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His ways are better than mine
His ways are better than mine
By Maribel Belza
By Maribel Belza
My name is Maribel Belza and I have been worshipping here in PLMC for the past 6 years.
I am a single mother and my son is 16 years old. Since my brother’s death, my nephew has been staying with my son, in our own house. We are familiar how it is being a single parent and it is not easy especially for a domestic helper like me. I have worked abroad for 12 years now.
In my earlier years, I remember only having one day off a month and I like going out with friends especially buying things whenever there is a Sale! My friends encouraged my shopping as we felt we deserved to treat ourselves, using our hard-earned money. This was the time when I didn’t attend any church services.
I only started attending PLMC in October 2017 at Conference room. I remember sister Grace told me to introduce myself in front of everybody. After that, everyone welcomed me and I felt a joy that I have never experienced before. It was as if I had been there all along. THIS IS HOME!
However, when it was time to open the Bible, I didn’t understand the chapters and verses they were talking about. I clearly didn’t know the Bible and when I went home, I googled about the Bible and there, I began to understand what the Bible was about. After that, I told myself that I want to learn more and attend services every Sunday. As my 2nd contract was ending and when my employer asked to renew my contract, I asked to have Sundays off. But they were unable to agree and although my employers were nice and I love the children, I had to change to another employer who agrees to give me Sundays off. It was a hard decision.
The night before my new employer picked me up, I prayed and gave all my burden to Him. I told God that I was very tired, both physically and emotionally. I said that I was not complaining and that I know that He has a better plan for me. However, I requested for God to give me 1 or 2 days of rest. The next morning came and my new employer picked me up from Geylang to Jurong East.
After 2 days at my new employer’s HDB flat, we had to move out. In short, we moved to a hotel for more than a month. God heard my prayer, as in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” I was able to worship the Lord by attending online service and also joining our Bible study.
After more than a month, my employer found a place for us to move to at Boon Lay. I didn’t forget the reasons I changed employer – one of it was to serve in any way I can. So, when sister Daphne and Nay Cristina asked the group for volunteers to serve at the Sanctuary, I said, "I will”. And as it’s the first service, it will mean that we need to report for duty before 8 am, to do registration and QR check-in. Therefore, I will need to wake up very early and travel for about 1 hour. Even though I had to take a bus, 2 trains transfer and also walk (I also sometimes had to run), it did not stop me from serving as I was happy to do it. And I am still doing it.
When serving God, we will need to be prepared for trials and unexpected things to happen. One day, my employer suddenly announced that they will not continue my contract anymore though I have worked only 1 year. I need to find another employer in less than one month. Even though I felt sad but I told myself that God has a better plan for me. After one week of praying and searching, I finally found a new employer. Actually, before the interview, I prayed and told God that I didn’t to rest this time but instead want to be a blessing to the family instead. I want to serve and asked God to use me in the life of this family although I don’t have any experience as a caregiver. God heard my prayer.
When I first met Ah Mah, she was quite active but 2 weeks into the job, everything changed. In 2 months, Ah Mah was bedridden. It was hard. In fact, it would be a blessing if I got 2 hours straight of sleep. I came to a point that I wanted to give up. However, each time I saw Ah Mah’s situation, it stopped me from giving up. This was the same time when my own mother was also bedridden and was suffering from dementia like Ah Mah. I put in all of my effort and patience to care for Ah Mah. The bitings on my shoulder, the sleepless nights, body aches, I didn’t mind as I wanted her to see me happily doing my work. My faith was tested when my sister called me and informed me that my mother passed away while she was sleeping. As it was the pandemic, I was unable to go home and I felt depressed. I kept an okay front to Ah Mah during this time. One month later, whilst holding Ah Mah’s hand, I witnessed her slow breathing and then, she was gone.
I felt that during this 4 months of sleeping & caring for Ah Mah in her room, it was like losing my own mother. I started to have sleepless nights, tiredness, body aches. I felt alone – couldn’t eat and cried for one month. I was in depression and lost weight.
