YAYAY IS LEAVING...YEHEY...

I AM EXCITED...SO EXCITED FOR MY SISTER'S FLIGHT.....

YAYAY...ENJOY YOUR TIME IN AUSTRALIA....

She is not my strongest-willed sister. She's calm and composed and above all, she has the heart of a Samaritan. She is Esay, my sister Elisa, whom we call as our lovable "Yayay". She's leaving for Australia tomorrow to be with my sister Ate Phen. Our family  prayed for this for a while, and God has surely answered it in His time.

I know my sister deserves to have a break. She has been taking care of our family for years now without a single complaint. She sometimes becomes my shock absorber, everytime we talk about family matters and all...yet,  I haven't heard her grumble, not even once.

She's just quiet, and very naive I should say. All she wants is to make life as blissful as possible for the family. I am very excited for her, BECAUSE SHE DESERVES IT! Happy for you Yayay. Thanks for looking after our family... and now....It's your turn to experience life and take care of yourself... I will, as always, keep you in prayers, and hope that in time...in time... :)

"THE LORD'S FAVOR IS UPON ME!"

"THE LORD'S FAVOR IS UPON ME!"

My niece kept on repeating these words to herself as she strutted her stuff in the runway during the audition for the Philippine Fashion Week last Sunday. She had long dreamed of pursuing a modelling career, and at 20, she is slowly but surely fulfilling her aspirations. She excitedly shared with me, through an exchange of messages, her happiness to what I call, her baby steps towards finally realizing her dreams.

Mean, as we call her, is really tall, and to say that, at least, is an understatement. She didn't get the genes from either of her parents as none from both parties are "gifted" with the height that she has.

I remember her growing up years having those awkward moments in the church during Vacation Bible Schools when she sometimes complained about how tall she was. Some would even joke about it and how they did not even want to stand beside her. Yet, those seemingly "disadvantegeous" moments are now eclipsed by the fact that she is using her "gift of height" to fulfill her God-given dreams. (She stands at 5'11" or 180.34 cm.)

I wish her the best that life could offer.  As one proud uncle, I'm cheering for her in my prayers and she knows that I would love to see her succeed and be a "model" Christian as she catwalks her way in the modelling industry.



AN ODE TO MY MOTHER TONGUE

A Response to James Soriano's Article "Language, Learning, Identity, Privelege", published in Manila Bulletin Online August 24, 2011.

Waking up this morning, my attention was caught by a friend's post on facebook expressing her dismay on an article published in a leading newspaper in the Philippines. I rushed to read the said article which is creating quite a stir (amongst Filipinos especially the language teachers) and needless to say, I was disappointed with the writer's claims and opinions.

I've been in Seoul, Korea as a graduate student for nearly four years and my Filipino language skill, I will confess, is not as good as when I was back home (my fellows in Pinas can attest to this of which I am shameful of). Nonetheless, it never came to a point that I regarded my native language as inferior to English. Truth, we use English as the medium of instruction in our schools, but this should never make us think that we are to look down on our language and think of it as inferior to others. I don't really know Mr. James Soriano, but giving him the benefit of the doubt, I am responding to his article based on what he wrote.

It is just disheartening to know that he never saw the "beauty" of talking with the street vendors, the manongs (old men) and the katulongs (house helpers) in Filipino language. I find it fascinating until now that whenever I go home, I feel the satisfaction of me being a Filipino hearing people speak my native language wherever I am going. Whether he calls it the language of the streets, I am proud of my people speaking the language because as a true-blooded Filipino, that speaks of my identity, of I how I relate to my fellows, their struggles, their hopes, their pains, their joys, which they may never be able to articulate in other languages.

But more than being the language of the streets, Mr. Soriano forgot to say that still, FILIPINO IS THE LANGUAGE OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE, and of the nation itself. Only "true" Filipinos who take pride in this will understand the "meaning", and the "beauty" of what it is to articulate the language, which, much like the people has been through so much harassment, and criticism.

Somehow, I thank him for allowing us to reconsider how we look at our language. I commend him for opening our eyes to the reality that not all Filipinos do take pride in their mother tongue. And for us who do, it is a challenge, no matter where we are, to, as Filipinos, make sure that we carry within us the spirit of being one not just with our people, but with our language as well.

