We are called to serve others like how He did and be faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms (1 Peter 4:10-11).
In Quezon City, we serve as faithful stewards of God’s grace by sharing the value of family. We believe in God’s mandate and design for marriage, and we have been given the privilege to serve the families in Quezon City by providing seminars promoting biblical values on marriage.
Through these events, we are able to speak hope and encouragement towards building strong foundations as husbands and wives. This is key to changing communities and even the course of our nation.
Godly marriages will surely bless generations after generations that come after us. May we never tire of passing on the word of God and the baton to the next generation!
We are grateful for volunteers serving with us — and we ask God to give us sincere and utmost compassion that can continually transform lives. May we create a culture of growth and service that reflects the heart of God for all.
Let us continue to serve others, just as Jesus did.
Nothing is too broken for God. Though it seemed impossible then for Liza’s marriage to be restored, God proved that with Him, everything is possible. Here’s how God restored her broken marriage and gave her family a fresh start.
My relationship with my husband had been going downhill for 12 years. Though we stayed under one roof, we slept in different rooms and hardly spoke to each other. We made separate decisions and led separate lives. Even our children had gotten used to that setup.
At that time, I was filled with so much anger and bitterness that I seriously considered putting an end to our marriage. I consulted with different lawyers and told myself that after my youngest daughter’s high school graduation, I would file for an annulment and go back to my hometown in Baguio.
But God had other plans.
In November 2018, I attended a worship service in Victory for the first time and encountered God like never before. He reassured me that if I obey Him, He will restore all the broken pieces of my marriage. At that time, all I could do was cry. I really wanted to give up on my marriage, but God gave me the strength to follow Him instead.
Since then, my life started to change. I became part of a Victory group and later went through ONE 2 ONE and Victory Weekend. As my relationship with God grew deeper, my marriage with my husband also began to change for the better.
While preparing for our daughter’s 18th birthday celebration, my husband and I started to talk again. Though our marriage wasn’t fixed right away, we slowly became friends like before. I got to reconcile with his family and even joined their New Year’s Eve celebration last year.
For the past 12 years, I would celebrate Christmas with the kids and my family in Baguio, while my husband would celebrate New Year’s Eve with the kids and his family in Manila. That was how we celebrated the holidays for more than a decade. He was used to celebrating Christmas on his own, while I was used to celebrating New Year’s Eve alone or with friends. Celebrating a special day with him and our children again for the first time in years was something I never expected to happen.
While God was dealing with my heart last year, He taught me so many things about myself and our marriage. He made me realize that the anger I harbored in my heart for years made it impossible for me to see my own faults. I was too busy being angry that I had failed to see my shortcomings and the pain caused by my words and actions. God made me see beyond my brokenness and taught me to forgive and seek forgiveness.
By His grace, after 12 years of hopelessness, my husband and I got back together in April 2019 and celebrated our 20th anniversary. Since then, we started sharing meals again together as a family—something we didn’t get to do for a very long time—and began working on our marriage with God’s help.
If there’s one good thing that this crisis has brought to us, it is the chance to make up for the lost time and be a family again. Since the lockdown, we have been spending so much time together—with each other and with our children. Now we get to pray as a family and openly share our thoughts. Even our kids are more expressive now about the things they felt before and the things they feel now. It is amazing how God put all the broken pieces together and created something far more beautiful than what we used to have. In fact, last month He blessed us with the best anniversary gift: a romantic breakfast prepared by our children for our 21st anniversary. It reminded us of all the good times we’ve had.
Looking back, it’s amazing how God filled all the empty spaces in my heart and replaced the hurts with His love. It was His great love that gave me the strength and confidence to believe for the best then, when everything was broken and unclear. I know that whatever happens, His love will always be there for us—to pursue us and keep us together.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
Liza del Mundo is a preschool teacher and guidance coordinator. She leads a Victory group in our church in Santa Cruz. She and her husband are continuously growing in their walk with God. Their son serves as a volunteer in music ministry; he and his siblings are all part of a Victory group.
Dennis Poliquit first met his wife Monica at the radio station where he worked as a DJ. “I remember her having a pixie hair cut, but I was not attracted to her then,” he laughs. “We became friends for a long while before we became an actual couple.”