One day I prayed and asked God if I did something wrong. I was happily serving but why did I feel this way? Then, I heard the preaching in the morning from 2 Chronicles 20:15 “For the battle Is not yours but God’s”. I read my family’s group chat “My mother is happy now and no more in pain”.
I repented that I shouldn’t question God, for all His plan is for our life to be good. I slowly recovered from everything by taking online classes, listening to worship songs and testimonies of other people and chatting with my loved ones every day.
One day, I visited my ex-employer at Geylang to visit the children. They asked me if my sister would be interested to work with them. In short, my sister did work with them and her contract is ending soon.
Later, I received an unexpected text message from my ex-employer’s brother who asked if I was willing to work with them and care for their baby. Initially I said no. In fact, I said no twice. I felt it would be awkward because I would be seeing my former employer and children often. However, when he asked me for the third time, I agreed because I know that it was in God’s plan for me to work with them. God is good and His timing is perfect.
Now I am back to the first home at Geylang and I get to see my sister often and also the children. I thank God for everything and will always follow Him because His ways are better than mine.
In Psalm 32:8, it says,
I will instruct you and teach you, in the way you should go,
I will counsel you and watch over you.
Again… my name is Maribel. I am fearfully and wonderfully a servant of the most high God.
To God be the Glory!
Filipino Service Christmas Celebration
Filipino Service Christmas Celebration
On 10 Dec 2023, the Filipino Service came together for a time of worship, dance, fun & feasting as they celebrated the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas. This video shows only a small part of
Learning to Fully Trust
Learning to Fully Trust
By Lorriane Celino
Like for many of us, 2020 was a very hard year for me.
In my case, I lost my job. I was one of the many who got retrenched because of the Covid-19 pandemic. We closed down offices in China, India, and when it was about time to renew my pass, I was told that my pass won't be renewed. Eventually we had to shut down our Singapore office, too.
I remember when the pandemic first started and a lot of people were starting to get retrenched, I was so afraid that one day I’d lose my job. So even when we were given work from home option, I’d still report to the office because I know we’ll struggle financially and probably never survive if I lose my job.
And so my greatest fear of losing my job during a pandemic happened. But guess what? We survived. By the grace of God we did. You know the song “God is great. God is good” which is a prayer before a meal? Every day, before eating and we pray, “Thank You, Lord, for this food”, every word of that prayer means so much to me.
God knows our every need, not just financially, but every need. By His grace, I was able to get some online freelance projects and this gave us the financial support we needed. He knew I needed some small wins to boost my confidence for job hunting and He did just that. God knew that I needed to upgrade my skills and He gave me projects to work on for that.
It has been 6 months since retrenchment and there was never a day that God abandoned us. He saw us through just as He promised. There wasn’t a single day that God failed us.
I was also due for operation for removal of my endometriosis cyst. It was a long battle because the company medical insurer initially declined my application for LOG. However, a few weeks before my work medical insurance and work pass expired, the insurer reconsidered my operation and they finally issued my LOG. My surgery went ahead and I was admitted at Mount Elizabeth Hospital for 3 nights for free! God turned around the situation. All by the grace of God!
I would like to recognise that our weekly Zoom Bible study lessons and cell sharing really helped me through the 2020 challenges. Every lesson hit me hard and spoke to personally. Together with the cell group members, we faced different kinds of challenges but we also grew deeper in faith.
But did I really become lucky and magically have all my prayers answered after 10 months of weekly Bible study? 6 months after retrenchment, I'm still not employed full-time by a Singapore company but God has given me a long-term contract project that I'm working on.
What changed? Nothing much, really. The future remains uncertain, the pandemic is still here, there are days we still struggle to pay bills and days we get anxious. But what really changed was my heart. I am no longer afraid. I have found peace in the midst of chaos. And maybe for the first time ever in my life, I have learned what it is to fully trust and surrender to the One who has control over everything. And that is my testimony.
To God be the glory!
