A Mother & Son's Triumph

FREEDOM ENCOUNTER, OCT. 31-NOV. 1, 2014

The last Encounter God Retreat for the year 2014 is yet another victorious event. When God moves, breakthroughs are bound to happen. 

One significant breakthrough happened between a mother and her son.  For five years, Tess suffered from extreme depression due to the loss of her husband. The tragedy happened on Christmas day in 2009.  It had been a  struggle to keep her head together while raising the three kids left behind by their father.  Often, she would have crying bouts. During attacks of extreme depression, she would hole herself in her room and just cry for hours.  Her eyes had this faraway look. The sadness in them would not disappear even when she smiled. 

Her first-born son, Marwyn, took the loss of his father the hardest among the three siblings.  He was acting out all throughout his growing up years. His grief manifested through violent outbursts and  skipping classes. Which was why they moved from Nueva Vizcaya to San Fernando City.  All things do work together for good. It was the hand of God that brought them here.  Marwyn met a friend at school. This friend invited him to attend a service at SFCC. It was a pivotal moment for the Godoy family. Marwyn became actively involved in the church activities, volunteering for the Multimedia team.  He invited his mother to church and pretty soon, both were encouraged to attend the Pre-encounter sessions. It was evident that both were in dire need of healing from the wounds brought about by the loss of a loved one. 

At the Encounter God Retreat, mother and son had experienced the goodness of God. He showed Tess the root of her depression—where and how it began. And as she submitted all her pain and bitterness at the foot of the cross, God uprooted these and replaced it with the peace and joy that she had been longing for all those lost years.  

Now, Tess feels lighter and free. The sadness that once clouded her eyes are replaced by sparkles of joy. In her testimony, she narrated that she is amazed by her son’s transformation. No longer quick-tempered and irritable, he now showers his mom with hugs and kisses. Their relationship is renewed as God becomes their binding factor. As a parting shot, she happily quipped, ” My status is now changed. I am now IN A RELATIONSHIP (with God) .” 

Left behind but not forgotten.  The Godoy family is being radically restored by God.

Free to worship: Encountering God changes one’s perspective on things.