One Family - Dgroup

When I was a young I longed for friends/barkada kaya naman I accepted my classmate's invitation to a youth bible study. Indeed I gained lot of friends and had fun. After several months of attending, I fully understood how much God loves me. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. Knowing that Jesus died for my sins and saved me from hell, I was overjoyed and my emotions were so high kaya naman sumali ako agad sa dgroup (cellgroup pa nun) at ministry. I regularly attended dgroup meetings and the youth bible study. As a young follower of Jesus, I am so eager to read God's word and to share the gospel to my family and friends. I couldn’t share the gospel to my family because of fear and because of the fact that I was a disrespectful and a disobedient daughter. Baka sabihin lang nila di totoo ang mga sinsabi ko kasi hindi pa naman akoo nagbabago. By God’s grace, slowly but surely, He helped me to change. I commited not to answer back to my parents as much as possible. Do household chores and take care of my little brother. It was really a struggle, but having a dgroup was a big help.

I thought God added friends to my life, iyon pala hindi lang friends natagpuan ko but a 2nd home. Dgroup is like a family. My dgroup leader is like a mom and my dgroupmates are like sisters; they would laugh with me and cry with me. They gave me encouragement and they really helped me to grow deeper in love with Jesus.

As I’ve said one of my struggles is answering back to my parents. I remember, I tried to share the gospel to my mom but ended up fighting with her and then fighting with my tita. I was so discouraged by the fact that I didn’t share the gospel well and I thought I disappointed God. I thought then, it was the end. Hindi ko na sila ma-sharan ng gospel. I didn’t hide this event with my dgroup leader, I wrote a letter and shared all of it. Like a mom she reminded me the 4 C’s we’ve discussed in one of our dgroup meetings, she said “When you compare your choice with God and you commit to His ways, you’ll count His blessings!Basta do not stop loving your family, command din sa atin yun ni God.” Eventually by God’s grace, God used me to lead my family and my relatives to come to know Jesus Christ. I wouldn’t have done it apart from Jesus and without the support of my dgroupmates.

I testify to you that I grew a lot thru dgroup as the bible say in Proverbs 27:17 ESV Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. In one of my birthdays I received a letter from one of them and it encouraged me to really seek God and glorify Him above all else. One of my dgroupmates wrote: “I believe that God has so much in store for you. I pray that He will bless you in every way, in being a daughter and a sister, at work at church. May he bless your family and siblings. I pray that your dgroup will bloom and grow more and that they will seek God everyday of their lives. I pray that you will always love your parents and siblings and prioritize them from anybody else. Expect so much from God because He can and will always exceed our expectations. I pray that you will grow more in love with God.” Iyong dgroup hindi lang sila nandiyan sa saya, pero nandiyan sila like family – kahit ano iyong mga mali kong nagawa, they still offer love and accepted me for who I am. And tulad ng isang pamilya, they also give correction and rebuking every time I am doing my own will and not God’s will. They will lead me back to God’s word.

And you know what is amazing about dgroup? Hindi lang family,school/work or spiritual matter ang pwede kong itanong sa kanila. They also helped me in my clothing style, in the way I speak, they correct me everytime mali ang grammar ko. Experiencing all these in a dgroup setting helped me to embrace Jesus great commission in Matthew 28:19-20 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

In my 12 years journey with Jesus, I met different generation of youths and formed dgroups. They come and go, some will became leaders and some will go somewhere else. I sometimes feel discourage but everytime I remember my experiences with having a dgroup and God’s mandate to pass on what I have received, as 2 Timothy 2:2 say And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. I commit to make committed followers of Jesus who will make committed followers of Jesus, who will make committed followers of Jesus.
I am Ate Clarisse, I am a follower/disicple of Jesus. To God be the glory.