Trina Ellah Villanueva has recently joined the team of house parents. Here, she shared how God has worked in her life and lead her to this new role.
I grew up with parents who shared a strong conviction to raise us up in a Christian environment. I started Kindergarten at a later age, because my mother made sure that I would attend a good Christian school.
I had to memorize and be tested about the Bible from a young age. We had a collection of children’s songs that taught us about God and Jesus. I regularly attended church and from early on I knew that we were different from my relatives because we were evangelical Christians.
I found that I did well at Bible quizzes, I won a Christian writing contest and gained awards at the Holiday Bible clubs. But in retrospect, I realise that I was not a Christian at that point.
I remember sinning as a young child. I had murder in my heart at the age of three, I threw a hard toy at my babysitter and I was happy to see that I hit and cut her eyebrow. I was covetous at 5 and tore the invitations for my sister’s birthday party into pieces. I was a thief by age 7 and regularly stole candies from our school canteen just for fun. These are just a few – but I had done many wrong things.
God graciously showed me mercy and sometime when I was about 16 (although I cannot exactly pinpoint the time) I realised that I needed Jesus Christ to save me from my sins and to rule my life.
Since then, I started to be sure in my heart that I am God’s heir and I bear His name. I am no longer my own and must no longer decide for myself. Since God has taken me out of the dominion of darkness and transferred me into the Kingdom of His Son, my desire is to be the ambassador that I should be for Him. I think that is what is helping me to love my new role as a Housemother of CCM.
As I write this I have been in this role for less than a month and many people have asked me why I wanted this position when I could avail other job opportunities with more flattering tasks. Perhaps to them, it seems that washing dishes and cooking meals seems unfit to my educational background and work experience.
But to me, motherhood provides me with an opportunity to appeal to souls and implore them to be reconciled to God. The children I am serving are poor, neglected and abused.
In the past God has given me a degree and exciting jobs but now I just wish to use everything I have learned to train the children in my care to love Him and love others.
Please pray for me that I would love them and live God’s truth well.
