Renewed in the Holy Spirit for Christ!

Alive with songs and praise

     On 26 May 2012, twenty five members of our Montalban youth group, Seeds of Faith, had a special time with the Lord at the Anawim Lay Missions Foundation Centre. It was the eve of Pentecost, and like the disciples, huddled in the upper room, we gathered to meet and together we welcomed the Holy Spirit anew in our hearts.

Is my heart like the stony ground?

     We began the one day camp with a time of action song and Praise and Worship. The core team leaders from the Seeds of Faith then performed the Lifehouse Skit entitled “Everything”. Depicting the battle against sin and Jesus gift of salvation in our lives, the skit touched many of them as it highlighted their own struggle within to choose God and to overcome sin. Ultimately, it is in and through Christ alone that we are more than conquerors. To appropriate this truth in our lives, we need to be the good soil as described in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13ff) and so the youth were encouraged to reflect on the condition of their hearts as they went to different prayer stations around the compound. They then returned to pray for the renewal of hearts and to recommit their lives to Christ. For some, it was a tearful moment of returning to the Lord and desiring to be the good soil instead of being thorns where the seed falls and is quickly choked up by the cares of the world. One member shared “In my prayer, I could see Jesus coming to me and giving me a big hug. I felt so unworthy and so relieved as He held me and forgave my sins.”

How is the Holy Spirit present in me?

praying together for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit

   After lunch, we continued sharing about the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity. Through short skits and a group activity, the youth discussed the different actions of the Holy Spirit in our lives and how the He is present in our lives through the Sacraments and in prayer. In our small groups, we then started to ask for the same outpouring of the Holy Spirit as on Pentecost so that the youth could be further activated to be better witnesses. In the prayer time, all of them were led to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and many were released to pray in the Spirit. It was a truly wonderful moment as we ended in thanksgiving and prayed as the Spirit led us in one harmonious chorus of praise.

One youth shared, “As we prayed, I was so happy to receive the Holy Spirit. I have always wanted to pray in the Spirit and I’m delighted to be able to do so now.”

As each of them came forward to share their experience, we could only give thanks to God for making His presence so tangibly felt.

 

Special thanks to Amilia Chai, our ICPE Companion from Singapore for serving with us in the camp and members of the Anawim Lay Missions Foundation for allowing us the use of their beautiful chapel and grounds. God bless you all!

Celebrating the Eucharist, consecrated as students...

Last Saturday, 23 July 2011, we celebrated a special Mass for the children in Montalban to consecrate them in their vocation as students as they embark on the new academic year. This year, we were privileged to have Fr Jun, the parish priest of the Chapel of Immaculate Conception, preside the Mass.

It was a special day for the children and youth as they served in various capacities throughout the Mass. Our lovely commentator Ianna Marie, welcomed the children and their families while the row of altar servers walked down the aisle followed by the Lectors. All of them are currently members of our youth group, the Seeds of Faith. In his homily, Fr Jun reminded the children to be wheat for the Kingdom of God as they pursue their studies. He engaged the children ranging from 5 to 15 years of age with his interactive explanations and insightful stories.

For the Prayers of the Faithful, each student took turns to pray for the different needs. During the Offertory, the children offered up ballpens (symbolizing their desire to be used as instruments of God) and a set of school uniform (a sign of their desire to grow as students for the Lord) together with the bread and wine. After Mass, the children were blessed by Fr Jun and each child received a ballpen as a souvenir. It was a special day of thanksgiving for the lives of each child and their call as students.

May the year ahead be a fruitful year for them indeed!

Our new school supplies!

This year, the children from Montalban returned to school at the start of the new academic year with a basic set of school supplies with our Back to School project. On 17 July, 135 children turned up with eager faces for our Children Ministry sessions, clutching the precious vouchers that enabled them to claim their set. Thanks to a group of teachers from Singapore who sponsored the school supplies, we were able to run this project for the second consecutive year. For a small contribution of Php 10, each child received a set of stationery for school. Each pack contained basic school needs like notebooks, papers, folders, art papers, pens and other writing materials. As they received the packs with bright smiles, the children lifted up a prayer of thanksgiving for the sponsors and for God's provision through their generosity.

Our school supplies waiting to be distributed

Our vouchers to claim the school pack

Each pack contains the following...

Finally.. our start up packs!

We thank God for our generous sponsors and our volunteers who helped us pack and distribute the school supplies with us!

