This birthday is incredibly special to me because it was thoughtfully planned by my husband, with the support of my family and discipleship group. Not only did we celebrate in a Christian way, but we also used the occasion to reflect on and honor God’s goodness in my life. It’s amazing to realize how every experience I’ve had was part of God’s plan, leading up to this moment. Sharing our testimony on my birthday felt like a perfect way to glorify God and highlight His faithfulness in our lives.

In this blog, I’d like to share our testimony, hoping it may encourage those going through similar experiences. I pray that if you’re reading this, you’ll find strength to keep walking with the Lord, no matter the challenges.

May this testimony bless and uplift you.

My husband’s testimony:

I’ve always known God exists. Since I was young, I attended church because it was required by my Catholic school, which checked our attendance. However, my understanding of God wasn’t very deep. My family wasn’t particularly religious, and we didn’t go to church together. My mom has her own beliefs and religion, but she still taught us to pray. She was always busy working hard to provide for us, especially since we grew up in a broken family. I didn’t dwell much on that “broken” part because, as long as I had my mom by my side, I felt okay. There’s one memory that stands out, though, from my 4th-year high school retreat. On the last day, our parents were supposed to come so we could share happy moments with them and apologize for any mistakes we’d made. Sadly, my mom couldn’t make it—I think she was working. At that moment, I felt the unfairness of life deeply. It hurt that I had no one to hug or talk to when everyone else had their parents there. That experience made me question everything. I even felt anger toward my father for leaving us, and I wrestled with doubt about God’s goodness. As life continued into my college years, I still went to church, mostly out of habit, since it was nearby. But I still felt an emptiness inside, thinking that simply going to church was enough to cleanse my sins, like when I was a child. Then one day, Natty invited me to her church, CCF in CDO. It was a different experience from any church I’d attended before. I left with so many questions, and I thank God that Natty patiently answered each one. Through that experience, my faith started to build and grow stronger. Looking back, I see God’s saving grace in my life, guiding me even when I didn’t fully understand. It’s been a journey, and I’m grateful for the ways He’s strengthened my faith.

My Testimony:

Growing up in a Christian family, I learned about Jesus early, but I didn’t fully understand the concept of salvation. I believed that as long as I did good deeds, I was “good.” It wasn’t until later that I realized salvation is a free gift, offered through faith in Jesus Christ. I was too young to grasp the depth of this truth back then, but God, in His timing, used the people around me to help me understand through life experiences.

As I grew older, I drifted away from the faith. I didn’t see the importance of religion and sought fulfillment in all the wrong places. While attending a Catholic school, I would follow along with religious practices like making the sign of the cross, not because I believed in them, but because I was afraid to stand out for not doing so. I feared being questioned about my faith.

During those years, I became a difficult daughter, disconnected from my family, especially to my brother and sisters. I spent most of my time in front of the computer, gaming, trying to find connection and validation in the online world. I thought that being trendy and part of the crowd would give me fulfillment, but no matter how many connections I made, I still felt empty. My relationships suffered because of my insecurities and grudges. I became a “serial monogamist,” staying in long-term relationships without fully committing my heart. I moved from one relationship to the next without remorse, holding onto bitterness, which only poisoned my soul.

But in 2019, everything changed. A friend asked me a simple yet profound question: “How is your relationship with the Lord?” That question made me pause. I didn’t have an answer, and it led me back to church. It was there that I encountered God in a personal way, joining a discipleship group (D-Group) and learning who Jesus truly is. It was the first time the Gospel made sense to me, and in August 2019, I was baptized. From that moment, my journey with the Lord began, and this year marks my fifth year walking with Him.

During my relationship with Glenn, the first three years (2016-2019) were challenging because God was not at the center of it. We kept sinning and struggling, but after I encountered Christ, I began to feel the Holy Spirit’s prompting to share the Gospel with Glenn and with my family. It wasn’t easy. Sharing the Gospel within your own family can lead to tension, and we had many arguments. However, God was planting seeds, and I started to see those seeds sprout in my sister Uma, my father, and even Glenn. One of my answered prayers was for Glenn to encounter God personally and for us to take our relationship to the next stage, honoring God in marriage. For a long time, I prayed that he would understand what it meant to have a personal relationship with the Lord. God answered in His perfect timing, and Glenn’s heart was opened. He joined a D-Group and began learning about God’s design as a leader, both in our relationship and in life. This was something I had longed for—to have a partner walking alongside me in faith, learning and growing together in God’s Word.

One of our biggest struggles was our relationship itself. We were living in sin, and it wasn’t until we decided to marry that things began to change. We had been planning and saving for years, but it seemed like money always slipped away. We learned that while savings are important, money is consumable, and it was God who needed to be at the center of our plans. With only a little savings, we couldn’t afford the wedding of my dreams. But God had different plans. Unexpected blessings started to pour in. A client reached out, offering to pay us more than our usual salary for minimal work. Friends helped us save money, Glenn received bonuses, and his career began to flourish. God’s provision became so evident, and He helped us achieve the wedding of our dreams. Beyond the financial blessings, God also led us to join a couple’s D-Group just four months before our wedding. I had been encouraging Glenn to join a men’s group for a long time, but he resisted. However, when it was a couple’s group, he agreed, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions we made. We met couples with two years, ten years, and even fifteen years of marriage experience, and they helped open our eyes to how we could apply biblical teachings to our relationship. It felt like free marriage counseling, grounded in the Word of God. Since our wedding, God has continued to teach us and grow us. Glenn is now learning how to lead our family in a godly way, modeling Christ’s love and patience, as instructed in Ephesians 5:25. And for me, someone who used to hustle and strive for everything, I’m learning to embrace God’s design as a wife—learning to support and respect my husband, submitting to him as the church submits to Christ. This change has brought peace, joy, and unity to our relationship that I never thought possible. When we finally moved away from sin and committed to blessing our relationship in the eyes of the Lord, He showered us with so many blessings. Our wedding was perfect and we were surrounded by supportive friends and family.

Most importantly, God answered one of my long-standing prayers: my father, who once had a hardened heart, now has a personal relationship with the Lord. He’s even leading his own cell group and sharing his testimony in his church. This is all thanks to God working through my sister Uma and planting seeds over the years. In all of this, I’ve learned that God’s plans are always greater than ours. He provides in ways we could never imagine when we trust in Him and make Him the center of our lives. Our marriage is a testimony of His grace, provision, and faithfulness. We started with little, but God multiplied it, and today, all glory belongs to Him.