The Southern Asia-Pacific Division’s (SSD) Voice of Youth (VOY) EXPAND 2022, which stands for Exponential Advancement through Nurturing and Discipleship, sent 819 VOY Teams involving 26,792 young people to reach out to their communities. VOY EXPAND 2022 is an all-year-round evangelistic effort, which is church based. As of May 3, 2022, the LORD has led 7,514 new disciples to Jesus through this initiative. There are still 2,819 VOY teams who are preparing to go to fulfill the gospel commission this year.
The VOY EXPAND has made an impact in the lives of the young people, local church leaders, pastors, and administrators. One of the VOY team members, Roldan Jay Bersonia, has invited his friend Kenneth Dave Villahermosa to be part of his team although Kenneth was not yet an Adventist. The team was assigned in La Flora, Talacogon, Agusan del Sur that experienced great flooding. Roldan with Kenneth was determined to share the gospel in that community that despite the flood they stayed. They visited people from one house to another by boats. Night after night, for two weeks, the team shared the truth of God’s Word and made appeals for the villagers to follow Christ. Roldan made a special appeal to Kenneth to be baptized along with other attendees. Kenneth who at the end of the series, along with 42 other people from the village, was baptized despite the waters that flooded the town. In total, 7,444 people were baptized after the 3 weeks of preaching concluded. Bersonia dedicated his life to go until Jesus comes. He said, “I will go always until Jesus comes again.”
Upon the visit to some of the VOY teams in the communities in the South Philippines Union Conference (SPUC) under Pastor Jemsly Lantaya, SPUC Youth Director, where they had been assigned, the youth directors made some important observations: (a) 80% of those who were attending is young people, (b) the church elders, pastors, and parents supported the young people involve, and (c) the young people were unstoppable to fulfill their duties despite flooding and electricity power interruptions.
The administrators in SSD together with the union officers show their support to this initiative by praying fervently and providing more funds to assist the young people to proclaim the Three Angels’ Messages.
Pastor Petronio Genebago, SSD Youth Director