Tell us a bit about yourself
Hi everyone! My name is Ryand and I am currently one of the Key Student Leaders (Co-President) for Power to Change at UofT! A few things about me is that I was born in the Philippines and immigrated to Canada in 2011! I will be in my 4th year this coming school year studying in a double major on Health & Disease and Cell & Molecular Biology. First and foremost I strive to include God and my relationship with Him in all the things that I do, that through it, people will get to see Christ in me. I am also a family oriented person so if you follow me on my social media, you'll get to see a little bit of my family and the things we do, from going to picnics and joyrides! I love to sing and I’m grateful to use this gift to be a part of a choir and in the worship team, praising God! I am also a person that enjoys sports, specifically powerlifting! This coming fall I’ll be competing in my first competition, so I’m very blessed and excited to do something that I really enjoy on a competitive level and especially still keeping my faith in the centre while training for it.
How has following Jesus impacted your goals and plans this summer?
Following Jesus more intentionally and fervently has been a blessing and has allowed me to approach certain trials based on what the Bible says. Having taken seriously my study in God’s Word it made me become more dependent and seeking Him earnestly and what His will is in regards to my goals and plans for this summer, especially preparing for my 4th year at UofT. During this summer, Power to Change has been engaging in a Summer Discipleship Group Bible study whose main theme is “Everyday Faithfulness”, I have been blessed and fortunate to have other leaders involved that have a heart for God and have the desire to exalt Him and find ways to seek Him during this summer season where there is a tendency to relax and sometimes not leave time to be in God’s presence. I thank God that through the Holy Spirit, He has equipped me and other leaders to be trusted and lead discussions in our Bible study that allows us to be more intentional with our time with Him.
How has God encouraged you this summer as you pursue His mission?
God has encouraged me this summer through engaging in Scripture and reading books that can help nurture my growth as a Christian. A verse in Scripture that has encouraged me as I desire to pursue His mission and make Christ known to people is found in Acts 17:32. This part in the Bible depicts the journey of Paul in Athens as he addresses the people by sharing the Gospel through teaching about Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. Verse 32 shows that as Paul was sharing the resurrection, some mocked him but others were willing to hear him again on the topic of Christ. This changed my approach in His mission and that, we truly never know who is in need of hearing the good news of Jesus, we may get mocked by our belief, but if our sharing leads to someone showing curiosity and seeking Him, leading to that individual to accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour, gives me encouragement to pursue and continue the mission He entrusted His disciples and in extent, to us in Matthew 28:19-20.
What is a favourite memory from your summer so far?
It has yet to happen, but in August, my family and I will be going to Texas to visit my Uncle which also includes celebrating my birthday! So very excited for that! Other than that, I think my favourite memory is to really just spend my time with God (whether if it is through my independent Bible reading, Summer DG, Church, Choir, etc), being in awe of who He is in my life, acknowledging Him for who He is. Causes me to abide closer to Him than before and live my life out for Him.
What are you hopeful for moving forward?
Being involved in Power to Change as a Key Student Leader, I am very hopeful and excited on how God will use me and my other fellow leaders in moving the ministry forward at UofT and engage with the students in our campus and have the light of Christ be known. That through this, I am also able to grow more in my personal life and relationship with God, growing deeper in Him as time goes by, as well as developing stronger relationships with my friends! A verse of encouragement that I would like to encourage you all is found in Colossians 3:2, as we set our minds on things above, our approach in matters changes and shifts and would align with what God’s will is. To know God, is to love His ways, but not only love but also to walk in those ways as well. Our vision for this coming school year is found in 1 John 2:5-6, I am hopeful and excited to see how God will use this passage, to impact not just our ministry but to the community that we are engaging with!