Ronald writes

It is quite magnificent to experience life situations where God takes you out of your ordinary routine and lets you see His work, while at the same time not realizing that He is in fact working not only with the people you encounter but also with you.  This past weekend, I got to experience one of those as I went to a laid back and very welcoming place in Negros (an island west of Cebu).

I, along with three others, went to Negros to speak at an annual gathering of the Church of Christ youth.  After a long (about 8 hours drive and an hour on a boat) journey on Dec. 27th, we arrived at the humble but very accommodating home of one of the Cebu Bible College students whose family lives in the area.  They were very kind, offering us some very tasty meals (of course, “tasty” is a relative term) and giving us lodging throughout our entire stay.  In addition to the tasty meals, we also got to savor some of the stuff that only the province can provide—such as swimming and playing on a clean, fresh, and crystal clear creek, enjoying the fresh air, getting to see the moon and the stars clearly at night, and being able to hear again the sound of the crickets in the dark.

This marvelous experience was far from over as many of the youth gathered together at a resort on the 28^th.  Although the rural area may seem to be struggling financially, the hearts of those young ones were beaming with passion and desire to become better disciples.  One could easily see that God was preparing a very bright future for them, intending to make them a brilliant light on that island.  The theme for their gathering was “Walking in God’s Light.”  Ironically, I sort of felt that there was no need for me to speak to them about becoming a light because I could see that they already were a brilliant light.  Nevertheless, they seemed to be encouraged with what I delivered.  During the gathering, they played a lot of games, did a number of team building activities, sang together, prayed for everyone, and encouraged their fellow Christians.

Going back to Cebu, I was mesmerized with the experience.  Throughout my Christian upbringing, I saw a lot of bickering and fighting concerning the “true doctrine” of the church.  I saw a lot of negativity among many of those whom people looked up to for spiritual guidance.  However on the contrary, the youth at Negros had displayed what those staunch brethren in the past had failed to learn—that is, encouraging one another instead of putting others down.  They lived out the true essence of Christianity.  This reminded me of what Jesus showed to the staunch Jewish leaders of His day.

As I mentioned above, God seemed to be working more on me than He was with those folks I delivered my message to.  Primarily, He was giving me a glimpse that darkness has not conquered every corner of this world because there are those who have set their brilliant light on a hill in order to shine God to others.  The young people at Negros have displayed a kind of light that draws others to God.  Also, God was teaching me that the near future doesn’t look as bad.  There are plenty of young sprouts who are willing to be used for God’s glory… and they are on fire.