01/09/2025
๐๐ข๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ: ๐๐ก๐ โ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐จ๐ค๐๐งโ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฅ, ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ฅ๐๐ง
DAVAO CITY โ The Minority Care International Students Association (MCISA) three days annual retreat held from August 8, 2025, at Emilia Healing Resort, was an immersive experience for the MCISA students and other participants. The books we studied at the retreat this year was โUnbrokenโ a World War II story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. The book tells, in vivid detail, the story of former Olympic runner and WWII POW Louis Zamperini and it covers his goal to win an Olympic medal in the 1936 Berling Games, his disappointment at having 1940 games cancelled , his enlistment in the US Army , his WWII experience in training running bomber and rescue mission in the South Pacific, the crash of is plane, his 47 days lost at the sea, and his two brutal years in Japanese POW camps. The book is filled with incredible historical details and lessons and fascinating anecdotes as we walk alongside Louie and his journey. We then find Post WWII, trying to recover his life that was, finding love and loss, the battle with his was demons and finally redemption. The event brought together student leaders and SETBI students form College Education Behind Bars, creating a unique space for reflection on survival, resilience, and redemption. The discussion centered on Louie Zamperiniโs journey of faith, as depicted in Unbroken. Participants explored how Zamperiniโs spiritual awakening, even in the most desperate of circumstances as a prisoner of war, offered him a sense of peace and purpose. The retreat provided a platform for the SETBI students and youth to reflect on their own lives and find hope in their faith, reinforcing the idea that redemption is possible regardless of oneโs past. With the theme โSurvival, Resilience, and Redemption,โ the sessions focused on the broader lessons of Unbroken. Participants delved into the incredible physical and mental fortitude required for survival, mirroring Zamperiniโs harrowing ordeal after his plane crashed and his time stranded at sea. The retreatโs serene environment served as a backdrop for deep discussions on the human capacity to endure hardship and find meaning in the midst of struggle. Through these sessions, the students gained a deeper appreciation for the resilience of the people they serve and the power of their own humanitarian work. Also, we watched unbroken movie as well, the movie comes at the end. It stops short. The important part of the message of the book missing the good news of redemption is missing. The book includes the incredible aftermath of Zamperiniโs harrowing war experience. The post war stress sent Zamperini spiraling downward into a life of alcohol use and verbal abuse of his wife. Zamperini wrestled with inner demons that nearly broke the main character of unbroken. Yes, watch the movie, but donโt miss reading the book. Minority Care International Students Association retreat was a resounding success, effectively connecting the inspiring story of Louie Zamperini with the real-world experiences of both the MCISA members and the SETBI College Education behind Bars students. By addressing the themes of faith, survival, and redemption in two distinct settings, the event underscored the importance of empathy and the power of humanitarian service.
