His Faith that Moves Mountains

In my Saturday morning brisk walking, I turned a corner and saw the King Dome against the backdrop of the peaceful morning skies. I told my young companion how impossible it was years ago to see such a mega structure being built inside the Kingdom compound. “Why?” She asked with quizzical eyes. “We didn’t even have food to eat. But in those times when we only had lugaw (porridge) and chopped bananas and sometimes sayote every meal, Pastor would talk about grand cathedrals, several buses, and even sending us to different countries abroad.”

We kept on walking. I continued talking to my companion.

I remember that one time, our Beloved Pastor was with the members and some workers in the worker’s house whose windowpanes were made of wooden jalousies. He spoke with much zest, “One day, these will be made of glass!” The people’s eyes rolled in disbelief. Perhaps in those times of hardship, it takes an extraordinary faith to believe in everything that Pastor
says.

If you would use your own mind, the things that Pastor Apollo used to tell us seemed like a fairy tale, an imagination and make believe.

Those were the times when the Kingdom members would take turns in bringing food to the worker’s house. We had little boys and girls with us like Dodong (Dandan), Benjie Dandan, and April Rose (Pastor’s niece) who served as our watchers when the ration arrives. “Naa na ang pagkaon!” They would shout.

And Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy would tell you he would send you to Manila and some countries around the world. And he would talk about building a mega structure that would accommodate thousands of worshippers. “It would be an architectural marvel!” He would declare. It was a fairy tale indeed. But fairy tale or not, our faith in everything he used to say grew on us until we see it being fulfilled one by one through the years.

One time, Pastor Apollo told Sister Oteth (Nilda Ogata), “Teth, mahimo kang coordinator sa laing nasud” (You will become a coordinator abroad). Oteth replied with a hearty laugh.

You know why Sarah laughed when the angel told Abraham that they would have a child? It seems impossible and illogical. It’s against the law of nature for a woman Sarah’s advanced age to give birth. Sis. Oteth laughed because it was really hard to believe at the time.

Then in the middle of these circumstances, around two years after I resigned from work, our Beloved Pastor instructed me to go to an architect to make a plan for the ministry’s grand cathedral. It was mind-boggling how Pastor would think of such an idea in the midst of poverty.

Off I went to see my former company’s architect. I showed him some photos of a big cathedral in Korea, which our Beloved Pastor wanted to get inspiration from. He asked me straightforwardly, “How much is the estimated budget?”

I was stupefied. There was no budget. It was all by faith. He laughed and dismissed me politely by telling me he will just call me when the plan is done. He never got it done. It was the year 1983.

Six years later in 1989, Pastor Apollo led the building of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ’s very own cathedral, which was inaugurated in 1990. But as it is always the norm in the Kingdom, any big project is not without sweat and blood and tears and sacrifice.

This is well documented in the Kingdom’s Herald of Victory newsletter 1986 and 1987 editions where our Beloved Pastor stated in his message how the Kingdom full-time workers and members cooperated in seeing what he called the “Cathedral of Victory” project done. The stone edifice where we worship every Sunday is this cathedral.

Soon, the world’s biggest indoor cathedral, the King Dome will be completed. Until we see that marvelous and glorious day, let us not forget to always thank and honor the Almighty Father for everything that He has done in His Kingdom Nation through His Appointed Son.

The very foundation upon which the Kingdom Ministry stands is the solid rock of unconditional obedience, sacrifice and unwavering faith.

Everything that we see now around us was a word of faith pronounced by the Appointed Son of God several years ago. Let us be like him in every road of impossibility that we tread each day. The world may laugh in disbelief but for as long as we keep our impenetrable granite of faith and spirituality intact, everything is possible.

Just remember the story of the KJC Cathedral and the multibillion King Dome project for you to always be reminded of the Appointed Son of God’s faith that moves mountains.