2,949 days ago which was 6 years and 10 months (Literally and almost 7 years!!) ago I said YES to my first Couples for Christ Youth SHOUT Leaders (Spring Household Training) Retreat in Jacksonville, FL. I was just in 8th grade thinking to myself: Why, how, and what comes next?
2020 comes along and here I was, camp leader along side with my counterpart Cris Buenvenida in Oldsmar, FL. So much has changed since 2013 and along the changes came an infinite amount of blessings, friendships, love, and prayers. It has been a blessing to witness so much love and all the bonds that have been around since then.
This retreat was different as any that you attend is different. No matter how many events, assemblies, households or camps I go to, every has its unique encounters and memories. This past weekend gave me the opportunity to remember the importance of teamwork not just within the church but during life, careers, school and everyday. As I reflect on the past 7 years from the first SHOUT I went to, there’s always something new, gifts and fruits that come along. The biggest message from this time around was, sometimes our only mode of transportation is to take a leap of faith. And with that, I’ve learned we have to try new things, meet new people and put complete trust into God’s plan and the journey we go through. Sister Bethany Madonna from the Sisters of Life said, “God said, ‘Not another day without you. I choose you. You are not an accident. Nothing about you is a mistake. You were always wanted.” The message from this SHOUT to me was that, we are made for more, and we are made for greatness. Whether or not we know what’s next, is okay, because we have to go through not only triumphs but struggles so we can get to where we need to be. Let’s use our time to discover our talents and our treasures.
Time flies so fast. The one thing money can’t buy is time. So, to watch 7 years just pass by within a blink of an eye is incredible. I got to work with some of the bravest youth leaders this past weekend. One of the goals the youth core team had was to step back, so we could give the younger generation a chance to find their talents and use them. We rotated emcees and the music min/band, because this was a team effort. We all help one another to reach a goal, and in this case it isn’t to be the best leader, but to be one that leads others to sainthood. Tito Arvin Sumagang gave Talk 2 for the retreat and it was called “Footprints of a Christian Life.” He said, “We must decrease so that other leaders and God may increase.” And in the littlest ways like this, we were reaffirmed that this was right and this is where God wanted us to be. I technically had two counterparts for the weekend, so I was working close with Phil Pineda, and we were coordinating with the 6 camp servants. Camp servants watch for the time and make sure we are still on schedule. They were also holding everyone accountable for their actions: was anyone asleep during sessions, using phones when they weren’t supposed to, skipping sessions (etc). I was so proud of Phil and the 6 camp servants, because they were able to carry the team of not only us but the 100+ people that were at SHOUT. There was a point where I was no longer tasking them or giving instructions but now reminding them times. If anything, the 7 of them were taking initiative and running the program more than I was. And its moments like this that we need as leaders. That we are not always demanding, but coaching. We don’t use people, we develop people. There’s no “I did this” it’s “WE did this.” We did this along with the 6 emcees, couple coordinators, 3 clusters, volunteers, youth cluster heads, camp servants and the 6 cluster heads. More importantly, WE did this with every participant. They are the future of the world. When I am asked why did we have so many emcees, camp servants or a lot of rotations between sessions, it’s because we need to work as a team. We can claim all day that there are certain things we can do but we are the only ones who know how to do it, but what good is that if we are never going to teach our talents and knowledge. In the talk I gave, I gave an analogy of God’s love to like a water bottle being filled up. If we are letting the water overflow, we are wasting it. We have to be sharing our time, talents, and treasures with others.
After the long nights, meetings and phone calls and the rush of “LET’S GO” I am exhausted and sore. But that’s not the bigger picture. I felt so much joy this past weekend being surrounded by the most fearless and loving individuals. I love this community and I live for this: strength in unity of a family. God’s graces and his blessings. The best teamwork quote that sticks to me is that “It’s not just about us.” As leaders, we can be so accustomed and comfortable to just empower one another, but if we are not helping other people reach their potential, than we have failed to serve. Iron sharpens iron, so let’s inspire our friends and new people we encounter and meet to be twice as good as the person they were yesterday.
There was an activity where we were told to write letters to someone who had helped us be the leader we are today. I love letters but I was also trying my best to participate when I could, and so I began writing two letters. Besides my parents and siblings, there are 3 people who helped me reach the place where I’m at today. I met Ryan E. Gutierrez (Big Bro) and The Merino Family (Kuya Neil and Ate Faith) 7 years ago, and Big Bro was a missionary for CFC back then and the Merino Family were my couple coordinators for the CFC-youth when I was still living in South Florida. I loved doing this activity, because it allowed me to reflect on the people who believed in me and prayed for me. They were models of excellence and showed me how to trust and love endlessly. There were so many laughs and encounters I was able to experience. Let me revisit teamwork one last time (A HA HA). But seriously, for those were at SHOUT and even if you’re reading this and were not, whether or not we are labeled as current leaders, we are all called to make a difference in the world. Let’s take our overflowing water bottles and start sharing God’s love. So that the future community may not be living in despair, but joy. #ForTheKingdom.
I said at SHOUT how we don’t just stop serving when we leave Oldsmar, we have to keep striving. I’ve been challenging myself in more ways before then and even now that SHOUT is over, I am double challenging myself. Personal and community growth stems from consistency and discipline. Call me crazy cause this is and I am trying hard not to crack, but I challenged myself, someone who just turned 21, to go on an alcohol hiatus for 90 days. I have about 78 days left. I also deleted my Social Media apps: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr. This is all to challenge myself, but I also want to be pursuing more purposeful things with my time. Yeah I’ll be honest, I am excited for when 90 days end, but I am excited to see the growth of who I will be when I am done.
This has been such a fun journey within the CFC community — from discovering I was capable of writing, traveling to serve, and knowing there is so much freedom and we are free to choose who to be. I know Cris and I have been serving as ” CFC-youth Florida Area Heads” for almost 3 years now, but I say this with confidence, when that 3 year mark hits, it doesn’t stop there. Mission is forever.
Remember on not only the bad days but the good days that “Behold, He makes all things new, just looking at YOU!” You are no accident and you have purpose. We are all made for mission, and God’s love is why we have the strength we need for life.
(Thank you God and shout out to my teams for helping me with this!! ❤ Talk 1: The Amazing Grace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdtLpQXwtIE&t=1184s & Powerpoint slides Talk 1_ Amazing Grace )
Jamie Vergara 