Saved and Made Righteous

(Called Out of Darkness Into His Marvelous Light) Elson Ignas Pahamutang, 35 years old, blessed with four children. I am a resident of Barangay Tisa, Cebu City and currently a member of LWCCCII Prison- Evangelistic Ministry. This is my story: I was 8 years old when I started smoking. I sniffed rugby at age 9. Then “progressed” into tasting different kinds of prohibited drugs. Rugby was my favorite because aside from being inexpensive it gave me the kind of “high” I desired at that time and age. One time, while I was so high from over-sniffing rugby, I came to believe an ogre/witch is living in the neighborhood and ended up burning the ogre’s house. I was arrested and imprisoned for two days at Cebu City Fire Station since I was only 9 years old. In order to sustain my addiction to prohibited drugs, I started stealing. As a result, I was imprisoned at BBRC Lahug. At age 11 I was the youngest prisoner that time. HEARTBEAT |  01

Inside the prison cell I made friends with different kinds of law breakers and criminals. Thus, I became more and more like them. Going in and out of prison, became a routine. 1 Peter 2: 9-12 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. HEARTBEAT |  02

However, even in my utter wickedness, deep ROMANS 7:24-25 inside me, I still desire change for a better life. But because sin is reigning supreme in me I could not do it on my own, no matter how hard I try. I WHAT A just kept on failing!” WRETCHED MAN I AM! WHO WILL In my continued quest for the desired change, I started a family of my own, thinking I will find it RESCUE ME there. Still, I failed! Instead of finding a living to FROM THIS BODY feed my family, I chose to feed my drug addiction first and foremost. I also begun THAT IS shoplifting. I entered grocery stores at malls SUBJECT TO without money and went out bringing lots of DEATH? THANKS grocery items. BE TO GOD, WHO DELIVERS ME My continued use of Methamphetamine THROUGH JESUS hydrochloride “aka” poor “man’s cocaine” or CHRIST OUR “shabu” intensified my wickedness. I stabbed LORD! SO THEN, one of my siblings. I even shot my own father I MYSELF IN MY twice. Fortunately, I missed. I also sold all things found inside my parent’s house resulting to my MIND AM A expulsion from the house together with my own SLAVE TO GOD’S family. LAW, BUT IN MY A time came when I failed even to provide SINFUL food for my hungry family. That jolted my NATURE[D] A innermost being, making me realize how SLAVE TO THE thoroughly helpless I am. So, I looked up to LAW OF SIN. heaven crying, “God if you are real, let me know You.” Three weeks passed after my monologue with God, I accepted a ‘gun-for-hire’ job. My very first victim was a very close female friend, for a Php10,000.00 price. I accomplished the job without hesitation and was imprisoned again for what I did. Inside the prison cell, I continued my evil deeds. As “bunal for hire” inside the prison, I got confined to an isolation cell or “bartolina” for almost 4 years. HEARTBEAT |  03

It was inside the isolation cell that I My heart simply overflows with joy began to meditate upon all the things doing the Word sharing activity. Indeed, it that happened in my life. Soon, I came was inside the “bartolina” where I met my to realize that all I experienced worked Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! It was there together for my good. For inside the where He made me a new person. dungeon, I encountered God through a prison ministry servant of God. In the year 2016, God allowed me to regain my freedom. However, three One day, I heard him share a Bible months after I was freed, a very sad and verse from Romans 5:8 that says, “But evil thing happened. My 6 year old God shows his love for us in that while daughter was molested by my wife’s we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” brother. My in-laws summoned me to their The Bible minister explained to us, that house where they severely beat my God loves us, sinners as we are. So I brother in-law using paddle. As a new replied to him, what a strange God you person in Christ, I asked for wisdom from have! He loves criminals like us? In your the Lord on what to do. So, I prayed: “Lord, next visit, please bring me a bible. And You allowed this to happen, please give he did! me the strength and the wisdom that I need to handle this.” Thus, I started reading the Bible. One prisoner even warned me that bible Hebrews 4:12 reading makes one crazy. In my mind, I retorted, 'we did not even go crazy sniffing rugby and shabu.' So, I read the For the word of God is alive and active. Bible daily in order to find out if it will Sharper than any double-edged sword, really make me crazy. But it didn’t! it penetrates even to dividing soul and Instead, with my daily bible reading, my spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the life began to change bit by bit. I was being transformed! thoughts and attitudes of the heart. I then realized that the change I I immediately ordered them to stop desired for so long comes only from the beating my brother in-law to avoid Lord Jesus Christ. Slowly, I learned and another unfortunate consequence. I then became acquainted with God Almighty told them: “Praise and thank the Lord for by His grace and mercy on me. transforming me into a new person while I was inside the prison cell. The truth is, in Much later I submitted to trainings to be the old me, I would have personally killed able to share God’s Word to my co- your son for what he did to my daughter.” prisoners inside the prison cell. My in-laws were greatly astonished of my Immersed in sharing the Gospel, I response to the situation for they knew completely forgot my desire to regain how I was before. my freedom from prison. HEARTBEAT |  04

