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Every month Balikatan, in conjunction with our "Dollar-A-Day" Program, highlights a staff member of the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship of the Philippines (IVCFP) to increase our collective awareness & appreciation of their individual dedication to God and passion for the ministry of IVCFP. This month, we feature: ARJAY D. JANORAS

BEYOND RELIGIOSITY: GOD'S PLAN FOR ME Arjay D. Janoras

PHILIPPIANS 3:5b-9a (NIV) “ …of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ…”

The Beginnings of My Faith I was a very active Catholic church goer in Sorsogon City from childhood to my teenage years. My late grandmother took me with her whenever she went to church and prayer meetings. I hardly missed a Sunday Mass. I began as a choir member then became a commentator, a youth president, a junior catechist assigned to teach little children in our barangay , and a facilitator in the inter-church summer youth camps of our parish. Since I was teaching catechism, I had Bible story books and other resources to help me prepare my lessons. I also had my personal Bible which I read every day, together with Our Daily Bread devotional. Every night, I sat on our tin roof and gazed up to the sky to pray to God. At that time, I already felt and was convinced that God existed and I believed He was leading me to something, although I didn’t know what it was.

Encountering the God of the Bible I started college at Bicol University (BU) in 2007  . A fellow freshman invited me to their home because they were celebrating her sister’s high school graduation. While we were eating, her father approached me, asked me random questions, and shared about Jesus and the Bible. He explained what the Lord Jesus Christ had done to save me.  I just listened to him, appreciating how he quoted Bible verses and explained the meaning of each one. These were Bible verses I had read before. But this time those Bible verses spoke to me with so much life and meaning. When I got home that night, I grabbed my Bible and started re-reading all the verses that he had shared with me until I found myself crying with much joy. The next day I went back to my classmate’s house and asked her father what I should do to have Jesus in my life. He asked me to follow him in a simple prayer and there I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

Immersing In IVCFP to Serve God Five months later, during my second year at BU, I met a classmate who was an IVCFP member. One day, someone came and reminded him about their ‘SG’ meeting. I asked him what ‘SG’ meant, but because he was a new member, he also didn’t know how to explain it, so he just shrugged me off. Unbeknownst to him, I followed him to his SG meeting. Although surprised by my presence, he introduced me to the other SG members. Praise God for this classmate because he was God’s instrument for me in finding IVCFP! Soon after that, I regularly attended their Small Group (SG) meeting which helped me grow in my faith. I also joined other IVCFP meetings where I was equipped as a servant-leader for Christ. I also began attending a local evangelical church. Throughout the rest of my college life, I was active in the IVCFP ministry. I became an SG leader and head of different sub-ministries like prayer, missions, evangelism, etc. I also served as camp director in one of the ISCF high school camps in the Bicol region. In 2010, I attended Kawayan Camp where the Lord started to instill in my heart a burden for student ministry. I graduated college in 2011 and worked as a public high school teacher teaching Mathematics and Physics at Legazpi City Science High School. At the same time, I was pursuing my Master’s degree in Physics Education at BU Graduate School.

The Answer To My Prayer...'ME'! I n 2014, I served as counselor in Kawayan Camp. At this time, I was fervently praying for additional staff for our region. I kept sharing this prayer concern to co-counselors and IVCFP staff serving with me at Kawayan Camp. During the session on Missions & Evangelism, I heard very clearly when the speaker said, “ Be ready to be the answer to your own prayer .” Those words kept echoing in my mind. Soon after Kawayan Camp, I talked to my parents about this and resigned from my teaching job. I told the Bicol regional director that I wanted to join the IVCFP team. He sent me to the staff conference and there they commissioned me as a new IVCFP staff. I am now in my fourth year as staff. For the first two years, I served as field staff in Bicol. Then I was re-assigned to Metro Manila last year. Right now, I am the only full-time ISCF staff in the Metro Manila region where I handle five high schools.

Prayer Requests

Please pray for me and our ISCF ministry. Pray for more counselors and Graduate Team volunteers to join me in campus work. Doing campus work would be more efficient if I had a team, especially in public high schools. These campuses are overcrowded and lack meeting facilities. Gathering students in such campuses during hot, humid days is challenging. Please pray also for my 61-year old mother: for complete healing from acute respiratory failure, for her to get nutritious food and needed medicines, for strength and a longer life. Pray that my family would continue to be ministered through my missionary friend in Bicol and that my family will continue to grow in their relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise pray for me, for more wisdom in managing my finances. I am the only breadwinner in the family. Since my mother is under medication, my expenses have increased. I am also supporting my younger brothers in their schooling. Thank you so much and God bless Balikatan !

Arjay earned his Bachelors in Secondary Education (2011) and MA in Physics Education from Bicol University (2014). He preaches once a month at his local church, Xaris-Faith Bible Church, in Quezon City. He is single but has a girlfriend named Jenny. He is the 6 th among eleven siblings, and both his parents are still alive. His hobbies are singing, cooking, trekking, biking and travelling. He likes organizing events, conducting workshops and retreats, and going on short-term missions.

Arjay in the foreground with IVCFP staff and Graduate Team (GT) Volunteers in the Metro Manila Regional Unit

Arjay with students from Batasan Hills National High School during IVCFP's 2017 Annual Corporation Meeting

Arjay, in green, with students from Tandang Sora National High School

Arjay, with girlfriend Jenny, mom Salome and brothers Christopher & Marvin

WWW. BALIKATAN.ORG

BALIKATAN's "Dollar-A-Day" Program aims to help secure long-standing givers to support the monthly salary of these hard working IVCFP staff. It takes about 15 donors or 15 donations of $35.00 each/ month to make this happen. Won't you please consider making a commitment and participate in this movement? Donate ONLINE at BALIKATAN.ORG .