FROM BROKEN TO CALLED

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

2 Corinthians 4:6 NKJV

Before missionary work, my life was messy, dark, chaotic, and completely out of control. I was not just a “rebellious kid.” I was wild, disrespectful, stubborn, broken, and deeply lost. People would warn their children about me. I became someone others avoided — someone they had already given up on.

At only nine years old, I had already fallen into vices. What began as curiosity slowly became addiction. As I grew older, alcohol, cigarettes, solvent, marijuana, and drugs became part of my daily life. Sin no longer felt wrong — it felt normal. Eventually, I crossed a line I once thought I never would: I began selling drugs. What I thought was easy money became the chain that enslaved me.

I became deeply involved with different women,

gangs, and a well-known fraternity. My life revolved around fights, street rumbles, and causing trouble in our barangay. I was constantly called to the Guidance Office at school. I would stop studying, then return again, pretending to change — all while secretly selling drugs to fellow students. I was living a double life, and it was destroying me from the inside out.

In 2019, right after I turned 18, I was arrested. The weight of handcuffs on my wrists felt lighter than the weight of guilt and shame in my heart. I spent one year in prison. When I was released in 2020, I promised myself I would change — but without Christ at the center, my promises were empty. I fell right back into the same sinful lifestyle and was arrested again for the same case. It seemed like my story would only repeat itself.

On September 2, 2024, I was finally released. I was tired — not just physically, but spiritually. I was tired of sin. Tired of running. Tired of being trapped in darkness. And it was in that brokenness that God met me.

Joining the 1000 Missionary Movement (1000MM) became the greatest turning point of my life. It was not just a training program; it was a divine rescue. It was God’s way of pulling me out of the pit and giving me a new name, a new heart, and a new direction. Through His powerful grace and the unconditional support of 1000MM, I was transformed from the inside out.

God broke the chains that had bound me for years — especially drug dealing, which had enslaved me for so long. He taught me how to truly pray, not with empty words but with a surrendered heart. He taught me respect, humility, obedience, and discipline. He showed me how to value people and appreciate even the smallest blessings I once ignored. For the first time, I began living with purpose instead of chaos.

In my mission field in Mindanao, God placed me among communities and young people who were struggling — some walking the same path I once walked. As I conducted Bible studies, joined house-to-house visitations, participated in youth programs, and engaged in community outreach, I was not just teaching lessons. I was sharing my life — my brokenness and God’s redemption.

I prayed with individuals battling addiction, and my heart ached because I understood their struggle. I encouraged discouraged youth who felt hopeless, just as I once did. I visited families and built relationships that opened doors for the gospel. And I witnessed something beautiful: people who were “like me” began to believe that God still had a plan for them.

God did not use me because I was perfect. He used me because I was changed.

1000MM did more than train me for mission. It patiently shaped my character, restored my dignity, and helped me become the man God always intended me to be.

They believed in me when the world had already labeled me a failure, I am no longer identified as a criminal or an addict. I am a servant of God. My life has moved from prison to purpose, from darkness to light, from lost to sent.

All glory belongs to Christ alone. And my heart will forever be grateful for the grace of God and for the 1000 Missionary Movement, which He used to change my life.

Name: John Paul B. Aparece ( 64th Batch Missionary)

Missionfield: Pange,Siayan Zamboanga del Norte