“When we were having a breakfast buffet, since they are not used to seeing a lot of food, the scholars were so happy. They’d get a lot of food until their plates were full. A scholar from Manila teased another scholar, saying, ‘hey, you got so much. You’re going to have to finish all of that because if you don’t, you will pay double.’ So, the scholar got scared. He recounts being so full that he felt like food was going to come out of his nose because of everything he ate in fear of having to pay double. 

Another memorable experience was when we did an amazing race at the University of the Philippines, and it rained hard. All of us were soaking wet and muddied. But we just enjoyed all the activities because we were just so happy to be together.”

“Happy thoughts about my time with Real LIFE, lots of them for sure, but the one I look back to with the fondest thoughts were those times we would have to craft the menu, and make sure all the kids would love it. What’s the food that they don’t normally eat on a regular day so that it would be a special treat? That was a lot of fun. I’m sure the scholars enjoyed it a lot. Good days, those feasting days.”

“This boy from our feeding program in Pasig, his name was Arbin. I can still remember that he would always look at me, run to me, and give me a hug whenever we did our feeding program. I would see the smile on his face whenever he would want me to carry him, and he would play around. Such a wonderful joy.”

“In 2019, when we did a graduation banquet for South Luzon in Lipa, Batangas, I joined the event team since I oversee our South Luzon centers. When we were in the car, they said the singer doing intermission suddenly couldn’t make it. I didn’t know then if it was a joke when they asked me to do it instead. I told God, “Lord, you allowed me to be here and I do sing anyway. Let’s just do this then.” I asked what the song was going to be. Right then and there, I rehearsed I Can Go the Distance in the car. I studied the song from Youtube videos. I looked for a version in a key low enough it won’t crack my voice. In two hours, I found myself rehearsing on stage and singing I Can Go the Distance for intermission.”

“I just came from work then, and I was in a dress and heels. We were going to do home visits for new scholarship applicants. We didn’t know that one of the homes was up on a mountain. I went up in heels. I could see the marks of my heels as they poked the mud. Thank God I was able to get to the top.”

“At the home of a scholarship applicant was a wall covered with guns. We were nervous yet excited at the same time. We were excited for their family and their community where the love and lordship of Jesus will bring hope and life.”

“There was a time when I looked after a scholar’s young sibling just so she could go to school. I was a teacher in the morning while the scholar’s classes were in the afternoon. She didn’t want to be absent so I took care of her sibling. So, I was like a mom and a babysitter to them. I was very happy that I got to be a part of the lives of our scholars who went through tough times.”

“Back then, as a coordinator, we wore different hats. We handled discipleship, finance, admin, counseling, and many more. It was challenging, but seeing our scholars then as graduates now and as individuals fulfilling their purpose brings so much joy to my heart. Real LIFE, indeed, you are in the business of changing lives.”

“One of my experiences in serving with Real LIFE that I will never forget was what happened on March 6, 2018. There was a fire at the mall where our local center is located. It was scholarship application season. So, we had application forms in the office. When we were instructed to evacuate, what I really had in mind were the application forms and the documents of our scholars. So, I immediately put them in my bag and ran out of the mall. Once I was out, I just laughed at myself that what I had with me were their documents. It was a good thing that the fire didn’t spread and was put out right away. However, the following day, our office was so wet from the fire sprinklers. I just thought, “what a relief we got to save the documents.” Otherwise, if they didn’t get burned in the fire, they would’ve been damaged by water from the sprinklers. I was just amazed at how God secured the documents of the applicants and scholars. I realized the importance of those forms. Every application form represents the life of a student who dreams to have a bright future. Every document represents his hard work and labor to achieve his dream. That’s why we can’t neglect even the documents of our scholars.”

“I remember a few years ago one of our scholars received a medal from Real LIFE. Because I was not the one who accompanied our graduates on the trip to Manila, she immediately texted me after receiving her Real LIFE medal at the graduates’ banquet. She said, ‘Tito, the medal I got when I graduated cum laude was small and average, but at Real LIFE the medal is as big as a saucer.’”

“My most memorable experiences with Real LIFE are the panel screenings and home visits. I am grateful to hear the stories of perseverance of the applicants. I always come out blessed, refreshed, and grateful for what I have in life.”

“My most unforgettable experience when I was a Real LIFE scholar was during my first year of college, I was looking for black school shoes which are expensive even at thrift stores. I couldn’t afford brand new ones. I then found white shoes at a thrift shop. I bought them for forty pesos. When I got home, I colored them with black marker. That’s how I got my black shoes.”

“I have so many fun stories about being a Real LIFE scholar. One of my favorites was when they gave us cash gifts so we could buy whatever we wanted for Christmas. So, all of us scholars were at the department store, buying the shoes and clothes that we liked. It was so fun.”

“Us scholars then were volunteers for packing up after worship services. We would wait to see if Doc Tess would sit at one of the tables. If she did, it meant we’d have allowances. If she didn’t, there was no allowance for us. So, us scholars would ask one another if Tita Tess already sat down. We’d pretend we were just talking, but the truth was we were waiting for her. Once she left the convention center, that meant we won’t be receiving our allowance. But once she sat down, we knew the drill—we’d line up to her.”