Equipped with unwavering determination and a servant heart, 47-year-old Pastor Eliseo has changed the lives of many in the district of Mangorocoro, Iloilo, through his church and the Transform program. With 13 years of experience serving as a pastor and four years as a member of ICM’s Thrive pastor network Eliseo can unquestionably testify to the tremendous amount of change that ICM’s program has made in his community.
The Thrive network has allowed Eliseo to establish relationships with other pastors, enabling him to share experiences and gain new insights in serving. Through ICM, he has realized his own goals for his community saying, “The situation of the people in the community pushed me to apply for Transform program. To empower them is our goal in applying for Transform and to lift them out of ultrapoverty through VHL.” Personally, he thanks ICM and the Thrive network for helping him discover his leadership potential and for developing his skill as a pastor.
Mangorocoro Ajuy, the area where Pastor Eliseo’s church is located, is situated on a coast, meaning people’s livelihoods are built around fishing. Transform introduced many alternatives to fishing which enriched the entire community. “ICM created in the heart of each participant a mindset in which they were able to innovate ideas, develop leaders and transform the lives of its members,” he shared.
Pastor Eliseo highlighted the fact that through the program people rely on God more and recognize their need for his presence in their lives, therefore, people’s attitude and outlook on life have changed for the better. Furthermore, Pastor Eliseo was most impressed with the Prevail savings groups, explaining that it encouraged cooperation and brought the community closer together as the savings groups required trust and teamwork. Eliseo would add that these savings groups “change lives” and can “save families in times of need.”
Pastor Eliseo is a firm advocate for Thrive and Transform , saying “The Transform Program is very applicable to our situations. We are in a period where there are things that can distort the lives of individuals leading to severe poverty and affecting the relationships within a family. Transform Program is the answer for that.”
Written by Andrea Lui