The Life I Found in My Group

by Shaynne Ricarte

When I left my country, one of my major concerns was my ministry and which Church and spiritual family I was going to “belong” to. 

Back home, growing up as a Pastor’s kid, I really did not work on my “salvation,” as I thought, “My parents are Pastors. So I should already be saved and I should be fine. What is there to worry? What is there to work for?” Yes, I grew up founded in God’s truth, accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour, had water baptism, got involved in different ministries, but it does not actually have to stop there. It’s a continuous walk.

  

The Ladies’ Life Group led by Ate Flor helped me realize the areas that I need to work on in order to continue my walk with God. It brought my spiritual maturity to another level. It breathed something new to me ALL THE TIME, even though I was already familiar with the Bible stories and the verses. The experiences of the lovely ladies in our LG made me realize how God works differently in each of our lives. We may be encountering the same challenges, but God deals with each of us differently.

LG also made me feel that I was not alone with the challenges I was and am facing. As a mother, and with the same issues that my fellow mommies in our LG are also having, God gave me the opportunity to encourage instead. And by encouraging, I was able to understand how to address my struggles as well. And it’s nice to know that we have each other to run to. It’s God’s way of comforting and reminding us that He’s there. He speaks through the lives of my fellow LG members.

  

Now that God has placed me in another location, I feel like I have to belong to another LG. It has greatly impacted my life in the sense that I have to belong to one here. My week would not be complete without the LG gathering. I now belong to the LG of Mommies and Wives, which is leading me to another level of discipleship.

My life will always be a living testimony. From the struggle I was in, God turned my life around as a blessing. I came to fully understand that He uses our circumstances for us to draw nearer to Him. But it is a choice that each of us has to make. And I am really glad I made the right choice to run back to my Father and stay with Him.

LG: A Home Away From Home

by If Campillan

Leaving my family and life back home was the hardest decision I've ever made in my entire life. But for some reason I considered this as a blessing from God. He knew what kind of life I was living back in the Philippines. He wanted me to run away... away from a life that was going to be miserable... a life that was not in accordance to what He really wanted me to be (that is, living a life with a purpose). I considered living alone and being away from home the starting point. God put me in a place where everything was new, a place where I could start my life anew. Whatever came I learned to depend on Him because I believed He brought me to Penang and therefore He was responsible for me. I had the assurance that I was in good hands and that God would be my refuge.

I finally found a “home” in June 2011. Out of nowhere, He led me to a place I’ve been looking for for months. My feet brought me to Eaglepoint! I was very happy because I found a place where I could continue to serve and know Him more - out of the wilderness and the confusion.

He also gave me a family to make me feel at home, not far from the happy family that I left behind. I have a Life Group composed of lively, happy and  incredible godly women. God is awesome!  Knowing what’s inside of me, He would speak to me through every Life Group session.  I'm proud to say that I’m now heading in the right direction. Although there were times that I stumbled, fell and became weak, I still survived because I believe in God's grace and in prayers. I always declare God's favor.

  

Ate Flor inspired me. Her words and lessons really brought home something to me. They made me realized why I didn’t do certain things I knew I should have done before. I’ve learned how to live a life according to God's way and not my way and understood my purpose (that is to Glorify, Honor and Serve Him). I’ve learned that there’s more to life than eating, sleeping and working. I realized that my life does not only revolve around me and my family and closest friends, but it also involves other people whom God brings my way.

God doesn’t want our lives to be wasted. He is imparting life lessons and shaping our lives through Ate Flor’s sharing of the Word and exchanging of ideas (on personal application) during our LG meetings.

I’m so happy serving God like never before. I’ve never been more excited for Worship time and LG session than today. I’m thankful to the ladies who became part of my spiritual life. I learned a lot from all of them. May we all continue to serve God and stand strong in our faith whatever happens. His love endures forever!

Life Group - What A Blessing!

by Ivy Ruto

Before I went to Penang the first question I asked myself was what would happen to me? I was never out of job since I finished college. I have been staying with my family even after I got married. I was scared that I would be left alone in the house everyday. Would Philip and I be attending church regularly like we used to do in the Philippines?

Then God answered my questions. He even blessed us in many ways. Dophnie (aka Shaynne) introduced me to Life Group. At first there was hesitation on my part because I used to attend mass at Catholic Church. However, I told myself that there was no harm in trying so I decided to join Ate Flor’s Life Group. I was really shy during the first meeting, but I became comfortable because of the warm welcome that I received.

  

LG is my second family and one of the greatest blessings I had last year. Life Group made a huge impact in my relationship with God. It became stronger like I never felt before. I started to worship God more by listening to His Word. l learned to read Bible verses that gave inspiration and resolution to my problems. I prayed the Salvation Prayer when Dophnie and I were doing One-2-One. Philip and I now regularly attend our church services. He also goes to Kuya Rommel’s LG meetings.

My life with my husband has become lighter and my fears have gone away. I met good people with good and humble hearts. I will always treasure Life Group. My prayer is for our LG to continue to grow and bless each member of the group.

  Thank you, Lord!

