Tuesday, September 1, 2026

HEROES AROUND US | A NIGHT OF STORIES, COURAGE & CONNECTION

What an inspiring and meaningful evening at the Davao Pag-Asa Toastmasters Club!

Our regular online meeting, themed “Heroes Around Us," reminded us that heroes do not always wear capes. Sometimes, they are our mentors, siblings, parents, coaches, friends, and even the people who quietly challenge us to become better versions of ourselves.

🎤 From Stories to Lessons

Our Table Topics session, skillfully facilitated by PID Elisa, brought heartfelt stories to life through four thought-provoking prompts:

🌱 Unsung Mentor — AD Jen shared how a mentor's harsh criticism became a powerful catalyst for growth—from *“Bobo” to “Excellent.”*

🛡️ Childhood Protector — VP Venus shared her inspiring story of protecting her elder sister from bullies and continuing to be her protector through life's different stages.

⚔️ Small Act, Big Impact — AD Raya shared how a simple opportunity for free online fencing lessons during the pandemic created a lasting journey for her daughter—and even inspired her husband to join.

❤️ Quiet Strength — PDD Nino honored his father, whose quiet generosity, sacrifice, and love made a lasting impact on his family.

🎙️ Prepared Speech Spotlight

We were also inspired by FM Eunice Serrano through her persuasive speech, "The Zeigarnik Effect,” in which she used vivid descriptive language and personal stories about completing her master's degree, climbing Mount Apo, and finally delivering her Toastmasters speech project.

Her message was simple yet powerful:

✨ Finish what you start—or consciously let it go.

The evening's evaluation segment provided valuable insights from **PRM Charity Amancio and AD Julia Varrientos of Division R, Area 5, helping our speakers identify ways to make their communication even more engaging and impactful.

📚 Word of the Evening: PARAGON

Our Grammarian/Wordmaster, AD Jennifer Hinlo, introduced the word PARAGON —a perfect example or model of a particular quality.

Congratulations to FM Euness and PRM Charity for using our Word of the Evening! 👏

🌏 Toastmasters Beyond Borders

One of the most exciting outcomes of the meeting was the participation of guests and Toastmasters.

Their active participation reminded us that Toastmasters is more than a club—it is a community where we connect, learn, support one another, and grow together.

🤝 The meeting concluded with a shared interest in "cross-club collaboration and future online meetings", opening the door for more opportunities to learn from one another and strengthen the Toastmasters community.

A special appreciation to:

🎤 VP Venus Roque — Toastmaster of the Evening
🎯 Past District Director Nino Sepulveda— General Evaluator
🎤 Past International Director Elisa — Table Topics Master
📚 AD Jennifer Hino — Grammarian & Wordmaster
🎙️ FM Eunice Serrano — Prepared Speech Speaker
📝 PRM Charity Amancio — Table Topics Evaluator
🎭 AD Julia Barrientos — Prepared Speech Evaluator
❤️ And to all members and guests who actively participated!

Tonight, we were reminded:

“Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.”

But perhaps the greatest lesson is this:

"Heroes are already around us. We only need to pause, listen, and recognize them." 🌟

Thank you to everyone who made tonight's meeting memorable!

In Davao Pag-Asa Toastmasters Club, we build confident communicators, develop courageous leaders, and celebrate the heroes around us.

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#HeroesAroundUs
#ToastmastersInternational
#PublicSpeaking
#Leadership
#CommunicationSkills
#ToastmastersCommunity
#EverydayHeroes
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Saturday, August 29, 2026

Womens Saturday Online Dgroup

 





Mga Pangunahing Resulta

Ito ang huling sesyon (Session 6) ng GLC (Group Life Cell), na nakatuon sa paksa ng "One Pursuit: Growing in Our Relationship with Christ." Tinalakay ni Jen ang Talinghaga ng Apat na Lupa mula sa Lucas 8 bilang pundasyon ng espirituwal na paglago. Binigyang-diin na ang paglago ay nangangailangan ng tuloy-tuloy na pagsisikap sa pamamagitan ng panalangin, pagbabasa ng Salita ng Diyos, pakikipagsamahan sa kapwa mananampalataya, at pagiging saksi. 12

