I was born on December 25, 1935. When I was five years old, I remember our huge house beside a big movie house. One day, my mother and the mother of my playmate Lydia were fighting. I heard that I would be given back to Lydia’s mother. My mother was so enraged. She said that they would deliberate before a police to send me back to my real mother. One day I heard that they were in the municipal office. When mother came home she put all my things in a bag. She called me and said that she would give me back to my mother. I did not speak but inside me I was so delighted. My real mother got me back.
Mother was a sewer and in the morning she went to the market. Then mother would come home with many rice cakes. One time when I went to town, several Japanese soldiers came. People were telling that war was imminent. I immediately went home to spread the news. I was surprised to meet my father on the way carrying his belongings, telling me that he would leave but would also return. However, mother said when I saw her weeping in the room that he would never come back. Days passed by, we were always waiting for him but he never returned.
One day, mother told me that she would sell our house and because the movie theater was no longer operating, she thought of just staying in one of its corners. Not long after, our house was sold. Life became poorer and poorer those days. We were just eating boiled sweet potato, corn, and cassava. I experienced selling rice cakes near a cathedral where I usually prayed that I would not be married to someone like my father, to have good kids, and to be able to ride an airplane.
At that time, the Japanese soldiers became harsher to the Filipinos. Even Los Baños was not peaceful. Because of the war, I only began studying at the age of ten. Before going to school, I had to help my mother in selling stuffs. In school, my siblings and I had to wash dishes in our neighbor’s store in exchange for snacks during breaktime. During my teen-age years, I became fond of singing and joining competitions. One time I even won 50,000 pesos. Many guys were charmed with me and one of them was even a grandson of the former President Laurel. I also took chances in Manila to join singing contests in radio stations. Soon I went home and just opted to help my mother. I studied sewing and cosmetology.
In watching television I came across a certain preacher. I listened to what he said and thought that maybe this group was the one I had been looking for. I inquired how I could be christened in this group. My desire reached my friend’s sister-in-law, who was seeking for those who wanted to join this group and she immediately went to me. According to her, they would indoctrinate me for ten days about the Lord Jesus Christ and the Father. Every two o’clock in the afternoon, four of them came to our house, explaining to me and to my companions in the house. After ten days of seminar regarding the teachings of this preacher, we were brought to Apalit, Pampanga and were christened there. When we got home, they told us to attend the church services in Calamba.
In my first Sunday, I went with the couple who helped us. There were numerous people and little kids lying at the backseats. Inside me was, “What is this? Why is it like this?” At ten o’clock in the morning, they turned on the television and told us to get ready because “Apalit Station” would soon be on air. The kids were noisy. Within me, I felt that still I was in the wrong place. I also heard that the things sold at the groundfloor were all made by this preacher. I saw how numerous those were. The couple with me had brought something to eat, and advised me to do likewise next time. The prayer was then led by one of the brothers. We knelt down when it was already that preacher who prayed. We knelt down for about half an hour. It was already three in the afternoon when we went home.
My mind was confused. I was not happy with what I experienced. The couple told me just to attend the service in an old house at Crossing San Antonio every Tuesday afternoon. I joined. It was in an old stinking house. I almost threw up. I couldn’t refrain from covering my nose. The system was the same. We were just watching television and knelt down for thirty minutes. Then there was a dipper in front for donation. In me that was just okay because it was for the house rental. In my second time, there were already two dippers. They reasoned that there would be a gathering in the first week of the month. We had to go to Apalit. In my third time, the dippers were already three. They said that we paid millions for television stations around the globe. Within me, I was asking what if you were poor and didn’t even have money for fare. The couple told me not to be bothered with it. I realized that they were different from the Catholicism that I left. So I never came back. I just read my Bible at home.
They still visited me in our house with youngsters, almost the age of my grandchildren. After we prayed, I told them my feelings. I said that from where I came there was no forced donation and in praying, we did not follow just one person. Another thing was that it was hard for me not to wear slacks because of my foot ailment. They said it was not allowed, but I heard from the said preacher that it was okay as long as the slacks did not look absurd. I did not want their regulations—there were a lot of don’ts. In buying, we were asked to patronize only the said preacher’s stuffs. I left Catholicism because I was looking for something that I could not express.
