Kuya Harvey: Hi Leni Sison.
Ate Leni: Leni Sison-Juarez. (with a slight emphasis on her husband’s family name)
Ate Carmena: Ako si Carmena Cruz Cruz. (with an emphasis on her own family name)
As laughter traveled from one screen to the next, I thought it was a good start to the first Kawayan Camp (KC) Grand Reunion. These early birds (both in the event and in IVCF) bantered with such ease and spontaneity. It then dawned on me that whatever the generation, IVCFers have one thing in common: humor.
But you know one other thing that stitches us together into one family? God’s Word. Although we span six decades, God’s Word remains central to our identity as Inter-Varsity. Almost without exception, a Kawayan Camp graduate’s testimony would include the impact of Scriptures in his life. Take Kuya James Odango, for example. In his inspirational message during the reunion, his memories of KC ’88 included OIA, the inductive Bible study method. Short for Observation-Interpretation-Application, OIA became God’s tool to equip Kuya James so that when he returned to Mapua Institute of Technology after KC, he started a bible study with one reluctant member which then grew to twenty. Even in his present capacity, he continues to do ministry in the US with what he calls the unpopular: the homeless, the helpless, and the hopeless.
It was this tandem of Kawayan Camp legacy and the Bible’s transformational power that inspired us to launch Sustain KC, an investment effort that would fund future Kawayan Camps and other leadership events. A hundred and fifty dollars (US $150,000) and Php 7.5M will be simultaneously raised and invested in 8-10 years’ time, so that by 2032, the first Kawayan Camp fully funded from Sustain KC’s interest returns would be held. Graduates in the USA have raised at least US $10,000 while those in the Philippines gave or pledged at least PhP 1.1M. At this rate, we might reach the target amount sooner.
Speaking of legacy, IVCF’s kuyas and ates – grandparents, really, whose names we just hear or read about – were there, and their post-program fellowship was simply sweet. Ate Norma Fernandez-Briones, part of the original Kawayan Camp in 1958, was there. Former General Secretary Harvey Co Chien’s presence warmed the fellowship. There were others who chimed in with their reminiscences. It was such an inspiring time to hear these pioneers whose passion for the IVCF ministry endures to this day.
No matter the decade, regardless the place, God’s Word is truly at work in you. In me. In IVCF.
