Coming home
I’m coming back to Yakal today.
The first time I did so was in 2004, with an excitement quivering down my stomach. I’ve heard many things about the place—Yakal was the place to be.
But three years since, I no longer have that kind of fascination for dorm life. A greater part of me wants my own room, something I could have for myself, without the trouble of telling my roommates to stay quiet because I’m studying.
This year is different because the people I used to hang out in the lobby with, my Kalayan batchmates, are no longer going to be there. Many of them have graduated—some weren’t admitted. Last week, when I dropped by to get my keys, all I saw were new, unfamiliar faces.
I’ve also been assigned to a different room, in a different wing altogether, with a new set of roommates I don’t even know by name, save one. I have no idea how things will turn out—if they’ll turn off the lights when I go to sleep, if they’ll shut their music off when I open my book, if they’ll sweep the floor when it’s cluttered and dirt-ridden.
Things are never going to be the same again. But why did I choose to go to the dorm, anyway?
Because I had commitments. God, once again, gave me the privilege to be part of the core of Yakal Christian Fellowship, a leadership position that requires me to trust in His grace alone and never on my own strength.
For the past three years, I’ve had the joy of seeing people come to a saving knowledge of Christ because their roommates invited them to our Tuesday gatherings. That alone is sufficient to outweigh all my other hesitations of living in Yakal.
As a bonus, some of my good, old friends are still in the fellowship, with Jason Enriquez, my Kalayaan roommate, being at the helm of YCF. I thank God, too, for the little brothers and sisters I have, the younger ones whose growth in their knowledge and love of the Savior has been a true encouragement for me.
Two sems to go, and I’ll be out of Yakal forever. But, for the meantime, I’m packing my bags because—after these two, long months of summer—I’m finally coming home.
The first time I did so was in 2004, with an excitement quivering down my stomach. I’ve heard many things about the place—Yakal was the place to be.
But three years since, I no longer have that kind of fascination for dorm life. A greater part of me wants my own room, something I could have for myself, without the trouble of telling my roommates to stay quiet because I’m studying.
This year is different because the people I used to hang out in the lobby with, my Kalayan batchmates, are no longer going to be there. Many of them have graduated—some weren’t admitted. Last week, when I dropped by to get my keys, all I saw were new, unfamiliar faces.
I’ve also been assigned to a different room, in a different wing altogether, with a new set of roommates I don’t even know by name, save one. I have no idea how things will turn out—if they’ll turn off the lights when I go to sleep, if they’ll shut their music off when I open my book, if they’ll sweep the floor when it’s cluttered and dirt-ridden.
Things are never going to be the same again. But why did I choose to go to the dorm, anyway?
Because I had commitments. God, once again, gave me the privilege to be part of the core of Yakal Christian Fellowship, a leadership position that requires me to trust in His grace alone and never on my own strength.
For the past three years, I’ve had the joy of seeing people come to a saving knowledge of Christ because their roommates invited them to our Tuesday gatherings. That alone is sufficient to outweigh all my other hesitations of living in Yakal.
As a bonus, some of my good, old friends are still in the fellowship, with Jason Enriquez, my Kalayaan roommate, being at the helm of YCF. I thank God, too, for the little brothers and sisters I have, the younger ones whose growth in their knowledge and love of the Savior has been a true encouragement for me.
Two sems to go, and I’ll be out of Yakal forever. But, for the meantime, I’m packing my bags because—after these two, long months of summer—I’m finally coming home.
Labels: daily
posted on June 09, 2008
2 Comments:
how touching.
good luck with your new roommates.
GO YCF,God speed!
Thanks anonymous!
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