As the pandemic has stretched on for the last two years, we have experienced its benefits and downsides. One such advantage is being able to spend more time with family. This was further reinforced by the return of the Renewing and Rekindling Day, or RnR, throughout March 2022.
The RnR is a yearly event organized by the Guidance Department to encourage Grade 7-10 students to build stronger relationships with their parents. It was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and held online for the first time last March. The Grade 7 RnR with Moms took place on March 9, the Grade 8 RnR with Dads on March 2, the Grade 9 RnR with Moms and Dads on March 26, and the Grade 10 RnR with Dads on March 7, all via Zoom.
“Personally I think it was a good time to reconnect, [and] the message was something [my mom and I] could both reflect upon regarding our relationship,” Grade 9 student Janelle Lim remarked. “It was really relevant and timely as well since it stressed the importance of communication on both sides.” Similarly, Yvonne Yao from Grade 7 mentioned that she was able to get to know her mom better and was incredibly inspired by the speaker’s message.
Meanwhile, Kyle Chua from Grade 10 stated that he appreciated being able to talk about less frequently brought-up topics and learning new things about his dad. Grade 8 student Miles Co also commented, “I liked the promise that we made near the end of the program. Before, our family lived our lives the same way every day. The commitment my dad and I made during the RnR certainly helped our family have a closer relationship with God.”
Aside from New Lifers, Mr. Enjoy Gaw, an MGCNL parent with two children in Junior High School, also voiced his opinion on the event. “Even when I get to spend time with my kids during the pandemic, to have a time to have a close talk with my kids is not always easy,” he explained. “The RnR event intentionally provided a space and time to have some heart to heart talk with my children and allowed us to talk about topics that we often avoid and take for granted.”
While students and parents alike enjoyed the RnR, there were also many behind-the-scenes challenges. Mrs. Daphne Uang from the Guidance Department revealed that during the preparation, they had difficulties regarding the engagement of students and parents, the amount of time they could allocate, the participants’ reception to the event being held online, and more. She added that this year’s RnR was only a half-day event, so students couldn’t interact with their parents much since most of the time was spent listening to the speaker or in breakout rooms.
“Naturally the face-to-face setup would win hands-down but still I believe God's Word will not return void,” Mrs. Uang reflected. “The message given during the RnR Day-virtual was very powerful and I do believe that a lot were blessed. Hopefully, this activity will serve as a reminder that we should really be intentional in building relationships.”
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