YOUTH RELOAD!

Painted Red!

Sunday, May 30, 2010 @ 8:45 PM
WRITTEN BY: Louis Jordan Pombo of Speaking Hammers

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ngmmemuda

I was never a party animal.

Eleven months ago, I found myself in a huge hall with hundreds of seats waiting to be filled. The place was dim, yet there were colorful lights that emphasized the stage. I was not alone. With me were my college classmates that were already used with the said environment. As time went by, people were coming and were filling the seats. They were young just like me, marked by types of clothing that they wore during that night: checkered skirts, nursing uniform, fancy clothes and the list goes on. You could tell among them who were many timers of the event for they would flash their brightest smiles to you.

It was the 4th Anniversary of Youth Reload by the way.

At that time, it was not my first time to join Youth Reload. For many weeks, I had been attending several Youth Reloads, not because of what I spiritually received, but because of the free dinner I had for attending the Reload. For me, it was just an excuse to not eat the dinner at home.

The event started. People were asked to stand to their feet and just feel the moment. The drums started rumbling, the guitars started playing, and the lead vocals were singing. People started singing, though some were off key, but you could hear that they were singing at their heart. Some were already raising their hands, as if they were reaching for something, or just merely feeling the moment. Some were just clapping, listening to the beat and melody. But they were actually worshipping God. Just as fanatic people worship their idols, the people that I saw were worshipping God through everything that they can express. It was a party, yet could still express what you certainly feel for God.

After which, we were asked to take our seats, and everything went fast. People were dancing upfront and singing in trio, as if I was watching a noontime show on a Sunday. Lights were turned on and off after alternative audio-visual presentations and entertaining hosting. The fast-paced yet fun events were replaced after with a preaching. And people thought it was going to be a boring one.

But they were wrong. Preaching at the Youth Reload was not a traditional one. It would hit you, slap you with your mistakes, yet soothe you with God’s promises (not the preacher’s promises!) from the Bible. It would not make you sleep, yet fill you with laughter and joy. But most of all, it would let you learn, and CHANGE YOU.

That sets the difference between an ordinary party and Youth Reload: CHANGED PEOPLE. I was changed. My perception of Youth Reload was really changed as time passed by. And Youth Reload sustained that change in me. It has reminded me of what I had learned during the Encounter.

The 5th year of Youth Reload is fast approaching. On June 25, at Precious International School of Davao High School Department, the 5th Anniversary of Youth Reload will be celebrated, which will be spearheaded by the networks Speaking Hammers and Transformers. Imagine that the BCC has been doing these things: from the presentations, live hosting, and other stuff for five years. Imagine that they have been preaching the word through Youth Reload for five years, to every youth from the inside and outside of the city. Imagine that they have been changing lives of thousands of people. Yet, on its 5th year, it will be different. It will be more.

Five times the fun. Five times a million of the portion. Five times the level of promotion: through its teasers, posters/tarpaulin, blogs, movie clips, brochures, and so on. Now, would you miss the opportunity?

Today, I am a changed person. It is not only because that I have become a party animal, a person who craves to go to Youth Reload and has a personal relationship with Jesus. But it is because I have been inviting people to come over and join the said party. Although Reload is just a small step, yet it could take to far place you could ever imagine.

"However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." -1 Corinthians 2:9



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Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.

(Psalm 115:1, NIV)