29/04/2026
YOUTH PASTOR CHRISTOPHER JOHN JUAREZ OF CANADA🇨🇦
DO I DESERVE THIS? 🇭🇰🇲🇴🇨🇳
When I look back on our mission trip to Hong Kong and Macau from April 2 to April 8, one question keeps echoing in my heart: Do I deserve this?
Being chosen as part of the Power Group Team felt like both an honor and a mystery. Out of many, I was given the opportunity to serve, to reach out, and to bring healing to the hearts of our fellow Filipinos our (OFWs) who carry silent burdens far from home. At first, I questioned my worth. I knew my own weaknesses, my limitations, and my imperfections. Yet, the mission was never about what I could do on my own. It was about what God could do through me. In Acts 1:8, it says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…” This reminded me that the strength we carried during the mission did not come from ourselves, but from the Holy Spirit working within us.
We were simply vessels, chosen not because we are perfect, but because we are willing. Throughout the trip, I witnessed how God provided for every need we had. From safe travels to the right words at the right time, everything fell into place in ways we could not have planned. Psalm 91 speaks of God’s protection and faithfulness, saying that He is our refuge and fortress. Truly, we experienced His covering in a foreign place, where every step was guided and every moment secured by His presence.
Meeting the OFWs was one of the most powerful parts of the mission. Many of them carried deep emotional wounds, loneliness, homesickness, and struggles that often go unseen. Yet, in Matthew 11:28, Jesus invites us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” This became the message we shared: that no matter how heavy their hearts were, there is a God who sees them, loves them, and offers them rest.
Reflecting on everything, I realized that this opportunity was never about deserving. John 3:16-17 reminds us that God’s love is a gift freely given, not earned. Just as He sent His Son out of love for the world, He also sends us out to share that same love with others. Being part of the mission was not something I earned; it was something I received by grace. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Stepping into this mission required faith, faith that God would use us, provide for us, and move in the hearts of the people we encountered. And He did, in ways beyond what we could have imagined.
So, do I deserve this? The honest answer is no not by my own merit. But through God’s grace, I was chosen, equipped, and sent. And perhaps that is the beauty of it all: that God does not call the deserving; He calls the willing. And in His love and faithfulness, He makes everything possible.