I was born and raised in the Philippines. I am a preacher’s kid. My dad was already a pastor even before I was born. I grew up in a Christian home, went to church every Sunday, attended all kinds of services, and was always present in all church activities- you name it. I was doing what a Christian should be doing, but I wasn’t even a Christian. I did not trust Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I was just trying to be a good person, but my life was not good without Christ.

I would say that I’m kind of jealous of other people’s testimony of how they got saved. How striking and how moving their stories are of how they came to know Jesus. Some lived godless and ungodly but then realized how badly they needed the Savior. When I hear testimonies like that, I am touched and stirred. I rejoice with them in God’s victory in their lives. But as a pastor’s kid, I sometimes think my testimony is typical. At a very young age I knew the basic truths of the Bible. I knew what kind of life I should live that if I compared how I was with born-again Christians, it seemed like there was no difference. But I thank God because He knew my real condition. And I thank God because a person getting saved is anything but typical. It is wonderful!

One Sunday, when our church was celebrating its 18th anniversary, my Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Zonia Belela, talked about the Gospel to the class. From the many times I heard it before, somehow it felt different that time. As a pastor’s kid, I have heard about the Gospel for so many times that I was looking at it as a usual Sunday school lesson. But that time as I was listening to my teacher, I felt like she was just talking to me. I felt like it was something personal, something that I needed to understand and take personally and seriously. It was that time that I took the Gospel unlike before and I decided to trust Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. I asked Him to come into my life and save me.

I know it sounds simple how I got saved, but I thank God because His plan of salvation is so simple that even a child could personally understand it. God is so good to us that He kept it simple for us to know Him. Old or young, poor or rich, we can personally come to Jesus! I am so thankful that even though I was young, God dealt with me personally. He saved me in His perfect timing. To God be the glory!

As a pastor’s kid, my parents were praying for me that God would call me into His ministry. My dad always talked with me about being a pastor just like him someday. I didn’t take it seriously because I was doubtful to become a preacher because I am not an eloquent speaker and I have a stage fright. But, as I grew older, I didn’t see myself doing work outside the ministry. I tried to study at a secular college, but even then I didn’t plan on pursuing a secular job but only to use it in the ministry. I believe God was working in my heart all along and He answered my parents’ prayer. In 2014, I attended a summer camp and there I decided to respond to God’s call and surrender my life to full-time ministry.

After I graduated high school, I studied Basic Bible Education for a year in our church’s Bible institute, Independent Baptist Bible Institute. While studying, I was also able to continue to help in our church and be trained by my father in the ministry. After that, I went to Bob Jones Memorial Bible College in Quezon City, Philippines to study Music with piano as my instrumental major. After two years of studies there, God gave me an opportunity to come to the States to study and further my training at Marietta Bible College in Marietta, Ohio where I am currently studying Pastoral Studies and Counseling under the leadership of our beloved Dr. Myron K. Guiler.

While I was in the Bible college in the Philippines, I was able to be involved in the ministry and use my training in the field. We knocked on doors and told people about the saving grace of Jesus. We passed out Gospel tracts on the streets, villages and even in the malls sometimes. Whenever there were city events, we took those opportunities to pass out Gospel tracts because people are everywhere.

We also have Bible studies in different areas or villages. We were also able to gather children in streets and in villages and teach children the Bible. During summers, we held vacation Bible school.

Music has a special place in my heart. I thank the Lord for giving me the talent to play the piano. I started to learn the piano when I was 12 years old. God blessed it and I was able to use it for His glory everywhere we needed music. I was also given the opportunity to sing in a chorus group at Bob Jones Memorial Bible College. Those experiences taught me many things and helped me to apply them in the ministry.