A Journey Of Faith, Love,
And Redemption

By Bethany M. Faburada, ICOC Philippines

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

My name is Bethany M. Faburada. I have been a disciple of Christ for 28 years now. I am 56 years old and have been married to a loving man of God, Viano, for 35 years. We have two amazing sons, Charles, who is married to Irene, and Alexander, who recently got married to Angelica. Three years ago, an angel came down from heaven in the form of our first granddaughter, Helena Ingrid.

My husband and I are serving as an Elder Couple in ICOC-Philippines and members of the Philippine Leadership Council (PLC). 

For the past nine years, I have been serving as a Board of Trustees (BoT) member of the ICOC-Philippines Missionary Society (Philms) and Metro Cebu Christian Church.

I am a litigation lawyer by profession and a mountain resort owner.

I spent the first 29 years of my life oblivious and unmindful of who God is. But in the year 1995, while I was still utterly powerless to clean up my mess and overcome my ungodly ways, Jesus came and gave me a clean slate and a fresh start, and allowed me to live the life I dreamed of, a life full of meaning and purpose. 

I am a living testimony of Jesus dying for the weak, the broken, the ungodly, and the rebellious people like me.

A turbulent beginning

I grew up in a poor family riven by disagreements, arguments, and fights over domestic drudgery. It was not because my parents were not hardworking, but because most, if not all, of my father’s vices caused the family to suffer. Because of that, love and peace at home were just elusive dreams. That made me hate my father so much to the point of cursing him in my heart.

In a family where love is non-existent and verbal abuse was a norm, I learned to be strong but hardhearted. I was never emotional. I never ended up in tears as I dealt with the fears and heartaches of daily living. At a young age, I started to drink alcohol, gamble, and smoke. I was not interested in people. I grew up minding my own business. I didn’t make enduring friendships, but it didn’t bother me because my world revolved around my family. Being with people was a waste of time and energy for me.

As a child, I always dreamt of becoming a lawyer as it was for me, the surest way to get out of poverty. But with my father’s vices and five other children to support, becoming a lawyer was seemingly an impossible dream. The only way is to excel in school, so I would never run out of scholarship programs and sponsorship, which I did.

From strife to restoration

I never considered getting married as I would always wonder, “What if my marriage has strife and troubles like my parents? What if love stories in movies are just the writer’s wild fantasies?”

However, when I was a graduating student in college, I met my husband. Our relationship was immoral. It resulted in an unplanned pregnancy and I was only 20 years old. As a result, I was forced to stop my schooling and give up my dreams. Because of shame and fear of the stigma attached to unwed mothers, I decided to get married at a young age. I also took it as a way to escape from my family. I did not care no matter how far down the rabbit hole would that marriage take me. 

Because God was not at the center of our relationship, I became a very manipulative and controlling wife with an uncontrollable temper, while my husband - who was very religious, and whom I thought was meek as a lamb - was unfaithful to our marriage with different women. 

Not knowing of my husband’s infidelity, I thought life was great. I have a wonderful family and earn enough to live on. But undeniably, as years went on, deep inside, there was this incessant emptiness, a void in my heart that kept growing. 

God's unfolding plan

In an attempt to shrink that hole, I tried many things, but nothing happened. One day, I just looked up to the sky and uttered this simple prayer, “God, I don’t know you. But if you really exist, then let me know you.”

Little did I know that all the while, God already had a saving plan for me. He took me on a path I later realized was his way of reaching out to me. 

How? After giving birth to our first child, I was offered to work as a fitness instructor in one of the biggest gyms in Cebu. That was the place where I was reached out.

God made himself known to me through an invitation by one of my aerobic class students. I hated her tenacity in constantly inviting me to her church. So to put an end to the annoyance, I gave in. That Sunday morning was the beginning of my changed life. And I realized, that had I graduated college and become a lawyer, I would not have met Aimee, who reached out to me.

But finding my faith in Christ was a long and difficult process, beginning with the hard-nosed battle over my pride and unforgiving heart, especially towards my husband because of his unfaithfulness. 

And because I grew up with an unloving father, it was also difficult to wrap my head around God’s love for me. I used to imagine Him as a huge policeman in the sky with a walloping stick just waiting to hit me every time I made a mistake.

But the word of God was indeed a double-edged sword. The message of the Cross led me to surrender my life to the Lordship of Jesus on August 20, 1995. Since then, amid trials and hardships in life, God has shown me and my family miracle after miracle.

My decision to follow Christ paved the way for my family and friends to become disciples. My husband was baptized, and God restored our marriage and gave us the needed healing. And our sons decided to become disciples at a young age.

Then my three sisters, brother-in-law, niece, three nephews, and some friends became disciples too. And what is more? My father repented, too, and decided to follow Christ. He later died as a faithful disciple of Jesus. 

From shattered dream to reality

God did not only meet my needs but even gave my heart's desires. 

One of those is the opportunity to fulfill my dream of becoming a lawyer. I decided to enter law school at the age of 40. Five years later, I signed the Roll of Attorneys before the Supreme Court of the Philippines. And then in 2023, another dream came true. God gave us the resources to develop our property into a mountain resort, a place in my hometown where I believe a future church will take root.

Real fulfillment

As a follower of Christ, I always believe that fulfillment in life is not a matter of achievements and earthly possessions but of your relationship with God. And success for me is not about winning cases in court but winning souls for God.

For a self-centered person like me, I never thought I could learn to love and serve people. But by God’s grace, he allowed me and my husband to shepherd his people. 

In July 2018, we were appointed as an Elder couple in ICOC-Philippines. 

My prayer is for God to sustain me so I can persevere in the divine calling He has entrusted me. 

All the glory belongs to God!