On 3-4 February 2007, the ICPE Philippines centre was privileged to organize and host a group of women and their children for a weekend retreat. All 7 of the retreat participants were regulars of the Balikatan group, an adult ministry run by the ICPE Philippines. The ministry began in March 2006 with the aim of helping adults grow in faith and obtain economic support. Called Balikatan (literally meaning ‘shoulder to shoulder’ in Filipino), the group consists mainly of women who live below the poverty line at ERAP City, Montalban.
With the theme “Come- I have called you by name. You are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1), the goal of the retreat was to help them encounter God’s unique love for them in a deeper way. Each participant was encouraged to recognize God’s call to a life of a relationship of love with them, to choose to commit to that call and to live a life empowered by the Holy Spirit.
At the retreat, they participated in lectures, prayer sessions, songs and worship sessions. The lectures focused on topics like God’s love, Sin and Salvation in Jesus, New Life in Christ and the Holy Spirit. At the end of the first day of the retreat, all of the participants responded joyfully to the call to new life in Jesus, making their act of faith and will to choose Jesus. On the following day, the retreat ended with the celebration of the Eucharist where each participant offered up a symbol of their decision to commit to new life in Jesus.
For many of the women, the retreat was the first time in many years when something was done solely for them. With the daily challenge of trying to make ends meet, they arrived at the centre burdened with many anxieties and worries. But at the end of the retreat, we saw joy in their faces and heard their laughter. They shared that they experienced God’s love and peace at the retreat and they would take home with them the joy of that experience.
For us, it was a beautiful time of serving the poor- the group of people whom God holds close to His heart. We felt God stirring in our hearts His compassionate love for the marginalized and reminding us of the dignity that He bestows on each of us as His sons and daughters.
“While working at the rubbish dumpsite, I am often discouraged by my difficult working and living conditions. However, since the retreat, I have found God’s comforting presence lifting my spirits as I sing to Him while working.”
Noraleen, a mother of 5, who scavages for recycleable materials at the rubbish dumpsite of Payatas.
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