FILIPINO AKO! MABUHAY ANG WIKANG FILIPINO!



To read James Soriano's article, you can click the link here: http://mb.com.ph/articles/331851/language-learning-identity-privilege

THE URGENT CALL TO YOUTH DISCIPLESHIP

      Discipleship deals with the fascination, discovery and experience of God.[1] It is not boxed on the idea of being trained and enabled to walk and grow in the faith. It is all about God. Yet, we are still quick to recognize the truth that doing and talking about our walk need some serious training so as to achieve that sole purpose of experiencing God and becoming more and more Christ-like.

      Within the body of Christ is the group of people labeled as the youngsters who has the privilege of leading the church to where it should go as the Lord desires for the years to come. For this reason, it is indeed vital that discipleship among the church’s youth group be empowered. As they are the most to be influenced by the world around them, it is but fitting that they be covered with love, guidance and protection by the church itself.

YOUTH DISCIPLESHIP IN FOCUS

      Clyde Hall expressed that “the first ventures into discipleship are “tried out” in the safe environments of a small group where the youth are loved and where they are willing to risk themselves.” [2] Thus, youth discipleship should be done in and with love that they could open themselves up in love as well, knowing that it is safe to be in a discipleship group taking the risk of being known by the group that he is or would be a part of, and the accountability and blessings that come with it.

      Discipling the youth is also not just about building relationships. There is a treasure that we need to pass on.[3] Inclusive of this are the truths about God and his Word, training them for leadership and discipleship, character building and helping them to have a personal vision. This treasure encompasses all that there is in discipling the youth. Thus, in discipling the youth, we need to keep in mind all of these as vital in the discipleship process of these youngsters. In this present time where relativism abounds, the youth should be taught the binding truth of God’s word. They must be discipled in the ways of Christ so they would know how to confront the issues that affect their faith and still stand on the truth.

     
      With all the changes that come along in the lives of young people, it is necessary that they are guided into the proper understanding of events that transpire in and around them. Youth discipleship is tantamount to making them better people of God and of society, teaching them the ways and means of living a life that is pleasing to God, allowing them to be discipled just as Jesus’ disciples were.

      The idea of youth discipleship is a serious matter and is a must for all churches. And when Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples, he desired that we gauge our ministerial success not by the quantity of people that we do have in our church services but by the number and the quality of the disciples that our ministries are producing.[4] For ministering with the youth is not a matter of incorporating the hype, the fads and the trends of the present pop culture[5] but a matter of helping these youngsters love God and experience him more.

      In the youth departments of churches, discipling the youth is and should always be the core of its ministry.[6] It should be understood and prioritized by all youth ministries especially in this day and age that the attraction of young people to the world, Christians at that are not exempted, should be countered by an unstained and immovable belief and devotion to the one true God caused by proper discipleship faithfully executed by the body of Christ.

THE SIGNIFICANCE AND URGENCY OF YOUTH DISICPLESHIP

      The views and values of the youth tremendously changed over the last couple of decades.[7] Because of economic boom in the West, lifestyles of most people were affected and had to cope with the swift and ever changing perspective of people towards the events that are transpiring around them. With these events came the changes in values and practices of the youth which can be seen in the language that they speak, the way they think and how they show their feelings and even the way that they comprehend and see life.[8] It is for these reasons that discipleship amongst young people is vital. The church has to help the youth to see life in the perspective of its Creator, to know and love Jesus more, and to walk in his ways. It is the task therefore of the church, specifically its youth ministry, to counter the appeal of the world and disciple them that they may see how life is to be lived as we continue on our journey here in this world.

      A popular adage in the Philippines states that the youth is the hope of the nation.[9] However, it is good for us to realize that the youth, without proper guidance and vision cannot fulfill this task. It is also much true in the life of the church. Today’s Christian youth is the hope of the future leadership of the church and discipling them in the truth will surely make the church fulfill the vision that God mandated for her to do.

