Looking Back

I will never forget the date February 11, 2021. A year immediately passed very quickly, which seemed like only recently.

Looking back..

My mind is sad again because that was the day you passed away. I felt a strange thing on Wednesday night while I was watching your bible expo, I smelled something fragrant just near the tip of my nose,..I’m a Goosebump but I didn’t pay attention to this thing and totally the scent lasted for a while, as if it just passed in front of me..

The next day, Thursday, I was still awake because of listening to your bible expo. The bible expo ended at 9 o’clock and you did the bible expo again at 12am and two o’clock. It’s early in the morning after this, so I shout-out “𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐨, 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐤𝐚 𝐩𝐚 𝐛𝐚, 𝐚𝐛𝐚 𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐡𝐢𝐥 𝐤𝐚𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢 𝐚𝐤𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐛𝐚 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨 𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐤𝐨! And when I woke up I tuned in again because at 7 in the morning you will have a bible expo again. But at around 8am, I said “I’m sorry I’ll turn off the TV first because I’m going to the market first, I’ll just watch it later because there’s a replay on you tube of your bible expo . (I’m guilty and I have remorse in my heart, why I didn’t finish your last live exposition ..) When I came home from the market, I smelled the very fragrant thing I smelled last night, and it stopped again on the bridge of my nose..It’s weird because it stinks in the market, but it really smells very good to my nose the scent I smelled last night while you were at the bible expo, I was just smiling and inside me, are my senses playing games with me? When I got home I immediately fix what I bought, and after I cooked lunch I read messages on my cell phone, and there I read inviting community prayer because you are in critical condition. I was shocked when I read it and wish that it was just a fake news. I immediately texted my brother who was in Brazil, confirming if it was true that you were in critical condition. I struggle with nervousness, and tension. I only felt a little relieved when I thought that if that was true, brother Alex should have told us right away, but he didn’t say anything. I knelt down, asking for God’s mercy for your healing Inkong and please calm myself. After I prayed I looked at my cell phone again, my brother didn’t see my message so I was really nervous, a little later I looked again to see if my brother had replied, I saw that he had seen my message but he didn’t reply. So I chatted with him again, I said “please answer if what I’m asking you is true”?!..

I saw him typing a message and when I read his reply I almost fainted, he said ” HE’s GONE ” I can’t believe it, my heart says “NO THAT’S NOT TRUE !!” So I asked him the next question: HOW IS IT GONE? DID YOU SEE, WERE YOU WITH HIM? DID YOU TOUCH? because my heart and mind don’t want to believe.

I really can’t forget that day, I think the cycle of the world has stopped and it will almost collapse because of my excessive grief.. I know that I am not the only one who mourned but all of us who that you led. We love you very much Inkong, because the good you have done is so great, you are so deeply etched in my heart. You’re the only one I cried like this, you’re the only one who puffed out my eyes. Even my dog was confused, he maybe thought “what’s going on with my boss” because my crying was so bad..

SK started at 7pm, I was very sad especially when brother Daniel said that God gave you rest, and even showed you your seat, terrible!

I don’t remember what else happened, all I know is that my head hurts. Fortunately, on Saturday, I was thankful that my heart was relieved because of brother Daniel’s preaching, he comforted us with the teachings of Christ.

Bro Daniel also told us what you said when the Lord took your grandson Bryce. So I was relieved somehow. The message left in my heart is “never mind we will meet again, there in a thousand years you will be together again in the kingdom of the Lord” ..

Thank God for someone like you, thank God for having brother Daniel as your successor. Until we meet again 🙏🏻

In my 20 years as Worker

I am so very grateful to God because for the past 20 years being a worker in His Church, He did not forsake me, He helped and guide me to make me a good servant… Despite many difficulties and sorrows, glad to think that I reach my 20th year in the ministry. I wish and pray to God that I be not weary and finished what I have begun.

Happy to reminisce the past 20 years as a worker in the Church:

January 1994, when I have come in the worker’s ministry to join up the 3rd batch seminar wherein bro. Eli himself was the one that invites the youth to become a worker in the Church, and then I decided to join and hold a 1 to 2 month’s seminar in Apalit Pampanga. He was also our primary professor in the said seminar, and the rest was the OIC (Presently called them as KNP). We study the bible and memorize many important verses and the book itself. We memorized and be familiar who writes all the particular chapter, when and where it was penned. We study also the Greek alphabet and many important things about God and the bible, also bro. Eli teaches us how to be a better and effective soldier of God.

We are only few seminarians during our time, we are less than 40 if I am not mistaken, unlike the 1st and 2nd batch they are hundred in numbers. During our seminar, I witnessed how good and kind-hearted bro. Eli was. He was very concern to us, asking if we ate already and giving us money if we depart home in Manila if we don’t hold classes.

Last week of February 1994 when our seminar ends, of course there is a graduation like in any other school. We graduated at a time of our thanksgiving.

The seminarians parted ways after our commencement. I went to Metro Manila where I started from. Every Monday, I attended workers meeting, Brothers Daniel and Josel was the assign OIC in Metro Manila that time and after our meeting was also the series of screening every Monday.

My first local assignment was the locale of Kabulusan in Sangandaan Caloocan wherein I was only back up then by Sister Fides Crisanto, we were holding yet live worship during that time, wherein we’re the one preaching in front of many brethren and visitors. And because this was the first time I face many people, the supposedly 20 to 30 minutes preaching, I have done it in 15 minutes only including the opening prayer because of the nervous and shyness I felt that time. After my preaching, I was also teaching my knc.

The first locale wherein I was the regular worker then was in the house of Yanga family in some part of Commonwealth in Quezon City if my memory was still sharp.  I was a backup worker for only 5 months; I started March 1994 as a backup and August 1994 as a regular worker. Year 1998 when I set out to hold indoctrination sessions in Concepcion Malabon.

In my 20 years as a worker, I didn’t experience being late in my assign locale because I see to it that even before when I have had, given a chance to destined in my assign locale, half to 1 hour before the gatherings start, I was already in my respective locale. And the rest was history…

Happy to know that many brethren I have indoctrinated was now also a worker in the Church, and not just simply a worker, because some of them are the district and zone servants in their respective assign place….

I am very thankful that my youth and strength was long ago served to God. Though I am unworthy to called worker but with proud I say, thanks God because He makes me His worker in His Church. Thanks be to God and to God be the glory…