Trippy Padilla

I come from a family of mixed religious backgrounds and embraced the religious practices of both my parents. Since my parents accepted the beliefs and rituals of each other’s religion, I grew up thinking that there is nothing wrong with practicing two religions. I was confused though on whom to pray to. Either way, I made sure that I prayed to at least one of them everyday. I thought that as long as I prayed before going to sleep, my spiritual needs are satisfied.

Due to my parents’ work, we had to move a lot and I was transferred to a total of 13 schools. Since I was constantly transferring schools, I became apathetic towards my classmates and avoided establishing real relationships because I would not be around for long anyway. I resorted to just having acquaintances instead of real friends.

I excelled in every aspect of my academic life and was always in the honor section, which made my parents really proud of me. I grew up as a responsible, independent and goal-oriented individual. My successes however made me become self-centered. I thought I didn’t need anyone to help me with anything and even planned everything that I wanted to happen in my life. I was content, complete and happy on the outside, but I felt empty deep inside.

Amidst my achievements, I was dealing with insecurities and I had no one to talk to about it. I didn’t have best friends to whom I can share it with. Although I maintained a good relationship with my parents, they didn’t know that I had so much bitterness towards them. I blamed them for my unhappiness. If they didn’t keep on transferring me to other schools, I might have developed real friendships.

In first year in college, I was so happy to get into the school that I wanted. But during the second semester of my 1st year, and for the first time in my academic life, I got a failing in Philosophy. It wasn’t really a big deal because our professor was mad at us for some reason and he failed the whole class. But I chose to dwell on the darker side and wallowed in self-pity. I was so devastated that I even attempted to commit suicide. Then, I found out that our family was going through financial crisis. My parents told me that they could no longer send me to my dream school and instead, they have to transfer me yet again. This news tormented me since I placed my security in the plans that I made for my life, I felt as if my world was crashing down on me. Everything was out of my control. But little did I know that God was on His way to rescuing me from my distress.

On July 2005, my Christian aunt signed me up for a CCF retreat. I immediately agreed to attend not because I wanted to know more about God, but because I wanted to get out of our house. When I got there, I was surprised to find out that most of the participants were couples and the topics were about married life. Even if I was bored to death, it was there that I first heard about who Jesus really is and that it was a sin to worship idols. It was only during the Jzone CSI college camp where I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. In Colossians 1:13-14 it says,“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” I realized that I was a sinner who needed God’s forgiveness. I was also amazed to know that there is a God who really cares for me and loves me enough despite my imperfections. It was finally clear to me that there is no other God but Jesus Christ and He alone deserves my praise.

God used my failures to make me realize that I can’t do everything alone. He taught me that He must be the ruler of my life and that His plans are way better than mine. God humbled my proud heart by showing me my weaknesses and that my life should not be about achievements but about Christ and His will for me. I also learned that I shouldn’t be apathetic towards other people, in Matthew 22: 39 Jesus says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

I am now happily serving God through the JZone Project S.C.H.O.O.L Miriam College. Although at first I struggled to obey God because I thought that being active in His ministry will pull down my grades, God assured me that He’ll take care of my concerns and He’ll help me manage my time. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” God remained true to His word and ever since I prioritized sharing His word to Miriam College students, I have continuously excelled in my classes.

I now genuinely care for others and I no longer have bitterness towards my parents. I am instead continuously praying for their salvation. I have broken down the wall that I have created around myself and have learned to make friends with other people. I now enjoy great friendships with other believers, and I couldn’t thank God enough for bringing those wonderful friends in my life.

From apathy to compassion; from bitterness to forgiveness; from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness. God is truly in the business of transforming lives.

I am Trippy Padilla, a Jesus zone.
To the Savior and the lover of my soul Jesus, be all the glory, honor and praise.

My name is Jun Sagcal.

Jun Sagcal

My wife Christie and I went on a vacation last September 22, 2009, Tuesday, until September 25, Friday. I had a great time being with my wife 24 hours a day for four fun-filled days.

When we got back to Manila on Friday, September 25, at 11:30 in the evening, there was heavy rain and, on September 26, Saturday, the rain was still heavy that I decided not to leave the house anymore and just make up for my absence in the GLC 3 class. At 2:00 pm, the rain continued to pour relentlessly. I texted a brother in Christ, Jess Fajardo, who lives not too far from us in Marikina, to check how they were doing. I was shocked to know that the water was already neck deep inside his house. Imagine, his house is 6 feet elevated from street level, and to think that Jess is a six footer! I then looked at the window and, for the first time in 17 years, our neighborhood was flooded. We started moving our appliances and furniture upstairs as the water has started to enter our house. For the next 3 days, the Lord has taught me what it means to love like Jesus, and he made me realize, how much he loves us.

