Before the Lord Jesus Christ came into their life, the family of Bro. Joel Malabad was living in the clutches of witchcraft. Their life was in darkness and truly miserable. His father left them even before Bro. Joel was born. His mother practiced witchcraft and spent her days being inebriated with alcohol (gin). There were days that she would be drinking from sunup until the morning of next day. She had become so addicted to alcohol that, one time, she even drank Clorox just to satisfy her mouth and throat, according to Bro. Joel’s testimony.
When Bro. Joel was only 4 years old, his witch mother had a quarrel with another witch in their neighborhood. That witch tried to cast her black magic on Bro. Joel’s mother to punish her, but she was unsuccessful. It turned out that his mother was more powerful than the other witch.
The angry witch set her sights on Bro. Joel instead, who was then an innocent and helpless 4-year old kid, pouring our all her wrath on him. And so, Bro. Joel suffered from the evil works of witchcraft for 2 long years. Thick black hair like that of a buffalo grew and covered his body. His head became long and pointed. His breast also became sharp like that of a chicken. But the most horrifying of all that he suffered was, whenever he ate even just a little, he would vomit it afterwards and the vomit was black and crawling with human maggots. Because of this, Bro. Joel became so thin he was skin and bones.
One day, someone shared the Gospel of salvation to his older brother. He was invited to the worship service of JESUS MIRACLE CRUSADE INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY, where, he was told, the Lord Jesus saves and heals through the leading prayers of their Beloved Hon. Pastor Wilde Almeda.
Because Bro. Joel’s older brother or kuya (older brother in Filipino) was desperate to help ease his small brother’s suffering, he wanted to bring him to the worship service of JMCIM. But the biggest obstacle was that, they couldn’t ask permission from their mother as she was a Roman Catholic devotee and they were scared to displease her.
What Bro. Joel’s kuya did was to steal him away without their mother’s knowledge. They snuck out through the window and when they were already at a safe distance from the house, Bro. Joel’s kuya cried out to God, “Lord, if You’re real in Jesus Miracle Crusade, please heal my brother and I promise You that we will serve You all the days of our lives!”
After the worship service that night, both brothers received the Lord Jesus Christ in their lives and were baptized in water in His name. A week after their baptism, Bro. Joel was completely delivered from the curse of witchcraft. Oh, hallelujah!
That happened in 1988. Both brothers, still very young then, served the Lord faithfully, singing in the choirs, beginning in Children’s Choir, Youth/Singles Choir, then in Jesus Finest Generation Choir. Bro. Joel’s kuya, Bro. Zaldy, sings in Adults Choir to this day.
In 1991, three years after the brothers were saved, their mother also received the Lord and was baptized in water in Jesus’ name. She surrendered her witchcraft paraphernalia to the church. During that time, she was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer and had been bleeding nonstop for months. Her doctors told her that she had only a very short time to live if she didn’t undergo surgery and chemotherapy. But because they did not have the monetary capability to pay such medical expenses and since they were already serving the Lord in JMCIM, they chose to trust in God for her healing.
Bro. Joel’s beloved mother was completely healed of her ovarian cancer. Hallelujah!
United, their family prayed for the father to come back to them. God answered this prayer as well. Bro. Joel’s father finally went back home to his family and he also received the Lord Jesus, freeing him from the bondage of his many vices.
To this day, Bro. Joel’s parents and the whole family are serving the Lord faithfully.
