"TANECO"

It was like any ordinary Sunday when he came to our Light Group. He is quite reserved, listening to the stories of other brothers and just sitting on his chair being attentive to all that is happening. At first glance, his height and face structure might remind you of one of the bullies you encountered in high school - strong, in control, and a person not to be messed up with. But just like what a preacher told us before, your judgment to a person is just 10% of what he really is. And as we got to know him more, never did I know that this guy would be one of the instruments God has given to us to be closer to Him.

I started to know him and his stories when we had an after-party celebration of one of our brothers in the community. We were six people left in the restaurant and as we wait for our food to be served, we had several conversations about random things. We started to introduced ourselves like where we came from until later on, we just found ourselves talking about our faith.

When it comes to religion, us being Catholic, Mary and the saints, I already knew what I'm going to share. For example, my insights in each topic, reflections and trivia related to some famous stories in the Bible. Being in the community for almost 8 years I already somehow gained those stories backed-up in my mind. As I wait for my turn to share, I was hoping that he get inspired - BUT honestly, there's a part of me that just wants to impress him since he is the "new guy" in the group.

As the conversation became deeper, I just caught myself at awe at how vast his knowledge when it comes to the Faith. Starting from God's faithfulness, to how the Catholic Church proved to be the true Church established by Christ leading up to Jesus' Seven Last Words. I was floored and humbled to all the wisdom I'm receiving from God through Bro. Mark. And as we end that night, I felt refreshed and it feels like the fire and passion of serving God more ignited once again within me. It was truly a grace-filled moment indeed.

This new "fire" prompted me to read the bible again and to reflect on the gospels. I was inspired by how he became a witness to God that I started to reflect on God's Word and little by little gained new insights and an in-depth perspective in the Bible that I seldom ignored. It only goes to show that the Word of God is very much alive. And all of this newly found habit was all because someone freely opens himself up to us and was unafraid to tell his testimony. From that time on, I look forward every Sunday in our Light Group because in addition to the regular meet ups with my brothers, I'll also get a chance to learn more about faith from this great person.

Another positive influence I got from Bro. Mark is that I was motivated to sign up with our community's Bible Study. It was exciting and thrilling to know that you have someone journeying with you in rediscovering Jesus. And although I wasn't able to finish the course due to personal reasons, the lessons I got from the class taught me to appreciate my faith even more. I learned that you really should make an effort to find the answers to your questions BUT also know and trust that there are questions that doesn't need any concrete answers. As the famous line that goes - FAITH begins when LOGIC ends.

Mark also had a chance to extend his knowledge and wisdom beyond our Light Group. When he joined our community's retreat for Singles, he was appointed as their batch head. And I couldn't be more happy to see how he evolves from an "ordinary" guy to an extrovert, energetic leader. As Batch Head, he is able to counsel many people, participate in outreach activities and also spread his network. He is also able to inspire his batch mates and in return, he has now the opportunity to reach more people. He became busier than ever and even though he sometimes misses our meetings, the fact that he is now used by God to bring more people back to Him is just so amazing. And we don't want it any other way.

But sometimes, good things must come to an end, so that you can say "yes!" to much greater things. There are also times when we need to grow and fulfill what God has in store for us even if it means separation with our friends. The reason why I mention this is because this brother of ours decided to make his dream come true by moving to another country to further his studies. This means he will no longer be present in our weekly gatherings and may have less communication with us once he become busy. We will surely miss him! But nevertheless, we will continue to support and pray for him as he embarks into his new adventure.

I can still remember the lessons that he imparted with me as I reminisce in one of our fellowship together. Below are some of them:

1. Just give without expecting anything in return. Focus on what you can share with others instead of what you can get from them.

2. Everything we do at present is just a preparation for what God has planned for you to do in the future. So continue to go out of your comfort zone. Explore. Be brave.

3. Always come from a place of humility. (which I often forget!) the fact that God has given you all the wonderful blessings you are receiving right now is a testament to his generosity. How dare us to remain self-centered?

4. Finally, Jesus is THE WAY because He showed us the way to the Father by being obedient to His will.

Just to end this, I can consider Mark as God-sent not just to me but to the whole Light Group. He became an instrument of God's message and an inspiration to those people around him. From just a "regular" guy who just sits and observes, he became an effective and humble leader. He is a man who listens and always has a good thing to say. A man of principle who cannot be shaken easily. A man of faith whose foundation is anchored in Christ. - For us, he is not just a FRIEND, he is A BROTHER. A REAL BROTHER. Enjoy your next chapter ahead!

#RealBrother