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this is actually my article about Dondon Hontiveros Published at Sun Star Daily on September 12, 2004 Dondon Hontiveros: Playing God’s Game Being a basketball superstar does not prevent Dondon Hontiveros from looking after his spiritual life. In his almost seven years of playing professional basketball, Dondon has found out that fame and wealth do not make a person more blessed than others. “God alone can fill the void that we have in our hearts,” he said. The gospel touched him for the first time in October last year. Pastor Robert Gonzales, of Victory Christian Fellowship, visited one of San Miguel’s practice sessions to share the gospel to Danny Ildefonso. But instead of Danny, Dondon was the one touched by God’s message through Pastor Robert. “Niingon ko, nindot lagi ni. Pero wala ko ni commit kay niingon ko religion na sad ni... unsa man ning mga religion (I said, ‘This is good’. But I didn’t commit myself to it since I was thinking it was just another one of those religi...

this is an article about an extraordinary rehabilitation center in Gun-ob Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu Giving Home to the Hopeless How many times have we heard of drug addicts rehabilitated and re-rehabilitated? Surely, drug addiction is an extremely difficult problem. Most often, the firm and exacting rehabilitation centers prove ineffective in restoring the lives of the users of prohibited drugs. Believing that drug addiction is not only a physical and psychological problem but also spiritual, the House of Hope provides a different kind of rehabilitation. House of Hope is an affiliate of Helping Hand, a rehabilitation center in Singapore founded by the late Bro. Robert Yeo, a former heroine addict himself. Established in May 1997, the House of Hope is now on its 8th year of operations in Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City. “Here in House of Hope, we believe in the power of God’s Word to transform lives,” said a member of the project staff who refused to be named, himself also struggled ...

Going to church every Sunday has always been a routine since the day I was born. “Wake up early, wear your best clothes” – these were the things that everybody in the family used to tell me. But attending the service has never really made me fell that I was spiritually growing. Deep inside my heart, I felt the emptiness that brought about by not knowing God. I used to ask God about the purpose of my life. I believed that living in this world was just a punishment. I regretted the day I was born and I cursed my parents for that. I used to ask Him about myself. Why am I like this? Why am I like that? Why do I have this? Why don’t I have that? I had a lot of insecurities, anger, envy, and even hatred. Yes, hatred. I hated the world for everything. I hated my parents for raising me. I hated my sisters, I hated my friends, and I hated myself. I didn’t understand myself. I didn’t have my own identity. I didn’t even know the reason of doing the things that I used to do. All I said was, “I don...

My father took me to the Pentecostal church for the very first time when I was still seven years old. I never knew what going to church meant. I almost spent all of my childhood years there. There I learned who God is and learned how to worship Him. My eldest sister brought me to a new church one Sunday. It was the church in which my sister’s boyfriend was a member. When they got married, my sister and I became members of that church. But I never felt that I belonged there. I had no friends. At that time I was a loner. I started to do things with my own two feet. I had some sort of an identity crisis. I hated going to church with my sisters. I hated everything that I do with any member of my family. In short, I hated my family. I would be very happy if I was left alone at home. I always thought about myself and myself alone. I never cared about any person around me. I always imprison myself in my room. Nobody realized that I was so sad. But I know to myself, I am. No friends, no ac...

When I was a kid, I used to keep myself away from the crowd, away from the parties, and away from all the possibilities of being able to find friends. Things though changed while I was growing up. Although I still kept myself secluded, there were people I got acquainted with constantly. People then was so nice and warm that I felt comfortable with them easily. I found friends, new brothers and sisters, new partners in crime, and new people to look up to. Being always visible helped my self-confidence and it has erased a lot of weaknesses that has haunted me since the day I was able to differentiate what was right from what was wrong. Yet, just when you thought you had so many friends who would be there to care, to protect, and to be always beside you even during the most trying times, you would realize how little all those you consider as friends have valued you. Gossip. We always hear stories of friendship broken by some juicy gossips which came from God-knows-where. When asked, e...