Mga Pangunahing Aral Mula sa Sesyon

  • Talinghaga ng Apat na Lupa — ang buto ay kumakatawan sa Salita ng Diyos; ang lupa ay ang puso ng tao; ang mga ibon at tinik ay ang mga tukso, alalahanin, at yaman ng mundong humahadlang sa paglago. 34

    • Matigas na lupa — ang puso ay hindi handang tumanggap; agad kinukuha ng diyablo ang Salita. 5
    • Bato-batong lupa — may kagalakan sa simula ngunit walang ugat; madaling natitinag sa pagsubok. 6
    • Matinik na lupa — naririnig ang Salita ngunit nababalot ng mga alalahanin at kasiyahan ng buhay; walang bunga. 7
    • Mabuting lupa — tinatanggap ang Salita nang buong puso, nagbubunga sa pamamagitan ng pagsunod at katapatan. 8
  • Patayong Relasyon (Vertical) — panalangin at regular na pagbabasa/meditasyon sa Bibliya. 9
  • Pahalang na Relasyon (Horizontal) — pakikipagsamahan sa kapwa mananampalataya at pagiging saksi para sa Kristo. 10
  • Susing Sipi: "Walang shortcut sa espirituwal na pagkahinog. Kailangan ng panahon upang maging banal." 11
  • Prinsipyo ng 10,000 Oras — tulad ng anumang kasanayan, ang relasyon sa Diyos ay lumalago sa pamamagitan ng tuloy-tuloy at sinadyang pagsasanay araw-araw. 1213

Mga Pagbabahagi ng Miyembro

  • Janice — nagpasalamat sa kapistahan ng pamilya at sa pagtatapos ng mga eksamen ng mga bata; nagbahagi ng kahalagahan ng fellowship bilang paraan ng paglago. 1415
  • Sara — nagpasalamat sa proteksyon ng Diyos sa gitna ng matinding init sa Korea at mga kalamidad sa ibang lugar; nagbahagi ng karanasan sa pagiging saksi sa pamamagitan ng aksyon, hindi lamang salita. 1617
  • Weng — nagpasalamat sa kapayapaan sa trabaho at sa pagpapabuti ng self-control; nagbahagi ng pagbabago ng kanyang kapatid na lalaki na dating may problema sa droga, na naging inspirasyon ng panalangin at patuloy na pagmamahal ng pamilya. 1819
  • Jen — nagbahagi ng karanasan sa hindi pa napromosyon sa trabaho ngunit tinanggap ito nang may kapayapaan; nagpapasalamat sa pagbabago ng kanyang bayaw matapos mahigit anim na buwang panahon ng panalangin. 2021

Mga Personal na Pag-aaral (Takeaways)

  • Janice — napaalalahanan ng kahalagahan ng pagpunta sa fellowship at paglalagay ng pagsisikap upang maging "mabuting lupa"; ang Dgroup ay isang lugar ng paglago, hindi perfeksyon. 22
  • Sara — ang pagkaalam ng Salita ay iba sa pamumuhay ayon dito; ang tunay na pagbabago ay nakikita sa kung paano tayo tumutugon sa mga sitwasyon araw-araw. 2324
  • Weng — ang regular na pagbabasa at meditasyon sa Bibliya ang susi; ang Dgroup leader ay isang mahalagang gabay sa pagharap sa mga pagsubok. 2526
  • Jen — huwag husgahan ang isang tao batay sa isang pagkakataon lamang; laging may pagkakataon para sa pagbabago; ang pagiging saksi ay isang pamumuhay, hindi isang aktibidad. 2728

Mga Susunod na Hakbang

  • Ang grupo ay mag-uusad sa GLC Book 2 sa susunod na pagkakataon. 29
  • Bawat miyembro ay hinihikayat na magsimula ng quiet time — may itinalagang lugar, Bibliya, at journal — bilang pang-araw-araw na gawi. 30
  • Patuloy na mag-pray, mag-alaga, at magbahagi (pray, care, share) sa pamilya, kaibigan, at mga kakilala bilang paraan ng pagiging saksi. 31


