What was this preacher doing to my husband?

I prevented him from watching the show and that was the one thing in common between me and his family. We did not want him to be attached to this Soriano thing in any way. But like a real rebel, he continued watching. He would only shift to another channel when he saw me coming.

By Alma R. Evardo

It was in 2003 when I and my husband decided to live together, but we were married in civil rites the year before. We were leaving with his parents that time as husband and wife. However, between the two of us, we have so many things uncommon. We often fought in so many ways and almost every night. It came to a point that his whole family became an enemy to me.

Because of that, I felt that my life was so much ruined. I found myself deciding that I was wrong in marrying him. And oh! He had promised me a grand wedding that would be remarkable among our families and friends! But where was it?

As days past, I noticed my husband watching over a television program titled Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) and Itanong mo Kay Soriano, Biblia ang sasagot (Ask Soriano, the Bible will answer). I understood that these were about biblical matters but that they were so much foreign to my own. In the Roman Catholic Church, watching programs like these is not expected. You get your instruction about religion from the priest. And so I started persecuting him.

I threatened to leave him. I kept warning him that if he entertained joining that group, our relationship will not work out. Above everything else, I dreaded a husband with a different faith and belief as mine. But as days passed, his eyes were still glued to that Ang Dating Daan TV program. “Better tell your parents that there will be no Catholic Church wedding coming because you are joining another religion,” I nagged him.

My husband simply smiled and said nothing. Nevertheless, I prevented him from watching the show and that was the one thing I had in common with his family. We did not want him to be attached to this Soriano thing in any way. But like a real rebel, he continued watching. He would only shift to another channel when he saw me coming.

My husband eventually started getting cold to me. He would sleep with his back turned to my face. He refused to do the sign of the cross. He had also stopped bringing the rosary with him like he used to do before leaving home for work. And that made me think, what was happening to my husband? What did this man (Bro. Eli Soriano) do to him? To the extent that the picture of this preacher was now appearing as wallpaper in my husband’s cell phone! But presto I deleted it! I hated it!

Later, we decided to move in to another house owned by his parents and settled on our own, but it was just a wall away from them. Over here, it remained a pre-occupation yet for my husband to keep watching the Ang Dating Daan show. The difference was that I realized I did not prevent him anymore. Instead, I found myself also watching Bro. Eli Soriano.

Oh, my! This preacher is telling the truth! And he reads direct from the Bible to prove his point! There were many things he said that opened my eyes. From then on I started loving to watch the program. I saw myself believing in everything Bro. Eli was saying. Eventually, I told my husband that he could now join that church where Bro. Eli is, and forget about his promised grand wedding for me.

With the help of Bro. Romanito “Tom” Maunahan, who was my co-worker at California Pizza Kitchen ATC branch, we were able to access the address of a Church locale situated at Signal. Right then, I helped my husband find the locale because he was in a hurry. He only had a month left before he would move to Taiwan to work for Eva Airways.

And so, one afternoon we tried to find the nearest Ang Dating Daan Coordinating Center. I could still imagine the mocking of the tricycle drivers from whom we inquired about the exact location of the Center. No tricycle driver was willing to bring us there. Instead they laughed and mocked us. And so my husband told me to stop asking because he noticed that most of the tricycles had the three-colored sign of the Iglesia ni Cristo.

We decided then to just walk and find it on our own, but we had gone so far already and still didn’t know our way. I got irritated and told him to ask again for some help, but he refused. I shouted, “Look, I have work at 4pm and it is almost 3pm. If you really believe that what we are going to do is God’s will, can’t He touch someone’s heart among the people here to bring us to this Ang Dating Daan Coordinating Center?” In not less than three minutes after I had said that, there appeared our high school classmate with his motor cycle and helped us get there.

My husband started attending special indoctrination sessions, finished it in just a week, and left to Taiwan for work. He got baptized on April 22, 2005.

I could say I became a believer also, but at that time, I was not yet fully decided to join the group. It was because of so many things. For example, I didn’t like wearing skirts; I wanted to shape and shave my eye brows. In short, I was very much vain.

Alone at home, my life changed. I stopped watching the Ang Dating Daan show because it was suspended. I understood later that it had problems with the Movie Television and Radio Classification Board (MTRCB). The camp of the Iglesia ni Cristo had filed a case against it and the MTRCB gave them way. I started to smoke and spent money extravagantly. This lasted for some five months.

One day I realized that I was no longer happy with my life. But why? I had money that ordinary people cannot have. My husband was giving me monthly allowance, and I also had my salary. However, I was not happy. I felt like there was something missing.

I decided then to resign and look for God. I went to the Ang Dating Daan Coordinating Center of Bagumbayan, Taguig and inquired for indoctrination. Someone from there approached me and told me to come back on a Mass Indoctrination scheduled on a November 16 of that year. And so I did. On my first day of indoctrination, I started to recall the past days of my life. They played instrumental music. I can’t remember what song that was, but I started crying. I cried a lot and asked myself why just now these things came to me.

I could not explain my emotions at that time. It was just that I was contented sitting there and listening to the lectures on Church doctrines. The days went on and I kept attending the indoctrination sessions.

I enjoyed them immensely and I found out on my own what Bro. Eli Soriano did to my husband during his calling time. God had changed him! God had changed me too. Through Bro. Eli Soriano, we were able to hear God’s words.

Finally, I finished my indoctrination and got baptized on December 9, 2005. I thank God for giving us Bro. Eli Soriano and Kuya Daniel Razon. Later, my youngest brother and my parents had joined the church also.

Thanks be to God! To God be the Glory!