We have been very blessed to serve God through the Light of Jesus Family founded by Bro Bo Sanchez who with his wife Sis Marowe, has inspired us, edified us to pursue the core mission of our faith community to Go and make disciples of all men. (Matthew 28:19)

Here we are during a recent pastoral visit of Bro Bo and Sis Marowe who have seen us through the twists and turns of our journey in building Feast Light Northwest London.

MISSION: LONDON

JOHN: In 2008, a friend invited me to join the Light of Jesus Family. Back then, I did not see the need to be part of a faith community— until two years after, in 2010.

I joined the Light of Jesus and began attending The Feast. To my amazement, I found The Feast indeed what people say it is: “The happiest place on Earth!”

I learned so much about God and His Unconditional Love, and I learned how to really pray and trust that He answers prayers.

One answered prayer that would significantly change my life was I found work abroad— in London. So, I migrated in 2010, got busy working…

But still I felt something missing in my life. It was the happiness I so felt at The Feast in Manila.

Little did I know, the year I arrive in London would be the very year the Light of Jesus Family would be established here— like God intended to prepare this faith community for me!

In 2010, Bro Roy Pasimio, International Missions director of our Light of Jesus Family, with his wife Rory came to London to start organizing our faith community in the United Kingdom.

By God’s grace, through the wonders of online media, I found out about the Light of Jesus Family in London. I promptly joined the community. And happily, i served in the Youth Ministry in The Feast.

But for some reason, our Feast Ministry lasted for only one year— up to 2011.

Though short-lived, The Feast— the Worship, the life-changing talks— never really died in my heart. I yearned to revive our Feast. With some co-members who wished the same as I did, I searched for a way to have our own Feast again.

FEAST LIGHT

HANNAH: In 2016, we found out the Light of Jesus has created the Feast Video— a group of five or more persons gathering in their home or workplace, wherever, to have their little Feast, watching a video of the Feast in Manila, complete with Bro Bo Sanchez preaching the topic for the week. A small, yes, a light version of our Light of Jesus community, the Feast Video is now aptly called the Feast Light.

One model, we found out, was the Feast Light Basingstoke. Just an hour’s drive from London, Basingstoke is the largest town of Hampshire, a market town located in south-central of England.

We went to Basingstoke to see how the leaders did their Feast. And the leaders, bless them, helped us launch our Feast Light Northwest London on October 1, 2016.

Designated as our Feast planter, John has endeavored to keep our Feast alive, together with our selfless, committed co-servants, all of us relying of course on God’s loving grace. We started as a Feast Video.

Here is our announcement calling for attendees:

“God wants to bless you! Come and join the happiest place on Earth at the Feast Video London with Bro Bo Sanchez’s video talk at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Clergy House, every Saturday at 3:00 PM.”

A FAMILY FAR AWAY FROM HOME

JOHN: Europe is a 15-hour journey from the Philippines and the airfare is costly. So having a second family here, in this place so far from home, is a very big blessing.

My mentor in The Feast, Bro Wilmer Enriquez, an elder and one of the preachers from the previous Feast, made it clear to me that being with The Feast, you can feel that you have a family, a very big one all over the world. And it’s true. We are beyond grateful that family is our Feast Light Northwest London.

FIRST ANNIVERSARY

On October 7, 2017, we celebrated our first founding anniversary in Kilburn, London— with Holy Mass, Praise and Worship and a fun Anniversary program centering on the theme Arise!

HANNAH: While planning for our celebration, we had this weird idea to invite members of other Feasts to send us greetings via video— which we knew would thrill our members immensely.

Bro Jon Idago, leader of Feast Brussels, came with his team to celebrate with us— establishing close brotherhood between Feast Brussels and Feast London.

When Feast Brussels celebrated its third founding anniversary in May 2018, we made a last-minute dash to apply for visas to get to Brussels, and by God’s amazing grace, Feast London was there with Feast Brussels rejoicing with them on their Year 3!

In September 2018, Feast London mounted our Kerygma Grand Feast. And a brother from Feast Palma de Mallorca from Spain came to support us. Yes, just like at The Feast in Manila and the rest of the world, God’s Love wraps us warmly with our brothers and sisters in Feasts in this faraway place.

I LOVE LIFE

JOHN: God’s Love has been well manifested through pastoral care of our leaders.

Bro Vic Español, region head of Feast International, asked us what we wanted to happen when he comes for a pastoral visit. We told him what we had always longed for: a Retreat, a time of stepping back to God, to weigh out our bearing, what God really wants us to do for Him and the people He has entrusted to us to take care of.

And so we had the Retreat, dubbed I Love Life, held at YHA Downs— a Youth Hostel Association facility near the south coast of England, home to the South Downs Chalk Hills, a stretch of hills extending 260 square miles.

We thought we would just have a small group— 15 persons max. But attendance simply grew 30— people from various parts of London, seeing our Retreat announcements on Google, promptly booking trains to get to our venue. Amazing!

HANNAH: My mother-in-law, Edna Magayanes, a member of our Intercessory Ministry, thought of making the experience more special by crafting rosaries— one for each participant.

