“Home is in the heart” and “Home is where the heart is”, are old sayings that point to the comforting truth that wherever our hearts find comfort, there will be our home. And speaking of which, our hearts found comfort when we found the OECC in Ghala.
Back in 2012, I and my two sons, Joshua and Lawrence, then 4 and 5, were all but feeling by ourselves when we settled in Oman for a greener pasture. Trusting God that time, we searched for a church that would help our growth as Christians, especially the children. We attended couple of churches, but it was in OECC we found our home. Though it was only a brief and at the same time a long stay of 7 years, we were much blessed by the spiritual nurturing we received from OECC. Upon attending the church, the boys immediately became part of the kid’s ministry and soon after, the youth ministry. There they had memories that they will cherish for the rest of their lives. The learning activities, the friendships, love, and care they received were incomparable that’s all because we were followed by grace through the hands of brothers and sisters of OECC. A brethren was especially used by God to plant a special kind of love, that continuously grows in the heart of the boys and mine, and that love bears fruit as we continue our ministry back here in the Philippines. She has shown unconditional love to the boys as she and her family ministered to them. She has gone the extra miles of touching our hearts with her gift of friendship. And from there, we’ve known that genuine friendship can be a living manifestation of how God can touch people’s hearts.
Now back in the Philippines, Joshua, now 19, continued to be part of the music ministry as keyboardist, guitarist, bass guitar and flute player in our local church. Joshua has also become a cell group leader through which he shares God’s words to his fellow young people. At the end of his cell group sessions, he would continue to teach these young people on how to play musical instruments to be used in God’s kingdom. Lawrence joined the support group of music ministry and supports the kids and youth feeding program which I started 3 years ago through our local church. Through this feeding program, we we’re much able to attract more children and young people to come and accept Christ as their personal Savior and be able to continue in faith to become regular church attendees.
As a mother, I am especially grateful for the spiritual nurturing given by OECC to my children that made them grow as God-loving young men who are always ready to be used in God’s kingdom. It’s all because we found acceptance, sense of belongingness and the warmth of God’s love in human forms. And we carried that loving and caring culture in us to be able to impart those blessings to others, because we believe that a love given away is not a love in vain. We will be forever grateful to the people used by God in OECC for giving us years of guidance, warmth, friendship and a “spiritual home away from home.”