Dennis found Monica’s company irresistible. “I found that I could talk to her about a lot of things,” he recalls. “From politics to history, and most especially, movies and pop music. She has this jeepney horn kind of laughter you’d recognize from afar, and strong opinions about anything. I mean, a beautiful lady I can talk to about a wide range of topics. That was pretty attractive.”
Dennis became a Christian in 2000, but did not take his relationship with God seriously. He and Monica soon became intimate, and in 2003, Monica gave birth to their first child, a daughter. Deciding to move in together shortly after Gaby was born, it wasn’t long before they became parents to their first set of twins. Because they moved in together so soon after becoming a couple, they realized there wasn’t really much of a discovery stage, and had to learn more about each other as they went along.
“It was a roller coaster ride,” he admits, “with ups and downs, loops and twists and turns. It was crazy. We had great conversations. We had so much laughter. And we also had arguments like you wouldn’t believe.”
Dennis and Monica’s fights became more frequent. Over time, financial issues and the fact that neither of them was serious in pursuing God, found them drifting apart.
“We both let our pride overrule everything else,” he says. “Often, those arguments came from misunderstandings. Stuff we could have avoided only if we chose to actually listen each other instead of just waiting for our turn to speak or get loud.”
Monica’s strong personality, which was the initial thing that attracted her to Dennis, also made him hesitate about marrying her right away. “We both did not want to back off from anything. We were both stubborn in our opinions,” he says, “and I think it was mix of fear and indecision that made it take a while for me to decide to marry her.” He pauses, measuring his words. “I regret making her wait for me to ask her to marry me. If I really loved her, I needed to love her for who she really is, and not who I think she should be.”
Ephesians 5:22-33, in particular, spoke to Dennis. He identified with the Christ-like love that the verses encouraged husbands to give their wives, and he knew God was telling him something: getting right with Him meant getting right with Monica. Still, he was hesitant to take the initial steps.
“Then Monica threatened to leave me and take the kids with her. That jolted me wide awake and opened my eyes about what I had been doing.” Dennis consulted his Victory group leader, who advised him to seek God first.
In 2006, Dennis and Monica decided that they needed to get right with God, and began to pursue God in earnest. They soon began to see changes in each other. “Our relationship got way better,” he says. “We agreed that when we did not see each other eye to eye on matters, we should consult His Word and what it says about things. We also learned to forgive and let go as we get to be forgiven too.”
“I am pretty certain things could have turned out differently if I tried doing things on my own,” Dennis says. “Truth be told, it’s what I did before and it led me nowhere but to more trouble. I have learned my lesson.”
Realizing he desired to honor Monica in the best way the Bible says how, Dennis formally asked Monica to marry him, and they tied the knot in May 2006. “I wanted to honor her,” he says, “for her love for me and our children.”
“We lived together for almost three years without the covering of marriage,” he adds, “and I wanted to make things right.”
“I’m thankful for God’s grace,” he says. “Like myself, Monica was struggling with a lot of stuff, and yet, she ultimately still chose to stay with me. Yes, we still have arguments for both serious and petty stuff but by God’s grace, it does not escalate into a raging fire.”
Looking back, Dennis sees how God lovingly yet consistently called him to passionate leadership in their marriage. “There was a time when I was whining to God about my marriage,” he recalls, “and His Word was to love my wife. I cannot always be stubborn and see her as the enemy in the argument. I learned that we were both coming from a place of love, and to listen more and more to each other.”
As he honors her, Monica, in turn, respects and takes good care of her husband. “Monica has become more patient and understanding with me,” he says. “I still make many mistakes, but now a quiet word from her would be enough. She has learned to pause and ask me to clarify things to make sure she understands what happened or what I said.”
“As a husband and for one who has been and is forgiven, my role to is to love my wife and forgive her as often as needed, just as she needs to forgive me as often as needed. It is not my role to change my wife, nor should she expect me to change for her. It is God’s role to change both of our hearts.”
Today, Dennis and Monica are parents to five children, including two sets of twins. Fueled by their love for God, their passion for each other and their marriage continues to inspire others in the church, especially couples who are experiencing what they have. Their advice? Go back to God.