God Knows What's Best
God Knows What's Best
By Jansen Oviedo
Hi, Everyone!
Have you experienced having a good connection with God and suddenly this connection became static? That your feelings towards Him turned cold because most of the things you prayed for did not happen or contrary to what you have asked for?
This is my journey as a Christian and I’m blessed to have the opportunity to share this with you.
I would say that I’ve known God since I was little; Everyday upon waking up and before I sleep, I always pray and thank God for all the blessings that I received for that day.
Until one day my family faced a huge challenge that turned our comfortable happy family life to the opposite. This brought a huge impact to me growing up. I felt alone because the person whom I could depend on and was supposed to guide me, left. I felt broken and lost. This was when I started to find happiness outside my home, through friends. I enjoyed drinking until I was very drunk and spent hours and hours in computer games. My relationship with God had slowly gone apart. I stopped being a man of prayer like I used to be; our connection was lost. I stopped praying because none of the things I asked Him for ever happened.
Sometimes, I could feel Him calling me, so I would try to have a short prayer, but I knew deep within me that I was still questioning Him on why He allowed me to be hurt and be broken. There was this instance that I experienced a near death accident; and I was reminded again that God is with me - He saved me! But then again, I brushed Him off. I continued living my life with a static relationship with God. I knew that He exists. I prayed to Him when I needed something and I thanked Him whenever I received blessings. But that was it. No relationship.
After college I started working as a nurse, but after a couple of years, I lost my passion. Once again, I felt lost and unsure of what I wanted to do. So I quit my job and helped my father in the goat farm. The place was very remote and dark at night. No neighbour, and the town was an hour away. After a year, I started feeling lost again, and this time I felt I had hit rock bottom and was losing hope with my life. I started to ask God once again - “God, is this it? Is this the way you want me to realise that you are really there?”
I tried to connect with Him once more, and this time, it was different. Instead of praying for something, I asked Him for my real purpose in life. I asked Him to take me to a place where I can be useful and let me serve Him and do what He really wants me to do for Him. Every day, I tried to pray and pray like it was my one and only chance to be in a right track once again. Then after few months, through technology, I got to know a friend who inspired me to get my feet back on the track. She encouraged me to start my career again and that there was an opportunity for nurses here in Singapore.
Through prayers, her encouragement and determination, I overcame my depression and found myself with goals and plans for my life.
Fast forward, I got a job here in Singapore; God did not only answer my prayer about my career but also my prayer for a lifetime partner.
God used my wife to pull me up from feeling hopeless; she was the one who brought me to PLMC where I started to experience God’s love and care once again. Even though I questioned Him, blamed Him and made a lot of mistakes in my life before, He rescued me and carried me to the best place. I felt healed and renewed with a new life!
I can relate my story to the account of Jesus Heals a Paralysed Man in Luke 5:17-26. Their faith in God enabled them to carry their paralysed friend in any way just to see and be healed by Jesus. Just like how my wife brought me from being down to where I am right now and I felt that God healed me spiritually and mentally. Sometimes, He may not give us exactly what we want because He knows what is best for us. Just have faith in Him and later on you will realize that He has already granted you beyond what you have prayed for.
Brothers and Sisters, let’s continue to strengthen our faith in Him, listen and obey His Word, and act on it even through the tough times, just like the good soil where the seed grows and produces a crop as written in the Parable of the Sower.
Thank you everyone and God bless us all.
God’s Word Made Me Forget My Worries
God’s Word Made Me Forget My Worries
By Ofel Guillermo
At first, I felt confused and kept thinking what was going to happen to me if the pandemic carried on for a long time. I felt alone and was missing my family. But when the Filipino Service announced that there was a Bible Study online, I felt happy and forgot everything about being alone as this Bible Study made me connected to everyone who could make me feel better and realised that everyone else was in the situation that I was. Because of the Word of God from the Bible, I forgot my worries. Now I am enjoying reading and understanding what God's Word means in my life.
