Nov 8, 2023 Reconnecting with God

“I was baptized when I was 15 years old to the Adventist church, but I moved away to Manila to work. I was young, life got busy, and I lost my connection to God,” shared Danilo.

Danilo had grown up in Mindanao, far from the capital city of Manila. Like many young people, he wanted to experience life in the big city, but he was not prepared to handle the challenges, expenses, and face-paced lifestyle. Without his former church family, Danilo’s focus shifted to money and survival. Living from payday to payday, he felt frustrated by the struggle and stress, and he decided to move to Cavite, a much smaller city about an hour south of Manila. But little did Danilo know, God was guiding his steps.

In Cavite, Danilo met and married the love of his life, Arlene. The birth of his eldest son impressed Danilo deeply, and he felt his need to reconnect with God. He started studying the Bible again, and he felt his love for God rekindled in his heart. Danilo also wanted to teach his children the word of God as well, to guide their lives, but as his family grew, time became a challenge:

“As our family grew, now to four children, I almost always had to work double shifts as a tuk tuk driver,” said Danilo. “The long hours affected my sleep, time with my family, and time with God. But I’m blessed by the encouragement of my wife, who is a woman of prayer, and an Adventist.”

Although Danilo struggled with time, he still persisted in seeking the Lord. He was blessed by church members and gospel workers who would visit for Bible studies and then invited him to a series of evening meetings.

“I always pray to be a good father and provider, and I also want my children to know God. So, when ‘The Search’ meetings came to our community, it was like an answer to my prayers!” shared Danilo. “Even with my tight schedule, I was determined we would attend together as a family, every evening.”

The evening meetings were held at the Bacoor Gym, sponsored by Quiet Hour Ministries. This was one meeting site of 10 throughout the Cavite region. Danilo and his family faithfully attended every evening.

“The messages truly spoke to our hearts,” said Danilo. “I could feel God’s presence and love poured out. When my two elder children stood for the call for baptism, I felt so inspired. I stood with them, rededicating my life to the Lord.” Deeply moved, Danilo shared, “We were baptized all together—a rebaptism for me! We’re continuing to have Bible studies as we grow in the faith. Praise God for uniting my family in Him!”

Praise God indeed! Danilo was baptized with two of his children, Mark and Darlene, at the close of the meetings. Truly Jesus is the Great Shepherd, seeking, guiding, and saving throughout Danilo’s life. Their care group, aka Bible study group, is also praising God and continuing to support this dear family as they grow in the faith.

Additionally, our international partners in Cavite thank God for giving them wisdom in coordinating their evangelism efforts before, during, and after. Months before the meetings, they organized community service activities, such as health services and education, children’s programs, parenting programs, and Christian literature distribution. These community services shared the love of God in practical ways, caring for the needs of the community. For the spiritual needs, QHM partners coordinated care groups to help with Bible study interests and cultivate friendships. Pastors, church leaders, and lay members alike joined hand-in-hand to bring the good news to their respective places of labor.

Praise God for inspiring the believers in Cavite, Philippines who are carrying out the “each one reach one” initiative of the worldwide church.

Danilo and many families who’ve been blessed say, “Thank you for reaching out to me and my family!” Please continue to pray for these newly baptized members as they’re nurtured by their care groups and discipled to reach more for Christ.

“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.” Matthew 18:11-13

---