By Mike Carganilla

As a seaman, I have worked under many captains on board various ships traveling across the oceans. But I am thankful that one day I met a Captain who has been the Guide for my life ever since.

I was brought up in a religious home, and because of my early training, I had a form of worship. We had many prayer books from the church in our home, but the Holy Bible was not one of them. I never heard the Word of God preached fully.

While I was in college taking on-the-job training as an apprentice, I met a man whose life made me take a good look at my own spiritual state. He lived quite simply and did not smoke. I felt that I lacked something, and conviction came on my heart that I should serve the Lord. I began taking part in worship services, but I had no assurance that my heart was truly right with God.

After my training period ended, I took a position with the National Shipping Agency of the Philippines. This was the beginning of my life as a seaman. I believed the words of God could be found in the Bible, so out on the ocean, I read the Bible after my duty and before going to bed. I felt they were inspiring words, and when problems arose, I turned to the Lord.

A sinful life as a seafaring man

Life on the sea was boring at times because of the long days that were much the same. I had much time to think. One day, I wondered if I was worthy to meet the Lord if something happened to me on the ship. But even though I worried about my eternal fate, I continued sinning. I drank much wine, and when we went ashore, I went to bars and nightclubs. Filthy words came out of my mouth and my mind was full of sinful thoughts. Still, I preached to my co-workers, professing that I was a Christian.

I am so thankful for God’s love and concern for me. Once, when I was drunk, I thought to read from the Bible. When I opened it, my eyes fell on words about drunkenness. I was really convicted for my bad doings and could not forget what I had read.

A heartfelt prayer

One day, after my watch was over, I went upstairs to watch a television show. When I sat down, the Holy Spirit told me to go back to my room. I could feel in my heart that it was the Lord talking to me, and I could not resist. Inside my room, I locked the door and took down a book by an evangelist about the new birth. I read about the time when Jesus told Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again,” and words about repentance and forgiveness of sins.

Then, I closed the book and prayed with all my heart. It seemed as if I saw the Lord on the Cross, with the Blood coming down from His hands and feet. I hid my face in my pillow, and tears flowed down my cheeks as I told the Lord I was not worthy of Him. I felt full of the blackness of sin, but then I heard a Voice saying, “My Blood was shed for the forgiveness of your sins.” I cried like a little boy and asked God to forgive me. When I reached out in faith and believed that He had done so, peace and joy came into my heart. In that moment, I knew I was saved through His precious Blood that was shed on Calvary for me.

Contact with the Apostolic Faith Church

After a few more voyages, my ship was loading logs in Tacoma, Washington. There, Gospel workers from the Apostolic Faith Church came to our ship. I was on duty downstairs, but someone rang for me. My shipmates knew I was a Christian, and wanted me to meet these men.

When I found out they had come from a church, I told one of the men what God had done for me. He asked if I had been sanctified. I did not understand what he meant by this, so he gave me a tract called, “Sanctification, the Second Work of Grace.” Then he invited me to attend their church. I went, and enjoyed it.

In the days that followed, I read the tract on sanctification and also the Bible verses about that experience. As I read, my heart became eager to receive it.

The next time we were in Tacoma, a brother took us to the Apostolic Faith Church in Chehalis, Washington, for a special service. While we were in the car, he told us to pray that the Lord would give us a special blessing that night. So I prayed the Lord would sanctify me. After the service, at the altar of prayer, the blessings of the Lord poured out on me again and the Lord gave me that beautiful second experience of His grace.

After the Lord sanctified me, I was so happy! As our ship headed for Japan, I began listening to tape-recorded sermons from the church. Every time I heard the words “baptized with the Holy Ghost,” tears flowed. I so wanted this experience of power in my life.

Hungry for more

The next time we went to a port near Tacoma, I phoned one of the men of the church. I told him, “I’m hungry for the Lord. Please pray for me.” And he joyfully said, “Yes, we’ll pray for you.” Of course I wanted to come to church immediately. They explained that the Apostolic Faith Church in Seattle was closer to my ship, so that afternoon, I took a non-stop bus to Seattle and went to the Apostolic Faith Church there. I was determined that I would not go back to the ship until the Lord gave me the witness of the Holy Ghost.

At the beginning of the service, my Lord poured out His mighty power and blessings upon me. When the pastor asked for testimonies, I immediately stood up and told how the Lord had saved me and cleansed me from my unrighteousness. Then, I slipped to my knees still glorifying the Lord, and I received the baptism of the Holy Ghost right there. How I praise the Lord for that wonderful experience!

From the time God saved me, He has kept me living a Christian life on the vessels I have been on. It is tough work sometimes. The temptations are really great because a seaman’s life takes him away from home, loved ones, and church. But, day by day, God has made it possible for me to overcome these temptations and live a victorious life for Him.

A heart-breaking loss

When I had a vacation back home in the Philippines, I went to the Apostolic Faith churches there. After a time, the Lord gave me a partner with whom to serve Him. God blessed our marriage, and she was a wonderful woman of prayer. However, a great sadness came into my life when the Lord called her Home at a young age, after we had been married for less than five years.

I found myself with two little girls, ages three and one. How could I tend to their needs? The enemy of my soul troubled me with agonizing thoughts. One night, in deep feelings of sadness, I knelt by my children’s bed and prayed to God. I told Him, “Lord, I cannot stand. I don’t have the power or strength to overcome this situation. Please show me the way.”

I will never forget the words the Lord spoke to my heart that night. He said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” When those words came into my mind, I said, “Lord, take control of my life.   Without You I cannot live.” And at that moment, I had peace.

Less than a year later, my application to another shipping company was accepted, and I had to leave my children in order to provide for their financial necessities. It was very hard to say goodbye to them, but I thank the Lord that He kept them in good health while I had to be away.

A new life partner

I knew that my children needed a mother, and I made this a subject of prayer before the Lord. He heard and answered. The oldest daughter of the woman who tended my children was the one whom the Lord picked as my partner.

Sorrow touched our lives a few years after our marriage, when the Lord took our two-year-old daughter, Annie Lynn, Home to be with Him. I remember how this little one used to sing short choruses like “I’ve got Peace Like a River,” and “Baby Jesus.” She gave us such joy during her short stay with us. Although the impact on our family was great, I thank God for the spiritual strength and comfort He gave to sustain my wife and me. It has drawn us closer to Him and helped us to grow deeper in our consecrations, especially in our service to Him. I have found that I can trust Him to help and guide us in every situation, and to comfort us in times like these.

Today, as I look back on what the Lord has done for me, I cannot count my blessings, they are so many. God has transformed my whole life. I want to serve Him as long as I have the breath of life.

Once a ship's officer, Mike Carganilla is now a minister of the Apostolic Faith Church in La Union, Philippines.