I was born and raised in a Christian family. My parents got saved under the ministry of Missionary Pastor Emanuel Digap, a church planter from the Philippines. We always went to church for worship, I always attended Sunday school and fellowships in the church, and I also did what I saw other Christians were doing. Because of that, at a young age, I thought I was already saved and that I was going to heaven. I thought because I was good and because my parent are Christians, I am saved as well not knowing that I was living with the wrong thinking.

Until one day when I was ten years old, September 6, 1998, my mother and I had the time to talk about the most important thing in the life of a person. We talked about salvation. She was concerned about my salvation and as the eldest among my siblings, she was praying for me to lead my sisters someday. She asked me one questio. She said “Son, if you die today, do you already know where your soul is going?” I answer her immediately, I said “To Heaven.” Then she asked me, “Why?” I responded “Because I am always at church and I am a good person.” She then explained to me that doing good things will not save me and attending church services will not give me salvation. She quoted a verse in Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace ye are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.” She told me that Jesus Christ died for us, and He shed His blood to redeem us from all our sins. As a ten year old boy, I realized that there’s nothing that I can do to save my own soul. That day, September 6, 1998, I accepted Christ as my Lord and personal Savior.

I thank God for my mother who took time to talk to me concerning my salvation. A mother who exert effort to explain things I didn’t understand before. A mother who shared to me the way of salvation. I am so blessed because God gave me a mother like her. I am also thankful to God for that missionary who came to my mother’s house and shared the Gospel to her. A missionary who had been an instrument for my parent’s salvation. Because of that missionary, my parents got saved, then my mother shared to me the love of God who saved me. And because of all that, I am now serving our glorious and living God.

Growing up in a Christian family is a great blessing for me knowing that my parents, my siblings and some of my relatives are serving God together. Two of my uncles and two of my cousins are missionaries serving God in different places in the Philippines. When I was young, I didn’t want to be a pastor or a missionary because I know how hard a life of a missionary was. There are lots of hardship and struggles in the ministry. Until the time I stayed for a vacation in my uncle’s house who is a missionary. Staying there, I witnessed how they were rejoicing in serving God regardless of the hardships they experience. I realized the joy only God can give when serving in the ministry, I said to myself “I want to be like this missionary someday.” That time I knew God was calling me in a full-time service. That was also the time I surrendered my life to God and go where ever He will lead me.

It is a privilege to grow up with people who serve God. I learned a lot from my pastor. He’s been my mentor and he taught me many things about the Bible and the ministry. I joined soul winning and Bible studies to learn more about the ministry. I was also taught how to lead the singing in church and to preach the Word of God.

In 2006, I decided to enroll at Fundamental Baptist College for Asians at Tarlac City, Philippines to further my training for the ministry. After a year, I stopped due to financial difficulties. I had to work to continue but I thank God He kept my desire to still serve Him. In 2011, I pursued my studies again until I graduated in 2014.

After four years, God gave me the privilege to study at Marietta Bible College in Marietta, Ohio to further my knowledge about the Bible. I took up Advance Biblical studies and Ministries under the leadership of Dr. Myron Guiler.

During my third year in Bible college, I became the pastor of a church in Anao, a fifth class municipality in the province of Tarlac in the Philippines. It has a population of 11, 528. It was a great opportunity and responsibility for me to pastor a church. I thank the Lord for enabling me to lead a church and make disciples for 6 years that I was pastor there. We did soul winning, knocked on doors, conducted Bible studies and other ministries, and taught young people and adult members of the church to get involved in God’s work.

We reached young people through sports evangelism. Before we played, we shared the Gospel to them. Also, every December, we held a youth camp. We saw God moving through these youth camps. We witnessed how God saved lives and people surrendering their lives to get involved in the ministry of God. Glory to God!

Every summer, we spent three days for our Vacation Bible School to teach children stories in the Bible. We opened to them God’s love and shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them. A few years ago, we prayed to God to have 500 kids to teach. God did not only answer our prayers, but exceeded it and gave us 700 kids and provided for all the needs. It was a blessing because most of our volunteers who taught those kids are also products of that ministry.