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TJEJ (The Joy of Experiencing Jesus): A Pre-ICON discovery in Guimaras & Ilo-ilo By: Bro. Ben Banola, Jr. (SFC 2C1, Jebel Ali)

It was by God’s grace that I was able to attend the 24th SFC International Conference, my very first time to experience such gathering of SFC’s from all over the world. It was a sort of homecoming for me, owing to the fact that it was held in my hometown, the city of Iloilo.



This year’s theme for the Pre-ICON, which is “Explore.Experience.Encounter”, truly encapsulated the joy I have felt and the memorable moments I have made during that 3-day event. The joy of experiencing Jesus Christ from the smiles of those marginalized and indigenous people who have benefitted from our different outreach activities, to the bonds I have made with other brothers and sisters as we shared our struggles and victories in spreading the love and word of God all over the world.



My Jesus-experience happened during the trek going up the Balaan Bukid or the holy mountain in the province of Guimaras. Along the way, there are stations of the cross depicting the journey of our Lord Jesus Christ going to the mount of Calvary. The climb going up the mountain is a bit difficult and tricky as there are parts which are rocky and steep, wherein a single misstep or a lost footing will cause you to slide down. I was transported back to the time when Jesus was carrying that cross of salvation, the difficulties and struggles He encountered but He never gave up for His great love for all of us. This brought me to a realization that as we serve the Lord and as we carry our own crosses, there would be times that the journey would never be easy and we will encounter major obstacles, or times that we will walk alone or somebody will walk with us, but we should never give up because when we reach the end, it would be truly rewarding and fulfilling.



Taking a line from the song Larger Than Life, “From the rivers to the seas, from the valley to the peak of the mountains, you are God”, indeed God is really gracious as He has given us the opportunity to marvel in His creations and to worship Him in all places, may it be on the top of the mountain or in the beachfront.



To sum it up, I can describe my first-ever Pre-ICON experience as unifying. There is that universal language that binds and unifies us as one, a language that transcends beyond race, color, gender, or dialect; and that is the language of LOVE, a love that springs forth from the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Indeed, in this Pre-ICON, I have explored, experienced, and encountered the love of God in the City of Love. 

May God be praised!


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