Joan Tabino (left) of Bacolod City wanted to take part in the LifeBox VisMin Convergence—however, she faced a few roadblocks along the way. “I had some trouble with my finances at first,” she recounts. She lived with her mother and did not receive full financial support from her father. Neither of her parents also shared her faith.

In spite of that, Joan believed God for the impossible. “He provided (for) everything—not just the finances, but even the favor of my parents.” Her father gave her enough money for airfare and allowances. To Joan’s surprise, her mother also readily agreed for her to go to Cebu. “I was amazed with how God provided with what I needed!”

Joan was one of the 400 student leaders from the Visayas and Mindanao region that took part in the LifeBox VisMin Convergence held in Cebu City last October. These convergences are held in different regions in the Philippines to encourage, equip, and empower our student leaders to reach their campuses for Jesus, and in turn disciple others to do the same.

What happened before the VisMin Convergence wasn’t the only takeaway Joan had. “It’s my first time to be part of a conference like this,” she shares, “and we were really equipped (to make disciples)! I wanted to go home right after the conference and do LIFE group in my campus!”

One of the most memorable lessons Joan learned was the idea of engaging others. “Fishing for people is an overflow of my relationship with God. I believe that in order to have a strong relationship with God, discipleship and fellowship (are) very important.” Now, Joan is back in her campus at La Salle Bacolod, in her second year as a Psychology major. She is living a life of leadership, integrity, faith, and excellence—and sharing the gospel to her classmates and friends.

“My convergence experience really strengthened my walk with God. I went out of my comfort zone. I will never forget this experience, ever!”

Joan’s story is just one of the many stories we’ve heard from LifeBox’s VisMin Convergence. We believe that as we reach more students and campuses for Jesus, more and more lives will be changed and we are set to see our nation transform!