FAITFULNESS = OPPORTUNITIES

Benjie D. Maynopas
Ice Breaker Speech

Thank you very much toastmaster of the evening for introducing me. To my fellow
toastmasters and our guests, I would like to greet you a pleasant evening.
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good and his love endures forever. I believe that
opportunities that I have right now are part of the ultimate plan of the Lord for me. But I also
believe that opportunities must be improved and be taken into consideration.
By the way I am Benjie D. Maynopas. A Licensed Professional Teacher, a Career
Development Coordinator, and a Youth Leader. This evening I am going to share to you my
journey with these opportunities- Faithfulness= Opportunities.
I graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English at The
University of Mindanao in the year 2013. On the same year, I was able to pass the Licensure
Examination for Teacher. While I was preparing for my LET, I was already teaching as an
Elementary teacher at International Christian School of Davao. This year marks my 7 th year in
the teaching profession. Within those years, I already handled intermediate, junior high school,
senior high school, and college students.
I am still overwhelmed of how time fly. I feel like I’m already old because my first batch
of students being handled is about to enter college. For me being a teacher is not an easy job. It
takes a lot of passion and commitment. We are being called as molder of dreams and it’s a huge
responsibility since it involves molding the head, the heart, and the hands of every student in
order for them to become ready of what would be in the reality.
Currently, I paused for a while in teaching in the basic education and enter another
milestone of my life. I am now a Career Development Coordinator of University of Mindanao as
part of the External Relations and International Affairs Office. This work involves preparing
graduating students to become ready in their pre-employment. This position also involves
communicating with industries so that our students can really get the job once they will leave the
portals of the university. Another challenging responsibility to be handled. But I am enjoying it
maybe because I love to give pieces of advice to people and I love motivating people in terms of
how life should be handled. I also like the fact that I encounter a lot of individuals from the
different industries and of course perks of travelling and other incentives.
I just realized that I am so blessed. I just can’t still imagine why I got all these
achievements because I am not really excellent in terms of curricular and extra-curricular
activities. But I believe all of these are results of my faith in God. It has been my mantra in life
the Bible verse Matthew 6:33 which states “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you’. Since I was in my high school days,
I became active in the church. I joined different ministries such as children’s ministry, Praise and
worship, and even became a deacon. Currently, I am handling teens and young professionals.
This is not just a responsibility but a lifetime commitment to my God who’s been very gracious
to me.
Noam Chomsky once said “The more privilege you have, the more opportunity you have.
The more opportunity you have, the more responsibility you have. I am very privilege to have
these opportunities since I believe there are other individuals better than me. I know these
opportunities have plethora of responsibilities. But I am willing to learn because opportunities
only knock once. I am also reminded with the statement of Richard Branson which states that if
somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then
learn how to do it later!
That is why I joined Toastmaster Club because of these responsibilities. I believe the
organization can help me in terms of improving my communication skills, leadership skills, and
others so that I can perform my role as a teacher, career coach, and a youth leader.
I believe that where we are right now is a tool for us to fulfill our earthly calling. What
we have right now is a whole-life stewardship. We were given the privilege by our dear master to
use these opportunities not for our own selfish purpose but to honor Him. And soon as our
master comes back, we will hear the sweetest appreciation- “Well done good and faithful
servant” and surely we will be part of His grand celebration.