Richmond Chapter worships at their September 7th General Assembly. (Photo: Vince Licerio)

A perfect day always starts with a beautiful opening.

For me, it all began when I woke up early in the morning so that I could commute to St. Monica’s parish for the morning Mass and a church cleanup. During the Mass, I had prayed for beautiful weather and an eventful General Assembly (GA) for that very day. Just before I left the church to head towards the GA’s venue, I had noticed the sun’s rays shining through the church’s windows in a splendid way and I knew then that God had sent us His blessings.

Moments later, we had started the Family GA with an opening prayer led by our Chapter Head Jelo Cruz and played a game shortly after with some of the parents participating. We all took a short break right after that first game so that we could have our lunch and played another game that I myself had led right after our tasty meal. I felt all my problems from my school week fade away as we continued to play more games. I had the time of my life during that GA, laughing heartily along with my fellow brothers and sisters during some of the fun moments.

Later that afternoon, just as I was about to head home during the end of the event, I turned my head around and gazed back at my Chapter. It was there that I saw their smiling faces as they chatted and laughed happily with one another. I then felt a powerful presence coming from them and I knew then that it was God’s comforting presence. I let out a hint of a smile and headed back towards my car, knowing well that God had been with us that day. It was truly a perfect day that started beautifully and ended with a marvelous sense of spiritual relief. I wished that I could experience it again as God had truly blessed me with such an awesome chapter. It was truly a great ending to the GA!

Tristan Barbarona, CFC-Youth Pacific Region