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High-energy life message greets Las Palmas students

Written by Maddy Houk / Patterson Irrigator /

Wednesday, 07 November 2007

“We have excited young people who just want to make a difference, impacting the communities. ... They’ll go wherever they need to go.”
— The Rev. Fannie Ybarra
Master’s Commission supporter

Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator

Members of Master’s Commission Manteca greeted students with high fives and smiles at Las Palmas Elementary School on Monday morning with an anti-gang, anti-drug message.

The group of 40 young people, ages 15 to 25, put on dramatic skits and motivational speeches at Las Palmas during the first of many assemblies this week at West Side schools.

The Revs. Gilbert and Fannie Ybarra of The River of Life Christian Fellowship in Patterson saw the non-denominational Christian group in Los Angeles a few months ago and helped them bring their message to Patterson following a Sept. 19 gang brawl at Patterson High School.

“We have excited young people who just want to make a difference, impacting the communities,” said Fannie Ybarra. “They’ll go wherever the doors are open; they’ll go wherever they need to go.”

The Rev. Frank Saldana, director of Master’s Commission Manteca, said group members come from various countries and various backgrounds, hailing from as far away as Africa and from cities as close as Manteca and Los Angeles. The youth discipleship training program has chapters throughout the world.

The Rev. Ricky Ramos, group co-director, said he joined the group to deliver a positive message to students.

“I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives,” Ramos said. “I just want to let them know they have choices.”

Serious skits
With music blaring and high-energy skits, the group connected with the Las Palmas audience of second- through fifth-graders with lots of interaction.

Performers did a skit where they went through an identity crisis — first as boy-band members, then as pro wrestlers, then as male models and finally as themselves.

Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator

Another skit included a spoof on the popular television show “American Idol.” Students Israel Mendoza and Brijanee Moore and teacher Jorge Pinedo heard comments from “judges” Paula Abdul, Marc Anthony and Simon Cowell after their on-stage performances. While Master’s Commission members who played Abdul and Anthony gave positive comments, the one who played Cowell gave negative input.

The moral of the skit was that it is important to have positive friends around to “bring you up.”

Another skit focused on a girl who put on a different “mask” each time she went out with a friend and acted how each friend wanted her to act — being with a gang, going out drinking and being taken in by bad influences.

“What are your visions and dreams?” Ramos asked students. “Your teachers are a good influence — try to break the chain of a bad influence.”

To end the assembly, the group performed a skit about teens who are chained to bad habits and cannot get free. Master’s Commission members swarmed the stage and grabbed their friends and took them to safety — except for one girl, Sarah Garcia.

When three students went on stage and offered Garcia positive comments, they “freed” her from her bad influences.

The skit stressed that positive friends help create a positive life.

Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator

“Experimenting with alcohol and drugs will lead you to a bad place,” Ramos said. “When you surround yourself with positive influence, you can achieve your dreams. You are all important in this room. You are special.”

Saldana challenged students to help each other be positive about their goals and to help their friends achieve their goals.

“Are you a dream maker or a dream breaker?” Saldana asked. “What a person thinks he is, is what he is — you have a choice.”

Well-received message
Las Palmas School Principal Jennifer Benjamin-Yacoub said the performers were excellent role models for the students.

“It was awesome, wonderful and educational,” Benjamin-Yacoub said. “It was extremely positive, with the focus on teaching children to accept themselves for who they are and build their character.”

Las Palmas student Evelyn Ploof, 10, said she learned a lot from the Master’s Commission.

“I really loved the program, because it teaches you how to treat other people the way you want to be treated,” Evelyn said. “It teaches you to believe in yourself and don’t believe what other negative people feel about you.”

Classmate Jacob Hernandez, 10, said it was fun.

“I learned don’t try to be anyone else; just be yourself,” Jacob said.

Gina Sandoval, 11, said she liked the show, too.

“I loved it,” Gina said. “It made me treat my friends like they want me to treat them — treat them good.”

Gilbert Ybarra, worried after the gang brawl last month on the Patterson High School campus, said he was pleased West Side schools agreed to host the group.

“The last thing I want is to see Patterson impacted with gangs and drugs,” Ybarra said. “I want to make an impact.”

To reach Maddy Houk at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail her at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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