Background

            I was just five (5) years old then and my sister was a year younger than me when my biological father left our mother for another woman.  He was not just an ordinary philandering man but an exceptional one.  As far as I could remember, I only have known personally the 18 other children of my father from the nine (9) identified other women of my philandering father, which means that there could be more, from far places where my father had been, because of the nature of his work, a business man who travels from place to place, staying there for awhile and leaving again for another location.

            My broken hearted mother endured it all.  She was an orphan because her mother died while she was still a baby and as a consequence she was left by his father with their neighbor and married another woman also.  I could see her sacrifices just to keep us together and be able to live a normal life despite all the hardships that she has to face.  She married again after a year of being separated, with another man who loved her despite her past and they begot seven (7) children more.  But life became more miserable for us financially considering our growing family that their combined income could not anymore cope up with our daily needs. 

            Our daily struggles were still fresh in my mind until now, that whenever I reminisce the past, I thanked God so much, He let me survive. 

The Struggle for Education

            With the desire of my mother to give me a good foundation in school, being the eldest of her children, she personally taught me how to read the alphabet and kiddy books early in the morning at 4:00AM everyday, and helped me memorize poems, read kiddy Bible stories which she bought while I was still in her womb.  She also taught me how to write my name and do simple drawings.  So, when I entered in the kindergarten (preparatory school), I graduated as Salutatorian since my classmate coming from a well-to-do family was more favored and was considered as the Valedictorian instead of me.  The owner of the school, having noticed my talents, proposed to my mother to adopt me and that she will bring me to the United States so I could earn my education better.  But my mother refused by telling her that no matter how poor we are, she could not bear the pain of losing us and she would rather try to find other means, even if it would be hard, in order to earn a living to give us the needed education.

            Life for us became harder financially as we grew up.  At the early age of seven (7), I have to go to the market which is about two (2) kilometers walk from our house, to help my mother sell vegetables, fruits, plastic bags and even fishes, as early as 4:00 AM and be back home before 7:00 AM to prepare for school.  Then, after school, I have to go back to the market to help again my mother until 9:00 in the evening.  Sometimes, we go to school with an empty stomach because we have no money to buy food and walk to and fro for about five (5) kilometers from our house to school and vice versa. 

            Despite all those hardships, I realized that truly, God was really so good for I was still able to finish my elementary and high school education within a short span of time because of acceleration and honors, but it made me more ambitious dreaming of becoming a doctor or a lawyer someday without even thinking that our family has no sufficient funds to send me to school even for a college degree.

            As I was about to enter college, my mother died a tragic death and my stepfather married another woman.  My younger sister got married also at an early age of fourteen and I was left alone to take care of my other half brothers and sisters.  During those trying times, I really don’t know what to do next.  But my ambition of becoming a doctor or a lawyer, kept me more enthusiastic that no matter what happened I have to finish my college.

            I decided to leave the house of my mother and live a life of my own with uncertainty but with only one dream in mind, that of becoming somebody someday and take revenge against my philandering father.  My stepfather took his children to live with him and his new found partner.  From time to time, I just visited my half-brothers and sisters to share a part of my earnings from buying and selling beauty products and other toiletries.

The Earthly Triumph of a Peasant Girl

            As I was growing up into a young ambitious lady, I did not mind being alone and working hard to be able to enter college in a private and prominent university in the Visayas region run by a Catholic church here in the Philippines.  I was accepted as a working student in that University which required of me only to maintain high grades until graduation.  I don’t pay my tuition fees; I receive my book allowances and a little amount for my pity daily expenses.

            Being a daughter of a philanderer, relationships for me was just a matter for fun and company, to lessen my loneliness.  I tend to be a play girl, sometimes I would accept a boyfriend just for the sake of having one for I don’t mind whether I would hurt them or they would hurt me.  All that’s in my mind is that, I have to finish college no matter what and I should not be put down by any man.  All I want is to show my philandering father that I can reach my ambition on my own without a family supporting me.

            Fortunately, I finished my Bachelor of Science in Accountancy with flying colors and I easily got a job in a Brewery Company as a Bookkeeper, my first entry to a formal office work.  When my philandering father learned about my struggles in life, he tried to cope up with the lost times.  But during these times, his relationship with his 8th woman whom he had three children was becoming problematic that he decided to get out again as he usually do whenever problems occur.  That was the time when he offered me to take the Board Examinations for Certified Public Accountant (CPA) which I fortunately passed.  With this new achievement, I became a job hopper in the sense that whenever I find a better offer, I would right away transfer until I landed in a somewhat boring job of an Accountant in a Government Agency but after just awhile, I was promoted to a higher position and to a much more exciting one than that of an Accountant, which led me to places and gave me the more, that “pride of life”.