Life Group Works

by Ellen Gonda

I thank God that He brought us here in Penang because many things have changed in my life. I learned a lot especially from our Life Group. I am blessed and grateful to know each and every one of the ladies. I want to thank particularly Tita Flor for her inspiring words.

All of my questions got answered. I came to know more about God and I’m growing in my spiritual life. My relationship with Dante and Chloe has become more meaningful. LG teaching and sharing made me a better person. Tita Flor encouraged me to be water baptized and to join Victory Weekend (Dante ended up attending as well). These are two of my unforgettable moments here. I’ve felt how much God loves me in many ways.

Yes, there are challenges and struggles in my life, but through faith in God, nothing is impossible. When my inguinal hernia was diagnosed here and the doctor said that I needed to have an operation, I was afraid at first. I just put my trust in God and the operation was successful.

Reading helpful books, which is also an encouragement from Tita Flor, is one of the wonderful things I like to continue doing. I now manage my time in a way that would allow me to read books. And yes, she is right, I can gain many ideas from reading.

  

We’re going back to the Philippines soon.  I will miss LG, but I know that God has a better plan and purpose for our family. All the teaching and learning, happy memories and good friendship will be cherished forever.

  

To God be the Glory and Honor.

The Group That Turned My Life Around

by Mylen Maladrigo

My daughter, Angel, and I came to Penang in April 2011 to join Ronnel, my husband, who was then working in one of the companies here. I knew that our trip was part of God’s plan and that He already arranged people who would help me in my spiritual journey. I thank the women in my LG whom God used to change my points of view and life, especially Ate Flor. Every time I hear her speak in our LG meetings, it was like God was talking to me. Thank you, Ate Flor.

 LG was one of the happiest moments of my life in Penang. I felt like other people were connected to me aside from my daughter and my husband. It’s like I found where I belong. Along the way I learned how to forgive a little bit easier because I knew God was in control of me and the people I had concerns with. I became so aware of God and I didn’t know why. I didn’t have any logical or scientific explanation to back me up. But what I knew was, it was all about God. He made me believe Him. I came to believe that God is always for me and He will never leave me nor forsake me.

God encouraged us to bless Him as well. I learned to make God number one in my life like giving a portion of our wealth to Him and blessing other people. I believe that blessings will just come naturally and that God will open doors that no one can shut. God has blessed us abundantly! To mention a few, I got a job online and then Ronnel got hired in a better company. And lately we acquired a car. For us, it was a wonderful blessing because we never owned one even back in Philippines. And what made it sweeter was that the car was from a good friend. The timing was just so right. 

Back in the Philippines, we were also able to visit my family in Guimaras, Iloilo and my husband's family in Cagayan Valley. Yes, we did have lots of challenges, but we want to magnify the blessings instead.

I now know and understand the impact of giving a portion of our wealth to God. I encourage everyone to do it regularly. God will bless us in His own time and in a way that is overwhelming!

Currently, Angel and I are in the Philippines, awaiting our papers to join Ronnel again in Ipoh, Malaysia.

2nd LG Anniversary - Going Strong!

by Flor Esteban

How time flies! We’re celebrating our 2^nd Life Group (aka Bible Study, where we share not only God's Word but share our hearts and lives as well) Anniversary this month. There’s no better way to celebrate it than reading the testimonies of the Wonderful Women of God from our LG. But before that, let me give you a short story of how it all started.

Rommel has his own Life Group with Filipinos (aka Pinoy LG) who are working in Penang. So I thought why not start my own LG with the women, too. I was a bit apprehensive at first, but God paved the way for me. I just heeded the prompting of the Holy Spirit and He did the rest. And through this I found my calling – mentoring young women (an inspiration from Titus 2:3-5).

Our earlier fellowshipping in July 2010 were held at our old place in Solok Dumbar, Jelutong and once at Shaynne and Anne’s Mawar apartment. However, in those meetings we realized that we needed to find a better place with less distractions so we can focus more. We ended up at The Coffee Bean (Queensbay Mall) for our first “real” LG meeting in August 20, 2010. I even wrote a post about it. The Coffee Bean has become our LG “home” since then.

I started our LG with 6 beautiful women – Myla Bonus, Shaynne Ricarte, Anne Sepulveda, Mylene dela Cruz, Ellen Gonda and myself. Two are working women, the rest are full-time housewives/moms. As of today, 15 women have been part of our LG since the beginning. 4 of them have left to go to other places, but in spirit, they’re still part of our growing LG family.

We make it a point to make our LG meetings meaningful and enjoyable so we choose topics that are of interest to the group and also Holy Spirit-led. We also make plans for bonding times – Ladies Day/Night Out, birthday celebrations, send-off parties, movie night, sight seeing, eating out, etc. We try our level best to be there for one another in bad times (even cry with them), too. LG members are encouraged to serve in the church ministries and to participate actively in various church activities.

I will let the testimonies (to be posted separately in this blog) of the women speak as to how our LG turned their lives around and brought their families closer to God (husbands are part of Rommel's LG).

