Eighteen years ago, Rose and I, together with Jesi Rose, our only child then, heeded God's call, packed up our things, left the comfort of our little home and went North, to Malanday, Valenzuela.

There, we helped in a small pioneering work of what was our mother church at the time, the Asian Christian Charismatic Fellowship (ACCF), which was founded by the Rev. Paul Klahr.

A good friend, Alfredo "Freddie" Merejilla had developed a burden for the people of mostly-flooded Tiwala street, in Malanday. His response to their Christ-less plight was to start a Bible study in the home of our departed brother Luis Posadas.

God blessed this effort and, soon, there was a fledgling church that met to worship God and fellowship with one another in a wooden rattan furniture shop that was suspended by strong, wooden beams atop a murky pool of water and mud. We used to have to cross a makeshift, creaky wooden bridge just to get to "Yantokan", which is what we fondly called our humble sanctuary.

There we would gather - to sing, to dance, to pray, to laugh and cry. And learn from God's Word. There I first met the young people of Tiwala - Egay, Weng, Nita, Linda, Nelia, Tess, and so many others. There I had the privilege of teaching these young minds about God's promises and faithfulness.

There my wife met and loved the women of Tiwala - nanay Agnes, nanay Lita, nanay Heidi, nanay...kupo, an'dami nilang mga nanay doon!

We stayed for only 9 months. It was short and bittersweet. While we were still ministering there, my father was hospitalized for severe illness. We had to return to Guadalupe to be with him in the hospital. When we got back to Malanday, the small apartment we were renting as missionaries was ransacked. We lost everything.

Before we finally left for Makati for good, the youth of Tiwala gave us a surprise I will never forget. After what I thought was an ordinary youth meeting [read: kokonti ang umattend], imagine my surprise when, as I walked through the gate to our apartment... all the youth came out form behind the gate!

They'd been waiting for me, to say their goodbyes. They even had a program.
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Eighteen years later...

Yantokan is now gone. In its place is a beautiful, concrete structure. A sanctuary fit for His sons and daughters, wherein they may now worship and from where they may now serve.

The young people? They are now Pastors Egay and Weng, Pastora Tess, Pastora NIta, Pastora Linda, Pastor Nilo... all serving the Lord, come hell or high water.

By God's grace, Pastor Nilo has now planted over a dozen churches in Mindoro, married over 2000 formerly-live-in couples and is now getting ready to feed them all in the midst of a crisis! Not bad for a penniless boy who ran away to escape from a bad home.

The nanays? Still all there, except for the few who had "gone ahead" to Dad's Place. Still faithfully serving God.

The local church? What was once ACCF Tiwala is now Jesus Lord Almighty Church (JLAC) Malanday! With at least a dozen daughter churches in such far flung places like Taytay, Montalban, Nueva Ecija and Mindoro. With missionaries to all these places and some as far out as Papua, New Guinea.

And Ptr. Freddie? He married Sis. Nelia - Pastora Nelia now - and had 5 beautiful kids. Now, they are pastoring another church in Cavite.

And Rose and I? Well, we had two more kids – Charles Keith was "a product" of Malanday - and Joshua Erickson. Jesi is now in Bible college. Charles is taller than me now, but it's I who feels taller every time I remember what God has done in his life. And Josh is just a genius in the wings. Rose has her own school now in Angono and we, as a family, are pastoring the church that was borne out of it.

Eighteen years later, God's little church in Malanday celebrated her debut. And she has become the most beautiful belle in the ball.

All for the Glory of God!

Thank You, Lord, for what You have been pleased to do to, and through, Your Body!

Your Name be praised forever!