            Not contented with being just a CPA, I decided to enroll in the law school in the same University where I graduated my first degree, which earned me also another degree of Bachelor of Liberal Laws as a Dean’s Lister. 

The Messed Up Life

            Indeed, my ambitions and my pride of life have drawn me more to commit sins.  I became more confident and proud of myself that I tend to play with other people’s feelings towards me.  I have always seen to it that, nobody, but me, will steer my life to where I wanted it to be.  I reached to a point where I always get what I want.  I could even manipulate the feelings of men, making them believe that I really cared for them when in fact it was always my desire and my happiness that matters.  What a selfish person I was before.  I traveled and explored many different places, I party, I enter into relationships along the way, but when I don’t anymore like the person, it was just easy for me to say goodbye and enter again into another one.  I tend to be more proud day by day without the feeling of guilt, instead, more and more plans and ambitions envelopes my whole being.  I enrolled again for a Masters in Business Administration, Voice Lessons, and became an Officer in many organizations.  I earned so many admirers in our community as they have seen my accomplishments at an early age which can be considered as the fruits of my hard work.  Before, I was so endearing and sophisticated in my physical appearance, not minding of the people around me.  All I want is to be noticed and envied by others.

            My life turned upside down when I failed the Bar Examinations and my relationship with the man whom I finally decided to settle down and made my own for the rest of my life turned into a great nightmare.  I don’t anymore want to elaborate why it was a great nightmare to protect the feelings of those who might be affected upon reading this article.  I left my place in the province leaving all my properties, the fruits of my labor and hard work with my half-brothers and sisters, then I firmed up my decision to stay in the City of Manila for an indefinite period of time for me to start a new life and to erase the past traces of a sinful life.

I Was Led to “The Old Path”

            As I was starting a new phase of my life alone, full of loneliness and hard feelings in this crowded City of Manila, where even in my wildest dream, I did not wish to reside, I tried to think of so many ways to avoid crying and feeling so desperate.  I go out with my female friends in the office, see movies, socialize, visit different places and watch television for long hours, read many books until sunrise, then tried to work and work until I could no longer notice the time.  As a Catholic, I even attended mass everyday, pray the block rosary, read the Bible in front of mass attendees, believing that I could mend my life with religious rituals and practices.  I even have gone to the point of visiting churches in far flung places, paying and giving cash just to be included in the prayers of those considered holy by men, such as the nuns, the priests, the monks and many others.

            I attended the gatherings of the El Shaddai, the different denominations of the Born Again, the Iglesia ni Cristo of Manalo, the Loved Flock of Crisologo, the Seventh Day Adventist Church, the Singles for Christ, and the healing masses of the many healing priests.  I explored them all.  I even led the praying of the rosary everyday in our office chapel and in miraculous places according to the belief of the misled.  I go to retreats and recollections in as far as Tagaytay and in different retreat houses in the Visayas and visited also Chinese churches.  I consulted Feng Shui experts, read books about Chinese beliefs up to the extent of consulting “Manghuhula” or “Seers or False Prophets”.  But still, after all those efforts and waste of money, I go home still feeling down, insecure, desperate and confused with so many questions in mind. 

When I could no longer contain my feelings, I end up crying in my bed wishing God would rescue me and straighten up my life according to His will.  The only good thing in me which I really thank God was that, I did not blame God in whatever situations I was into.  Instead, I blamed myself for being so confident and proud.  I recognized my sinfulness and inequities but the fear within me was getting worst day by day until one day, as I was fed up watching boring television programs and was about to sleep, a companion in the house whom I’m fed up too, turned the Channel to SBN 21 which at that time, the jingle for the television program of the “Ang Dating Daan” (“The Old Path”), was being played.  It caught my attention.  The perilous times that were shown in that program awaken my senses and tied me up to listen more and I waited for the host to come out and speak up.  It was the first time that I saw Bro. Eli Soriano, the Presiding Minister of the “Ang Dating Daan” on television and the feeling was really different compared to other religious programs that I had come across.

As if there was a magnet and hypnotism that I attentively paid attention to every word that comes out from the mouth of Bro. Eli to the extent of craving to listen for more wishing that the program will not end until I am exhausted and feel sleepy.  He was such a great preacher and could even surpass learned and highly educated men in this generation because of his extraordinary style of answering queries and giving direct answers with clarity and wisdom from the Bible.

Oh, I was captivated and awestruck by his mastery of the Bible.  It was the first time that I admired a preacher of the Bible because I have not seen such a great knowledge and expertise even from those grand gatherings that I have attended before.  From that day on, I see to it that I could go home early just to listen to the preaching of Bro. Eli, his expose’s and the way he answered the questions from the audience coming from all walks of life.  I noticed, my life was changing day by day, little by little, and my fears and worries were slowly disappearing.

