Before GAT… Oh my goodness lol. If I could describe myself in one word that would encompass who I was last year, the word would be: scattered. I was so all over the place that I failed a lot and hurt a lot of people by not being around, and today I still pray for forgiveness from my family, friends, MPs and YFC household. I had no idea who I was, where I was headed, nor what my priorities were. So I invested my time, love, and decisions towards the wrong things.

So coming to GAT… Personally, I wanted to pray and search for answers. I wanted to know myself, know what God wanted me to do with my career, set my heart straight so I could set my priorities straight, and a BONUS would be to know ultimately, my vocation. 
Although I didn’t get all my answers like a canvas that’s 100% painted, rather, now I know more of myself, my purpose, and where I might fit in God’s beautiful masterpiece. In spending time with God at GAT, I was so humbled! Especially at the ANCOP village in Batangas, every morning during common prayer time slow tears would just run down my cheeks out of complete awe of how good God is, and how ungrateful I’ve been. I realized:

I am not much different than the people I thought I would be helping: 
the orphans, the school children, the poor, etc.

At the Little Angels Home (an orphanage), part of me did feel such pity for the children, but another part of me felt more similar to them than I first realized; I am still a child in my faith. I was so humbled to know that even if things didn’t turn out the way the world says it should, that God would still take care of me through His love manifested in the love of others. I am still a child, always in need of God’s grace and care. I have a soul just like these children at the orphanage and God loves them as equally and intensely as He loves me. So because of these experiences, I also realized that

I was in need of change.

Each day my uncontrollable tears (whether it would be one or two at times) really humbled me and showed me that God was transforming my heart. I was so loved by God and I needed to allow Him to love me, in every moment! I could feel my hardened heart turn to flesh; the way God intended our hearts to be. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I hated myself last year (emo!) haha, but I really didn’t like who I was and where I was headed. But God showed me, although I didn’t deserve it, that I am
loved by Him and that it’s okay, I’m still learning. God said:

Have faith in me! 
For I have great faith in you, Raimie, my child.

2.
My FAVOURITE moments of GAT, except the fact that all of it was my favourite, was actually on the bus rides to and from places. The sights we saw, all the conversations, the jokes, the awesome middle-aisle seats, the group photos, the perfect buddy’s (shoutout to Koreen ya inspiration!), the music and singing, the mouth-open sleeping, the snack-sharing, the resistance-accusing, the impromptu worship, the ultimate bonding… Goodness! That bus was blessed. One thing I learnt about myself is that, in all my travelling (4 countries the past 4 months), yes I’ve seen so many wonderful places that I’ve always wanted to see; yes I’ve experienced sights that not many people will see in their lifetime; but oh dear, I realised 

nothing moves my heart like people do. 
Nothing inspires me to be better like people do. 
NOTHING else inspires my faith, gives me more hope, or shows me what real love is. 
I could travel anywhere in the world, and not feel the love of Christ if it weren’t for
His people.

I can’t thank Him enough for choosing the perfect group of people to teach me this lesson at GAT. How perfect is God right?! That He could align what was best for me with what was best for 36 other people. That our lives (no matter how different we were) could meet up and God’s one plan was perfect for all of us. To better us. To make us holier and more loving. Wow, God, you da best. The future is hopeful because of YOU Lord!

3.
For the first time I experienced what it was like to really love friends like family, and to love til it hurts. We outdid eachother in love so much during GAT that when we were no longer together, my heart would actually ache at times haha. We still loved eachother and missed eachother so much! Why am I talking past tense? WE STILL DO. WELL I STILL LOVE AND MISS THEM! hahah

God made a new imprint on our hearts. 
God added an understanding of what it means to really love others.

I could honestly go through every single person in this GAT delegation and share what they taught me about love! But for now, here’s what our loving full-timers showed me:

God through Ate Waki, taught me that love involves sacrifice. 
There were so many days Ate Waki had to sacrifice her own GAT experience to go back to the GMC and fix up unforeseen financial issues and our recreation venue. Btw, BICOL was da bomb! Know that the time we did spend with you was still so memorable, inspiring and loving. You taught me so much through both your words and actions. Thank you Ate for loving each of us by sacrificing the many days it took to sort everything out. You inspire me to see every opportunity and every decision, whether easy or hard, as ways to love God and love others. Praise God for you.

God through Kuya Franz, taught me that if a whole group of people say you should be with someone, then you should. LOL! hahah jokes! 
Kuya Franz showed me that love is so joyful and contagious! 
To this day, when Kuya Franz laughs on our Facebook group inbox, each delegate knows EXACTLY how he is laughing. Kuya was always a joy to be around and you could see the joy in his heart when he talked about God, or even when he was singing, joking, listening, leading, etc. Thank you kuya for every conversation, every joke and story, every smile! You inspire me to find joy in all things, which is the same as finding God in all things. Praise God for you.

God through Kuya Dudz, taught me that truly loving someone is knowing them. 
I was so amazed that this Kuya is studying theology! I was so inspired to know my faith more because Kuya Dudz does, and you could really see His profound love for God through his insightful sessions. By knowing God and knowing others more, how can we not fall in love God and love others more? I was also inspired to share my talents more cos this kuya is so talented! Thank you kuya for taking every opportunity to share your knowledge of the faith and your talents with us, Praise God for you!

God through Kuya Joven, taught me to love through leadership. 
This man is a leader. As funny and serious as he may be at times, sometimes I couldn’t tell lol, this great brother is such a great leader. I look up to him a lot in his decisiveness, his firmness, his joy, his sincerity in listening and caring for others, and his humility in sharing his story to me. I am so blessed to be led by him, and I hope to have a mp like him one day! I also hope to love my family at all cost, just like you do. 
Thank you Kuya, Praise God for you!

God through Ate Maan, taught me that loving others involves sharing great model poses when your stomach hurts, or when.. LOL! Nah, what God taught me through Ate Maan is that love is unconditional, personal, and faithful. I am not sure how GAT was for her because she was non-stop taking care of us sick kidsssss. Oh man! Ate never failed to take really great care of us when we weren’t feeling well, when some were yelling in pain, some unable to poo (LOL), some unable to breathe, unable to sleep… Pretty much, if you were dying, Ate Maan was there to save the day.
It didn’t matter if she didn’t have any sleep or any food, she prioritised loving us. She was so good to us! Thank you for being with us every moment Ate, being sick may have been painful at times, but you being there made us feel hopeful, loved and happy too. Sick bay was pretty fun! Praise God for you.