The Rock | xTended

It was then way back during my senior year in high school, when we had our retreat. Basically these days will only last for a maximum 2 nights and 3 days or less, where students are housed in a special placed mostly retreat houses, but in our case, we held our retreat in school, at the Social Hall. This is the time where students are having their holy days, which is required mostly in some Catholic schools in the Philippines before they graduate.

During the opening night of the retreat, Youth for Christ (YFC) were asked to handle praise and worship for the said retreat. Since, I am a YFC member and a high school based president at that time, I was assigned by Tito Jun Cruz, a former YFC Provincial Head of Mati City. And so, other members were assigned to different tasks, such as for the band, and power point presentation.

Few minutes before the activity will start, I was a little bit scared and nervous because it was the first time I will be leading for praise and worship which I don’t usually do on some of the activities in YFC. Thou I’m a little bit shy, I did take this challenge and somehow I can do something for the greater glory of God.

Now, I did start with a gospel from the bible. I forgot the verse and chapter, but the gospel talks about the stones and the people. It says,

“What will these stones for if doesn’t work (not the exact texts).”

As what I’ve understand with the verse,

“What will the people do if they won’t act and put their actions on the right tract. When will be the time that people will really put their actions on the right tract?”

And so, I started with some Christian songs that we usually sing during our activities on YFC.

During the activity, I felt Jesus presence, it was a good feeling of being a leader. I could feel Jesus blessings that pours on me and to the people who were around the said Hall. Even if the sound wasn’t good enough due to lack of practice but yet they’ve recovered. I never thought of being a worship leader, but yet I could some how say to you and to the world that was good and really you will be able to go with Jesus even He wasn’t around.

There were some songs that really my tears fall down, that time I didn’t mind the people around the hall but I feel it was a private communication with Jesus. I feel different that time because it was so strange that I just cry and cry till these songs end. I could feel that I’m not in the real world that time, I was in a place where angels are around smiling and talking to me. If you don’t mind the title of the songs were, I Give My All, To The Ends of The Earth, and Refiners Fire.

Halfway of that activity, I started to light up my candle and so as pass them through to my classmates, since they were asked to bring candle, a day before the retreat day. Now, by this time, I was amazed by what I saw, my classmates, all of them did concentrate since the background sound was slow and it really coincide with the current part of the activity which is the prayer time. And so, I did pray for my classmates, their needs, their family, their friends, their relatives, and so to all the people around. And I did also pray for the place where we’ll be conduction the retreat proper on the following day.

The activity lasted for about 2 hours. It was a long worship but it’s very worth it. I’d also had a mistake since we’re only given 1 hour and 30 minutes for that activity but yet I did apologize to the campus ministry coordinator, but she’s proud and thankful of that activity. As soon as I ran to my chair, I did met my classroom adviser, Mrs. Fely Aying, she conratulate me for the such superlative leading of mine. She didn’t expect of what I’ve done. She was speechless and proud.

And so I go directly to my chair, and did listen for the first talk.

It was such a good experience of being a worship leader. I was overwhelmed of God’s blessings!

Yet,