Obeying God sometimes seems like the hardest road to take, but in the long run it is the only lifestyle that brings real peace and genuine joy. God has a season and time. We must be ready when the season comes.
Here is the testimony from our newest work in Santol by Sis Jennifer Tabada and her husband. She is one of our latest batch of trainees to graduate from our 3-month church planters course.
Praise the Lord, to God be the Glory! I never expect that God will use me again because I’ve failed Him so many times. But God is really a God of mercy. He gives me another chance despite all my failures. Even when I moved away from Him, He still gave me a chance and a way to come back to Him. I feel like Jonah of the bible, who ignored God’s call on his life and ran away instead.
Last December 2009 while I was alone in my darkest hour and thinking about my spiritual situation, God suddenly spoke to me. He revealed something to my heart while I was asleep and gave me a vision.
He showed me that there is a ministry prepared for me. And one day I will be involved in coordinating a feeding program for many malnourished children and their mothers.
When I woke up the next morning, this vision started to come alive in my heart and ever since then, I felt a strong, active zeal for God within that revived my spirit.
Early this year, as I found out about the church planters training course, I immediately asked God if this is where He wants me to go to and then I laid my plan and decision to Him. Not very long after this prayer, God gave me a confirmation to go ahead. At that moment in time, I was actually at the brink of discouragement and was about to give up but thank God for this decision to join the church planters course. It helped me refocus my life and to align it with God and His work. I am refreshed and recharged again. God did not let me remain in the pit of difficulty.
On the 3rd week of January, our city’s congressman launched a 12-month feeding program for malnourished children in the villages. We took this wonderful opportunity to not only bring food to the children, but also the Good News to the communities. And this was how God opened the door to Santol village and for me to start realizing the vision He gave me in December ’09!
Now we have 5 families, 40 children and 7 youth come every week for Sunday service in our house. It blesses my heart when I see these new ones come together to worship – God is really good! This is my first time pastoring a church and I know it is God who sustains us. All glory belongs to Him!
YOUTH CONFERENCE 2010
About 100 youths and leaders came together for a Spirit-led camp
Ps Francis Chen and his team from CNL (Singapore) were in Tacloban from 12-19 April and conducted a 3-day youth and leaders’ conference. Many were touched and challenged to change.
Thank God that I know more about Him. The burning desire of my heart is now stronger than before. – Ezrah (Borongan Church)
This is my first time attending the youth camp and it’s so amazing! God moved powerfully and poured out His presence among us. I felt His presence as I was filled and baptized in the Holy Spirit. So awesome. Praise God my 2 sisters and I obeyed the Lord in water baptism after the camp. – Vom Vom (Tacloban Church)
Before the camp, I was a backslidden Christian. I turned away from God and led my own way of life. I drank and surrounded myself with bad company and forgot about God. Now I’m so thankful He didn’t forget me. He made a way for me to come back to Him through the youth camp. During this time, I really encountered God and He truly turned my life around. I felt restored, revived and refreshed and ready to serve Him and to be used for His glory. – Eurika (Tanauan Church)
I’m a bad person. I do what I want to do – even bad things and I easily get tempted especially to drink, smoke and the worst thing is I didn’t respect my parents. During the camp, I realized how good God is and He really convicted my heart. I also cried for the first time in front of so many people because God’s touch of conviction was so strong inside me that I had to repent from all the bad things I’ve done. God changed me from the inside out and now I’m beginning to respect and obey my parents. – Kim (Tacloban Church)
