Teachers’ Day: Testimonies of Alumni
One month ago, the MGC New Life Christian Academy community celebrated Teachers’ Day with the theme “Polaris: Guiding Star.” The event highlighted the challenging role our teachers play in shaping the next generation of leaders, guiding New Lifers towards a life of character and excellence in an increasingly chaotic and secular world.
Demonstrating the transformative role of teachers in the lives of their students, School Director Helen Villanueva shared the testimonies of two alumni who—grounded in the principles instilled in them at MGCNLCA—stood firm in their faith amidst the influences of the world.
As students who will someday leave the MGCNLCA nest and venture into the world, may we be inspired by the powerful testimonies of Atsi Ashley Go and Ahia Seth Samuel Villanueva about how to become Christian leaders who will truly make a difference in the 21st century.
Seth Samuel Kwong Villanueva
During a recent Ethics class, we were tasked with choosing sides on the topic of divorce—pro or anti. Without a second thought, I gravitated towards the “Against Divorce” group. Initially, I didn’t see it as a big deal since I thought that most people would choose the same side. However, I was shocked since only 3 people in a class of 45 chose anti. Our teacher then began to ask for people’s thoughts on why they chose pro or anti. Out of the 3 people, I was the only one to raise my hand as I wanted to share my thoughts on the topic.
Standing alone in my values and principles was not easy. I felt the weight of judgment and doubt, but deep down, I knew I had to stand my ground. I drew strength from His Word and His promises. One verse that I remembered was Mark 10:9: “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” This verse beautifully encapsulates the sacred bond of marriage and serves as a reminder of the commitment that couples make before God. I remember telling my mom after this class that this is what dating is for, break-ups happen and that’s okay. However, when you choose to marry someone, you must be careful in who you choose as once you get married to them, you have to commit to choosing to love them no matter what. I don’t deny that there are cases wherein wanting to separate can be valid as there can be instances of abuse; However, the conversation on the table was people mentioning “What if you fall out of love, don’t you deserve to find your true love?” This simply leads back to the lack of commitment proving the point that if divorce were to get implemented, no matter how you look at it, marriage will lose its weight as everyone can simply choose to leave when they please.
In sharing my thoughts with my classmates, I also expressed the impact of divorce on children. It breaks my heart to think about how difficult it is for kids to witness their parents separating. The emotional turmoil and instability that follow can leave lasting scars. Children thrive in environments of love and security, and divorce often disrupts that foundation, leading to confusion and hurt.
I recalled a conversation with one of my friends, who once told me that being a Christian, a child of God for that matter, means that we are not of this world. As cliché as it may sound, as God’s children taking a stand and being set apart is how we shine a light in this dark world. Staying true to His Word will never be easy and as tough as it may be, when the world seems to be against you for speaking His truth, all the more you must take a stand. People are always watching, especially when they know you are a Christian, they watch the things you stand for and the way you act. You can either be the reason to someone wanting to know more about God because of your actions, or the reason why they choose to turn their eyes away from Him.
Ashley Go
Good evening, everyone. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my college journey with you today. As a New Lifer, in true MGCNL or Mrs. V fashion, I have come up with an acronym for my testimony: “SSS”
1. Shaking the Salt and Shining the Light
While I was preparing for this testimony, I prayed to God about what He wanted me to convey or share with you and how He wanted to use me during this testimony. He actually spoke to me through a recent sermon in church that touched on my experiences in college. So let’s start with the first S: the idea of being the salt and light of the world.
Our pastor said, “Dead fish swim with the tide, but live fish swim against the tide.” In Matthew 5:13-14, Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Salt, in biblical times, was used to preserve and flavor food. Similarly, as Christians, we are called to preserve goodness and add flavor to the world around us, especially in a time filled with moral decay.
During my time in the College of Liberal Arts in one of my classes, we had a discussion about gender and race. On the first day, our professor introduced an activity involving the four corners of the classroom, each representing a stance: agree, super agree, disagree, and super disagree. The professor would read a statement, and we had to move to the corner that reflected our views.
The first statement was about “women CEOs,” and naturally, everyone rushed to the “super agree” corner in support of women’s empowerment. However, when the second statement was “Two gay men kissing,” I was stunned because everyone cheered and stayed on the “super agree,” corner. I felt a strong sense of guilt and conviction from the Holy Spirit. Mind you, this was during the second term of my first year meaning everyone was still kind of finding their social circles and building their friendships and I only had one blockmate who was also a Christian. We exchanged looks, and I asked her, “Do you want to move?” She nodded, and we slowly walked to the “disagree” corner. Normally, I’m not the type to get pasmado, but I remember specifically at that moment my palms were sweating as I sensed all the eyes in the classroom on us, filled with confusion and probably judgment (I was avoiding eye contact because I was so nervous). I thought to myself, “This is probably the end of my college social life.”
Our professor approached us and asked why we had moved. I explained that, as Christians, our beliefs, anchored on God’s Word, didn’t align with the statement. We were taught that God created man and woman, two genders. I emphasized that we disagreed—not super disagreed—because God loves people and calls us to love our neighbors, regardless of their identities, while still holding true to our faith, so we loved the person but just disagreed with their practice. Our professor nodded and proceeded with the activity, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone was silently judging us that day.
2. Staying Connected with God
This now leads me to my second S—Staying Connected with God When I went home that day, I shared my fears and anxiety with my parents. They told me that I did what was right. They said not everyone who stood in the corner of “Agree” really agreed but were just scared to make a stand. They assured me that if we honor God, He will honor us back. That night I prayed to God and asked for Him to speak to me because I felt lost. “Did I do the right thing?” “What’s going to happen to me now?” “Am I going to be a loner for the rest of my college life?” While all these questions were spiraling in my head, God so clearly spoke to me through my devotion.
