ticking time B.O.M.B.

in further response. link-back to xanga.

Whenever I write something I feel is important... I save a copy of it in a Notepad somewhere and forget about it for the most part. The following is an email I sent out to the core team of YFC Toronto, East 2 (the name of our chapter before it became North West Scarborough), sometime after the very first Scavenger Haunt (back in 2003! oh, that's my most memorable service with you guys). Some of you reading this might even remember the circumtances..... if not, you'll remember by reading the email.

to the current leaders, i offer this as proof that i have experienced what you are experiencing. i also offer it as proof so that you might see that the issue is temporary... but it will also take work to get through it!

to the the old East 2 core members, still active in today's core... remember some of our fallen brothers and sisters who were in core and aren't active anymore (for some reason or another). i miss them a lot, too. Remember them in your service, and pray that the leaders you are raising will not abandon the call and privelege that God freely gives us (and gives everyone in their own time!) to serve him.

to the general membership, i offer this as an apology for the times when i didn't reach out to you because of my own comforts.

PS: B.O.M.B. stands for "bring old members back" !

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Abbey Umali; Angel Maloles; Ascaños; Brendan Yapp; Brian Padua; Charmaine Iledan; Chico Nuguid; Duques; Faye Nicolas; Ian Canlas; Jaime Nicolas; Jeff Reyes; Jesse Falcon;
Karen Eleazar; Khristine Camu; Maria Tan; Larizza Hatulan; Libramontes; Katrina Hipol; Paulo Aquino; Ricardo Canlas; Shelly Tan
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Attention ALL LEADERS

(as Charmaine would put it,)
Holler!

After interviews with a couple of reliable sources, recent observations suggest that we have been spending too much time with eachother at assemblies.

As members, we all depended on the fellowship of our friends and leaders to stay active and to have fun. Developing tight friendships and having fun is what has kept us active in YFC, and allowed us to grow in Jesus' fellowship.

Some members have developed those friendships because of school (namely @Libermann), but others have not yet.

It may be time to step out of our comfort zones once again, and reach out to those who are still willing to come, but have not developed those friendships.

Don't get me wrong -- I love chilling with you guys. It's fine if we love chilling with our friends. YFC is based on keeping faith, having fun, and lasting friendships.

But how could we ever B.O.M.B., if we can't keep the members God has already blessed us with?

We can keep them, if we work at it.

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Big changes are happening all over YFC, especially within our chapter. With Chico moving on to HS-based, and Jesse being our new Chapter Head, many changes are sure to happen.

Along with these changes, let's look ahead to future possibilites of change by looking at some stats:

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Average age of attendees at scavenger haunt, rounded:

girls - 15.0
oldest active attendee: grade 11
guys - 14.0
oldest active attendee: grade 12

By the end of the year, average age of East 2 leaders (i.e., leaders who attended RLC), rounded:

girls - 17.5 years
youngest leaders: grade 10
guys - 18.0 years
youngest leaders: grade 11
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A shift in leadership age is nessecary. Leaders are getting older, while members are getting younger. Eventually, the older leaders will have to move on, especially the leaders who are no longer in high school.

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We ourselves became leaders because *we had leaders who saw the potential in us. They saw potential in us, by first becoming our friends.

Beginning at the next assembly: Let's try to LIMIT that chill-time with ourselves, to go out of our comfort zones and make new friends. As we had leaders who had confidence in our ability to *be leaders, let's offer that same confidence to our members, so that they may have the confidence to be leaders themselves.

Let's give that time to our members, to see what each member can contribute to the community of YFC. God will grant us the future leaders that He needs, to ensure
the survival and continued growth of East 2.

Who knows, maybe we'll have at least one more close friend because of it!

Things to look out for:
+ first and foremost, your household!
+ people eating by themselves,
+ older members (grade 11+)
+ people who *don't attend Libermann,

[With that said, I now hold myself accountable...]

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.....and we got through it, right guys? and when we look back on it... it wasn't really anything big. "YFC Drama" should be the name of an improv team, not a label for such small issues that currently happening.

Like in my blog... know that God will make good from the situ., but I must do the necessary to bring about that good. (in any situ.! now do you see why Roseller and I linked eachother's blogs, even if they differed in topics so widely?) I throw no accusations to specific people (I've no right to cast the first stone), but this is because everyone becomes accountable. All of the membership. (Remember that a "leader" is also a member, just with a couple of volunteer responsibilities.) Everybody. Either for not speaking up sooner, or for not taking responsibility and accountability. Even I feel responsible... and it makes me question whether I did enough as a chapterhead. But this is the only way that I might reach an audience with you guys, and perhaps to atone for mistakes I made while being Trina's counterpart for that short time.

This applies. The toughest thing for us to do is to bring people into this community... a community that we know has cared for us, and that we know God has blessed with a great calling. But the best way to bring people in... is just to show our great love for eachother.......

So if God must break my heart for me to learn... let it be done time and time again, so that everyone can know the joy that he's filled it with. in the hardship of service, in family relations, in the bad circumstances, in my own mistake and sin, in my own shortcomings... let him transform it into something good, so that the world might know that there is more to this life than just myself! ....that we're not just born into a meaningless life to die without making a difference.....