Aiming for healing, restoration, and finding strength in Christ through life’s cracks and struggles, Southern Mindanao Mission hosted the KINTSUGI Leadership Seminar Seminar at Wong's Multipurpose Bldg., Mission Compound, General Santos City on February 12-14, 2026, bringing together pastors, leaders, and professionals for a reflection that lives restored by grace become powerful witnesses of hope.
The event featured a diverse group of speakers who shared insights from ministry, healthcare, and professional life: Pastor Ron Yabut, DMin, BCC, a Doctor in Ministry and Board Certified Chaplain and Associate Ministerial Director, Northern California Conference; Ms. Jennevi Yabut, Registered Nurse; Pastor Josie Asencio, DMin, Senior Pastor of Antioch Church; Pastor Geofrey Tio, Director of Mission and Pastoral Care at Adventist Health Mendocino County; and Ms. Magdalena Tio, a financial guidance and ministry-related caregiving consultant who uniquely support both practical and spiritual aspects of resilience.
Kintsugi literally meaning “golden joinery” or “golden repair” is a Japanese art form started in the 15th century as the practice of repairing broken pottery with gold, symbolizing how brokenness can be transformed into beauty. In the sessions, participants reflected on how God’s grace can mend emotional, spiritual, and relational “fractures,” turning scars into testimonies of His love.
“From this perspective, I would like to invite you to understand that each one of us were born in God's image. Unfortunately, it is an imperfect world. Our freedom to love, to hope, and to trust is tarnished by mistrust and different kinds of pains and wounds that we acquire as we grow up.” Pastor Tio emphasized.
The retreat included workshops, prayer sessions, and group sharing where attendees symbolically “repaired” broken pieces, connecting the metaphor of kintsugi to their personal journeys. “But with this consuming process, I thought, well, maybe God is breaking me so that the cracks of my life can be filled with his spirit of gold.” Ms. Magdalena Tio stressed out in her workshop.
Messages drew from passages like 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”, highlighting that brokenness is not the end but the beginning of renewal. Participants reflected on how God’s grace can mend emotional, spiritual, and relational “fractures,” turning scars into testimonies of His love.
“Let us be reminded that every time we stand next to Jesus, we feel like Peter. Because Jesus knows our brokenness. You are broken to the core. The good news is this. You are loved to the core.” Pr. Tio added.
SMM under the leadership of its president, Pr. Nildo Mamac, with its strong emphasis on education, discipleship, and holistic ministry, used the retreat to strengthen members’ resilience and deepen their commitment to service and hope in Christ. It fostered unity among church members and leaders, encouraging openness, vulnerability, and mutual support in faith.
The retreat reminded participants that brokenness is not a disqualification but an opportunity for God’s glory to shine more brightly. Drawing inspiration from the Japanese art of kintsugi—where broken pieces are restored with gold—the seminar emphasized how life’s challenges and broken experiences can become sources of strength and purpose in Christian leadership.
The Spirit of Prophecy reveals some thoughts relevant: “Through His grace the weak character may become changed, the faulty human may become strong. Those who yield themselves to Christ are treasured as jewels, to shine forever in His kingdom.” Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 332
Like veins of gold upon broken clay, His mercy fills the lines of failure. The broken heart, surrendered, becomes whole in His light. “The Lord Jesus Christ will reveal Himself… He will take the broken and contrite heart and make it whole.” (The Faith I Live By, p. 134)
Indeed, the theme “When Cracks Build Leadership" was perfectly defined.
Photo credit: Hope Channel Southern Mindanao
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