Everything will never go back to normal

My name is Anjelo Noah Ordono.

Everything will never go back to normal, as what I keep telling myself few days before going back to Manila from Genfest and Y4UW Forum. Indeed, I am so much thankful for being part of the Focolare world now and I can feel that my life has changed pertaining to my new attitude, new outlook and new perspectives. I've become more aggressive on thinking, planning and doing things that are meaningful to the people around me, from starting to wash plates to help my mom ease her tasks up to the extent of giving much more contribution to community-based projects on my current job. Who I was on the day we left for Hungary and Italy is far different now from who I am today. Anyhow, I made a chart upon arriving on what I want to do with my life for the next 4 months.

Precisely, I will commit myself further to the Focolare world as much as God wants me to do so, because in here I believe my life and existence will be more meaningful especially that the people here have the same perspectives, so I want to live with them. And I pray the Focolare people would also want me to be part of their lives.

And to share with you, 2 years before I heard about the "Focolare Movement" and the concept of "Mariapolis", I've already thought of an ideal town which I named "Socrimos", an acronym for "Society of Christian and Moslems" where people who believe that there is only one God and notwithstanding the differences in religion, these people live harmoniously in one town in order to show the world that peace can be attained so long as there is openness in mind and heart, as well as respect for the belief of others.

Then I was surprised when a friend of mine (Roda) invited me to attend the Open City in Tagaytay last   2011 and learned that a similar concept has been existing already. Thus I learned that my dream is possible, the more I become interested about the movement.

Because it only started from a draft drawing in scratch paper in 2009 until I discovered that such a wonderful city is existing in reality, like that in Tagaytay City, and that in Loppiano in Italy.

Thus, it feels like everything that happened to me for the past few days were all meant by God.

And so I am thankful to everyone, to those who want to make a difference! And perhaps everyone can make a difference, but then making it is to those who has the will to do it, like the new friends I met in the movement!