      As we all should know, discipleship is never an option and Christians who do not make disciples are not obedient followers of Christ.[10] When Jesus gave the Great Commission, it was an imperative for all who believe in him to disciple and not just to lead people to Him. It is what the church is supposed to do instead of being caught up by the fads especially in the present culture where the youth is actively engaging on. It is in fact a priority around which our Christian life should get busy with.[11] Discipleship trains God’s people to walk, talk, and grow in their Christian faith.[12] We need to build the people and help them to live in Christlikeness and get ourselves busy by making ourselves available towards the discipling of the youth in its purest sense.

      The imperative of discipleship is urgent amongst the youth. The generation X is skeptic about the belief in the supernatural[13] and everything that is not experiential. Therefore the task of Christ’s followers is not to sit down in the couches of their comfort zones but to do the work of discipling the youth in the church who are struggling in the skepticism fed by the world around them and save them in their spiritual hunger for the truth.

      There is such an enormous need for disciples who will leave their boats and nets and risk everything for the sake of the gospel.[14] If we have preached to the youth who Jesus is, then we are also accountable to teach them how God would want them to live. And if the church will not prioritize this sense of urgency, the generation of the future leaders of God’s people will surely be destined for doom.

      Although, the ways and means of youth discipleship may vary, it is important that adjustments and contextualization of the methods be made. One method could be effective to some forms of youth discipleship context while others may not be. What is effective in a mega-church youth discipleship set-up may not be successful in the small church setting. What is integral is the heart of the discipler in assuring that the youth are being trained to be disciples and in turn become disciplers as well. No matter what the method is, we need to relate the Gospel to the lifestyle of today’s generation so as to facilitate formation of godly values and encourage them to experience more of Jesus.[15] Thus, it is important that we know how to read the culture of the youth[16] where we are living, connect with them from where they are and lead them to where God would want them to go, and do the hard work to communicate to them the truth of Christ and His desire to make them more like him and not more like the world around them.

CONCLUSION

      Having served as a Youth Pastor in my home church back in the Philippines for a couple of years, I came to realize that today’s generation is in need of great care and attention. The time, effort, love and care that we give to those whom we are discipling are treasures that our disciples will cherish as they as well realize the necessity of it in their fragile lives.

      It is vital therefore that as we believe that the youth is the future hope of the church, we make every effort to disciple them unto Christ-likeness, thus fulfilling the mandate that was given by Jesus himself. We need to fervently desire to give not what is left of us, but what is much that we have to help them as they too need the guidance, love and care of God’s people who will lead them towards the fulfillment of God’s plan in them and through them at the present and for the generations to come.

      Lawrence Richards said, “The Gospel of Christ locates meaning in life outside the experience of personal pleasure, or the gaining of personal ends.” [17] This vividly portrays the sacrifices that we need to do in order to make the youth a people who love loving and serving Jesus.

---

[1] Rich Grasell, Help! I’m a Small Church Youth Worker! Achieving Big-Time Success in a Non-Mega Ministry, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 2002), 89.

[2] R. Clyde Hall, Jr., Handbook for Youth Discipleship, (Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1988), 11-12.

[3] Sean McDowell and Ray Willey, Josh McDowell’s Youth Ministry Handbook, Making the Connection, (Nashville, Tennessee: Word Publishing, 2000), 16.

[4] McDowell, 14.

[5] Tom Beaudoin, Virtual Faith, The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X, (Old San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998), xiv. Pop Culture was defined by the writer as the major meaning-making system for Generation X with the media as the primary source of it.

[6] McDowell, 14.

[7] Lawrence O. Richards, Youth Ministry: Its Renewal in the Local Church, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1972), 18-19.

[8] Richards, 19.

[9] This adage was from Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippine national hero, who died early in his life fighting for the independence of the Philippines.

[10] Steven Patty, 34.

[11] Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Discipleship, (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1987), 9.

[12] Richard R Dunn, Mark H. Senter III gen. eds., Reaching a Generation for Christ: A Comprehensive Guide to Youth Ministry, (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1997), 654.

[13] Beaudoin, 27.

[14] Patty, 3.

[15] Richards, 23.

[16] Patty, 109.

[17] Richards, 23.

SELECTED BIBILIOGRAPHY

Beaudoin, Tom, Virtual Faith, The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X. Old San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998.

