Testimonials

I’ve known about Christ my entire life, but only truly come to know His redeeming power and love over the last few years. I wore, like many others, the mask of a holy life to cover the truth that I was still living a life of pain and inner-turmoil, entirely centered on myself and my desires. None of this was actually making me truly content or satisfied with the state of my life or relationships. Through delving deeply into God’s Word, examining the awesome love of Jesus and sharing that love with residents in nursing homes, I’ve found the peace and purpose that God intended for me as His precious child. Now I can live each day confident that He will lead and provide, whatever His divine plan for my
life may be! — Andrea

My name is Cole, and I am sixteen years old. Interacting with Pastor Abraham and the other members of Missions of Compassion Church has changed my life immensely. I have learned a great deal about life and my own strengths and weaknesses from Pastor Abraham’s sermons and personal counseling. I have benefited from the many opportunities the congregation has given me to share my gifts, whether I’ve gotten to sing before the message, speak about something valuable I’ve learned, or play piano at various nursing homes. Also, my family has enjoyed the warmth and kindness shown to them by the members of the church; many of our best memories have been born on Saturday afternoons after the sermon, over hot bowls of Egyptian vegetable soup. Some people wonder why I would spend my Saturday mornings sitting in a pew instead of watching television or sleeping in. Truthfully, when I compare these nice comforts to the life-altering, encouraging and liberating truths I glean at Missions of Compassion, I can confidently say that there is no place I would rather be.

Hello my name is Eric Strom:
I have attended MOC for about five years. At the beginning I lived day to day, without obedience to any Godly principles. I always wondered what the future held for me. A job made itself known to me; one of those “it” jobs. Excited, I submitted a resume and hoped for the best with little effort given to prayer. Six months passed during which testing and interviews took place. I received a letter from the company informing me that they had selected another candidate. Crushed, I asked God “Why?” The pastor suggested that I look at the situation from God’s perspective and not my own. I had to understand that God doesn’t answer every prayer with a yes, but also no and Wait. Patience is not something that I had a lot of; this is where my faith was tested. Six months later I received a phone call that challenged my disbelief in what God is capable of doing in my life; they asked me if I would like the job and informed me that the other candidate had not worked out. Weeping with joy and lack of breath, I said “yes,” of course I would love the job. Since then I have been growing and realizing that the suggested obedience Jesus Christ has set before me has set me free.

Mimi Torres
My Reawakening
Having been educated in traditional parochial schools, God was always present somewhere ‘out there’ but it was not until recently during a two-month stay in a rehab facility following a surgery, did I find him ‘in here’ – in my heart.
“The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” (Psalms 145:18)

As I prayed for our Lord Jesus Christ to give me strength, hope, and faith, He miraculously gave me all of these and much more.
“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:22) He gave me the discernment to recognize his infinite love for me. I now see this trial as a blessing because without it I might never have been reawakened to the truth of His enduring and compassionate love for me and for all of His children.

Today, I joyfully share the reawakening of my faith and trust in our Lord to anyone that I perceive may be helped and comforted, if even in small way.
“While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.” (Psalms 146:2)

Lisa Andrea Torres
Feb 19, 2011
My personal journey and testimony

Anytime I find myself complaining about my life, or what I think it is lacking, I realize that the Holy Spirit has brought me here for a reason. Anytime I feel despair, or that I have somehow fallen short of the world’s expectations, I find strength in the knowledge and have confidence through faith, that my life is not my own but that which was given to me by my Lord and Savior and it is through His eternal love, grace, and mercy that I am here.

