Opening Prayer

Marc: Loving Father, we deeply gratify You for Your divine presence from
the distant past, to the exact present, and in the near future. We thank You
for the multitude of blessings You have bestowed upon us in the form of our
families and friends, our abilities and talents, and even the most uncanny
circumstances. We humbly gratify You for guiding us in our efforts to
showcase the talents You have entrusted with us, in every attempt to help
others treasure and hone their own skills and abilities, and in every move to
inch our way up to the highest level of sharing them such as these.

Jan Pier: We ask You now, dear God, to equip us with all the things
necessary to make us conduct this event truly in Your honor. Grant us the
patience and the determination to face each question and challenges in life.
Help us internalize the values of humility and sportsmanship, and grant us
the humility or courage to accept whatever result awaits us.

Joemyr: Heavenly Father, we also would like to ask forgiveness for all the
sins we have committed in our pursuit of success, as well as in our daily
lives. We humbly bow down to You as we seek forgiveness for our sins:
when we were tempted to cheat, to let laziness overcome our zeal, to doubt
others and ourselves, and to doubt even You, dear God, among all other
wrongs we have committed. And as we ask for Your forgiveness, please
help us to be reminded that we, too, should forgive as You have done.

Marc: In the days beyond this one, please guide us with Your everlasting
and unfailing love so that we may continue to live and touch others with
what good we have within, so that we may leave our mistakes in the past,
and so that we may be better children of Yours. Guide us graciously so we
may understand that in the end, real triumph is achieved when we do our
best in honor of You, almighty Father, and not when we claim the trophy for
ourselves after we have done others wrong.

All: All these we ask in Jesus name. Amen.