I was cleaning my room a few days ago and came across a box. I opened it and it felt like a time capsule exploded on me because I found all my old CFC-Youth (just referred to as YFC back then) camp, pre-con, conference and leadership retreat tags. So many memories of my early youth days!
I was lucky enough to find some old pictures too which caused me to reminisce even more. In the middle of my time traveling, it suddenly hit me- the Lord has been leaving clues of His greater plan for me in the details. Since the very start which was on a warm summer night in August….
First CAMP | A New Beginning
Camp Edgewood x August 29, 2001. Half these people are either married and/or parents. Some of them have even signed up to be CFCs. Spot Jose/Krissy Buenavides! Jose was the Team Servant for my camp, and now the couple is serving as the Couple Coords for HSB GTA.
First CONFERENCE | A Time to Build
North American Conf x YFC/SFC (2002)
“And I say build up, build up, prepare the way! Remove every obstacle from my people’s way” -Isaiah 57:14. The theme was all about being in build mode for the new generation of believers who would be bolder and more radical in doing God’s work in N.A. and the rest of the world. They spoke about the beauty of this community, the ugliness of society and the reality of God’s promise.
First Pre-Conference | Testify
“I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live. No longer I, but Christ lives in me.”- Galatians 2:20
First Regional Leaders Conference | Driven
The conference focused on being “driven, above & beyond the call”.
Camp Season | Believe
“But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in His name.“- John 20:31. I was taken out of Community Based as a household head and moved to High School Based as President for St. Aloysius Gonzaga. There were no manuals to go off of, and we kept having to re-introduce the club to the school because the chaplains kept changing. My counterparts also kept changing. I was frustrated, but stayed obedient to the call. Being team servant allowed me to meet so many people and create intimate relationships with each one of them. It revived my spirit to keep serving for HSB.
Camp Season | Freedom
“Freedom is what we have- Christ has set us free! Stand, then, as free people, and do not allow yourselves to be slaves again.”- Galatians 5:1. How many people in this community can say that they shared team leader responsibilities with their sibling? I lead the camp with my younger brother John (Missions, Windsor). I was back in Community based and felt so out of place. HSB was its own world at that time and there was little transparency. We incorporated my older methods with John’s new era ways. We took the best that our generations had to offer and combined. All I remember is a lot of crying. And breaking down in the service team room.
—-insert “break” from service life here x empty spaces—-
First International Leaders Conference | Almighty
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my saviour.”- Luke 1:46. Six thousand youth, one venue. And here I was, just coming out of a 3.5yr hiatus. I was bitter and restless. But sure, I’d give this God thing ‘one more try’. That’s all He needed to move mountains in my life.
First Regional Youth Conference | Kusugbo: XD
“I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie; my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness.”- Romans 9:17. I was one of three who spoke for Session 1: Extreme Favour. Again, no idea what I was doing. “I will sing praise to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the wonderful things you have done.”- Psalm 9:1. Was I the appropriate person for this? Everyone else seemed to think so. It hit me, God didn’t want me to just find his love, he wanted me to live his love.
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A twelve year love letter… and the rest is still being written. Each one of these firsts feels like the beginning of a paragraph. However, there were so many times that I was caught up in phrases, and so fixated and deluded in the tiniest fragments of the sentence that I failed to see the main context- that God has a plan for me so I can prosper and find hope (Jeremiah 29:11). We are not meant to see these events separately, rather as parts to a whole.
Note to self: Each memory is dipped in grace, each new service opportunity is an exclamation of His grand love.
Regardless of how far away I strayed in between the journey, absolutely nothing could keep God’s promise away from me. His faithfulness is unmatched. I need to reflect on my past and see how God was present there, so that I can have a better understanding of where He is taking me. You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you started. He has never stopped pursuing me, never stopped loving me, and all I have to do is stop, take a breath and know that all this can be found in the details of his beautiful love letter for me.