Burdened with longtime feelings of low self-esteem I sought my self-worth through the approval and acceptance of others and used their opinions and expectations of me as my barometer, and valuation. My reward was the amount of love I would receive in return, and this emotional need drove me above all else. It was only much later that I realized the longing in my heart could never be filled by success, acceptance, or romantic love. I was painfully aware that a strong connection within was missing. In my search I came to know God and for the first time; peace. The more I seek God and look to Him for divine wisdom, understanding, and strength through Christ rather than to my own limited means, the stronger my relationship grows and the more I am able to open my heart and trust in His will and guidance through the power of the Holy Spirit. What I am experiencing through prayer, supplication, and deliverance from the dark grasp of the enemy, is that through Christ’s strength anything is possible. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8:26) I believe in my heart that He allowed me to pass through many difficult trials in order to get me to the place I am now, which has in turn been giving me patience, humility, and a new strength to persevere and see myself, others, and the world around me, in a new light, “…knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope.” (Rom 5:3,4)

It has been through opening my heart to His limitless love, my soul to His will, my eyes to see the evidence, and my ear to hear His word which is oftentimes but a whisper, that for the first time I feel a peace that I never knew existed. They say ‘seeing is believing’ but I say feeling is believing, but when I started feeling the changes taking place within me, I knew I was on the right path. Although it is often steep and narrow, He is always there when I call for help, and I know he loves me just as I am.

Peter S.
Father of 4 teenagers
Testimony — Missions of Compassion:

I have known Pastor Abraham Michael for over three years and my family and I have been attending Missions of Compassion quite regularly for the past several years. Missions of Compassion is a warm and inviting Christ-centered house of worship located in Castro Valley, CA. Services are centered on growing in Christ from the inside-out through an understanding of Christ, who we each are in Christ, and who Christ made each of us to be so we can all grow together in grace as we glorify Him and as He is glorified in us. Pastor Michael has a true shepherd’s heart for his flock and God has gifted him with the ability to help others through prayer, counseling and devoted service.

Val’s Testimony

Life is a tumultuous process with many ups and downs. However, through life experiences we get to see first hand God’s abundant love towards us. Since I was born, my father had a disease called Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I remember sleepless nights, fear, anxiety, sorrow, anger and lots of tears! As I have gotten older, his disease has progressed making him unable to walk, use his arms, eat orally, or do normal functions I have clearly taken for granted. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and Christian counseling, I have been blessed with a new perspective on life events. Before I received Christian counseling, whenever my father would go into the hospital, I would cry and be so stressed that I would get physically sick because of fear, worry and anxiety. In 1 John 4:18 I experienced a new hope and a new deeper insight into the love of God and the role fear plays in our lives. Through lots of emotional, mental, social, physical and most importantly spiritual growth and transformation, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit working through the Christian pastoral counselor at Missions of Compassion (2 Corinthians 5:17, 18) I have been set free from the bondage of fear. After five years, I have been given the opportunity to see the power of God’s love through prayer every time my father enters the hospital. The doctors have told my family on multiple occasions that my father would not make it and that we should consider Hospice or a convalescent hospital. Thankfully, and through Biblical encouragement and prayer (Matthew 21:22) my father has miraculously recovered four times. His experience, though difficult, has proven to be a testimony to those doctors and nurses as well as to myself as to how the Christian faith in Jesus and in the Bible, applied in truth, do work. Today, when my father goes through trials, I prayerfully rejoice because I see it as an opportunity for greater blessings and for the glory of God not of man (Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-3, 12). Through Christ, I no longer fall into the spiral of emotional despair. Today, in every good and bad time, I place my faith in the hands of a Savior that will never let my father or me down (John 10:29). My father’s tribulation is just one example of how the Lord has blessed and transformed my life.

There are many other areas of life where I can sit and count the many ways the Lord has blessed my life! The biblical understanding and strength I have attained required commitment and dedication. Additionally, the process of pastoral Christian counseling is a place for spiritual development, with loving and supportive brothers and sisters in Christ at Missions of Compassion who are also walking down the path of character development, salvation and life eternal. I prayed for help and the Lord blessed me with a Christ centered pastoral counselor, and a family in Christ at Missions of Compassion. Thank you Jesus!!!

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