“If God calls you, He will never leave you.”
The call was to GT volunteer work and the called was GL. (If you wonder about those abbreviations, GT is short for Graduate Team while GL is short for Grace Leonor). In her own words, GL sensed that God called her “to be part of building God’s kingdom through sharing His word.”
Keen on seeing other youth experience the transformation and joy that she’s had as a student leader, GL volunteered as GT after her graduation in 2016. But her excitement was dampened by several obstructions. When she returned to her home island in Mindoro in Southern Luzon, GL planned to start a Bible study with her churchmates at a local high school. She asked for permission from the principal (complete with letters and documents that Inter-School Christian Fellowship is duly accredited by DepEd) but got rejected. She also struggled with adjusting from being surrounded with fellow student leaders whom she could share her burdens with to having none. And then she had to move to Manila to work and study for units in teaching. Her ministry among the highschoolers stopped.
But God beckoned GL back to Mindoro. A year after, she returned home. Then in 2019, she became a substitute teacher in Tanyag National High School, the same school where her young churchmates were studying. “From then,” she said, “I tried to submit an accreditation letter once again. By God’s grace, we were approved, and we started holding small groups every Wednesday afternoon, after class with my students from different grade levels. We called our chapter ISCF Care Club.” But even with the permission, it was still a challenging stretch. For one, the school was far from her home. There was also a time when the principal accused her of dragging students to her church, which wasn’t the case.
It wasn’t all challenges, though. Despite the pioneering status, GL was able to send students to camps through the generosity of her friends, parents, and some graduates. And slowly, the students grew in their discipleship that they began to disciple others. When they moved to college, they desired to start campus ministries at their universities. But that’s not the only reward. Just this year, GL is now a regular teacher!
Looking back at her journey, GL concluded, “The plan of the Lord will always prevail.” Even though she experienced power-tripping a month into her regular appointment (being transferred into four schools), God brought her back to the school where she prayed God would use her to reach out to students. “Pwedeng guluhin pero hindi masisira,” GL said. God’s plan can be disturbed but never destroyed. After all, when God calls, He also cares for those He entrusted the ministry to.
PRAYER POINTS
- Pray for GL and other GT volunteers that they will be able to effectively balance their careers and ministry involvement. Thank God for their great service to IVCF.
- Pray for the alumni groups in the country and abroad, that they may continue to fan the flame for fellowship, prayer, and support.
- Pray for the continued sustenance of the IVCF ministry so that we can reach out to more students in the country. Participate in God’s work to the campuses through your generosity. You may sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/MyIVCFPledge/)
OCTOBER OVERVIEW | IVCF Movement in the Regions
In Northern Luzon, students and graduates participated in an in-person fellowship and World Student Day celebration in Benguet.
In Metro Manila, students from Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Manila and Technological University of the Philippines-Taguig set up booths to welcome and invite freshmen and share the gospel.
In Southern Luzon, more than 30 graduates from Mindoro participated in the “Thank God It’s Monday” online fellowship, transforming their Monday blues into Monday joys.
In Bicol, Partido and Sorsogon campus chapters invited freshies to their Freshmen Treat.
In Central and Eastern Visayas, student leaders attended the Area Leadership Summits in Negros Oriental and Leyte-Samar (the latter during Typhoon Paeng).
In Western Visayas, the staff and members of the Regional Advisory Council (RAC) attended a retreat for rest, conversations, ministry reports, and setting direction.
In Northern Mindanao, students hold Bible studies, small group, and large group fellowships at the IV Home in Cagayan de Oro City while waiting for the reopening of campus application for organizations.
In Caraga, 12 college students cleaned the staff house in Agusan del Sur as a sweet “Care for Staff House” gesture.
In Southern Mindanao, the staff pioneered an ISCF chapter in New Corella National High School and re-pioneered in Kapalong National High School, in Davao del Norte Province.
FINANCIAL UPDATE
