my brother at camp. May He continue to do so for the rest of our lives. We're ready to exemplify Jesus!!!

LOVE

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

-John 13:34

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."

-1John 3:16

What is love? Have you ever been asked that question? i'm pretty sure you have. When someone talks about love, the boy-girl relationship is really the first thing that crosses our mind. Not that there's anything wrong about that, but when you talk about the genuine TRUE LOVE, the love that Jesus Christ showed upon the cross, it is a much deeper, and more meaningful love to talk about. i'm going to talk about how God gave me a more genuine insight about what love really is.

Last night was a ery special night for the Core. Last night, we had movie night, and the movie was "Fireproof." It was about this man named Caleb who screwed up his marriage with his wife, Catherine, and was now trying to fix it because his dad helped him realize there was still a part of him that wanted to save their marriage because his wife had already prepared the divorce papers. His dad gave him a book entitled "The Love Dare" which was a 40-day journey that Caleb would have to take. It was written in his dad's hand, filled with Biblical teachings and suggestions what to do, like buying her flowers, or do something unexpected.

Catherine rejected every single one of Caleb's gestures. Out of hope and halfway through the 40-day journey, he had a talk with his dad that made him realize that love isn't about showing how much you care for someone, but it's this unexplainable "thing(*)" that leads you to care and do things for someone, regardless of whether or not they deserve it, or will accept it, surpassing all storms, all trials, all rejections, all fires, all hardships. In the same way, his dad made him realize that Jesus is always showing us how much He loves us, especially what He did for us on the cross to save us from all we've ever done against Him, and all we've ever done was reject Him.

Caleb (and the viewers) has now received a much more genuine insight about what love is, and is now doing what the book is leading him to, ultimately because of his love for his wife. In the end, Catherine finally realized the truth of what Caleb's been doing, and has accepted both him, and Jesus.

Caleb then goes to his dad to thank him for the faithfulness he's shown, and for not giving up on mom when he took the Love Dare. However, his dad said that although the book was written in his hand, it was his mom that took the Love Dare when he wanted to leave, and that he wrote it in his hand because he knew that Caleb would take it from him. This broke Caleb because he used to always get annoyed about how his mom acted like, like you know, mom, he realized how strong his mom was, and what her faithfulness led their family to. This part made me cry the most.

As i'm writing this (or in this case, typing), it still makes me cry about how much my mom really loves me, and that how she showed her strength to raise both me and my brother alone really made a great impact in my own life. Though she gets worried much, and tends to get all clingy, like Caleb's mom, i've always tried not to complain about that because here on earth, she's the only one i've ever got apart from my brother, and it shatters me when i make her feel like retiring from motherhood.

Up until this day, she and the rest of the family remain unbelievers, sticking to their religion. In my walk with God, there have been times when i really felt like either giving up, or just be taken away. But looking at how Jesus persevered on His excruciating journey to the cross, i want to persevere with my mission here on earth with His guidance.

Not just for my family, but for everyone, i want to continue spreading truth. i'll continue to step up in faith to show them that God does not want our sacrifices, our works, or our religion. Rather, He just wants our whole selves. i want to show them that there is nothing and no one else but Jesus that they could go to for salvation, or forgiveness, or needs; that prayers are our conversation with God, and not repeated gestures, or something given by a anybody that is to be presented to God, like it's "the right words to say"; that religion is worthless and that they should come to a church that is committed to Jesus, and nobody or nothing else; and that reading the Bible is more important than eating.

That night really gave me a new and better perspective of love. It isn't something that must be shown, rather it's something that should be given. It isn't something that requires you to make gestures to someone, rather it's something that leads you to want to do great things for someone. It isn't something that can only be shared with a "special someone", or a spouse, but even to somebody whom you just met. Most of all, it isn't something reserved to reward someone for something special that they've done, rather, true, genuine love exists unconditionally, whether or not somebody deserves it, whether or not somebody wants it, whether or not somebody asks for it.

