My first ICON experience was last year in Marikina. I remember being so amazed by the fullness of the community and wanting to share that when I came back home. I left ILC (now called ICON) with my heart ablazed, desperately hoping for those in Canada (especially from Pacific Region) to experience Christ at the next ICON.
Fast forward to this year and I was blessed to see many new faces from Canada attending ICON for their first time. I was so happy to see familiar faces and to know that they will experience Christ in a new and powerful way. I was assured that their experience with Christ would be personal and timely!
Before I found out that I was going to go for training, I actually asked my boss for the time off to go to ICON. Every time I asked for time off, he granted it. He granted time off for me to go to Hawaii, to go to ILC last year, to go to WTNC in the summer, etc. This time around, when I asked for time off for ICON, he denied my request. Despite that denial, the Lord still made a way for me to experience ICON. The Lord had better plans for me.
I was initially assigned to Workshop Committee for ICON. It was a blessing because I was given an opportunity to help make an outline for one of the workshops. After submitting it to my head, I assumed that was the end of my duties. Shortly after, I was assigned to help with the program for Praise Cruise. They asked me to give a session as an ICON prologue for the Praise Cruise delegates. Its objective was to get everyone excited for ICON, to be excited to be on the Praise Cruise and to prepare our hearts to receive Christ at ICON. I was honoured to give that session so I spent a lot of time preparing for it. In the midst of this, I was asked to do other things for program for ICON. So I continued to prepare and prepare. Little did I know, the Lord had better plans for me.
Praise Cruise was scheduled to leave around 11pm on the Wednesday before ICON. I made my way to the pier and we found out that the master list of passengers of the boat company and that of YFC was different. Because of this, 90 delegates were not able to board the boat going to Palawan – including myself, Hannah, Ellish and Joseph (US and Canada FTPW trainees).
This photo was taken a couple weeks after ICON but it’s one of the few with all of us present. Shout out to Mier po po the KFC star, Kuya GJ and Ate Laleng (our training heads)!
The four of us were left, along with 2 other MVs from Metro Manila (shout out to Minelsa and Alvin), and then the 90 delegates. It was at this point that I realized that this is FTPW training. It goes beyond the technical skills, the manual, and knowing the ins and outs of the community. Training is about learning how to be and bring Christ where ever we are, in whatever circumstance we are in. Good or bad.
So in a situation that was easily filled with chaos, confusion, disappointment, hurt and anger, we were compelled to share hope and compassion with each other, the delegates and the CCs. We prayed the rosary, had praise and worship, talked to the delegates and just tried our best to be with them.
We spent the entire evening there in the waiting area of the pier as CFC from the local sector picked up some of the delegates and hosted them. Morning came and some sectors decided to go back to their sectors and we went back to the Mission House, unsure of what was going to happen next but trusting that the Lord had better plans for us.
That same evening, I found out that one of the workshop speakers could not attend their workshop! Because of this, I was assigned to deliver the workshop “Journey to the ends of the Earth” with my fellow trainee, Hannah! Funny enough, the workshop was a missionary workshop that was geared to help the youth learn more about mission and the experiences of it. What a blessing to share what I am currently experiencing as FTPW trainee!
We weren’t able to send the powerpoint to each other over email so we took a picture of every slide hahahaha 🙂
The next day the Lord provided us with something GREAT. He upgraded us from Praise Cruise to PRAISE FLIGHT! The 90 delegates had a chartered flight from Manila to Palawan which allowed us to arrive at ICON on the Friday afternoon.
This was one half of the plane 🙂
Praise the Lord! We were all filled with joy and thanksgiving because God’s plan for us was EXTRAVAGANT. First ever PRAISE FLIGHT! An entire flight just for YFC. Unheard of 🙂
I wasn’t able to be part of the ICON program. I wasn’t able to give a session on Praise Cruise. But instead, the Lord blessed me more. He allowed me to meet 90 delegates on a first ever Praise Cruise. He allowed me to give a workshop with a fellow missionary in which I was able to share the overflowing joy that I am currently experiencing as a missionary. To top it off, I was able to attend the Praise Cruise from Palawan to Manila with 950 delegates 🙂
And after experiencing these blessings, I wouldn’t have it any other way 🙂 The Lord taught me a valuable lesson over the past few weeks. I may have my own plans and they may be good but God’s plan is always better!
WOOOOW. AMAZING. PRAISE GOD!