Second Crossroads Retreat

After a quick shower, I met my SOLV brothers at ChowKing, Park Square. Already eating their brekky were Caloy, Jonathan, and Arnel. The only guy who wasn't eating was Pert. Since it's still early, I grabbed a bite first. Dennis called later to ask my whereabouts. We later met the first of five participants--Rojel, from Accenture (a colleague of Eric).

With Dennis driving, Danny, Jonathan, and I left Makati at 7. While on the road, Danny led the rosary. We reached Angels' Hills in Tagaytay around 8. I told myself, "this is like deja vu". We're the first ones to arrive.

At the lobby, Joel was preparing our name tags. The rest of the participants, including my invited guest, Arman, were already waiting upstairs in our dormitory. They are waaaay early ;o) So I went up and introduced myself. I met Mike, Terg (I had to ask his name twice and the spelling even), and Ymmell (we had to change his ID thrice; too many double letters; teehee). Right away, I started conversation with 'em. Found out that Mike and Terg are U-Trekkers. They know Lala and Sym. Our fellow brothers arrived some minoots later.


We went to the room where the retreat was going to be held. There we met Glenn and Charlie. The former is our retreat master. Practiced some worship songs with my brothers. I truly enjoy singing so I was happy that I joined the Music Ministry.

Then it's break time! We had mini buco pies. Yummy!

After a few minoots, we started the retreat with the first topic: "Do You Know Where You're Going To?" In this talk, we're asked if we're experiencing some crossroads in our lives. Also if we know where we are right now. Our retreat master is really funny. Kept on telling jokes every now and then.


After the first talk, we were divided into groups. I was assigned in the group of Arnel, Ed, Mike (the new guy), and Danny as our discussion group leader. Right away, we felt comfy with one another. Even Mike had a lot of things to share. Which is good. I remember last year when I also felt at ease in sharing some of my personal issues. The 30 minoots alloted for our discussion wasn't enough though. Bummer!





Lunch came with soup, veggies, and some beef. Unlike last time when it's buffet style, this time, the food was already served on our tables. After our hearty meal, we went back to our dormitory for some rest. The room was big and there were lotsa vacant beds. Since I'm a pillow lover, I took some pillows to make me rest more comfy. Took a catnap from 1 till 3:30.

Break time once more. We had turon and some pink lemonade.

Second talk was about the "Choices of the Heart". This time, it was a fellow SOLV brother named Phillip who delivered the talk. One nice thing about this talk is that the drawbridge story was retold once more. When I first heard this from Noel, it really hit me. I was in tears after the sad story. This time it's different. Since joining the SOLV community, I have been devoting a portion of my time to my Saviour. Singing gospel songs is my favorite! I can never thank Him enough for all the blessings I've received.

Again, I met with my discussion group and talked about the topic. We also thought of a good presentation for the entertainment night later.

Dinner came and I led the prayer. After a few bites, I couldn't enjoy my dinner anymore. Got a headache. I excused myself from the group. I took a nap for 2 hours.

When I rejoined my group, the third talk ("Invitation to a Feast") was over and they're already praying over the participants. I joined in the singing. Three of my favorite songs were sung: "You Are Near", "Shout to the Lord", and "Power of Your Love". How wonderful is that! Moreover, my headache is gone. That was indeed a blessing!

Then entertainment night started. We're the first one to present. We sang "J-O-Y", based on the Michael V commercial. It was quick but funny (for us). Next came the "Labada ng mga Pogi" group. It was better than our presentation. GMA group was next. Joel, once more, stole the show with his Kuya Guy impersonation. The night won't be complete without the brothers hearing from Waway. Dennis (the director), Wilson (the cop), Algie (the brother), and Joel (Waway) did a hilarious take on it, incorporating Mulawin and Darna even.


We then prayed and called it a night. We continued our bonding inside our bedroom. Ate some junk foods. We also requested Arman to give us a few songs. It was so nice to listen to this friend of mine. Of course, we jammed too. We even made fun of Danny's colorful PJs.

I took a warm shower (belting out songs with Ramil), brushed my teeth, and slept around 1.