D R . E L R O I

A PERSONAL JOURNAL OF A MAN LIVING WITH HIV

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

South Cotabato CoH

Last week my work team mates and I went to South Cotabato to facilitate the CoH workshop.

It was my first time to visit this part of Mindanao. I had a great time in spite of the challenges we have encountered during the sessions such as language barriers and having an interfaith group.

Generally it went well especially when I shared my testimony. Once again, it has proven that real life experiences are really effective and very helpful in workshops like this. People have deeper understanding of the HIV pandemic and began seeing it in a different light.

In addition, they were truly touched and blessed at the same time with God's goodness and faithfulness He have brought into my life! God sent twenty eight new "channels of hope" from Saranggani, South Cotabato and General Santos.

After the event, the team had a wonderful dinner at General Santos in one of the resorts there. If you want to buy the best tuna and other fish products in the country, visit the tuna capital of the Philippines, General Santos City.

Again it was another blessed trip, thank God!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Travelling in Kenya

Today is my last day here in Kenya. I spent 12 days in Mombasa to take part in the "Channels of Hope" training of facilitators and a day in Nairobi to see the city and relax for a moment.

It's my first time here in Africa, the fourth country, and so far the farthest country from the Philippines I have visited since the time I started serving the Lord in this ministry. I came to Kenya with the thought of learning things on how to do the training with both Christian and Muslims which happens to be a 10 day training and the usual sharing of my testimony to the future then facilitators to bring them a touch of the HIV reality in someone's life. I prayed though that God will show me something new and to my surprise He did!

During the session of stigma, He had shown how powerful His grace of forgiveness is! I can't help but to be too emotional witnessing a white lady asking forgiveness for the apartheid happened years ago in behalf of her race in South Africa to a black young man who also came from the country! He was not just a black man but a Muslim one! The guy got too emotional too for he was unprepared for that event in his life! God really moved everyone including me with that moment! It was very touching and so wonderful! God is just so awesome!

That momentous event gave a clearer picture of what stigma and discrimination can do and how we can avoid it by simply disseminating the ocean of grace God has allowed us to enjoy as His children!

For me it was the climax of this trip aside from meeting a very nice Sheik brother and gain new friends from this land. God is very kind to show me around the city through a friend and see the giraffe and ostrich park then got a taste of different meat such as crocodile, turkey, lamb, camel and ostrich at the "Carnivore" restaurant.

Thank you Lord for all these great blessings and please continue to be with me as I travel back home. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ and shalom!