Jesus loves you! God bless you all.

Sweetly Broken

"the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart. O God, You will not despise."

- Psalm 51:17

This year's first ever CORE camp in CCD is the very first college ministry summer camp, as it is my very first summer camp. The theme for this year is Sweetly Broken, wherein we are taught the true meaning of brokenness as a believer, how it happens, why it has to happen, and where God really is in our brokenness. It was da COOLEST! We couldn't bring (use, rather) our cellphones, or bring anything like games to lessen our distractions, but it was WORTH IT!!! I'm glad i left my phone.

Since it was my first camp ever, i was (naturally) out of my shoes excited. I finished packing my bags two nights before the first day, and i kept on calling Pastor Jerry (or Kuya Jerry or KJ) our youth pastor, for information, precautions, rules, activities, and other stuff that i felt like i was starting to get on his nerves (hahah).

On the very day (March 23) after lunch, i set off to CCD to meet up with those who were going to get a ride to the venue. When we finally left, i already started taking pictures of everything and everyone, especially when we arrived. Everyone registered on time (except for Kor, who had a class and arrived past six). We had a blast with the first game, wherein each of the campers shouted out their own name and course. Later, they split us all up into two groups, separating us (the groups) with a thick blanket. The object of the game was to guess the name and course of the person on the other side of the blanket when it was pulled down. Our team won! WOOHOO!!! After that, we played cops and robbers, guys versus girls. Girls won, but it was real fun!

KJ and Ate M always encouraged us to meet new people. They even grouped us into tables with people we didn't know during dinner. On our table, we had a real fun conversaton, but we had to end it because Session 1 was about to start, and Pastor Jo will be teaching us. The message was awesome! It was taken from Hosea 2:14-23, wherein God was punishing His people for their unfaithfulness, but He reminds us that He hates sin, but loves the sinner (oh, how i love that line!), and wants us to draw to Him and Him alone because the things of this world are worthless and broken. He also reminds us that we have to be broken and contrite (Psalm 51:17b) in order to obtain self-emptiness, because God is all we will ever need, and that after brokenness, we always get a new, better perspective of God. The message not only spoke to me, but to all of us. I spent time alone, talking to God afterwards in one of the covered areas. It was awesome. After a while, Kuya Miggy approached me to find out what's up, after he had a conversation with Kuya Cole. We bonded and encouraged each other for a while and shared our struggles. It was great. Eventually, we all had to go to bed.

The next day, i woke up at 5am (after waking up and sleeping again at 3am), and did my morning devotion next to a praying mantis. Afterwards, i took a few cool pics of everything, especially the colors reflecting the ocean before the sun rose. Kuya Champy then woke up and we both sat on the sand, staring at the horizon. Not too long afterwards, i discovered that he was actually waiting for the sunrise. I took more really cool pics of it. He and i then sang the first lines of the song, Beautiful. We then started our group devotion, then took our physical b-fast, and had Session 2 with Pastor Jo. The message was really awesome as well. It was taken from Genesis 32:22-32 when Jacob was wrestling with God. Pastor Jo reminded us that although Jacob was chosen by God to receive the blessing which was originally intended for Esau, Jacob was self-consumed, and his heart was not right with the Lord. When he struggled with God, he obviously lost, and received a broken hip. Pastor Jo reminded us that the first step to brokenness is admitting our failures, and that God is always right. If we struggle against God, insisting our way of the flesh, we WILL lose! There's no point in standing firm on something which God points out as wrong. After the session, we prayed for each other, and then had lunch, then we had our free time, which i spent on taking an extra long, relaxing, nap.

