A fruitful day!

    Lent or kwaresma in Filipino is the season wherein Filipino people recall Christ’s passion, His suffering, death and resurrection. Philippines is known to be the only primarily Christian country in the whole of Asia and its population is made up of a big number of devout Christians, which is the reason why Lent Season or Holy Week traditions are commonly practiced in a very unique way. It is referred as Mahal na Araw or Semana Santa in the Philippines, it starts from Palm Sunday, followed by Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and concludes on Black Saturday and the Easter Sunday.

    There are a lot of religions here in the Philippines but most of the Filipinos are Catholics. However, I am not one of the Catholic people but I believe in God. In this blog, I do not mean to offend anyone, instead, I am writing this blog to share what I and my family did during the Holy week. I may not be a Catholic but I still believe in God, I appreciate His sacrifices for us. It is stated in the bible, in the book of John chapter 13 verse 6 that "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life", that is the bible verse that always reminds me that He loves me that's why I believe and love Him. As a way of showing my appreciation and love to God, our church  (Well Springs of Faith) decided to go out and evangelize in Plaza Burgos. 

    We talked to strangers and shared them the words of God. We informed them about the salvation we can receive by receiving Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. Moreover, I experienced a lot of rejections when I tried talking to some strangers about God. I was hurt by then, since I was only starting to introduce God to them but they already rejected me. Good thing I remembered what our pastor said, that if ever people rejected the words of God, it is not us whom they rejected but God. I did not allow the rejections to discourage me so I continued evangelizing other people. There was also a time when I saw two guys which I assumed as couples. At first, I was afraid to approach them because they might misunderstand my intention. To clarify things, I am not against LGBT or same-sex relationships, I was just there to share the words of God since everyone has the right to know about it. I was so happy when they both accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior! I also got the chance to pray for them both that made them cry. The sadness I felt about the rejections was nothing compared to the joy I felt when there were people that were saved! Deep inside, whether they truly accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior or not, I am happy that I did my responsibility as God's child, to share His words to others. We also gave balloons to the kids of those who accepted Jesus and it was so exciting when I saw the smiles on their faces. In the balloon, it was written that Jesus loves them and I am hoping that someday, their parents will also share the words of God to them. 

    After witnessing people for a few hours, our pastor and pastora (my mother and father) decided to treat us to McDo! I was so happy that I was able to spend a happy time with the young people of the church since most of us have been busy the past few weeks. Later that night, I realized how blessed I am to have such a loving family, I'm not just talking about literal family but the family I have in the church. I am so blessed that I get to experience sharing God's words and serving Him. I'm so happy that He chose me. I've always prayed and still praying for my spiritual growth and stronger relationship with God, and of course, He never failed me.

 

 References: 

Lenten Season in the Philippines. Retrieved on April 12, 2023. 

https://www.aethelmark.com/blog/e/e3/