Surprised with my own response to the She died and was buried without situation, I realized that indeed God is my presence. While in the hospital, Immanuel, He is with us, He is in us. And He grieving and feeling the physical pain in gives wisdom and strength. Because of my head, God strengthened me and God’s wisdom we were able to properly enabled me to even share the Gospel to handle the problem. In addition, I was able the nurses and doctors attending to to declare and demonstrate the me. Days passed by, I continued to transformation that God made in my life request Dr. Manny Gines to do the not only to my in-laws but also to many operation. other relatives and on- lookers. I praise and give thanks to God As I continued to serve God, I married because He provided the doctors the mother of my children. God gave us wisdom regarding my illness. another daughter and we named her Elijah. When Elijah was one year old, she was James 1: 2-4 diagnosed with Leukemia. She was so skinny. Her liver was swollen making her tummy swell as well. She only lived 1 year 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and and 10 months. The time Elijah was in the sisters, whenever you face trials of hospital, I was also confined. many kinds, 3 because you know that Our conditions were both critical. She the testing of your faith produces had leukemia, I had brain tumor. I decided perseverance. 4 Let perseverance to undergo brain operation because of the finish its work so that you may be intensity of my head pain. The doctor mature and complete, not lacking warned me of the danger of the operation anything. saying I might not be able to wake up after the procedure. So I asked God for strength HEARTBEAT |  05 and His sustaining grace. I was under that condition when my little daughter passed away.

The operation did not happen. The Kingdom work continued in Instead, I was given a prescription pill, Palompon Leyte by the grace of God. We cotrimuxzasol good for 1 year. On the were also provided a house for my family 3rd day of taking the pill, I already which is just near the school where my experienced relief from the pain. Glory children are studying. For all these, I give to God! After a week, the doctors all the glory, honor and praises to God for allowed me to go home. One month His grace, mercy and love towards me after, I was completely healed! All glory and to all those whose trust is in Him to the Lord God Almighty! alone! Then the Lord in His still small voice Halleluiah! I cannot fathom the prompted me to go back to the greatness of your love, oh Lord! ministry and declare to His people His power and glory manifested in my life. I EPHESIANS 5:8-11 continued to join the Evangelistic Prison Ministry under Pastor Jun Miras’ leadership in Living Word Matalom. 8 FOR YOU WERE ONCE DARKNESS, Pastor Miras assigned to me ministry BUT NOW YOU ARE LIGHT IN THE works in Living Word Padre Burgos. In Palampon Leyte we organized a Bible LORD. LIVE AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT 9 Study group that stopped during the (FOR THE FRUIT OF THE LIGHT pandemic. CONSISTS IN ALL GOODNESS, In May 2021, by the grace of God the RIGHTEOUSNESS AND TRUTH) 10 AND Bible Study continued. Sunday service FIND OUT WHAT PLEASES THE LORD. also opened up again in Palompon 11 HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE Leyte. Glory to God! FRUITLESS DEEDS OF DARKNESS, BUT I was also given favor via the Ministry I RATHER EXPOSE THEM. joined every Tuesday. I was endorsed to join Luke Vision 88. God used it to give support to our Worship Service ROMANS 6:11-14 providing musical instruments like keyboard, guitar, mixer, chairs, speaker and many others. And because, God 11 IN THE SAME WAY, COUNT gives beyond what we asked for, we YOURSELVES DEAD TO SIN BUT ALIVE were also blessed through sister Myra with a parcel of land where we can put TO GOD IN CHRIST JESUS. 12 up our own church building. Additional THEREFORE DO NOT LET SIN REIGN funds were also donated for the house IN YOUR MORTAL BODY SO THAT YOU of prayer. God arranged and provided OBEY ITS EVIL DESIRES. 13 DO NOT everything we need. OFFER ANY PART OF YOURSELF TO SIN AS AN INSTRUMENT OF WICKEDNESS, BUT RATHER OFFER YOURSELVES TO GOD AS THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN BROUGHT FROM DEATH TO LIFE; AND OFFER EVERY PART OF YOURSELF TO HIM AS AN INSTRUMENT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. 14 FOR SIN SHALL NO LONGER BE YOUR MASTER, BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE. HEARTBEAT |  06