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Christin Alvarez, former TLW Volunteer
I'M AN OUT-OF-SCHOOL YOUTH, meaning I’m not in a formal educational institution anymore. This status in life began three years ago after I graduated from college and after being sixteen years in school I didn’t want to quickly join all other out-of-school fish in the ocean of job hunting. I wanted to take a break and be of use to the society through any non-profit organization that promotes principles I value in life. That’s where True Love Waits Philippines came in.
What I mostly did was to make hundreds of paper cutouts, prepare materials for training workshops, take phone calls, assist in talks, clean the office, write some blogs, and lead some workshops. Since I didn’t have a permanent job that constrained my time, I hung around almost everyday in the office and looked for whatever there is to do to help. I did all this for seven months and then God decided to make me stay and be part of the full time TLW staff.
Many of what I did as a volunteer may seem to be of little use to society compared to writing, teaching workshops, and other “great” voluntary deeds. But if my small deeds can help add up to the impact of True Love Waits then I will be satisfied with anything I can contribute—whether it be small or big. Same goes for you dear volunteer/volunteer-to-be. Sometimes we volunteer for the benefit that it can attach to our names. Of course, doesn’t it look cool to be called a “True Love Waits Volunteer”? But remember as you volunteer that to fail to grasp the meaning of volunteerism—which is love and servanthood—is to fail to volunteer.
The one who can truly satisfy our heart’s desire to be loved is Jesus Christ alone and I surely don’t get to tell that everyday to people around me. But living it out one day at a time, in whatever I do, I know it will bear fruit in the lives of people as they see the value of purity and abstinence in my life. As a volunteer, you can do this too.
"I am only one but still I am one.
I cannot do everything but I can do something
and I will not refuse to do that something I can do."
-Helen Keller, blind, mute & deaf
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Mark Martin Soriano, TLW Volunteer
I'M 30, SINGLE, MALE. Sa edad ko parang questionable ang pagiging single lalo na at lalaki ako, pero sa ngayon ito ang direction na ibinibigay sa akin ni God. Mas nanaisin kong magpailalaim sa kalooban ni God kesa magmadali at magkamali. Nagvolunteer ako sa TLW to encourage young people na hindi sakit ang pagiging single kung kaya’t di nila kailangan magmadali at makiuso; and also to encourage yung mga single pa din hanggang ngayon na hindi kahinaan at disadvantage ang pagiging single. Single or not, true happiness comes from God.
“Knowing Christ is the way to experience TRUE LOVE FROM GOD”. Sa kabila ng pressure na nararanasan nila mula sa ibang tao, mahalaga pa ding maunawaan ang sinasabi ni God sa Jeremiah 29:11. True love involves purity of the mind, heart and soul. Waiting, praying and yielding sa will ni God ang most important lesson na na-impart sa akin ng TLW. And now I'm so passionate to share TLW sa iba kasi God has a best plan and perfect plan sa ating lahat ang problem lang marami ang di aware sa mga bagay na iyon kaya dapat ikalat ung mga bagay na natutunan. Being a TLW volunteer is a very life-challenging and rewarding experience. Be a volunteer now and experience what God can do in you and through you.
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RM Rodriguez, TLW Volunteer
I had a girlfriend and I thought this will help me grow in faith, but as teenagers, we tend to undervalue important things. Hindi namin namalayan, na may mga maling bagay na pala kaming ginagawa. God convicted me and made me realize, na hindi pa talaga namin alam kung paano mag handle ng relationship. After 2 years we broke up. Main reason of break-up: there was no strong foundation and clear direction.
Last year, I joined True Love Waits and became a volunteer; this ministry changed my perspective about love and relationship. It also caused my relationship with God to be deeper. Namulat din ako sa katotohanan na marami sa mga kabataan ngayon ang “in love.” Si “girl” in love kay “boy” at si “boy” in love kay “girl.” Kung minsan pa nga, si “boy” in love sa kapwa “boy.” They are entering one relationship to another without the right view of love. Kung sa panahon ni Kopong-Kopong lalaki ang lumalapit to court the girl, ngayon babae na ang gumagawa ng first move. Kung edad naman ang pag-uusapan, karamihan ng involved sa boy-girl relationship are teenagers na wala naman kamuwang muwang kung ano ba talaga ang love. Patunay ito na malala ang kalagayan ng mga kabataang Pinoy pagdating sa pag-ibig at pakikipagrelasyon.
When I became a TLW advocate, akala ko hindi na ko tatablan ng feelings ko, I thought I had Captain America’s shield that will block any feeling na mararamdaman ko for a girl. At “ETO NA!!!” (favourite expression ng mga volunteers), may dumating ulit. I had this MU (Malabong Ugnayan) relationship na I anticipated na madedevelop into a real commitment. I prayed and ask God if she’s the one, but God reminded me that He is THE ONE, that He is the strong foundation of any relationship. Once I focus my heart on Him, He will give me the right person, in the right place, and at the right time.
Now, I’m praying that God will continue to stir up the passion He has put in me for the Filipino Youth, because they really need help. And so as volunteers, show some love to other people and pursue purity. There are many reasons to wait, but the Ultimate Reason for waiting is motivated by God’s love. Sabi nga ng isang kanta “While I’m waiting, I will serve You”, while we are waiting, let us serve God with our best through this God given ministry, True Love Waits.
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Kaye Mongado, TLW Volunteer
N.B.S.F. ako, No Boyfriend Since Fetus. Before I found my One True Love, I thought I was a worthless person and an ugly girl kasi my mindset before was: if you’re not pursued, you are not loveable. But after I found Jesus and surrendered my life to Him, I found my true worth and for the first time in my life, I felt so secured and loved. I am meant to live for so much more. I am meant to glorify God. I am meant to be satisfied in Him.
Last 2010, pumunta ako sa office ng TLW kasama ang kaibigan kong si Sarah para sa purity ring. Nung time na ‘yon, I can say na medyo shallow pa ang understanding ko about love, relationships and purity. For a year, pavisit-visit lang ako sa office until one day, the TLW staff challenged me to be a volunteer and God also convicted me to be one. So I joined TLW last 2011 and it made a great impact on my life. I learned so many things about waiting, about love, life, relationships, purity, and about God’s purpose on these things.
Everyday, I see different sorts of people. I see young people finding their worth and happiness in relationships, clothes, gadgets, money, smoking, drugs, premarital sex, homosexuality, bisexuality, social networks, and other worldly things. Their lives are all about fleeting pleasures. They think fitting in will make them feel most accepted. They seem so happy but at the end of the day, there is still emptiness in their eyes. The truth is, THEY NEED HELP.
Sanctus Real’s song entitled “I’ll Show You How to Live” says:
Come with Me, I’ll show you life even better than this
Come with Me, I’ll show you love you didn’t know could exist
Better than your first crush, better than your first kiss
I’ll show you how to live
It’s all about Jesus. Only Jesus can satisfy our hearts' longing. Only Jesus can show us how to live. He deserves our lives. And as a TLW volunteer, my task is more than cutting papers, facilitating trainings and workshops, cleaning the office, attending get-together nights, distributing “www.wagmuna.com” stickers, and etc. My task is to share and testify to the lost that Jesus is the only One who can satisfy their emptiness, that the love they’ve been searching for is found in Him, and He can save souls from hell. My task also is to be a living proof that holiness and purity is possible because of Jesus Christ.
Grace ni God sa ’kin ang pagiging TLW volunteer though maraming persecutions and temptations sa paligid. May mga times people laugh at me because I believe that True Love Waits. But “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” Whatever happens, God’s sovereignty never changes. And that truth is more than enough for me to continue.
