Relationships
by JL Gaddi
Can you imagine having several
siblings, all sharing the same
interests and deep devotion?
That’s how Johnmiles Diaz
Ng-Pilapil feels about his peers
in the Youth For Christ (YFC)
ministry. They are his brothers
and sisters he can run to in
times of trouble, and share the
best of times with!
How did you meet your
faith family?
I first joined YFC in 2011. To
officially become part of YFC,
you must attend a youth camp.
What’s amazing was not only
did I meet my fellow YFCs in
my local chapter, I was also able
to build lasting friendships with
YFCs from other provinces
and countries. We consider
ourselves brothers and sisters
in Christ, and through the
pastoral formation that we
undergo, we enjoy Christ-
centered fellowship.
Why do you see them
as family and not just
another organization?
The love, care, and support that
you get from the YFCs—even
those you just got to know—is
genuine and overwhelming.
They do not just honor you in
public, but they also correct
you lovingly in private, just like
concerned biological family
members would do. Also, we
My Faith Family
make sure that we journey with
each other not just spiritually,
but also in other important
areas in life, like family life,
studies, service, career, and
love life.How do you keep your
relationship strong?
We are open to affectionate
corrections, and we immerse
ourselves in households (which
is what we call our small group
prayer meeting), fellowships,
and mission trips.How do you maintain
healthy boundaries?
The maintaining of healthy
boundaries is really not new
to us. This is because we make
sure we respect each other’s
personal space and still join
our brethren in praying for
their personal discernment.
We also clarify our intentions,
our stances, and our actions.
And most importantly, we
always reference our words and
actions back to our foundation,
which is genuine love.What is at the heart of
your relationships?
At the heart is always Jesus
Christ. We know that what
makes our relationship Christ-
centered is not our religious
activities, but Christ Himself.
By acknowledging Jesus as
the heart of our relationships,
we are reminded that we
need to look beyond each
other’s imperfections and past
mistakes, and that we need to
love the same way we are loved
by God.Johnmiles (foreground)
can count on his YFC
brothers and sisters
through good and
bad times.