The Adventist Youth Ministries (AYM) in the Southern Asia-Pacific region (SSD) continues to inspire young people to embrace mission work by providing annual opportunities for short-term outreach. This year, 32 young individuals, including children of SSD workers, participated in the Voice of Youth (VOY) initiative in Mindoro, Philippines. The group was divided into two teams, serving communities in the towns of Gloria and Bansud. Through their efforts, the participants shared hope and faith, bringing a positive impact to the local residents.
The SSD AYM equipped these young participants with comprehensive training to take on diverse responsibilities in outreach activities, including conducting public evangelism and more. They were assigned various roles: coordinators, speakers, health lecturers, children’s program leaders, and other key positions. Additionally, they received training to facilitate group discussions and lead united prayer sessions following each evening’s message, fostering meaningful engagement and spiritual growth among the participants and the community.
To ensure effective groundwork for public evangelism, the SSD Adventist Youth Ministries (AYM) partnered with local counterparts. The SSD VOY team collaborated with the VOY team in Mindoro Island, which consisted mostly of Master Guides and Master Guides-in-Training. Together, they prayed, organized programs, conducted evaluations, visited homes, and carried out various outreach activities. Parents and local leaders played a vital role in mentoring and providing essential guidance to train this dedicated “army of youth,” empowering them for impactful mission work.
After several months of groundwork and a week of reaping, the SSD youth shared the blessings of joining the initiative. El Jireh Estacio, VOY health lecturer and music coordinator, the child of an accountant and a manager in SSD, shares, “Joining VOY in Mindoro has been an eye-opener to me, as I was able to see that people of different races and cultures could work harmoniously together and make me feel a sense of belongingness for the mission entrusted to us by God.”
Ken Nigel S. Medina reflects on a powerful experience during the Voice of Youth (VOY) initiative, sharing, “One night, it was raining heavily, and the venue for our program had a small flood. I thought no one would come. But then, I saw a young boy running through the water, eager to join. Despite the rain and cold, he arrived with a big smile. That moment reminded me how vital it is to share God’s word. If a child can show such determination, I should be even more committed to my mission.”
He also recounts another touching moment during their community service events. “We met a little boy who didn’t have any clothes on. At first, he seemed shy, but when he saw the food and snacks we brought, his eyes lit up. He quickly grabbed a snack and called for his mom to open it. As he ate, milk spilled all over him, but he didn’t care—he was just so happy. It was such a simple yet moving moment that reminded me how even small gestures can bring immense joy.”
Shanly Sibala, the VOY coordinator for Bansud, shares her joy when people they were reaching out gave their lives to Jesus, “Over the past few days, we have had a quite tiring but very fulfilling week seeing the people we have shared God’s love to being baptized. It has been so inspiring and it really shows that it is not us who does the work but God.”
NJ Fajut, SSD VOY president, wishes to have more VOY after seeing people giving their lives to Jesus. He testifies, “Seeing this baptism happen right now is a very heartwarming feeling because throughout the week we were working extra hard for the people to come to our nightly meetings and hopefully make them feel blessed from the messages that we have and the discussion questions that we prepared. Seeing them baptized makes us happy not only me but for the whole VOY team of the SSD but of the Mindoro VOY teams as well. I hope soon we could do more of this so that we could have more people that will surrender their lives to Jesus.”
Alaiza F. Sagundo, a newly baptized, testifies, “I was blessed by the messages from the Bible and health lectures and by gaining new friends with the VOY team. I was moved by the Holy Spirit to give my life to Jesus and be baptized.”
Zaki Li Nacario relates the blessing of prayer and mission by joining VOY. He writes, “Prayer played a vital role in the VOY success. The team's constant requests for prayer remind us that true success comes from God's power, not just human effort. Victories in places like Gloria and Bansud were made possible by prayers that lifted our work to God. The mission also built strong bonds among team members, creating lasting friendships rooted in faith and service. Their teamwork reflects Ecclesiastes 4:9: "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor." By working together, we grew closer to God and each other while advancing His kingdom.”
At the end of the VOY, there was 65 people, young and old who gave their lives to Jesus and sealed their decision in baptism. David Morado, former youth director in the regional headquarters in North Philippines and now the president of the Adventist Church in the Mindoro Islands, led the giving of the Bible with the 28 Fundamental Beliefs on it. He laid a plan to nurture and disciple these new members. He also strongly promoted the Voice of Youth Harvest 2025 for all churches to rally their youth to conduct VOY in their communities.
The original article was published on the Southern Asia-Pacific Division website.