As the flood continued to rise, a husband, carrying his wife at his back, waded through the flood to get to us and asked if we can accommodate his wife, who just gave birth a month ago, and their 2 children at our house. We immediately welcomed them and directed them to go to the attic. Then a mother with her special child, and another mother with young children, came to us asking refuge. All in all, 11 neighbors, including a month old baby, were accommodated in the attic. We gave them beddings, food, candles, medicines, whatever we can possibly give.

After all the hard work of carrying heavy things, helping out the family and neighbors, my heart started to palpitate, I was so dead tired, and I couldn’t breathe normally. I wanted to go to the hospital, but it was just impossible because the roads were flooded. I prayed to God and I said, “Lord, I can only do so much, I know you won’t quit on us, please let the rain stop, and heal me”. After some time, by God’s grace, the water slowly receded by early evening.

My wife later asked me how I was feeling and if I can talk to our neighbors about the salvation that God offers through Jesus. After praying to God for strength, my wife helped me get up, and assisted me to go up to the attic. There, my wife and I shared the love of Jesus to our neighbors, and by God’s grace, that evening, we led our neighbors to pray to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Jun Sagcal with Dgroup

Sunday morning, I woke up and realized that there was no flood anymore, but thick mud and garbage were all over the place. I can just imagine the tremendous effort needed to clean the house, considering that I am not completely feeling well yet. I have a brother whom I have differences with, as much as I tried reaching out to him, but efforts seemed to be all in vain. Eventually, I stopped reaching out to him, and had not talked to him for quite some time. But when I came down to the ground floor of our house, I was shocked seeing my brother, cleaning my house, together with his wife and their children. I was really humbled. By God’s grace, we started to talk to each other again, and from that moment on, our relationship was restored. I received love from someone I least expected from, and that humbled me because, as a Christian, I should not have given up on my brother.

The next day, Monday, at 3 in the morning, we were awakened by loud shouts coming from outside the house. Our neighbors woke us up because that there was a big fire in the neighborhood. I went out, and as I walked through thick mud, there I saw a huge fire engulfing a big house not too far from my place. There were no fire trucks, neighbors tried to call the fire station, but the landlines weren’t working. I called upon the Lord again, and said to him “Lord, you have saved us from the flood, save my family, our house and our neighbors from this fire. I know Lord you love us, and you won’t quit on us”. Then, by God’s grace, one small fire truck arrived, then another, and another, and another. After an hour and a half, the fire was completely put out.

Jesus saved us from the flood, restored relationships in the family, and saved us from the fire. All of these happened in just three days. These experiences reminded me that God loves us, that he doesn’t quit on us, and that we should not quit loving others, regardless of the situation and circumstances. To my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, thank you so much. To God be the glory.

My name is Johann Paolo Garcia. I was raised in a closely knit and loving family. During grade school, I excelled in academics and sports but, I was also bullied and teased. I would try to retaliate but I couldn’t beat them at their game. There were days that I’d even ask Satan to retaliate for me and this early I abandoned God.

My reputation changed when I got into my first fight with a first year high school repeater who stole my father’s watch right in front of my eyes. After, people started recruiting me to their fraternities and groups. I took up kick boxing and excelled in my fighting skills, engaging in as many as 7 fights in one day. Bad people got attracted to me and I started hanging out with the wrong crowd who wanted me on their side. I started smoking, drinking and having sexual relations. I partied in Orange, Boracay, LKF Hong Kong and other exclusive bars at a young age of 16.

A high school classmate invited me to a YFC retreat where I saw a girl that I liked. In that retreat, there was another guy who liked this girl too and he persuaded me to take some of his drugs. He deceived me by giving me an overdose of Xpinoy. My parents said they picked me up lying down on the road at McDonald’s Katipunan. As I sobered up, my parents confronted me and found out stories they never knew. When I got back to school, it took some time before I could read again because the drugs impaired my vision.

However, this experience did not cease my wrong desire for drugs. I wanted value for my money so I started to source for the best price, quality and quantity. I eventually became a dealer and I employed drivers, goons, and body guards. My network grew and I felt like I was above the law. My tolerance for drugs built up and I believed I could control it. I couldn’t see how much it was controlling me and destroying my life. I was a slave to sin and my world was revolving around it.

When I finished college and started working, my Christian boss asked me to attend Bible study at his residence along with other colleagues. Shortly after, I became attracted to a young woman who brought me to Sunday service with her family. And while in that relationship, I also met another person in the corporate world and he invited me to his D-Group. God was drawing me close to Him. When I left my job and ended the relationship with the young woman, I continued to attend D-group. There was an upcoming retreat and they encouraged me to go so I did.

During the Dawn watch of that retreat, I decided to challenge God about my issues and I asked the Lord questions about joy, peace and love. He started giving me answers and it led me to tears. I realized that praying to God was talking to someone who is real. I realized that Jesus is not just the character in a story but a real God who really became man to save sinners like me. I realized that God deserved more than the friendship and brotherhood that I gave any of my friends.

