by Jojo and Ruth Macatangay
RUTH
Que sera sera… Whatever will be, will be… This was my motto before. I was the kind of person who didn’t take things seriously. I didn’t have ambition or any future plans. I just let the world take me wherever it pleased.
I was born in a Christian world. My father worked in Saudi Arabia and was pastoring an underground church there at the same time. My mom & younger sister were my companions for almost 18 years. I grew up in Sunday school and at 12 years old was already involved in church ministry. I did the best I could. I even took a 3-year Bible school course to meet the expectations of people around me. This almost burned me out and I ended up asking myself “Am I really saved? When did I experience true repentance?” Unaware of my actions, these thoughts led me to backslide. I hung out with the wrong kind of friends and got in and out of wrong relationships. But God is ever faithful. He let me experience all kinds of emotional pain just to bring me back.
In 2002, a friend invited me to CCF St. Francis where I found true joy and the real meaning of worship and serving God through the music and mime ministries. I kept myself busy attending Bible studies and Dgroup. I realized I didn’t need somebody to be complete. Jesus is more than enough. Amazing things happened the moment I surrendered my life to the Lord.
JOJO
Being the firstborn in a family of 7 taught me to be responsible. My parents introduced me to hard work as their help in our mini-grocery in the market at the age of 7. Life was tough. I didn’t have a chance to enjoy my childhood. College was not easy either since my aunt was the one paying for my school fees. I had to study even harder. My hard work paid off. I became a school assessor and I graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering.
I wanted to work abroad but fail
ed medical exams a few times. So I spent 15 years at EEI Corporation working on local projects. My regular 8-hour work schedule made it possible for me to pursue my desire to grow inmy spiritual walk with God. In 2005, I started attending Bible studies in CCF St. Francis. A few months later, I started serving God through music, mime & ushering. I also handled a Dgroup in my workplace. The Lord never fails to bless me beyond my wildest dreams.
RUTH
God led me to a wonderful man in 2003. After a serious commitment and confirmation from God, we got married in August 2004. We had our first bundle of Joy in October 2005 named Keziah Phoebe and our second, Keren Abegail in August 2007. Our life went fairly well back then since we both had permanent jobs & fixed salaries until our 2nd child was born.
JOJO
My Philippine Company sent me to Singapore for product testing. I began to consider working in Singapore when I learned about CCF Singapore. I jokingly asked if I could apply to their company and they said yes. In June 2007, the year after the Singapore company said yes, I asked them if they would still consider my application and amazingly, they said yes again. They said they were just waiting for me. I immediately sent my documents for MOM processing and in August 15, 2007 the IPA was released and they asked me to report for work ASAP.
This got me thinking about my pregnant wife who was ready to give birth to our 2nd child at the end of the month. God then allowed a tragedy that later become a blessing. My eldest daughter got sick with high fever for 2 days. On the third day we rushed her to the nearest children’s hospital. This was 7pm on August 22. Then my wife started feeling unwell. Her BP shot up to 150/100. The nurse advised us to see her OB right away. I decided not to confine my eldest daughter there and instead rushed them both to a pedia & maternity hospital. I prayed “Lord please help me.” The scenario in the hospital was unbelievable. I needed to attend to the both of them. The maternity room was on the left where they were doing tests to see if my wife was ready to give birth and the pedia room was on the right where they were doing tests to if my daughter was positive for dengue. At 3am my wife gave birth to a beautiful 2.4K baby girl. At 7am my eldest daughter’s fever subsided and all the test results came out negative so they advised me to bring her home. Due to an infection my newborn baby had to stay in the nursery room for 7 days of medication. Rom 8:28 (NKJV) says “…all things work together for good to those who love GOD,” He let all of this happen so I could ask for a 1-month extension from the Singapore company to take care of my wife and spend some time with my newborn daughter.
On October 7, 2007 I left the Philippines and started a new job here in Singapore as a Welding Engineer. Being away from my family for the first time required a lot of adjustments, both physically and financially. Learning that my salary was not enough to bring my family to Singapore made it even worse. I cried to God and asked Him if this was really His will. After 2 months an ex-officemate from the Philippines offered me a job with a better salary and family status. In January 2008 I started my 2nd job, as a Welding Inspector. Then in May 2008 my wife & 2 kids followed me here, thanks in part to the prayers of my brothers and sisters here in CCF. In August 2008 another company pirated me. A supplier of our company (back in the Philippines) learned I was here and offered me a job with far better salary & benefits. After 2 weeks of MOM processing, my family & I transferred to a house that my new company provided.
RUTH
The adjustment from working mom in the Philippines to full-time homemaker here in Singapore was hard. I felt like I was starting all over again. But God’s grace was sufficient to help me each day. We were always reminded that we are here not only to work but also to serve God. Praise God for CCF Singapore, which God used (and continues to use) to help us pursue that goal. With the help of our previous Clementi Dgroup we were able to survive. We learned from each other’s experiences. The Clementi Dgroup grew and the Boon LayDgroup was born last April 2010, led by my husband (with me as his helpmate). This is one of the best things that ever happened to us. I cannot fathom God’s great love for us. I’m just a sinner saved by grace who came from a humble beginning & yet in God’s eyes, a vessel useful for His glory. We are just ordinary people in the hands of an extraordinary God. Please pray for us as we continue to serve the Lord.
JOJO
We will end this with a verse. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says “But just as it is written, Things that no eye has seen or ear heard or mind imagined are the things God has prepared for those who love Him.”
RUTH: I am Ruth Macatangay
JOJO: and I am Jojo Macatangay
TOGETHER: SERVANT OF THE LORD AND TO GOD BE THE GLORY
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.