Thursday, August 27, 2026

Online Weekly Meeting with Butuan Clubs



 

Key Outcomes


The group held an informal coordination meeting to plan a courtesy visit to the Butuan City Mayor's Office (September 17, afternoon) and a club demonstration at Caraga State University (September 18, morning), followed by an evening joint meeting. Letters of invitation have been sent but responses are still pending. The team agreed to treat September 17 evening as a fellowship dinner rather than a formal meeting, and to follow up on all outstanding confirmations by the following Monday–Wednesday. 12


Decisions Made

  • September 17 (Thursday): Courtesy/invitation visit to the Mayor's Office in the afternoon; fellowship dinner in the evening (venue TBD, possibly Reyes Café or a downtown restaurant). 34
  • September 18 (Friday): Demo at Caraga State University in the morning; Oreos/CSU area in the afternoon; joint meeting in the evening (7:00–9:00 PM). 35
  • Installation ceremony will not proceed as originally scheduled due to unavailability of key officers (President traveling, Jojo out of town, JAN on duty). 67
  • September 17 evening repurposed as fellowship/dinner + light strategic planning — no formal installation. 2
  • The letter to the Office of the City Mayor was sent with an e-signature (not a wet signature); follow-up required if no response is received. 89


Membership & Officer Status

  • President: Traveling/unavailable on the target dates. 10
  • Jojo: Out of town; cannot attend. 5
  • JAN (John Andrew): On duty Thursday–Saturday; unavailable for installation. 11
  • Julie: Possible attendee for city hall visit; not yet confirmed. 12
  • James: Works at the Sanggunian building near City Hall; may be able to step out briefly. 1314
  • Ernelyn: Identified as a possible participant for the demo. 14
  • Ma'am Evelyn (Ephrelyn): Confirmed she will get member availability confirmations at their Saturday club meeting and report back. 15


Club Demo Planning

  • Demo roles needed: General Evaluator, Word Master, Table Topics Master, sample speaker. 1617
  • Suggested demo structure: orientation/background on Toastmasters → sample topic session → evaluation. 17
  • Ephrelyn to confirm available members for demo roles after Saturday's club meeting. 15
  • Concern raised that members who are government employees may not be easily pulled from office hours on a weekday. 18
  • Online participation flagged as an option for members who cannot attend in person. 5


City Mayor's Office Engagement Strategy

  • Current approach: formal letter sent proposing a Toastmasters club within the Office of the City Mayor. 19
  • CREVI's recommendation: Start with a brief, informal courtesy call to build awareness before pushing the formal proposal — relationship-building first. 2021
  • Suggestion to simplify the initial outreach to a one-page introduction letter rather than a full proposal. 22
  • Ephrelyn's note: Success depends on having a good network or connection to the Mayor; cold outreach alone unlikely to succeed. 22
  • Once the Mayor is aware, identify a contact person (e.g., communication team) for follow-up. 23

Pending Confirmation

  • Response from the Office of the City Mayor to the invitation letter — no reply received yet. 2425
  • Ephrelyn to confirm member availability (17th and 18th) after Saturday's meeting. 26
  • Venue for September 17 dinner — Reyes Café suggested but not finalized. 4
  • Julie's availability for the city hall visit. 12
  • Whether City Hall departments have returned to regular Friday office hours (compressed work week policy in flux). 827

Action Items

  • Jen: Follow up on letter to Mayor's Office — Monday or Wednesday next week. 828
  • Jen: Relay updates to Direk Bobsie regarding the courtesy call approach and overall plan. 22
  • Ephrelyn: Collect member confirmations for September 17–18 at Saturday's club meeting; report back next week. 26
  • CREVI / Chelsea (Sir Charles): Assist with letter follow-up at City Hall given proximity to the office. 2930
  • Team: Assign roles for demo program once member availability is confirmed. 16