A Reflection on the Brothers' Vocation Camp 2025 by Aspirant Cheval Biwang
I find that saying yes is often the easier answer to most situations. People would not usually question it. A “no” on the other hand raises a lot of questions like “why not?” However, it wasn’t until this recent Vocation Camp that I realized that for the past two years I did not know what I was really saying “yes” to. Was it to join the BLIP? To become a contact? To join the gatherings? To become an aspirant? I never knew that it was also important to ask questions whenever we respond in the affirmative to a call.
I remember seeing the “Yes Bro!” shirt for the first time. It was white with green letters. “Cool design” I thought. I never really looked deeper. Then I got my own shirt when I joined the live-in program, and I would regularly wear it. People would ask what it meant, and looking back, I didn’t really have a personal explanation as to what “Yes Bro” meant. I just thought it was me saying yes to a brother – nothing deeper. After joining VMAC (Visayas Mindanao Aspirants Conference) and the BVC (Brothers’ Vocations Camp), I saw more of the “Yes Bro” and I thought it was a nationwide branding of the vocation.
This year however, after being able to glimpse at the life of service, and as recently being able to facilitate a retreat in Cebu and a recollection in Boystown, I realized that this is more than just a brand. “Yes Bro” is more than just a slogan on a shirt. The smiles that I got to see, the laughter that I got to hear, the emotions that I got to feel, the connections I was able to make – from the classroom of SBMA, to the cells of Bilibid, to the solemn rooms of Schoenstatt, and now in the halls of Boystown – it was all because I said yes to something that I truly did not even attempt to understand.
After much reflection as to what keeps me going in this program, I still could not put it into words. Luckily, I received a new shirt. This time, the design was different. What was written on the shirt struck me because finally, after two years, I was able to formulate the “why” of my yes into words.
“Imagine if your Yes leads you to teaching minds, touching hearts, and transforming lives.”
Looking back, I realize that my “yes” didn’t start with full understanding—but meaning caught up with me through the journey. What began as a simple response, even a passive one, has grown into a commitment shaped by experience, service, and reflection. From classrooms to retreat halls, the faces and stories I encountered gave weight to a word I once said so casually. And now, with this new shirt in hand and its words etched in my heart—“Imagine if your Yes leads you to teaching minds, touching hearts, and transforming lives”—I finally understand what I was saying yes to all along. It’s no longer just a slogan or a brand. It’s a mission. And next time, when I say “Yes Bro,” I’ll know exactly why.
