Due to all the chaos of evacuating after the eruption of Taal Volcano in the Philippines in January 2020, it completely slipped my mind that we had to take part in S.U.P.E.R Training.
S.U.P.E.R. Training stands for: “Spiritual Unity & Physical Endurance Reinforcement.” The annual training for the missionaries emphasizes the importance of teamwork, partnership, intimacy with God, patience, a never-give-up attitude and the spirit of obedience.
I had heard so many horrendous rumors about S.U.P.E.R Training, which is why I really wanted to avoid this activity at all cost. However, the day came when we had to pack our things for this three-day trip.
We had to drive for two hours and then walk for an hour in order to reach our destination. We walked in a long, single-file line and endured the strong waves of heat that gleamed on our faces. When we arrived, we were all excited to see the clear blue beach that seemed to welcome us. However, our happiness and excitement did not last long. We immediately set our things down and started our training.
We were taught ten different physical training exercises. At first, it wasn’t so bad; it was actually pretty fun. However, after 50 minutes of continuous exercise, we were exhausted. We wanted to take a break and drink water, yet there was no stopping till we finished going through all ten physical training exercises. The problem was, after 50 minutes, we were still stuck on physical training exercise #1. We had been told to leave our watches and our caps on campus, so we didn’t know how much time passed while the sun scorched as hot as ever onto our faces. It felt like an eternity, finishing that session.
When lunch time finally arrived, we all groaned in pain and exhaustion. We all stuffed our faces with as much food as we could. After eating, we wanted to be done for the day. We did not want to do anything; however, we knew that this was just the beginning. We continued our training after an hour of break. For four hours, we consistently had our physical training exercises in the scorching sun with only a quick five-minute break in the middle. More times than I can count I wanted to cry and give up. My whole body was giving up on me, and I just wanted to stop and hide in the shade.
By the second hour, I actually felt my soul leaving my body. I felt like an empty shell, exercising mindlessly. When I was told to run, I ran. When I was told to lie in the water, I laid down. When I was told to crawl in the hot sand, I crawled. When I was told to do jumping jacks a hundred times, I did it. However, when my mind told me to run away, I could not. Why is that? It is because I was not alone. The hardest thing about the whole training was hearing the groans of my fellow trainees. When I was exhausted and in pain, I was not alone. I could not complain because I knew that others were experiencing the same thing. Even when they made mistakes and we had to receive more punishment, we could not groan because groaning made things worse. That day, we had to learn to accept the mistakes of others. Even when they kept messing up.
Pastor Jun, the director of the program, made it very clear to us that day that loving others is difficult; however, we must endure and understand them because that is what Jesus did. Jesus never complained. In the scorching sun, Jesus was crucified on the cross yet he never complained. Though his disciples all ran away from him, Jesus did not utter a word. Jesus never gave up no matter how difficult the situation may have seemed. Through this S.U.P.E.R Training, I’ve learned to accept the mistakes of others without questioning. I’ve also learned that I should not give up; instead, I should depend on the Lord for help. It was a long three days that we all had to bear; however, through this torturous experience, we all grew a bit more mature in the presence of Christ. I am glad that I was able to complete this training; nevertheless, it is an experience that I never want to repeat again.
This article was originally published on the Southern Asia-Pacific Division’s news site