Live a Full Life

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

Christian Agape Fellowship and Earth Shakers had a joint Christmas Party in the afternoon of December 21, 2008 at the Max’s Restaurant in Quezon Memorial Circle. The theme of the party was “Living a Full Life” with about fifty-five (55) persons who joined the event.

One participant shared her testimony of how the Lord has guided her that she may be blessed to live a full life. Here’s Ann Charmaine Ting’s testimony ...

“It was November 2007 when my sister got hospitalized that I realized that I became distant from the Lord after I tried to pray to Him to help my sister get better. At that moment, I sincerely prayed to Him to help me get close back to Him. A few days after, on the month of December, a friend messaged me on my messenger and asked me if I would want to come along a Christmas event held by the organization where his classmate is a member.

That was when I got to know the organization Earth Shakers. Even though I was worried about not finishing my thesis on time I attended the event. In the mid of that event, called Bond with Christmas OO7, I then realized that Earth Shakers is a group of youth who wants to reach out to other people, help them in the name of the Lord and expand the Lord’s kingdom. That group was the answer to the prayer I made to the Lord because it was on that event, Bond with Christmas OO7 that I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, felt that my distance from the Lord becoming shorter and was spiritually reborn.

Everything in my life has slowly started to change. I have participated in some of the Earth Shakers’ events: “Talaba Learning Center Drive”, where kids in the Talaba area were taught about the value of being Honest and were given some vitamins, food and books; “Solving the People Puzzle”, wherein we get to know our God-given personalities and explored the value of one another and understand each other; “One with the Little Ones”, the 1st year anniversary celebration of Earth Shakers, wherein kids in the orphanage were given a walk-through of the New Testament, were shared with love and were given food and toys. Through all these events, I have experienced life-changing moments. I got to know that there are people who are serving the Lord without expecting anything in exchange. I get to value myself and understand my personality, and the people around me. I was able to share my time and love with the orphan kids that I have never imagined possible. This is just to show that everything is possible with God.

I was introduced to their church the Christian Agape Fellowship or CAFÉ, and I started attending their Bible study meetings also known as their “Care Group”. Coined as “Care Group” because they not only teach you what God says through the Bible but they are also concern about your welfare, in other words, they care about you.

Through the “Care Group” and Sunday Worships, God let me know and understand His teachings, His personality; of how forgiving He is, of how He can save me and of how everything is possible with Him. Without God’s guidance and blessings, a lot of events in my life would have been impossible to happen. Take for example my thesis and my removal exam. I never thought I would be able to finish my thesis on time or even be able to do it but because of continuous prayer to God to help me about it, He sent people to help me and He gave me wisdom to do it. I would have never presented to God my worries if the people in CAFÉ had not taught me of how strong a sincere prayer is. And as what it is said in Matthew 11:28, “Come all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

I failed my removal exam and was supposed to take the subject once again last summer. I was so disappointed because I had always prayed to Him to let me pass that exam; I felt hatred towards God and thought how unjust He was. But after a few minutes, I prayed to God and said sorry for feeling hatred and prayed to Him that whatever His will is, let it be done.

A few days later, I was given another chance by my professor to pass the subject. I took another exam and finally passed it and graduated. I then learned from one of our Care Group meetings that I should trust God in everything: that whatever happens to me, whether bad or good, is God’s plan. Ever since, I have kept in mind that everything that happens to me is God's will and I have always prayed that whatever His will or plan is, let it happen.

Believe me or not, it was through the talk of Atty. Marc Castrodes on that 1st year anniversary celebration of Earth Shakers that God answered my daily question to Him: Should I undergo another Baptism ceremony even though I was already baptized while I was a baby and even though I am accepting Him as my Lord and Savior. God made me realized that when I was baptized when I was a baby, it was not me who decided for that but my parents.

Being baptized again would be my own formal public declaration of myself accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior and undergoing Baptism while being fully aware of what’s happening is, in my opinion, a fulfilling event. And so on October 26, 2008, I was formally spiritually born again.

Because of all these events in my life with the help of Earth Shakers and CAFÉ, I can say that I am being drawn more and more closely to God, that He is working on me and is shaping me in the way He wants me to be, and that I am now living a fulfilled life. Praise God for sending me these people in Earth Shakers and CAFÉ family!”