Coleman, Robert E.,The Master Plan of Discipleship. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1987.

Dunn, Richard R. and Senter III, Mark H. gen. eds., Reaching a Generation for Christ: A Comprehensive Guide to Youth Ministry. Chicago: Moody Press, 1997.


Grasell, Rich, Help! I’m a Small Church Youth Worker! Achieving Big-Time Success in a Non-Mega Ministry. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 2002.


Hall, Clyde R. Jr., Compiler/ contributor, Handbook for Youth Discipleship. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1988.


McDowell, Sean and Ray Willy, compilers Josh McDowell’s Youth Ministry Handbook, Making the Connection. Nashville, Tennessee: Word Publishing, 2000.


Patty, Steven, Impact: Student Ministry that will Transform a Generation. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2005.

Richards, Lawrence O., Youth Ministry: Its Renewal in the Local Church. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1972.

AGAPE JAPAN 2010 MISSION TRIP

        The videoclip below encapsulates our mission trip to Japan, from July 13-21, 2010. This was my first cross-cultural mission trip and God has blessed me with so much joy during the entire trip.

An important part of our mission exposure was our ministry to homeschooled children. We were moved by the fact that the kids’ parents are trying to educate and to bring up their children in godliness in a very Shinto society.

We also visited Takao Church in Tokyo and encouraged the congregation mostly consisting of mothers to continue in their faith and to pass in on to their children.

We also shared a very precious time with the elderly at Mikuni Nursing home in Chiba prefecture. Seeing the elderly smile, sing, laugh and cry with us, and knowing that even if took us only a short time to be with them, they saw hope and light, somehow we were able to convey to them that God still cares for them. My favorite elderly there is Tamiko, we just clicked together and I sang for her. She wanted me to call her name everytime and she would raise her hand with her face lit up.

We had a great time as well ministering to the young people of Kokubunji church in Tokyo. It was amazing to learn that these youngsters are eager to change their society and bring their country at the foot of the cross. We are just excited at how God can use these people to change Japan in the years to come.

Me and my bro, Gerald, stayed with two families for three nights. It was a time for us to get accustomed with Japanese families and their cultures. We had a blast!!!

Our experience was well worth every second of it. It was a time of learning- learning to adjust with another culture, and even with our schedule. As Dr. Eiko puts it, “We did in one week what was supposed to be done in a month.” But more than these, we learned to listen and to pray for the Japanese people.  

In Japan, the churches’ quest for hope we believe is far from over. For as we have seen and experienced, the seed of God’s word is growing in the hearts of the children, of the youngsters and of all the Christians we met. And we believe, that in a seemingly despondent situation, God is raising up his people to unravel the hope which he had ordained for the Japan to see. There is hope for Japan and so we ask you to pray with us for the Japanese Christians, that God would strengthen and protect them so they could share God’s love to their fellows, and also that God would give us the passion to pray and to reach out to them in any capacity that we could.

BONUS: We made this video while practicing for our street evangelism in Shibuya area in Tokyo.......This is a blessing song translated in Japanese. This is the first time I'm gonna share this video, enjoy friends....

*******All videos courtesy of Reggie, our videographer for the entire trip...

TORCH TRINITY ANGEL PROJECT 2011: LOVE INDONESIA

        After months of tireless preparations, waking up early in the morning to sell bread and raise funds, relentless prayers of the team and its supporters, the Torch Trinity Angel Project embarked on a short term mission trip to Indonesia, in the small island of Batam, Feb. 7-18. Our team was headed by Dr. Hyung Jin Park and was comprised of Torch students Suwon Kim, Christine Lee, EunHee Kim, Sungjun Brian Bang, Joel Closa, Nurcahaya Sipahutar, Atem Anichari, KyungHee Choi, Erland De Vera Palean, YangSup Shim and KyungAh Jun, one of Torch’s library staff.

        Indonesia, being the most populated Muslim country in the world and having more than 17,000 islands is a country ready for the harvest of souls. However, the enormous work needs to be done with zeal and passion and this was what we had in mind to accomplish in less than two weeks of our stay in Batam Island.

