PHILIPPINES
Grow Community
A Carmichelle Flores-Reyes is a pediatrician at Adventist Medical Center Manila in the Philippines.
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s a young medical student, I had dreams of sharing the gospel with my fellow students. I would introduce myself to my classmates, and then we’d share where we were from and where we had attended university. Somehow, I would always find a way to insert my religion into the conversation. They would look at me weirdly as if I were an alien. I didn’t even notice and just kept on sharing my beliefs and passages from the Bible to prove what I believed was right. I then invited them to attend church with me. I expected them to be interested, convinced, and converted. But instead, it was the opposite. They were repelled by my direct approach and quickly looked for someone else to talk to. My boyfriend (now husband) was a pastor. I asked him, “How do I reach these wealthy, educated, busy young professionals, who have everything they need in life, and who don’t seem to see a need for God? Why are the usual ministry strategies not working on them?” My boyfriend didn’t know either, but we prayed together and asked God for answers. Eventually, I did make friends in medical school, and we’d hang out together in cafes or restaurants. We just talked about life, and through the
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relationships we built, they opened up about their deepest burdens and even voluntarily asked for advice and prayers. This was God’s answer to our prayers. These people didn’t want to be pressured to believe the way I did. But instead, they longed for genuine relationships, to fill an emptiness that couldn’t be satisfied by anything except God. The growing relationships with my classmates led to an idea. We invited young adults to hang out with us after work in a common place with a relaxed atmosphere. Then we talked about life and shared personal stories, thoughts, and ideas in a friendly and open manner. Through these nightly groups, we met many young adults with different life experiences and faith backgrounds who were searching for someone to talk to. The relationships grew. Eventually, we went from meeting just one night a week to eating meals together, playing sports, and being there for them through their personal trials. They observed our Christian lifestyle and asked what they could do to have joy and contentment like we had. We never forced our beliefs, but God was slowly paving the way for them to get to know Him. They began to ask about our faith, leading us to start small groups where we could deepen our relationships with God and
