My First Speech Ice Breaker

My inner wounds

Inner wounds can either harm you or give you a successful Life.

Fellow toastmasters and most welcome guest good evening!

My Inner Wounds would tell my life story. I was born on May 4, 1977 in our Nipa Hut at La libertad, Sto. Tomas, Davao Del Norte. We are five siblings, three boys and two girls. During my childhood days I'm unconciously having inner wounds because of the unfair treatment of my parents. Since I'm the second son of the family, I usually wear second hand clothes and play second hand toys from my elder brother. Furthermore the wounds become worst when I'm ___ years old. It was sunday, December , 19 when my father instructed me to cook food for our lunch before the church service ends. When I'm going home my attention was caught in playing toys with my friends which causes me not to perform the task assigned to me. As a result my father was so angry that he spanks me with a guava twigs. I'm crying too loud and jump because of the pain thus I was hit in the nose. As I grow up I always have the fear to commit mistakes because my father will always shout and blamed me. He even used his force to correct my fault because he wants me to be disciplined. However at the back of my mind is rebellion and to take revenge because I dont have the choice but to obey him.

As a result I started to become independent person. I gathered un-used steel and bottles and sold it to Bote/ Bakal. I gathered also reject bananas from Banana plantations that surround us. I peel and sliced it, then dry it and sold it. During rice harvest, I'm fixing the left over from the chap and then sold it. I do this all to earn money and buy what I want. As a form of rebellion, I'm not making good of my studies during high school. I cut classes or always absent. I'm not paying my tuition pays but use the money for my vises. I'm smoking cigarretes, taking drugs " marijuana and syrup ", and doing gambling. I'm going to different places with barkadas just for enjoyment. All this vices make my life worst and miserable but with the help of my parents I still graduated my high school.

After secondary level, I enrolled a two year course " Electrical Technology" at Trade School Apokon,Tagum City. I got also a chance to have my OJT here in Davao Light under T&D Department before I graduated. From there, I wish to study at Davao City but my parents want me to Enroll at Tagum due to financial contraint.

Two months after I finished my Electrical Technology course, I worked in Farmingtown Agro-Developers Incorporated during the day while I took up a night class of AB Economics course at Bukidnon State College of Sto. Tomas. In my pursuit to become an Electrical Engineer and work in Davao Light I'm asking my parents to give me second chance and they permitted me so I decided to enroll at UM Davao taking up Electrical Engineering course. During my first day in the university there was no class, so decided to look for pleasures in the downtown area seeking a beer house to hang up. While walking along the way going to JS Gaisano Mall I heard my favorite hits of BEE GEES but the lyrics were not the same. I became curious so I tried to get in, thinking it was a beer house. But surprisingly with a dark places, as I look around it made myself confused for I saw nobody was drinking beer or smoking cigarettes. When the concert ended, there was a guy standing in front and talking about God’s word saying that God loves you, He wants to change you and give you an everlasting life, it is not too late. Right after I heard the message, he invited everyone to accept Jesus as their personal lord and savior. And without doubts, I renewed my mind and heartily accepted Jesus in my life. After all everything changes. All vices were gone. I was totally changed from the unrighteous way of living.

It was an eye opener for me. I started to cover up all my shortcomings by concentrating on my studies. Since then, my attention focused on attending church, always reading the word of God and listening Christian songs. With all the hardships to pursue my studies being a self-supporting student, I worked as a Jollibee express boy from 8:00 in the morning to 2:30 in the afternoon. Then I attended classes after the duty until 9:30 in the evening and took time for review until 2:00 o’clock in the morning. After four and a half years I successfully graduated and passed the board examination in RME and REE.
At present, I am very active in church youth ministry. And having a happy family with only one wife and two handsome kids not like me hehehe.

I'm sure that anyone of us has an inner wounds or pains but God allows it not to break us but to build us. However, it depends on how
you deal with it. Whether you blame others, you ignore it by taking drugs or even confront it
but one thing I could say is… your decision determines your destiny.

Fellow toastmasters and most welcome guest once again good evening!


Comments from the evaluator TM Mark Sam Banluta

Joel, you were able to meet the objectives of speech #1. I like the content of your speech, you were very open about your life The title is very " Attention Getting", your opening statement immediately got my attention. The body of you speech is well structured, very coherent from the start and your conclusion was very brief yet very insightful. Continue with your next speech project!!!

Note: I did my first speech project #1 last October 30, 2008