KNOWING OUR LIFE AND OUR MISSION

Lingkod-Cebu NLTC delegates pose for a photo.

Joining the 7–day National Lingkod Training Conference 2017 last October 23-29, 2017 at Chali Beach Resort, Cagayan de Oro was a life-changing experience. This year’s theme was “Our Life, Our Mission”, which was inspired by Ephesians 4:1 “I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling.”

No words could explain how blessed I am with the conference. I expected nothing from the conference to avoid disappointments and indeed, I was truly surprised and amazed by what I have witnessed. I have witnessed brothers and sisters praying and worshipping together, building relationships, sharing experiences, singing songs of worship, and doing things as a team and as a family.

NLTC taught me the importance of living the Lingkod way of life; constantly pursuing a consistent pattern of living. As Bro Raul Roncal said, “We need to know our context.” We were reminded not to love the world or the things in the world because “God is all we need to fix the world.” Bro Bobby Quitain pointed out that “We need to know the world we live in” and that we have a distinct way of life, which is to live a life pleasing to the Lord. These things are easy to say, yet very hard to do. In a world where temptations are everywhere, we are always encouraged by evil to live worldly, to have fun, and to live life without guidance and without thinking of the consequences of our actions. Because of these, I saw the importance of the community and the mission of my life.

To be honest, I am a spiritually-motivated person; even if I don’t look like one. I can really see myself hungry for Christ and thank God, I found Lingkod who fed me the words of God. I also learned a lot from the tracks. I learned to enhance my creativeness as I participated with Team Malikhain in the arts and crafts activities.

NLTC gave me the opportunity to learn more about being a Proverb 31 woman, a true Woman of Grace: Strong, Loving and Wise. As Sis Neri, Lingkod’s National Women’s Moderator said, “holy is beautiful”. We were taught on how to be beautiful inside out, to take care of ourselves; body, heart, and soul. We were reminded that caring for ourselves means knowing our worth as a woman. I used to see myself as a man, both physically and mentally. But, after that talk, I was awakened and realized that there is a soft side of me and that my soul is a woman.

Track B, which was all about evangelization and building committed loving relationship, we were reminded to create a life-changing environment, relationship-based and Christ–centered community. We were reminded that no matter what ministry we are in, we are accountable to each other. It is our obligation to actively evangelize our brothers and sisters and to help and lead others to Christ. As Christians, what we are doing is not for us, but for others. We need to live a life worthy of our call. I know it’s hard but we can do it together, one step at a time.

We are always in God’s mind. We are being called, handpicked and called by name. As a response, we are to live a life that is beyond our expectations. He chose us even before the foundation of the world. God has a purpose. Yes! We commit sin because we are just human and we have limitations, but in John 8:11, Jesus said: “Neither do I condemn you; go away and don’t sin again.” Let’s not be afraid because we are all a work-in-progress. Holiness is a gift and a choice. Let’s choose to live a holy life, doing all things for God’s glory, loving the Lord with all our heart, our strength, and our soul. Let’s fight even with the possibility of losing and be bold to try again. Yes! It is not easy to be good. It’s not easy failing and trying to be good. But doing right is a fight.

OUR LIFE, OUR MISSION

M–make your lives holy

I–intercede for the conversion of souls

S–serve with a smile

S–stand for righteousness

I–invite people to our events

O–obey at all cost

N–never lose sight of eternity: God

Let me share to a passage from the life of St. Paul. He said, “I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” I lost people along the way as I joined Lingkod but I did it without hesitation and regret.

Now, I look forward that one day, I can say to you and to myself, “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.”

About the Writer:

Sandrah Mae Bermudes, 21 years old, is a graduate of Lingkod Cebu's recent Christian Life Series: Driven Series 2017. She loves spending time with nature through going to mountain trekking. She also enjoys sketching and poetry. She recently joined the Admin Ministry of Lingkod-Cebu.