Street Level Ministries Goes to Toledo City
REFLECTIONS FROM TWO VISAYANIANS ON THEIR ADVENTURES WITH GOD
I ended the third month of the year with a joyful heart because I knew that God had already planned for the trip to happen. Oh wait, I haven’t told you the story yet! Let me take you back to March 30-31, 2021 when I went on an adventure to Toledo and Balamban with my ates. I call it “a mission trip in the middle of a pandemic.”
We departed Cebu City at the break of dawn on an average Tuesday morning. I wasn’t scared as I prepared for the trip, but as we approached Toledo, I was full of nervous excitement. Maybe it’s because it was my first time spending a two-day trip outside of Oslob since the pandemic started. As I gazed outside the car window, I silently told myself, “A lot of things have changed, but God remains faithful.” Let me explain how He revealed that to me in simple ways.
That average Tuesday was a day that God used to change my view on how things will often go differently than I expect, but it’s always according to His plan. The first experience was when I saw how the technology that connected two countries was used to broadcast a Christian cable TV channel. My companions had no idea how mesmerized I was while I watched them work together! As they installed the hardware in Toledo, someone on the other side of the world was working with them on software through the computer.
All of us had our own encounters and things that we learned, but one thing we discovered together: God remains faithful.
After that, the highlight event of the day came: setting up the Street Level Ministries booth in front of a coffee shop to give away free drinks to students. It was just like we used to do when I was studying in Cebu City! The summer heat was overwhelming, but it didn’t stop us. It reminded me that a God’s burning love for us keeps us alive to serve Him.
I finally met Fredmil (whom I had only met digitally during SLM meetings) and his friend Christian. They were eager and willing to serve and meet students. We walked to the UV-Toledo campus where we handed out WOTS magazines and SLM fliers. That was one of my favorite parts of the trip because I met students whom God put in my way. Not only did I get to connect with them, but I also saw how God wanted to connect with me. I didn’t realize then, but He was changing me through the trip.
Our adventure ended on Wednesday. I slowly pondered all that happened. The night before, while I was alone in my hotel room, I wrote down the moments I didn’t want to forget. The next day, as I was sitting in the back seat on our journey home, I stared at my ates in front of me: the one in the passenger seat has always been a great backup warrior and the one who was driving has always been a passionate leader. These two have deeply influenced my faith and I realized how God had put our paths together three years ago so we could do this trip together.
All of us had our own encounters and things that we learned, but one thing we discovered together: God remains faithful. He revealed how there could be more divine interventions than we had planned. Through those unexpected situations, He interrupted us with things far more wonderful than we could ask or think.1 I went home with a grateful heart and a thoughtful mind. Praise be to God. Until next time!
— KC
It was the 30th of March—the date that I was waiting for! My phone woke me up at 5 am to make sure that I would not be late for the Street Level Ministries event. I tried to dress cleaner and more presentable than normal because I knew I would be talking to different types of people—especially UV students. I was so excited to meet with them again and finally meet KC for the first time (whom I had only met digitally during SLM meetings). Along with my excitement were feelings of fear and nervousness. I was wondering if God would give us a good day to start our first SLM mission in Toledo City or if He would give us a challenging one. I tried to shake it off and push away negative thoughts. I wanted to enjoy the day with SLM and everyone passing by on the streets of Toledo.
I arrived in Toledo City around 8 am. I went to UV to pay my tuition and then checked out Knockbucks Café, the location where we would put our booth. At 10:30 am, the SLM Cebu team arrived and we set up the booth. We gave away free coffee drinks and the newest issue of WOTS magazine, “Rejecting the Rat Race” to students. The sun was so bright that we could feel its heat under our tent, but I guess that was a sign God gave us that He would be watching over us and helping us in our mission.
Only a few minutes passed, but we already had long conversations and laughter together. We played gospel music on Street Level Radio that helped me relax and forget about the negativity that I had. I also invited Christian Elijah—an aspiring YouTube vlogger and one of the friends I met in church before COVID—who was curious about SLM. He stayed with us the whole day and helped us with our mission.
As I looked for ways to help at the event, I realized how big my responsibilities were. One of the topics we discussed recently at our Bible discussions was this: to fellowship with other Christians. Life is a road that is full of bumps, twists, and turns. Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean the road gets smoother. In fact, it gets more challenging and your faith will be tested. To walk the righteous road and faithfully follow Jesus, you will face many decisions—both big and small. I reflected on this during the event, but this time, I knew I was not alone. I was with Christians who encouraged me help me to step out of my comfort zone. We should always bear in mind that we are not alone in our battles—if we choose to live in community with other Christians.
Time went so fast that we did not realize it was already 3 pm and time to end the day! It was fun—an experience that I will never forget. It was my first time talking to some strangers about God. It felt like I was in a spotlight where everybody could see through me. At times, fear consumed me when I opened my mouth to talk. I choked on my own words, but God still used me to share who He is. I cannot describe how fortunate I am that I have a family behind my back and ready to guide my path towards the true purpose of life. Street Level Ministries is not just a team, ministry, or a friend for me. They are not just a church organization or some kind of a religion. They are family to me. We are family. We share the same love that God gave to us and our mission is to change the world one student at a time and fill the earth with the love of Christ.
— Fredmil