The MHAM CM Saline Option
TGIF! This is a grabbing trend where millennials couldn’t get behind but for the MHAM CM Saline Option, this is not just the initials for the popular phrase, “Thank God It’s Friday” but a signifying expression through praise and worship weekly gathering for the Lord.
TGIF with the Saline Option angels
Bearing the hashtags #Life, #1stBIGevent and #fearfullyandwonderfullymade, fifty-five bible-based individuals composed mostly of students and some non-teaching staff attended the big event which was held at the MHAM AVRs 4-5 last September 29, 2017 from 7:00 to 9:00 in the evening.
#LIFE: Thank God It’s Friday
Gracing this year’s first big event as the main speaker was no other than the VP for Academics, Dr. Arlene Diaz whose influence and unwavering support along with her testimonies and faith stories have made the group alive and active since it was formed.
With MHAM CM VP for Academics, Dr. Arlene Diaz
According to junior student-leader Alfred Nolan M. Diaz, The Saline Option was organized and originated from CIM and was spread among students in Cebu City. Reaching out to several academic institutions such as UC, UV, SWU and USJR, to date, the MHAM students are among the fervent members who relentlessly participated the regular gatherings every Friday at the AVR 6 inside the school campus.
With student-leader Alfred Nolan Diaz during the Big Event
Interview with the Saline Option student-leader Alfred Nolan Diaz
“The significance of this activity is to bring the medical students together in faith and for them to know answered-truths about biblical truths so that we can share the good news of salvation of the gospel”, said Diaz in an interview.
This youngest child of the MHAM VP Academics also added that the Saline Option is a group of bible believer Christians who fully believe that faith is needed to sustain life in itself just as electrolytes are needed for human bodies. Thus, the group’s name was derived from the word saline, which is defined as a mixture of sodium chloride in water and has a number of uses in medicine.
Aside from serving the group as a committed leader, Alfred, as he is fondly called is also the captain of the MHAM Dragons’ flag football team. Moreover, his inclination into music along with his skills in playing violin allowed him to use his instinctual and acquired talents within the ministry and weekly fellowship.
Alfred Nolan Diaz
Driven by his passion and dedication to propagate the faith, Alfred feels the burning desire to share the good news towards the people of God by exercising the faith with good examples. “It is my inmost desire to promote the Saline Option to other students and believers by presenting what it offers which is the all-knowing truths of the bible. The truth matters and is essential to our identity as Christians and it is what we want to share to others. People may tend to be religious but being religious is different from being intimate with the Lord and be involve with the community by using one’s time and energy for His greater glory”, he concluded.
The Saline Option: Keeping the faith alive
While most of them are medical students who have the need to manage their time in order to reach their dreams of becoming future doctors, these goal-bounded Saline members with intentional commitments are serving the Lord with no incentives, no scores, no points and no merits but only for the benefit of God’s kingdom in the afterlife to come.
The Saline Option for life: One goal. One community. One Life.
In a world with full of strife and uncertainties in the midst of changing times, today, humanity is bombarded with challenging situations and circumstances wherein the need of God is undeniably sought by same humanity who at times neglects and despises the truth that there is life after death. Just as Christ’s disciples are called to spread the good news for salvation, these Saline Option members are challenged to keep the faith burning with steadfast spirit and become agents of evangelization through living witness and commitment to the gospel like the salt of the earth.
Icebreaker for life and for Christ…
Having been energized with God’s words during the big event, a warm up facilitation exercise in a form of an icebreaker led by junior student Eric John Colot completed the night event with interactive communication and fun.
With event-host Dorothy Joyce V. Pama and Eric John Colot in his interactive icebreaker
Recreating the bodies and souls
Hosted by junior student Dorothy Joyce V. Pama, the big event ended with a fellowship dinner and a take home message taken from Acts 4:12 that says, “Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under the heaven given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:10)…that is the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.” (Ana Liza Abao)
The Saline Option student-leaders at the Registration Area