One of my heroes this school year has been this very non-descript fresh college graduate named Emmanuel Anez.  He stepped up to the plate and led the effort of UPCCC and the UP Christian Community for the recently concluded Lantern Parade.  But what i love MOST about him is that he takes his walk with God and discipleship of others pretty seriously and tenderly.  It is a joy to see him get his bearings as a Volunteer Staff with our team, to learn the ABCs of missionary life and figure out if this is really wants he wants to do as a “job.”  If he continues on in this trajectory, goodness, he is bound to grow up just fine in life and ministry.  Praise God!

Another dude worth space in this blog entry is Sir Al Dela Torre, UPCCC’s Campus Director.  Here he is with his wife Pnat and their two kids, TJ and Aleli.  In my opinion, Sir Al (as i like to call him) is the right man for the job.  It is no easy task to manage a team that is 20-people strong on almost any given day with several people being there in various capacities: full-time staff, Associate Staff, Volunteer Staff.  Aside from managing the team, he is also in-charge of the PCCC New Staff Training Center.  Just one of those is already a full-time job.  Put them together and it makes for a packed schedule everyday.  And yet he manages to love his wife and kids well enough for it to really show that they have so much affection for each other.  In my almost 23 years of being on staff and having had so many directors through the years, i must say that i am really impressed by how he carries his authority lightly, not lording it over others, but also exercises it well, making command decisions (it seems) fearlessly when needed.  This is a rare gift in leaders and makes me hope i can keep working under his leadership for a long time.  (And if you know me well enough, that is saying A LOT!)

Last, but certainly not the least in this list of “men in my missionary life,” is Joshua Garcia.  i’ve known this dude since he was a little snip of a little man.  In fact, he claims that when he was a kid, i used to babysit him.  Maybe it is a good thing that i have no recollection of that fact?  Haha!

The whole team hardly sees him since he is an Associate Staff whose job at GMA 7 takes up most of his time, right along with his MBA studies at UP.  Busy doesn’t quite cover his lifestyle.  Toxic is more like it!  And yet he took time to be the photographer for our Lantern Parade last year and really ROCKED the shots.  We may not see him a lot but he sure makes his presence felt when he’s around.  Heehee.

And the last man in my life is awaiting his entry into this blog.  Perhaps he IS still out there – undiscovered, under-appreciated or unmet.  It’d be really interesting if he finally showed up and became The Man in my life.  Haha!

Under: Co-workers in the Harvest Field