By Genevieve Marie Lapinid
10th Consolation Prize Winner

The author is in Third Year Section St Benedict, St Peter’s College of Ormoc, Ormoc City Leyte.

The internet had already been a part of my life when I started high school. I was really addicted to it. I never wanted to stop or just have a little break. The internet has been a useful thing for me, for it helped me update the information of today. A lot of establishments have been using the net to reach out to people: to let them know and even warn them about the things going on. I totally love surfing the net because I can communicate with my family working afar and even make new friends.

As a teenager and a Christian, we have a responsibility for our fellow teenagers to tell them of what life shall we have when we put God in the center of our lives. Since a bunch of teenagers nowadays are using these gadgets and have been exposed to the things that are bad, they need God’s light to lead them to the right way. So, the big question is ‘How can I reach out and tell them God’s Good News using the technology?’

It was in the first year of high school that I experienced the true meaning of recollection where my classmates told their problems about their families. After that event I felt closer to them and I felt that my entire burden had been lightened. When I saw my mom and dad, I hugged them just like what my teacher said in one way to show our love. The moment I arrived at home I went to the computer and logged in to Friendster and changed my ‘shout-out’ to one of the verses that we read that day. It came from Psalm 23:6 ‘I know that your goodness and love will be with me all my life; and your house will be my home as long as I live’.

I never thought that doing something like that was a little act of showing that God’s message can spread throughout the internet. I know that it was just a simple thing but what I did was a small part of being God’s messenger. And I’ve realized just now how happy I felt when I did that. Now that my knowledge about the internet and technology has been widened; I can now improve my ‘small part’ being God’s messenger to a higher level.

If ever someone asks for my advice about their problem, I would relate it to the Bible stories I’ve learned from our Christian Life Education class and tell them what he did to his problem.

I will also update my status message on my online social networks with the things I’ve learned or realized from my family, teachers, friends, and the priests’ homilies. Even though my friends would have the chance of teasing me and telling me how God-fearing I’ve become, I’ll still do it.

And through the CDs of my sister, I am able to know plenty of songs that tell God’s glory and kindness. I can share it by embedding the music into my Friendster profile or linking it to Twitter, Facebook and Plurk.

I know that these things are simple but I’ll take these as a big challenge for me to do in order to let other people recognize that faith, hope and love are what they need to overcome their problems. I’ll embrace these challenges with a smile just like what St Therese of the Child Jesus did in doing her little way. Little it may seem but in the end I may or may not know it but I hope that I’ve touched a little portion of their hearts. I hope and I’ll do all these things in order to be a part of God’s Ministry, as a good Christian and a responsible youth.