Shell CLP : Talk 1 and 2

Since we had to cancel the first talk to keep the facilitators and participants safe from the storm that hit
the country, Talk 1 and Talk 2, “God’s Love” and “Who is Jesus Christ?” of our “Fueled by Passion” CLP
was combined into a two-in-one talk last Wednesday, August 3, 2011. Here’s how the evening went,

Our registration team hard at work.

Some of the participants sharing a meal.

Laarni Madlangbayan, from Shell and part of the CLP team, Teaching everyone about the safety procedures at Shell House.

Carlo Cecilio, co-team leader for the CLP, welcoming the participants.

Nestle Jeturian, a long-time member of the SFC community, talked about the wonders of God’s love
and Jesus Christ. God’s love is present in the company of family and friends. It manifests itself in the
most important people, things and events in your life, down to the tiniest detail of your existence. It can
be found in the job that keeps the clothes on your back, the food on your table and the roof over your
head. Whatever your circumstance and situation, if you keep your heart open, God will make you feel
His redeeming love.

Juan “Dickoy” Magdaraog shares his inspiring story as he experiences the love of God in the face of
struggles and difficulties. Dickoy was diagnosed with Pompe disease, “a rare, and often fatal disorder
that disables the heart and muscles. The primary symptom is muscle weakness, progressing to
respiratory weakness and death from respiratory failure. There is no cure and no hope of remission.”
In spite of the challenges that he has to overcome, he feels the love of God because of the care and
concern of family, friends, and in some cases, complete strangers.

Participants sharing a laugh with Dickoy.

After Nestle and Dickoy’s talk. We broke the participants into smaller groups to discuss the topic.

Like Dickoy and the rest of us, Jesus Christ knows the sting of failure and the bitterness of defeat. If we
want to know who He is, we have to understand that He suffered betrayal, denial and abandonment at
the hands of the people that He loved and trusted the most. He endured emotional and physical torture
for sins that He did not commit. He was born, He lived and He died and in between, He went through
the same things that we also go through now. He was sad, lonely, miserable and heartbroken, too. The
only difference is that He was resurrected to ensure that the worries, troubles and pains that we go
through in this life will lead us to our eternal one.

Thank you again Dickoy, Nestle and Trina (wife of Nestle)!

Written by Therese Dehesa