This was the summer of 1995, and I was doing my internship at the Iloilo City Grace Baptist Church. In this picture are lifelong friends, mentors, and sacred companions in this journey of faith (Pastor Arnel Tan, Ate Cutie, Pastor Jon Jainga, Ate Jocelyn Jainga, Pastor Jess Misa, Kuya Vicoy). It was a long, hot summer filled with adventures and misadventures. I remember the small room I stayed at just off the main worship hall. I remember the conversations and the funny adventures with Pastor Tan. I remember the evening walks and the ice cream with Kuya Vicoy.
I can still see the faces, the echoes of the laughter, and the discoveries of those months I spent on Ortiz Street. The years that followed have been filled with the joy, the tears, the pain but also the pleasures only a life in ministry can ever experience. In the many strange twists and turns of life, in the challenge of new things, in the excruciating moments of the dark night of the soul, the memory of those days inspires me.
I am nourished by the richness and the quiet power of these precious memories.
Our Father gifs us with these precious memories - pieces of recollection, and glimmers of past adventures, discoveries, and knowledge. They are gifts given to us as proof of the beauty of our own lives; of the connections, the friendships, and the love we have; of the feats of accomplishments, and the pain of failures that make our lives bittersweet; of His overarching affection, purpose and grace. These are gifts that we draw strength, meaning, and direction.
These are precious indeed, and their remembrance is a gift to us. But it is also a command. But why does God want us to remember? Why are these precious memories to be recalled? There are many reasons, of course, but here's one: To recall these things centers us on God's unfailing faithfulness. It focuses us on His nature of benevolence, providence, and power. They remind us of the Giver of these moments. Each memory, each recollection, each thread of remembrance leads us back to Him who gifts us with this life, and He has made it and continues to make it beautiful.
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