A one- of -a-kind retreat

For the first time, our Montalban ministries of Balikatan Ministry (adult group) and Seeds of Faith (youth group) came together for 3 days of retreat in Tagaytay. It was a special occasion for the adults and youths to participate at the same retreat and more significantly for families whose parent and child were able to attend the retreat together.

Centering around the theme ‘Thirsting for the Living Waters’, the participants met together for common prayer times, games and meals but had separate sessions for inputs. Throughout the 3 days, they encountered Jesus the Living Water in the various sessions comprising of teachings, prayer ministries and the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist. As the weekend marked the start of Holy Week, we journeyed with Jesus as He entered Jerusalem and reflected on His love.

One highlight was the outdoor Way of the Cross. Each person took turns to carry a big cross in small groups while reflecting on the 14 Stations of the Cross. In the evening, they continued their reflections on Jesus’ love for them on the cross in a prayer ministry and through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Many of them shared that it was a grace-filled occasion of growing in awareness of their sinfulness and Jesus’ loving forgiveness. The following day, we celebrated Palm Sunday together, again with the awareness of entering Jerusalem together with the Lord who would lay down His life for a friend. Earlier that morning, we had prayed for them to be renewed in the Holy Spirit and released further in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was thus with such grateful hearts that a chorus of voices began praising God in greater freedom and in the joy of the Spirit.

For this retreat, we were blessed to have the use of the retreat house of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). Surrounded by lush gardens and tall strapping trees, the participants enjoyed the beauty and stillness of God’s creation in the morning reflections in the garden. Strengthened by the retreat, we hope that the adults and youth will continue to pray, encourage one another and grow as a community in Montalban.

We thank the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) Seminary in Tagaytay for the generous use of their retreat facilities and the cooks from the St Augustine Major Seminary who prepared our meals. God bless you!

Sharing Jesus' gift of salvation with Tagaytay Children

Praising the Lord with song...

for He is our God!

Skit: My sins are too heavy...

Skit: Jesus takes my sins upon Himself
Skit: Jesus dies on the cross for me

Skit: But He is alive!!!

Lifting up the cross..

Remembering the Gospel truths...

Writing my name on the cross

For God so loved the world, He have us His only Son so that whoever believes in him will not die but have eternal life. John 3:16

Amen! We believe!

Watching the Seeds of Faith grow...

In the past 5 years of Children Ministry in Montalban, we have had the privilege of watching the children grow into teenagers. Our weekly sessions of teaching, sharing and journeying with140 children every week birthed a stable group of youths who desire to follow God and grow together as a group. As they continued to receive faith formation, they were challenged to live out their Christian faith in their homes and in their schools. In 2009, they formed the youth group of our ministry called Seeds of Faith. Every fortnight, around 30 of them turn up for meetings where they share their faith stories and are encouraged to live their faith practically. They also volunteer at our Children Ministry sessions for the younger children. We hope they will eventually become good role models for the younger children.

We thank God for their lives and we pray that what God has sown in their lives will flourish and bear much fruit!

We present the members of Seeds of Faith followed by a testimony from Dexter Marin, one of our youth who is currently in his penultimate year of High School...

I am the vine; you are the branches...

On 10th October, members of our Children Ministry in Montalban met together for a Day of Recollection at Tandang Sora. It was a timely meeting as 34 of the youths gathered to deepen in their identity and relationship as a community of faith. The theme of John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches" was chosen to highlight belonging to their belonging to Christ and the church. As members of the local church and their own group, they were challenged to live in mutual love and support for one another through teachings, sharing groups and activities.
The day culminated with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and the reminder to be thankful for all that God has blessed us with through the Church and in one another.
Teaching sessions ...
Sharing in groups...

Celebrating the Holy Eucharist ... Having fun... games and of course food!

Growing healthy children in Montalban

For the year 2010, we have been assisting children in Montalban to receive basic vaccinations. 40 children were immunized against Hepatitis B while 20 others received the MMR vaccination (measles, mumps and rubella). This was made possible in conjunction with the Tulay Lingap ni Padre Pio who provided the services of Dr Joan Miana and 2 nurses over the 3 courses of vaccination.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, approximately 15.2 million people in the Philippines fall under the undernourished category in 2001-2003, thus exposing them to risks of starvation or deficiency diseases. We continue our on-going efforts to help boost the immune system and health of the children through milk supplements and multivitamins. Twice a month, each child receives a packet of chocolate milk and a chewable multivitamin after the children ministry session. At every quarter of the year, each child receives a bottle of multivitamin supplements for their daily needs. We pray that as we journey with the children we will not only be able to empower them in their faith but also to grow them to be healthy children for the Lord!