“You Will Bear Fruit”
What makes a healthy tree stable is that it’s nurtured. Its roots go down into the soil where they receive nourishment. Its branches reach up to the sun. The tree is stable, fixed, and rooted. And the longer it’s there, the stronger it becomes. And it bears fruit in its season. And that is you. You may be experiencing a cold season of winter where life is hard, but God is preparing your life to bear tremendous fruit. Our fragile world needs stable, rooted, and nourished people like you. God is making you stronger; God is making your roots deeper; God is making your branches wider; God is making your fruit sweeter. Endure the winter and Be stable.
John 15:5-7: “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I to you, you will produce plenty of fruit. But separated from me you won’t be able to do anything. If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be like a branch that has been thrown out and has dried up. All the dead branches like that are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned. Stay joined together with me, and follow my teachings. If you do this, you can ask for anything you want, and it will be given to you.”
Jesus described Himself as the True Vine, stating, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” After standing firm in my beliefs, I felt lost and anxious about being judged, but the Lord showed me that just as a healthy tree bears fruit by being nourished and rooted, I too would bear fruit by staying connected to God. This gave me peace and reassurance and made me realize that it was because I had built my relationship with God that I was able to stand up for Him. Being able to stand up for your faith or live His Word is not something we can do through our own strength, and, I had realized that I was only able to stand up for my faith, not because I am magaling or brave, but because our God is strong and He used me in the scenario.
I felt an immediate sense of peace, knowing I had acted according to His Word. I realized that obeying Him can only bring blessings. While I might not understand His greater plan now, I trusted in our sovereign God who had a purpose for me.
The next day at school, I was anxious about being shunned, but by God’s grace, everyone treated me exactly the same. I felt truly blessed to be in a friend group that, even though they weren’t Christian, respected my views and loved me just the same.
A couple of months later, during a field trip hike, I had a conversation with one of my blockmates. He opened up about how inspired he was by my decision to stand up for my faith in that instance. He admitted he had considered moving to the “disagree” corner but was too scared of judgment. Hearing this, I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me again, and I took the opportunity to share more about God and the gospel, even teaching him how to do devotions. While he didn’t accept God at that moment, I could see that our conversation sparked his curiosity and how God helped me to at least plant the seed in him.
On another occasion, a different blockmate of mine expressed her interest in my faith and wanted to know more about getting closer to God (she was of a different faith) as she saw how I was very open and vocal about my relationship with God. I then felt the Holy Spirit once again push me to teach her how to pray and do devotions, and she appreciated the guidance. Until now, once in a while, she would actually ask me how she could pray for me or share passages in her Bible reading to share encouragement.
By the way, as a bonus, the Lord enabled me to end up with a final grade of 4.0 in that subject. These experiences showed me how God uses us as vessels to share His good news and to be examples of salt and light in the world. Not only did I witness His graciousness and sovereignty firsthand, but I also learned the importance of staying connected to Him, the vine, so that we can fulfill His purpose and bring glory to His name.
3. Striving for Character and Excellence
All these experiences made me understand that people were actually watching me and my actions were truly a testament of my faith – pushing me to be more cautious about my actions and how I acted in my day-to-day college life. This now leads me to the last S and it is a phrase that we, New Lifers, are no strangers to. S is for Strive for Character, Strive for Excellence. You would think that this phrase would end in our high school life but this principle actually became essential during my college journey. Being in friend groups where I was the only Christian made me aware that my actions reflected my faith. Our motto from MGC New Life Christian Academy—“Strive for Character, Strive for Excellence”—became my guiding light.
In college, particularly during online classes, the temptation to cheat was always there. I faced challenges in subjects like accounting and statistics, where the pressure to perform was immense and the opportunities to cheat were plenty. Many times, I found myself battling the urge to take shortcuts like searching for answers online or messaging my friends for help. But I remembered that everything I did was seen by not only my peers but also by God. All the times I felt like cheating or taking the easy way out, I remembered: “Strive for Character.” This, of course, made life a lot harder for me as I had to work harder and study harder for whatever assessments I had, and a lot of times I wanted to give up or just make my work “patapon” to get it over with. But when I felt like giving up or had that “bahala na” attitude, I remembered, “Strive for Excellence.”
This 6-word phrase that was drilled into our heads in MGCNL often led to how I lived out my life in college and the actions I took. It was definitely the harder route, but I know that it was the route blessed by God. My commitment to integrity made my academic journey more challenging but also incredibly rewarding. Not only did my friends see how I lived out my faith (which often made them want to do the same), but by God’s grace, He even blessed me with being able to graduate with Latin honors, which became a testament to the hard work and faithfulness of God in my life.
Conclusion
To end, my college experience has been transformative, teaching me valuable lessons about being the salt and light of the world, the importance of staying connected to God, and striving for character and excellence. These principles have not only shaped my faith but have also allowed me to influence those around me.
Whether you like it or not, you are already an influencer. To be a positive or negative influencer is a choice you need to make. As you all embark on your college journey, trust that God will use you to impact those around you for His glory. Be ready to live out your faith loudly by being the salt and light to your peers. Remember, dead fish swim with the tide, but live fish swim against the tide. So even when it feels challenging, you are never alone. Hebrews 13:5 says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” God is with you every step of the way to guide you and give you strength through your new journey, so you can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
To God be all the glory!
