We are family By JAMIKE DAVID
A year has passed and you know what that means. It's time to go on GKY GAT, the Greatest Adventure I'll ever have taken. I was ready to experience more of what GK had to offer and from the beginning all indications were that this GKY GAT would be totally different to last years.
I thought I'd be prepared for everything and that it would be like taking a refresher course to rekindle the enthusiasm for GK. Surprisingly, though, I was able to learn a whole lot more about GK and experience a whole lot more as well.
What seemed to continually stare me in the face was the notion of 'building and sustaining relationships'. The time in which I experienced this most was on a day called 'Araw ng SIGA' (Day of SIGA) especially held for the SIGA youth (aged 13 to 21) of the GK villages. On this day I saw youth from all different areas (in the Metro Manila area) come together to have fun and build relationships.
The day was filled with friendly competitions that ranged from band contests, dance routines, trivia and some random games like tug-of-war, patintero (a game like tips but the people that are in are only allowed to stay on a set line) and this coconut race. The day also had workshops to teach the youth ways in which to strive in everything they do.
As the day wore on I began to realise just how incredible this day truly was. I began to think that if not for GK a lot of these youth would be on the streets and probably part of their own little street gangs around their area, fighting each other and breaking relationships. Due to the intervention of GK, the youth were here instead and that change in their life gives them unlimited potential in what they can achieve but for now they were all happy enough to make some new friends from different areas.
I was hit by another revelation during a prayer being said by "Kuya" Murray. In the prayer he mentioned how GK never promised that you would be able to send your children to high-class schools like Ateneo, that GK never promised that you would always be able to provide a hearty meal for your family but instead what GK has promised them was that they would always be a part of the family that is GK.
As I stood there I realised that I too was part of the same family. I could only imagine what all the youth were feeling at this moment but I was truly overwhelmed by the feelings of warmth and love. It was a very touching experience for me, one that can't be fully appreciated by words alone. I look forward to helping and seeing this GK family continue to grow.
Do you want to be a part of the family?
As the day wore on I began to realise just how incredible this day truly was. I began to think that if not for GK a lot of these youth would be on the streets and probably part of their own little street gangs around their area, fighting each other and breaking relationships. Due to the intervention of GK, the youth were here instead and that change in their life gives them unlimited potential in what they can achieve but for now they were all happy enough to make some new friends from different areas.