After i woke up, we were about to start our group activity, Core version of the Amazing Race! We were distributed to three groups. I was on the Orange Team! I tell you, the tasks weren't easy, and all had to be done in teams, like skiing with wood with teammates across the entire yard, filling up a bucket with water using nothing but the clothes on your back, passing two bicycle tires in a group circle, crabwalking across the sand. It was EXHAUSTING! Fun, but exhausting. Our team won because even though we finished second, we were the only team which stuck our flag in the correct place! Out of breath, we were called by KJ so he could tell us the purpose for the game. Not only was it for team building, but it meant a lot more than that. Reading the clues, we scanned through the paper like lightning, afterwards, just remembering the words, we took off to do the task, even though the task wasn't done pretty well. Though this was a game, the same thing shouldn't be done in our time with God, when we read our Bibles, afterwards, saying, "That was great!", and then taking off to face the challenges of the world. It needs time spent to understand what was written. When we were told to do the task again, most if not all of us took the instruction like sport. We shouldn't be like that when we receive rebuke from God, or a bro or sis, even if it means we have to go through the same task again. Some of us weren't exactly a good encouragement to our teammates when we did the race, even. In our walk, our bros and sis are there to encourage us! Last but not the least, not one of us started the game with a group prayer. It was all about winning. In our relationship with the Lord, are we more focused on God, or ourselves? Or rather, do we even have an intimate relationship with God where God is large and in charge, and have we ever considered His supremacy? The message really spoke to me. I was, yet again, SWEETLY BROKEN!

After the activity, we were given free time. While the servant leaders were preparing for the activity later that night, some of us played Si Maria, and Cat and Dog in the water, others (KJ included) played the great Sand Ball Tournament, while others did their usual. We then had dinner, and then Session 3, the last session of the camp. The teaching was taken from Psalm 51. God washed in over us that night. It was (yet again,) AWESOME!!! He revealed a lot to us like the way He breaks us, the way He comforts us, and the way He always restores us willingly. We then had our afterglow wherein we did nothing but worship with songs, and pray for one another. A lot of us (me included) had tears streaming down our eyes. God was there!

After the afterglow, we (the ones who were willing to take part in the last activity) were given index cards. We tasked to write our masks, the things we cover up and pretend about on one half, and on the other, the sins we still hold on to, so we wrote.

On the sand, we lit up the bonfire and burned the first half of our index cards in it. Near the campfire was a cross that was put up earlier, and we nailed the second half (the one with the sins) on it. Now, the activity didn't mean anything significant in a life-changing way, but it was just a symbol of our willingness to let go of our dishonesties and insecurities, and nailing in our sins with Jesus as a sign of lifting it all up to Him. We continued to sing praises around the campfire, until i accidentally slept on the sand. Ate Mich had to wake me up for midnight snacks, where we roased marshmallows and hotdogs over the open campfire. It was fun and delicious, but the only problem was that the sticks were too short, and the fire was too hot, so it took some trouble to get the food cooked, but i know none of us wanted it any other way. We then got ready for bed. Ate M had to scold us (the guys) a few times before we actually decided to go to sleep. We eventually did.

The next morning, i, again, woke up at 5, and did my devotion. I also got a few shots of the sunrise, and the other guys sleeping. We later did our group devotion, then b-fast, then the last encouragement in Deuteronomy 8:2. After that, we were given free time. For a video that Hillsong needed, those of us who were interested got a good clip of what broke us. I then went to the sea by myself to just goof around in the water. Then the most awesome thing happened. God later told me to sit where the sand and the water touched, and just look around and meditate on what i saw. I tell you, it was really cool.

What God showed me during those moments at the water's edge was that we are as powerless and insignificant as the sand that stood under the mercy of the waters. Our time here on earth is as limited as the time each grain of sand spent on staying put at where the waves crashed. It was the sea that decided for the stilness and the demise of the sand. God was the sea. As vast, and as powerful as the ocean was, compared to the sand, so is He compared to us, times an eternity.

After that, i spent time reflecting, then played cards, packed my bags, and then we went back home. The brokenness i discovered during the stay there at camp was life-changing. God has revealed Himself more beautiful than ever!!!