But then, my curiosity and investigative attitude was dictating me to find more about Bro. Eli.  I inquired from those who have personally known him, then I tried to look for their nearest places of worship from where I was residing so I could observe their religious activities and practices.   One day, the address of the Locale of Quiapo was flashed on the TV screen, I right away noted it and decided to look for that place, though I was hesitant then for I really fear going to Quiapo which is an unfamiliar place for me, considering that I came from a province very far from Manila.  When I reached Quiapo, I inquired from the sidewalk vendors where I could possibly find the Locale of the Ang Dating Daan but nobody cared to lead me there.  I did not lose hope instead I find some other ways by offering to buy the vegetables that are being sold by a middle-aged woman on condition that she has to lead me to the place where the Locale of the Ang Dating Daan was located.  Voila!  I got the weakness of that woman and she accompanied me to that old theater in Quiapo, which was being rented by Bro. Eli which he converted the same into a place of worship for the members of the Ang Dating Daan.

At first, I was hesitant to enter that place for in my mind, I might be lead by that woman to a place that I have seen in the movies where young ladies are being sold to white slavery.    Just the same, as if somebody was pushing me to go inside that old building, I entered and found a male church worker who right away attended to my queries with such humility and sincere approach.  Without knowing it, I was already trying to ask the process of how I could become a member of the church.  To my surprise, it was not the same easy process with that of other churches, where in other churches, even for just a day they would accept already a first time attendee as a member of their church.  He told me that I have first to be sure of myself if I would pursue joining their group, maybe because of what he have seen in me with the appearance of a socialite.  Further, he said that I have to attend a series of Indoctrination for more than a month to finish, before I can be admitted for baptism.  Oh, my patience was really being tested on that day.  I could feel deep inside me that I should not let a day pass without having an accomplishment, that of becoming a member of the Church, which I believe and have proven by myself through my research and personal investigation, is headed by a true Man of God, in the person of Bro. Eli who is the most persecuted preacher in this generation.

The Paradigm Shift

            To my amazement, I really thanked God for I finished the many nights of indoctrination and was finally baptized in the true Church of God.  Indeed, God turned my life into a paradigm shift through Bro. Eli, the phenomenal and most sensible preacher and messenger of God in these end times.  I’ve realized all the more the many mistakes I’ve done in the past which made me more thankful enough, I was picked up again by God to a renewed life that even I myself could not imagine is really happening.  I was surprised how God really works.  He was putting into place every bit of my broken and ruined life.  My once endearing, sophisticated, confident and proud person was changed into a simple, humble, and no longer ambitious but a contented happy woman.

            Until now, I could not believe it, all my earthly wants, desires and ambitions were gone and all I long for each day in God’s grace is to be able to reach my goal of claiming the promise of God for true Christians, that life in heaven with His Son Jesus.  I now live each day, full of love, faith and hope that God will always be there for me, feeding me with all the wisdom, knowledge and spiritual food sent to us through His messengers, Bro. Eli and Bro. Daniel, the Presiding and the Vice-Presiding Ministers, respectively of the Members Church of God International (MCGI).  Now, I only have one left to be proud of, that I am now a member of the true Church of God in the Bible and really thank God so much for this great gift.

            From the teachings preached by Bro. Eli and Bro. Daniel, I’ve learned to forgive and love my philandering father.  If before I hated his weaknesses, now I pity him and I am always praying that one day, he would also be called by God.  In fact, I was able to convince him to attend some gatherings in the Church.  All my relatives who live with me became all members of the Church now, it could either be because they have seen the total change in me and/or my prayers were also answered.  They have proven also that Bro. Eli and Bro. Daniel are really God sent who continuously transformed many lost lives into a true Christian, not only in the Philippines but worldwide. 

Indisputably for me, they are the true and God chosen heroes in this generation.   They are the heroes, who do not just save one’s physical life but foremost let them earn their spiritual salvation.  Bro. Eli and Bro. Daniel does not merely change and help save a person for a day, but for a life time.  The people who were once sinful, cruel and carnal were turned into holy, loving, and spiritual and no longer a menace to the society because of the teachings delivered by Bro. Eli and Bro. Daniel which transforms even the most sinful person into a God-fearing and law-abiding citizen.  But still, many envious religious leaders and influential people try to fight this truth and replace it with fabricated and fictional accusations.

            Yet, no amount of destructions could affect the truly faithful members of the church who knows only one big truth that they were once blind and now they can already see the true Wisdom from God through Bro. Eli and Bro. Daniel, the real heroes in the true sense of the word.