Aside from the campus work for college students at the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, Laguna (UPLB), a gospel lunch for the high school students of Los Baños National High School (LBNHS) are held every Tuesday at 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Two teacher saints, who have been working in LBNHS, and three local saints coordinate with the full-timers assigned in Los Baños, Laguna. Before the gospel meeting, the high-schoolers eat their lunch together with the coordinating local saints. At the dining table, the casual atmosphere was enough for them to become bonded to one another. After being fed and filled in their physical stomach, the students were ushered to the enjoyment of a more “delicious meal”—CHRIST.
They gather to meet in a classroom type atmosphere where the full-timers release the burden by speaking the lesson like teachers in school. The students’ role was to listen, digest, and share their enjoyment about the message from the book: Journey through the Bible (Unit 2). Such an arrangement nevertheless satisfied and quenched the hunger and thirst of each one in the meeting. On the third week since this gospel lunch meeting (for this school year 2008-2009) started, some games were held as a review on the previous messages. Then on the following week, a test was given mainly to constitute the high-schoolers with the truths they have learned in the previous gospel lunch meetings. At the end of this school year, the high-school students who have been faithful and diligent in these gospel lunch meetings will be rewarded with a prize. Their spiritual nourishment and growth were also balanced with their academic progress through the reviews and tutorials aided by the saints and from among the students themselves.
It has been four years that this young people activity has gained a number of young people during their secondary studies up to the point that their hearts turned to enter the Full-time Training in Malabon (FTTM). Such was the experience of a brother who was released for this term in the Nazarite Training. Through him, his younger brother (who is also joining the gospel lunch) and older sister were gained in the church. Participating high schoolers, some of whom are children of the local saints became cooperative in inviting their friends and classmates to attend the gospel lunch and be able to enjoy together whatever was dispensed in the meeting. Furthermore, the activity became the Lord’s way to preserve the local saints in their services and coordination in and for the Body. Though the students’ lunch was prepared by a certain assigned district or cooked by a local saint, this has been a mutual cherishing and nourishing for the students and the saints as well. Praise the Lord for His present move on the churches especially for the young people—laying a strong foundation upon them for the future of His recovery!
Sarah Tapel- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I’m a teacher in Tinajeros National High School in Malabon handling five sections. With 65 students in one section, life had not been easy for me. As I attend classes each day, I felt that I was becoming vicious. I had to change my being from a sheep to a wolf or else my “not so kind” students would devour me.
Thank the Lord that I am a Christian! Christ is in me to keep me harmless, tame and to have a long and lasting patience. I always remember Witness Lee’s words that patience is Christ and that Christ has multifarious wisdom that we can experience.
On July 18, 2008 the Lord infused me with a burden using the Individual Work Plan, a project plan of a teacher in a year. I chose a program that matched the principal’s suggestion to establish a child-friendly school, in which a teacher could invite guest speaker/s or a professional relative of one of my students, one that could speak something related to my lessons. Therefore, I requested five local full-timers of the church in Malabon to speak about God, Education, and Character based on the topic Treasuring the Teenage Years for the Lord. Many were excited to hear this important message. Beforehand, I reminded the students to prepare a reaction paper. Praise the Lord that many responded positively!
The students were so impressed concerning God who is “in the beginning” (Gen. 1:1). God is the self-existing and ever-existing One. There’s no one besides Him. That’s why Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth.” He Himself gives to all life and breath and in all things we live, move, and have our being in Him (Acts 17:28; 17:25). Without God, life is vain, human life is without meaning. Hence, we should give Him the preeminence, the first place in all things. Put God first in everything and God will take care of and be responsible for all the rest.
Concerning education, they were encouraged to study diligently to get the best education. As students, they must study well and not be contented just to get a passing mark. They must excel in their chosen field. Their success in the future depends so much in how they conduct themselves in their studies now.
Lastly, one important matter they should not neglect while young is to build up a proper character. They might have known God and gotten the best education, but without a proper character, they are like a vessel full of holes or cracks. Eventually, what they earned in life will just leak away. Everything will just go to waste. Character is made up of 30% inborn traits and 70% acquired habits. Therefore, with their growing up years they need to build up a habit of developing a proper character—practically in their day-to-day life. These involve how they make up their bed and tidy the room and even their sleeping and waking up habits.
When a person has God as his content, has received the highest education, and has built up a proper character, he will be the most profitable person in society, a man of reputation in his community and much more, a very useful vessel in God’s economy.
Praise the Lord for opening my students to His word. Let us pray that in due time they will all be gained for the Lord’s recovery and become useful in God’s economy. Right now, I’m planning to grab another time to make my classroom management both meaningful and interesting. Amen!
LNR