God led me to the book of John. The title was the Truth will set you free from John 8:31-47. Here Jesus says, “If you obey my teaching you are really my disciples, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The verse goes on saying that everyone who sins is a slave to sin. God opened my eyes and I then realized the negativity of my addictions and worldly pleasures. I just wanted to let go, break free, and detach from sin. The scripture goes on and Jesus says, “Yet you are trying to kill me, because you will not accept my teaching.” I felt sorry for hurting God in the past. God has been loving me and I wanted to make it up to Him. The scripture goes on and Jesus questions why we don’t love Him when clearly the devil, a deceiver, is the father of all liars. I had been living on the wrong side and I wanted to start living right. I realized the importance of the Bible and its relevance to daily life.

During the baptism of that retreat, I was praying over the participants and had no plans of being baptized. But God told me, “This is your chance and this is what I want for you.” Tears fell from my eyes and I could not control but follow what my God was asking me to do. The pastor asked me “Are you ready to accept Christ and commit to Him for the rest of your life?” In awe, I answered “Yes!” This was exactly what my soul has been searching for.

I felt relief, peace, comfort, strength, a release and healing. There had been a release of all the past and indeed God made me feel the endless possibilities of having this new life. I headed back to the main hall and found myself testifying with a desire to encourage others as well. I felt complete and part of God’s army. I knew what it meant to give ones life to something and I wanted to encourage others to do the same for Jesus who gave His life first.

I have been enjoying new life and been more focused on eternal investments. During the last prayer and fasting week, someone advised me to read “Walk on Water” by John Ortberg. It was my first and I learned that, you will know you are walking on water when you allow God to do things you cannot accomplish on your own. Since then, I have been saying yes to opportunities of serving Him and each time God has been sustaining me. With the support of my leaders and mentors, I shared my testimony and devotionals. By stepping out in faith, I discovered that with Jesus indeed we are sufficient. This led me to take another step, which was to build Dgroups and lead in ministries. By Gods grace, I completed level 1 such that I’m currently enrolled in GLC2.

As a teacher in NextGen, I also volunteered in the summer workshop. In the elevator, I saw a kinder participant who looked familiar. Suddenly, the woman holding the child called me, “Johann”. She was the mom of my friend and the child was the son of my friend who I haven’t seen in a long time. His mom was surprised to find me at CCF and when she saw me she told me that she realized that her son had hope to get to know the Lord too. I used to deal drugs with her son but he is in prison now. I tried to convince him to stop but he couldn’t. This is a fate that I could have had. When I asked God why he saved me, the answer I got is by grace. We all deserve the bitter end of the stick but, God offers us the better end, which is eternal life to those who accept Him as Lord and Savior. I know God has great plans for that friend of mine and He will slowly reveal it to him just as He is doing with me.

When I looked at my past, there was a part of me that feared the physical consequences of my abuse. I no longer wanted to die early and this was because of my new value for life. I prayed and God answered by letting me see the difference that now, I where I’m going and that is to heaven and, now I know my purpose on the Earth which is to serve Jesus. When I face Him and bow down before God, all I want is that tap on the back and that affirmation “Well done my good and faithful servant; you are a man after my own heart”.

I will end with this verse, 1 Timothy1:15-16 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners— of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so than in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. No amount of words can ever be sufficient to describe a relationship with Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord my redeemer and my savior! All glory and honor to the One Mighty God!

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:35

I had the privilege of spending time with my father. My father has moved in with me because his house was flooded. You know the water in Pasig area. It’s a privilege for me. I was seated with my father. He’s 91 years old and sometimes, he remembers, sometimes he does not remember. But I was just looking at him. And he just stares at me. I said, “Lord what a privilege for me to be able to take care of my father. What a privilege for me just to be able to sit beside my father.” We don’t have to say anything; we just look at each other.

And my friend, the mark of a true follower of Jesus is love. You have to learn to love, because love is a commitment; it is towards imperfect people; it is to seek their highest good, but you’ve got to be prepared to pay the price because love may require you to sacrifice. And you know, if you begin to love people, you know what is going to happen? The Bible tells us: “By this, all men will know you are My disciples.” Based on what condition? You want to witness for Jesus? Before you use your words, before you talk about Jesus, show them you love them. The best way to witness for Jesus is to love people. So I want you to do something. I want you to consider practicing loving like Jesus at home. The hardest people to love are the family members, because you are with them all the time. You see their mistakes. You see, to love strangers is easy. For example, this week, I went to the flooded area. I gave goods to people I don’t know. That’s easier, because I don’t know them. But to love people who are in your family, you see them every day and they make mistakes. Some of them make mistakes every week, every time they see you, they make mistake. I don’t know, but these are the people you have to love. Love your people at home. Show them the love of Jesus. (PTC)

Give of your best to the Master;
Give Him first place in your heart;
Give Him first place in your service;
Consecrate every part.
Give, and to you will be given;
God His beloved Son gave;
Gratefully seeking to serve Him,
Give Him the best that you have.
(Howard B. Grose)