Time came when my youngest son, Edralin, went to America with his wife. My prayer to the Lord was that the couple would have good fate there. It was hard for a mother like me to be separated from my children. I could not offer material things; I could only offer prayers to help them. Genel, my daughter-in-law, had already spent three months there when she came back. When we talked, she said that it seemed that her husband Ed was brought to the church by my nephew Boyet. I asked her what was it but she didn’t know. Every time he was calling him he just talked about the Bible. I was secretly giving thanks. I thought that among my children, Ed was the one nearest to God. He was my child who always wanted us to talk about the Lord Jesus. I said how I hoped that it would be the answer to my prayers.
He brought me to the church to hear the gospel and be baptized. Not long after, Armel and his wife were also baptized. I was so satisfied that I and my children are together in the church. Now I feel the joy of being with the Lord Jesus. Aside from coming to the Lord’s table every Lord’s Day, we also have a meeting at home every Wednesday night, as well as in the home of my daughter-in-law. Even the siblings of my daughter-in-law are being gained by the church one by one.
Today I am not troubled even if I don’t have money. I know that He cares for me. I just keep on reading the Bible and I am happy the whole day. When I wake up in the morning I give thanks that He has given me life again and I pray for my children, grandchildren, and my friends. If there was the happiest mother on earth, that would be me. I know that the Lord Jesus loves us. It was here that I found peace in my inner being. I desire that my daughter-in-law Cora and Alex, and my daughter Beth with her two kids would be gained. I ask our brothers to pray for my children. I am so thankful for the prayers of the brothers and sisters in the church. Thank the Lord Jesus for guiding us all. I am fully hoping for the increase of the church in Los Baños in the name of our Lord Jesus. May He bless us all. Amen!
Aurora Q. Belen viuda de Miranda
Church in Los Baños, Laguna- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
On October 14, 2001, the churches of Regions 1-6 of the Philippines under the leadership of Brother Liu Chi Cheng were preparing for a 12,500 attendees for the International Blending Conference to be held at Araneta Coliseum. The church in Malabon pledged to bring two thousand attendees, therefore with five clusters, each cluster was assigned to take care of four hundred attendees.
Praise the Lord, in the first quarter of that year 2001, cluster 2 (C2) embarked to gather 400 souls for a dry run at the residence of Sister Dolores Estrella. It was at that time I came to personally know our sister: very sincere, diligent both spiritually and secularly. Just imagine that with a sickly husband and three children studying in the elementary school, practically all the familial burdens were upon her shoulders yet in no way her spiritual pursuit bogged down.
The Lord Jesus was, is and always will be her first love. She would patiently nourish her husband and the children the daily manna via the Morning Revival (MR) material even if she had to MR four times a day!
As soon as her house was opened for the Lord’s table meeting, she saw to it that all her Lord’s Day activities outside of the spiritual realm were cancelled. She would even be willing to cancel on weekdays any opportunity to earn money whenever the time schedule would counter flow with the service for the church. What a hidden jewel!
I had a privilege to directly coordinate with her when one day I rode a tricycle and was able to invite the tricycle boy and his family for a gospel dinner. She, knowing the wife of the tricycle driver, offered to fetch them for the gospel dinner. On that day, the tempter came to send her two money-making opportunities outside the city of Malabon but she declined both because she feared that she might not be able to fetch the couple on time. On top of the temptation in the late afternoon there was a great downpour of rain that caused the whole Gov. Andres Gabriel St. where I live to be flooded! But praise the Lord, by 7:00 p.m. I could see Sister Dolores Estrella, walking toward our house not only with the couple but even with a teenaged son. (The wife was baptized and came to attend several Lord’s table meeting and our prayer for the husband and the kid are still on going.)
The whole cluster 2 saints were shocked to learn that our sister was taken to be with the Lord on her way to the hospital on August 28, 2008. Tears fell unashamedly from our eyes because she was a person whose heart only had the holy city (c.f. Heb. 11:16), we made a prayer to the Lord that we want a hundredfold of Dolores Estrella. Of all the saints who passed away, only during her wake did we set a nightly, i.e. six consecutive evenings of gospel preaching to her friends and relatives. Praise the Lord and He gave us many fruits in response to our prayers, and may they all remain and be brought to maturity like her that they may contribute to the hastening of the Lord’s return.
September 4, 2008, 3:00 p.m. our beloved dear sister was interred waiting for the Lord’s return to rise in resurrection and never more to be separated from us.
Hymns, # 639 stanza 3 is most befitting to describe her short-lived 44 years in life:
Death cannot hold the resurrection life,
The more interred, the more it multiplies;
All kinds of suff’ring only help it grow,
And fruits of life abundant realize.
rosario u. garcia
C2, church in Malabon