“Monica and I tried our very best to solve problems on our own,” Dennis says, “and while it helped for a while, we eventually went back to old habits. The only real solution for us was to go to God. He is our arbiter. He has final word on things my wife and I cannot agree on. Even how we treat each other, His Word is our ground zero. It is the only way to live married life. Respect, honor, love and most of all, the pursuit of and obedience to God will ensure a storm proof married life.”
Theo Cañeda didn’t expect to meet the love of his life during the time that his business was going bankrupt. When he was introduced to Claud by a common friend in church, he was smitten. “I found out that she works in the church,” he shares, “and I was attracted to how devoted she was to her calling.”
Without a regular job, his finances were in shambles, which made him hesitant to court Claud. Nevertheless, he prayed for her, gathered his courage, and pursued her. The two started a relationship, and eventually talks of marriage started coming up. By the end of 2014, they were engaged.
“We decided to get married,” Theo says. “Despite the challenges, we knew we wanted to get married.” At the start of 2015, the couple prayed and fasted for an overflow of provision for their upcoming wedding happening in a few months. Amidst their preparations and several months prior to their big day, Claud was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and a benign tumor called myoma. This is a condition that imbalances a woman’s hormones, leading to the formation of ovarian cysts.
Claud was crushed. She was about to get married, and was hearing of the very real possibility she would never have children. Theo was heartbroken at how the news saddened Claud so much, but he never lost hope. He comforted his future wife that he loved her, no matter what, and reminded her that God is sovereign. “A lot of tears were shed,” Theo reveals. “She even asked me if I want to push through with the wedding.”
This ordeal brought the couple closer than ever. They cried, prayed, and fasted together for God to deliver them. Faced with Claud’s condition, and with their wedding day approaching, Claud and Theo also realized they didn’t have enough money to cover their wedding expenses.
The couple cried out to God, and He responded.Two months before their wedding, Theo’s business bounced back from bankruptcy and started doing well. Provision started pouring in, and before they knew it, they had more than enough to pay for the wedding they want. “Everything was covered,” Theo exclaims, “We were able to have a joyful, debt-free wedding!”
After their wedding, the couple was in faith that they would have children, despite Claud’s condition. They consulted different doctors, who recommended procedures to make pregnancy possible for her. To their dismay, the procedures were very expensive.“We were on our knees believing God for the impossible!” Theo reveals.
There were times Claud would think she was pregnant, but they turned out to be false alarms. The couple experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. Then suddenly, the couple’s world rocked further when Claud’s father passed away. Amidst their grief and frustration, Claud and Theo clung to God more. “The Lord will replace anything we’ve lost,” Theo declared.
It was a slow and painful journey, but God soon provided a silver lining. A month after Claud’s father passed away, the couple found out that Claud was pregnant. The two were ecstatic, but they decided to keep the information secret until a doctor confirmed their discovery. After her check-up, the doctor did confirm that Claud was indeed pregnant, and they weren’t having just one baby, but two! Claud was pregnant with twins!
In a few weeks, by faith, Claud will give birth to two healthy babies. “I have just experienced the goodness and faithfulness of God first hand,” Theo declares, “He made me experience a miracle only He can make! Indeed, we can dare to believe God for the impossible!”
Update (June 27, 2016): We are so excited and pleased to let you all know that Claud gave birth to two absolutely adorable baby girls! We celebrate God’s faithfulness and pray for the continued health and safety of the twins. Congratulations, Theo and Claud!
She didn’t imagine that her relationship with her boyfriend, Choi Sanchez, would end up this way—with a young son, yet not settling down as a family. “I never expected that this would happen to me. It felt like it was straight out of a TV drama.” The situation left her helpless and confused.
Meanwhile, Choi lived a reckless life before meeting Christ, neither acknowledging or bearing the weight of his responsibilities as a young father. “I was into vices, too, even if I already had a child,” Choi admits.
One day, Choi’s sister, Bealyn, encouraged the couple to a join a Victory group led by her best friend, Jorella. She and her husband, Mike, led a couples’ group in Victory Caloocan. “Choi was hesitant to join the group at first, but he still joined me at the group meetings and eventually became part of it. That made me happy,” she recounts.
Mike and Jorella took time to disciple Choi and Ken through regular Victory group meetings and ONE 2 ONE sessions. What started with persistent invitations eventually became something Choi and Ken looked forward to weekly. “They both made the decision to know and follow Christ,” Mike remarks.