        Our group was hosted by Rev. James Gwangjin Kim, an alumnus of Torch Trinity and a resident missionary in the island, Rev. Enos Kim, missionary in Batam for twenty years, and Cahaya's family. Our excitement to do the ministry built up upon knowing that the work of the Lord is evident in the lives of these two humble servants and in their ministry. The schedule was full packed, yet, the enthusiasm of everyone was apparent as they begin to do the work of the Lord.

       The first day after we arrival, our team headed to Sekolah Tinggi Theologia Injil-Indonesia (STII) which was founded by Missionary Enos Kim. Dr. Hyung Jin Park gave a four-day lecture on the “Journey of the Gospel and the Emergence of World Christianity” to the students of STII. The students were from different parts of Indonesia, and even as far as Malaysia.

        This is the same Bible School, where Nurcahaya Sipahutar, a present student of Torch, and a member of the mission trip, graduated. While on lecture breaks, we shared our journey in faith helping the students understand their backgrounds and learn that despite of having diverse cultural backgrounds, God showed himself sovereign in calling people to himself. The group also serenaded the students with Indonesian gospel songs and rendered a pantomime led by Joel, Atem and Dr. Shim.

        We also assisted in repainting the STII dormitory for two consecutive days unmindful of the scorching heat of the sun. The dormitory cannot even compare to what we have in Seoul and this humbled everyone to help out the students more. Our ministry in STII commenced with an amazing time of fellowship where the team encouraged and prayed for the students and their instructors.

        The Angel Project team then visited SMP Tunas Baru Jin Seung Middle School where 300 middle school students, along with their teachers, were treated to a morning of fun and faith encouraging testimony and presentations. This school was founded by Rev. Enos Kim to help the students stay grounded in their faith as they slowly face the reality of the world. Courtesy of our supporters and sponsors, our group donated vitamins and socks for the students. We also had a chance to minister to kindergartens in a park bringing to them the joy of being children of God.

        Rev. James Kim led then led us to Batam Korean Church, which is located up on the hill but was closed due to an ongoing government project. Rev. Kim laid out the story of the struggle of owning that piece of land so that the Korean diaspora in Batam would have a place to worship. We prayed for God’s sovereign power to act and help the Koreans to find a place to worship and fellowship in this very difficult circumstance.

        The team served a local and a diaspora church on Sunday. One group led the Sunday School in Oikomene Church, Cahaya’s home church, while the other served the Kids in the temporary worship place of Batam Korean Church, where Dr. Park also delivered God’s message during the main service.

        We also visited a church in Lingka Island, which is a boat ride away from Batam. The congregation here is composed mostly of impoverished families whose children have to sail a boat on their own in order to go to school in Batam, which takes them almost four hours to travel back and forth. It was such an eye-opening and an emotional time as the group listened to the stories of the families, their struggles, hardships, and the children’s unwavering aspiration to find a place in the sun in spite of the its seeming impossibility.

        This time provided the team with the naked reality of what the small islands in Indonesia are facing and the need for the family of God around the world to rally behind them in prayers and support.

        We also prayed for the church’s resident missionary from Jakarta, Vandalia Herman, and the congregation, and offered their help by contributing a small amount of their budget to help repair the wood-bridges linking the church and the villages on the island so they can come safely in the church to worship.

        The culmination of our mission trip took place at SMP Tunas Baru Jin Seung Middle School where we conducted the Wordless Book Discovery English Camp. About sixty students participated in the whole day affair and were treated with a whole lot of activities including fun games, action songs, group presentations and exhortations from the team members.

        The Angel Project Mission Trip was indeed a God-ordained event to remember. We saw how God moved from its preparation up its commencement and realized that in the Lord’s vineyard, it takes unity of mission-minded people and their humility to serve, to accomplish God’s work. The group became God’s hands and feet to the people in Batam, prayerfully hoping that in the future, God’s beloved people in the island will in turn be the voice of God’s truth to their fellows for the glory of God and God alone! Soli Deo Gloria!

*****
This article was published as a report of the Angel Project in the Torch Trinity Graduate School of Theology Magazine, Spring Semester, 2011 issue.
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Video courtesy of Dr. Hyung Jin Park, Angel Project Team Leader