"Let Go and Let God!"

The Lord is risen! Satan's plans have been thwarted, and hope has been renewed -- Happy Easter to all!

Truly God continues to change the hearts and minds of those who are willing to "let go and let God". And when we give in to His plans by sacrificing our own - the rewards are beyond compare.

While going through pictures in my brother's bedroom a couple of weekends ago, I came across some pictures from my high school days. I almost forgot how thin and lanky I looked back then, and seeing the pictures of myself in a polo barong together with good and real friends just made me smile.

As I shuffled through the stacks of pictures, I got to a picture of Reyniel Catabian, Ruter Agati and myself inspecting the progress of the construction of what was to become the St. La Salle Multi-Purpose Center in Pasong Makipot, Muntinlupa City. Ruter was sifting through scrap wood donated by parents of fellow students from La Salle Zobel, Reyniel was chatting it up with a construction worker, and I was just taking in the entire scene altogether.

The picture was taken sometime in the schoolyear of 1989. It was at the site of our Scout Units' second adopted community. Not many know of it anymore, but I believe it is safe to say that for Reyniel, Ruter and I - as well as for a few of the other Scouts back then - it changed our lives.

It all started at the start of the schoolyear 1988-89. We were in our third year of high school, and over the summer I had decided that I wanted to leave a legacy with the school. I came to know of the Magnolia National Youth Achievement Awards, and I planned to gun for that. I approached our Scout Master (Mr. Ruben Deseo - true green La Sallians from Zobel would know him) and told him my plan: a massive tree-planting project on the slopes of the Scout Reserve on Mt. Makiling. I had the finances planned and had already contacted a seedling bank.

He asked me one question: "Do you really want to make a difference?"

I said I did.

A week later, Mr. Deseo, together with my four patrol leaders and I went to a remote barrio in Binan, Laguna: Barrio Loma. We met with the barrio elders and told them our goal: we wanted to provide adult-literacy classes, child-literacy classes, livelihood programs and the such to the barrio folk. At that time, an average family from the barrio had to live on no more than Php200 to Php300 a week - if they were lucky.

I don't know what convinced them, but the barrio elders accepted our offer of help.

Now, seriously: "what could a bunch of 35 high school students do to augment and uplift the lives of an entire community?"

Reyniel, Ruter and I pushed those thoughts to the back of our minds and just did what we set off to do. Reyniel looked into livelihood programs. Ruter took charge of the LRC and child literacy. I handled adult-literacy and catechism programs. Other Scouts worked together on sports and recreation, socials and other activities.

I spent every single weekend of our third year in high school living in Barrio Loma. I had a different patrol with me every weekend. Before I knew it, the fruits of our labor was starting to grow ripe right before our very eyes. Barrio folks got more involved in working together to raise poultry to augment their income from the rice fields; barrio elders got together to re-organize the residents into stronger units that would cooperate in the ongoing projects. I had 20 students taking up typing lessons three days a week (thanks to Mr. Guzman who patiently taught us how to type), five of whom later on found jobs as secretaries in small businesses in the town proper of Binan. Barrio youth came together to form a formidable youth group - and an entire new Scout Unit was even formed.

By August, the St. La Salle Health and Learning Resource Center was built. Materials were provided by parents of students from Zobel - but the work and the workers were provided by the beneficiaries. I didn't know it then, but it had the makings of today's Gawad Kalinga altogether.

Dr. Antonio Tamayo worked with us by providing medical teams from the Perpetual Help Hospital every month to conduct free medical and dental clinics at the Center. His son, Anthony Tamayo, was also a student at Zobel.

On their fiesta, there was a procession in honor of Mary Immaculate - their Patroness. The procession was so long and so well attended that houses were actually left unattended such that a thief would have had a looting spree. "Mang Ehser", the barrio captain commented that never had so many people joined the processions before.

By the end of the school year, we were already looking into adopting a second community - the community shown in the picture I mentioned earlier.

What started as a selfish dream of winning a national award turned into a real act of community development, spiritual enlightenment and nation-building.

What began as a project with only 35 Scouts turned into an effort of the La Sallian Community, as De La Salle University provided certificates to those who finished a Basic Electrician's Course in Pasong Makipot.

What was once the project of a single Scout Unit became a project of the World Bureau of the Scouting Movement after a representative of the World Bureau flew in from Switzerland to inspect the projects - and then later grant La Salle Zobel some funds to augment the project even more.

What was once a weekend project of 35 high school students later became a project that involved parents, teachers and students from all grade levels.

There were trade-offs for me, though.

I never did go to either my Junior or my Senior Prom (good thing too - I don't dance anyway).

And I never did get that National Award from Magnolia. Heck, I never even applied for it.

But today, as I look back, there are living rewards that I can be proud of. Soon before our graduation in 1990, Reyniel and I received the news.

Two boys were born to two families in Barrio Loma.

One was named Reyniel. The other was named Tyne.

What could be better than that?