Choi and Ken, with Mike and Jorella’s Victory group
As Ken continued to pray for her family and attend Victory group with her boyfriend, God was at work in Choi’s life. “I asked God to give me a heart for Him,” says Choi, “because I no longer wanted to live this kind of life. Little did I know that Ken was praying for me, too.” He committed to change and center his life on Christ.
In 2015, the couple went through Victory Weekend together. Their story, which had a challenging start, would soon move from glory to glory.
When Choi decided to surrender everything to God and change, he realized that he needed to start anew as a family according to God’s Word. He decided to finally ask Ken, his girlfriend and his son’s mother, to be his wife.
Choi and Ken would face another hurdle, in the form of finances. Funding the church wedding was initially a challenge. “We were supposed to have a civil wedding, but a pastor suggested that we hold a church wedding.” They heeded his advice and pooled their finances—but it seemed impossible to make it happen. The wedding date was December. It was already November. Nonetheless, they decided to take a step of faith and tied the knot two days before Christmas.
By God’s grace and a miracle they can’t explain, they made the wedding happen—and despite their financial limits, didn’t owe anyone a centavo after the event. “We don’t know how it happened—we just know that God provided for us,” says Choi. “We’re so amazed (at) how God moved through it. All we know is everything was perfect the whole day.”
Ken (left) and Choi were married in December 2015, surrounded by family and friends
Mike, the couple’s discipler, describes the Sanchez’s story as, “from darkness to light,” quoting lyrics from Victory Worship’s song, “Grace Changes Everything.” He adds, “They had a long journey, went through a lot of trials, but they put in maximum effort in their spiritual lives.”
From being irresponsible and reckless, Choi is now, according to Mike, “a changed man”—someone who takes responsibility for his family, and leads them according to God’s ways.
Indeed, grace does change everything. God’s grace transformed their lives and turned what was a seemingly dead-end relationship to a glorious and God-centered marriage.
“Every time you are unfaithful to your spouse, you are breaking the covenant of marriage.”
In this video blog entry, Victory Greenhills senior pastor Dennis Sy discusses why marriage is considered deeper than love, and what this concept looks like in the covenant of marriage.
Ask any married person how they knew that their spouse was the one they wanted to marry, and most of the time the answer is, “I just knew.”
That answer irritated me so much while I was single. How does that help me now? But now that I’m married, that would be my response as well. I knew that I wanted to marry Carla.
But while that’s true, there are some qualities that we can look at to help us discern the true character of another person. It doesn’t have to be a total mystery or shot in the dark.
In this blog post, Joey Bonifacio shares some thoughts of his son Joseph, Every Nation Campus National Director, on how to find the right life partner.
“We in faith and protect our families with the Word of God.” In this blog entry, Marie Bonifacio, the wife of Victory Fort senior pastor Joey Bonifacio, shares one real beauty secret that erases those frown lines, puts a sparkle in your eyes, and a smile on your lips.
“God knew what He was doing when He made man in His own image – and made them male and female. It’s her hand, her voice, her smile, her kindness, brought forth by the unfading beauty of a gentle, quiet spirit which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
Pastor Joey Bonifacio ruminates about loneliness while paying tribute to his wife, Marie, in this heartfelt blog entry.
We are kicking off our February series, “Will You…” After this series, we look forward to having a biblical perspective in every season of a person’s love life. May each of us have Jesus in the center of all our relationships!
Here is the list of weekly topics for “Will You . . . ”:
Week one: . . . be my Friend?
Week two: . . . be my Valentine?
Week three: . . . Marry me?
Invite your family and friends to a Victory location nearest you! We are one church meeting in fifteen locations in Metro Manila. We also meet at various congregations across the Philippines.
Let’s know more about love this February! See you at our services!
Dennis Poliquit first met his wife Monica at the radio station where he worked as a DJ. “I remember her having a pixie hair cut, but I was not attracted to her then,” he laughs. “We became friends for a long while before we became an actual couple.”
“I am pretty certain things could have turned out differently if I tried doing things on my own,” Dennis says. “Truth be told, it’s what I did before and it led me nowhere but to more trouble. I have learned my lesson.”