As for me, I thank God for the privilege that He has given me to touch the lives of these wonderful women. While God is renewing their faith, He’s building up mine.

Here's our Life Group in pictures!

 

  

Our spiritual journey continues. I can't wait to see my lil' sisters reach out to other women  and turn their lives toward God. Thank you, Jesus!

“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” 

Titus 2:3-5

Combined Service 2012 (Part 2: Sunday Service)

by Jun Gan

This year’s Combined Service was a rather intriguing and fascinating one, I must say. In conjunction with “Parents Day”, the committee came up with a creative theme that had the code name M.A.D (that is, MOM and DAD). Thus, everything revolved around this theme, and that involved agents, the CIA, spies, etc., more on that in a jiffy.☺

Our Sunday morning (May 27) was packed to the max with unique games and endless laughter. Some of us from the Penang side were involved with worship and some were ushers. My host was the head of committee for the games, I chose to help out with the game booths which means being there at 8am to set everything up before the crowd streamed in.☺

In order to make it fun, the games had a concept of their own, which was adopted from the ‘Minute to Win It’ game show. Every task had to be completed within the one minute time frame and for every task completed, we were awarded one chop, which would put us in the running for two special gifts - the “iSpy” iPhone cover which I thought was really chic (I know April had her eyes on it!), and an “invisible thumb drive” which wasn’t invisible at all.☺

Around 9:30am, with all the game booths prepared, one by one, people started streaming in. With the relaxing surrounding of the campus as our backdrop and the rejuvenating morning breeze to calm our spirits, we couldn’t help but feel grateful for all that God has done. Each of the game booths drew much attention as people started lining up to take up all the seemingly easy challenges. After all, it was a race against time. By 10am, the place was already packed with people! We saw adults challenging one another, we saw kids giggling as their parents tried to tackle the different challenges, we saw students trying endlessly to succeed in their challenges, we saw crowds cheering others on and screaming out encouragements and tips; but beyond all of that, it was indeed a beautiful morning that was just vibrant with energy, as laughter of joy filled the air.

The crowd enjoyed the games so much that the head of the committee had to close off all the game booths 3 minutes before the service started to ensure that nobody would miss the start of the service!

The service started off with a teaser/drama bout a kid being shot by Dr. Ex with a ‘forget-a-ray’ gun that caused him to forget more and more about his parents, and subsequently having his parents kidnapped. He was on the losing end until the CIA (Church is Awesome) intervened, and gave him tips on defeating the evil Dr. Ex. (the challenge was extended to the congregation). Some of the challenges were – thanking our parents for three specific things that we’re grateful for, giving them a hug, a high five, telling them we love them, and requiring us to pray for our parents. This kid learnt that in order to curb the effects of the forget-a-ray, he had to think especially hard about all the things he’s grateful for that his parents had ever done for him. Lastly, he learnt that his parents were secret agents as well and they were part of a classified case called the AOG. They were Agents of God! Marilyn Opal Mcpherson (aka MOM) and Derrick Anderson Donald (aka DAD) wonderfully played out their roles. These agents were sent on a mission to love, protect and provide for this kid, and to express to him the many characteristics of God. Pretty cool, ay?

I personally felt that it was such a creatively intertwined plot to convey the profound message that our parents are God-sent. They are God’s gift to us, and if we don’t consciously remember all that they’ve sacrificed for us, we would eventually forget them, and as a consequence, grow distant and detached from them. It’s time to start making it a lifestyle to honor our parents, folks!

Before Pastor Steve took the pulpit, the Penang worship team sang ‘Be With You’ as the offering song and also the platform whereby sister Lyn shared her miraculous healing testimony to the congregation. Over the past few months, all three churches have rallied together in faith, praying for a supernatural healing to come upon sister Lyn. It was such a moving moment to hear the goodness of God in sister Lyn’s life as pictures of her journey flashed in the big screen whilst the beautiful song ‘Be With You’ was sung in the most heartfelt spirit by the team. God is truly a God that heals. Let faith arise!

Pastor Steve’s message was also in conjunction with the importance of honoring our parents. He shared about the example of Absalom~ how Absalom talked about having sons in one chapter and how he ended his life by building a monument in his name, confessing that he had no sons to carry on his name. It’s not that he didn’t have any sons, but that he no longer had any relationships with them. How tragic it is to know that we could have made a difference and yet we didn’t. Our passion should be so genuine that it is carried on to our next generation - the passion to serve, to build a legacy, to make a contribution to society and to honor the name of God. Children observe their parents even when parents don’t know it. Every decision we make, it has an effect on them. We ought to rejoice when the next generation advances and surpasses us.

When we stop honoring our parents and the people whom are important in our lives, we end up honoring ourselves. Each of us is standing on something our parents built. We can either build a prison for our children by speaking negative words to them and crushing their dreams or we can build a platform for them by speaking words of healing and encouragement, giving them the platform to pursue greatness. Pastor Steve closed by reiterating the precious take home message that we ought to make it a lifestyle to honor, respect and love our parents (paraphrasing from Pastor Steve’s message).