If I were to be asked today “What is the purpose of your life?” I would immediately answer “to glorify the Lord”. But looking back on my past, specifically on the time before I was saved, this purpose would be far from what it is now.

As a kid, growing up in a Christian home, with my father as my pastor, put a lot pressure on me, it seemed as if my every action was being watched by almost everybody. This pressure led me to feel envy towards my friends that are not Christians. Because they seemed like they were enjoying their life so much living on their worldly habits. This was the time where I became rebellious to my parents secretly. I wanted to live a life like my friends. I wanted to live a life for the world. Then I began to care less for the spiritual things. I loved the world more than how much I ought to love God. I was so into it that I built up so much fear of death, being afraid of loosing everything I enjoyed about the world. Then, one peaceful night in the living room of our house, one of my Christian friends, Alex, asked me a question which impacted my life completely. He asked, “If you were to die tonight, how sure are you that you’re going to heaven?”

It was a simple question that I’ve heard a lot of times in preachings of my father, in Sunday schools, and when Christians witness to other people. Now, it was being asked to me. I told him, I’m a pastor’s kid, I even grew up hearing them preach and teach, I’m also on a Baptist religion, isn’t that enough for me to go to heaven? Well, sad to say but it’s not enough. He said to me that salvation is personal. It is having a personal relationship between me and the Lord Jesus Christ. For the first time in my life, I paid attention and listened to Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit convicted my heart and that was when I accepted and truly believed on it with all my heart.

After I got saved, I came along to a verse in the Bible on Philippians 1:21 where it says, for to me to live is Christ… I learned that living your life for the world has no purpose, not if you’ll live it for Christ. Since then, it has always been a part of my prayer that in everything I will be doing, I want to make sure that Christ is seen and glorified in me. Matthew 5:16: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Before I graduated High school, going into a Bible college was not a part of my dreams. I wanted to pursue my passion in cooking, so I decided that I wanted to go to a culinary school. But for 4 months before graduation, most of the preachings that I was hearing were about answering the call of God and surrendering one’s life in the ministry, but I decided not to put much attention to it even though I knew then that God is calling me. Until on our senior high school retreat, a preacher spoke about life as a lump of iron. He said that the value of it will depend on who’s going to mold it or make it. The message really spoke to my heart and it burdened me for the ministry. That is the time I responded to God’s call on surrendering my life to full time ministry.

After I surrendered my life to full time ministry, I told my father that I wanted to study in a Bible college. In 2015, I enrolled at the Fundamental Baptist College for Asians in Tarlac City, Philippines. This college helped me widen my knowledge about the Bible and the Ministry like Soul winning and Discipleship. It enabled me to handle the youth group of our church. After two years there, God allowed me to come and study at the Marietta Bible College in Marietta, Ohio where I am continuing my ministerial training.

Youth Discipleship: By God’s grace, I was given the opportunity to lead as the youth leader of our church, teaching our young people about the Word of God, how to love the ministry, and how they can use their God-given abilities for the service to the Lord. I thank God for using me to pray for them and guide them as they grew in faith.

Music ministry: Through music, God’s name can be glorified and spirits of fellow Christians can be lifted up. I thank the Lord for enabling me to lead the congregational singing in our church, render special music, and also play instruments. Through this ministry, we are able to reach people and encourage Christians to also be involved.

Children’s Ministry: The children’s ministry has a special place in my heart. In the Philippines, I led Children centers in different areas in our town. I thank the Lord for letting me teach these children for them to hear the Word of God. Our mission is to help them know of the Saviour and a God who loves and cares for them, also to help them grow having the fear in God, especially nowadays where the new generation is getting farther from the Word of God.

I believe that missions never stop and is not limited by a specific place, but rather, it is everywhere. Our mission is the people. While I am studying here in the United States, I thank the Lord for allowing me to minister to the people here and be a part of the Marietta Bible Center Church ministries where we are able to go to different nursing homes to share God’s Word and sing for them. We also have our regular Gospel tracts distribution and soul winning around the area and to other places nearby. I also play the violin for the congregational singing and do song leading as part of their music ministry. It is my honor and privilege to be part of these ministries that glorifies the Lord.