Julia
Name
Julia
Occupation
I am a sophomore at the Philippine High School for the Arts.
Interests
I’m interested in playing the violin, basically. But aside from that, dancing interests me as well, specifically classical and modern ballet, and hip-hop. Also, composing and re-arranging songs.
Hobbies
I’d take pictures of our school, write poems and articles, listen to music, and play dodgeball or baseball during leisure time.
How and when did you join CCF?
I joined CCF when I was three or four years of age, when my mom sent me to Sunday school one Sunday morning. CCF was in Valle Verde back then. I guess you could qualify me as a “laking CCF” kid.
Did you have any prior misconceptions about church/faith?
I truly accepted Jesus Christ at a very tender age. And it was a very tender time indeed. I didn’t take it seriously at first. It was all in the mind. I only took it to heart truly when I was ten or eleven. But, aside from that, I did not think of the faith as a weak one, or something.
Since I grew up in Sunday school, and having been inundated with God’s word at my young age, I did not have any misconceptions about Christ and about the faith that I’ve been taught. Although [like I said], I did not take those learnings seriously until I was ten or eleven.
How has God worked in your family since you joined CCF?
My dad left us for another woman when I was very young (three years old), and this gave me a distorted picture of a father. I grew up with a feeling of hate towards my dad.
But through a message in one of the worship services, God showed me the undeserved forgiveness that He has given me through His son, Jesus, and that I am to do the same.
This opened my eyes to the real image of a father and so, as hard as it was, I forgave my dad for his shortcomings. I have chosen to overlook my dad’s limitations, resulting in a restored and more fruitful relationship with him.
Tell us about being a TMA homeschooler.
I was homeschooled from Third Grade until Seventh Grade. It was a very big part in my life, because that was where I learned a lot from God, and that was where I believe God prepared me for the bigger field.
I learned a lot of facts about Him as well, and many other things that helped me grow in the Lord, like journaling, meaning putting my insights about God into writing. Homeschooling allowed me more time for other interests, resulting in the discovery of my God-given talents (i.e. playing the violin, and my inclination towards music, dancing, and painting).
Are you active in a ministry or outreach group? Please tell us a little bit of your experiences with that group.
Right now, I am leading the Bible study in school and am the Project SCHOOL (Saving Colleges and High Schools of Our Land) coordinator. SCHOOL is a project of JZone geared towards bringing Christ outside the church and into the schools.
In our school, we run in a hectic schedule. Half of our day is spent on academics and the other half on rehearsals in my major (Music-Violin) and studying. Because of this, I learned to be more dependent on God in managing my time. By His grace, I am able to share the Gospel to fellow students during free time and conduct our regular Wednesday night Bible Studies.
Name two or three things about CCF that make you stay.
The things that make me stay here in CCF are its strong foundations in the Lord and His word, and the people, most especially my D-Group, in whom I see the evidence of such foundations. The love and support is very different and there is much emphasis on sharing Jesus.
I do go to other churches on some occasions when I don’t have enough travel time, but this is where I truly grow in the Lord, and so I consider CCF my home church.
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