God revealed to me this verse:
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” - Isaiah 41:10
God Will Remain True To His Promises
God Will Remain True To His Promises
By April Oviedo
First, I would like to take this opportunity to give my utmost praise and glory to God for blessing me with another year of good health and bliss, for keeping my family healthy, specially my husband who works in a healthcare facility.
I am very much thankful that despite the pandemic we are facing, PLMC came up with ways where their members can get connected and hear God's word, from the ROAD devotion by our Pastors during the circuit breaker, to our English service Cell Group, and, of course, our very own Filipino Service Online Bible Study. Honestly, I can say I am one of the members who has really benefited and has been very much blessed with these virtual activities, especially by our FS bible study group. I was able to share comfortably and express myself within our small group. It is recharging to hear insights/inputs and learn from the sharing of one another.
Just to share briefly about myself - before this circuit breaker started, I was faced with a situation that really put me into a test of my faith. My siblings and I had been praying for an important matter in our life for almost 5 years now, but just this February, the answer we were expecting turned out to be not in our favour. My pain was beyond words. I was so heartbroken and was on my knees crying out to GOD, questioning why He let this happen. I was angry - angry at God? - maybe yes. I felt that I was at my lowest point at that time. I even had a "cool-off" with HIM for a few days, didn't pray and ignored HIM. I was feeling rebellious.
However, even in our relationships with our loved ones, we can't stand for long not to talk and face the issue. One morning, I woke up and prayed to HIM, letting out by words how I was hurting, how I felt shattered. I accepted my defeat and surrendered. I asked God for forgiveness for feeling like He had abandoned me. I pleaded for His arms of love to cover me so that I might understand His ways and felt comforted. I thanked Him for the gift of Grace and the Holy Spirit that spoke to me and reminded me that I am His child and that He will never leave me.
I am truly very thankful for our virtual bible study. Bro Eugene had been very detailed and his lessons are easy to grasp. I am also thankful for our elders who are emphasising deeper on our topics during our group discussion. I have also been sharing with our group how I felt that every Sunday, God is sending me His message through our topics. I was constantly being reminded how God is always with me and will always be with me during this situation I am facing.
I took away 5 messages from our Bible study which touched me the most.
First, God answers our prayers and works in ways we cannot understand. Like God's promise to Abraham "I will make you a great nation", Abraham believed and trusted God. Abraham & Sarah prayed for a son and it was answered even in their old age. Isaac and Rebekah prayed for a child and they were given twins.
Second, God lets us face challenges to put our trust in Him even more and obey Him. Our obedience to Him brings us to His promises and plans for us. Like how God tested Abraham to offer Isaac (his only son whom he waited and prayed for for so long) and Abraham obeyed without question. In the end, God revealed His ways after He saw Abraham's submission and obedience.
Third, God will remain true to His promises and we should not resort to our own ways to get what we want, bargain with HIM or follow HIM with our own conditions. Sometimes my prayer to God was like this, "God please, I will devote my whole life serving you, just give me this YES".
Forth, God will make us struggle with Him so that He can change us for His purposes, the same way He struggled with Jacob from night till sunrise at Peniel and changed Jacob's name to Israel. Jacob surrendered to God and asked for blessing from Him. He is greater than our struggles; we just need to accept our weaknesses and rely on HIM.
Lastly, God is always in control. Despite how situations may be not favourable to us, God will turn our situation and uplift us. He prepares everything for us in HIS TIME. Like how God prepared Joseph - from being sold away by his brothers, then becoming a slave, being accused and imprisoned, to becoming Pharaoh's Prime Minister, and eventually reconnected with his family.
It is very lovely to know what God had planned for me. I may have His answer now as "Not this time my child", but His words and promises are my assurance and foundation that HE will change my mourning into dancing again. I cannot wait to see, experience and declare HIS victory in my life once again.
2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise... Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.
To God be all the Glory!
Look out for more stories here weekly! If you have any stories of PLMC life to share, please email them with photographs (if any) to communications@plmc.org.
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