“This is our chance to make a mark on the life of each participant,” she pointed out. “So, we’ll make this retreat worth remembering by giving them something that is full of effort and love.” We also gave away souvenir key chains.

WE SERVE GOD, HE SERVES US

JOHN: Yes, as we give our best to serve God, God, as we know fully well, is never outgiven.

In July 2018, our Feast Light Northwest London attended a meeting with Bro Bo and Sis Marowe with members of Feast Lights from the United Kingdom and some other members from Feasts all over Europe. Held at Our Lady of Willesden church in London, the meeting gathered a big crowd.

Sis Stonney Sabinorio, a member of our Youth Ministry, was assigned to lead Worship. She had not led Worship at all before a big crowd, not to mention before such special visitors. So, she was jittery, worried that she would goof. To make matters worse, riding a bus on the way to our venue, Sis Stonney could not find her bus pass and visa biometric card— a most valuable proof of her legal stay in the UK.

Try as she might, she could not hide her anxiety. Not from Bro who apparently has long practice, if not natural instincts, for saving people in distress. Before the start of the event, Bro Bo kindly prayed over Stonney. And Stonney calmed down enough to be able to lead Worship— her trouble igniting a fervent passion in her, so infecting, she brought us all to rousing praises for our God. There was hardly a dry eye among those who knew what she was going through.

But the story does not end there. After our event, I received a phone call from the driver of the bus Stonney rode in. He found Stonney’s cards! And how did he find my phone number? He also saw in the bus a flyer about our event— where the contact numbers were my phone numbers.

This, to me, is an inspiring experience— God assuring us that while we are busy pursuing the mission, He assigned us, He is also busy attending to His own mission to take good care of us.

SERVING AS A FRONT LINER — GOD’S PROTOCOL

HANNAH: I work as health care assistant in a hospital in London. I am a medical front liner. That is the job I so love.

My calling, and my big blessing, is also to be a front liner — at home as wife and mother, and at the mission field God has sent John and me.

As planter of Feast Light Northwest London, John leads the weekly Feast and special events like our recent Retreat, dubbed I Love Life, held at YHA Downs on March 7, 2020.

Planning, organizing, calling participants— mounting the Retreat was no joke.

To concentrate on assisting John, I swapped schedules with co-employees in the hospital so I could have free days for the Retreat.

Exhausted after the event, I prayed for at least two days rest before going back to work.

Then, I found out my husband’s younger brother began feeling symptoms of what might corona virus infection. Like, he could be a Patient Under Investigation (PUI) or Person Under Monitoring (PUM).

So, hardly had I made up for my absence because of the Retreat, I had to ask my manager for another leave— I figured just a day or two— so I could help attend to my family’s needs. To my surprise, my manager gave me a whopping 14 days leave— the protocol for anyone going anywhere near a corona virus PUI or PUM. But it turned out, what my brother-in-law had was not corona virus— plain fever.

Now, I knew our hospital needed front liners to attend to corona virus patients already filling up our renal wards where I am assigned. I heard one of our staffs was already down with the virus. I empathized with my colleagues and worried even more for my patients. The hospital made sure they were safe from infection, but still, in my heart, I wanted to be with them to assure them that they would be okay. So, I told my manager I was already okay to go back to work.

But she said, “Follow the protocol.”
It would be God’s protocol for me.
Although I had established, I didn’t have the virus, I had to observe the prescribed 14-day quarantine. I stayed home. Yes, instead of just the two or three days I asked the Lord so I could rest from the Retreat service, I had clearly two weeks to be with my family, especially taking care of our eldest son who’s four years old.

Then, I felt it. An instinct. I went for a check-up and on April 14, 2020, the test showed I was pregnant! So, my manager deemed it proper to give me a longer leave.

Now, I am off the ward. No COVID assignments. Nor I am affected. Instead, I am safe at home, attending to my family.

A long time ago, my mother told me I am God’s spoiled child. Hmmm, I think she is right.

Yes, as we follow Him and pursue the mission, He gave us, Jesus is always here, never ever leaving us. Thank You, Lord!

PREPARED FOR THE PANDEMIC

JOHN: Nowadays, heartbreaking as it may be, the Community Quarantine to contain the spread of the menacing corona virus has brought us even closer with our Feasts in Europe.

Feast Milan in Italy has mounted an online Feast Video and so we have been having Feasts together with our co-members in Feast Europe. I hope and pray we will all meet in a Live Feast when this pandemic is over.

No, this virus is failing to cow us down.
For God prepared us well to be brave and strong amid this ordeal. We planned to hold the Retreat long before the corona virus was making headlines. But mishaps, glitches of all sorts delayed the retreat.

I knew then the Enemy was at work but so was our big God. And He won.

The delay only set our Retreat on God’ Perfect Time — just when we needed to be strong as the virus was creeping into Europe.

During the retreat, filled with the Spirit, we learned to rally together as prayer warriors for each other. And so now, even as the pandemic is wreaking havoc around us, we have family, we have each other — anytime, we can call each other for comforting, calming prayers. We are each the assurance that God is with us!

For it is He who called is and placed us here in London for His purpose as we learn from Matthew 4:19: As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were fishermen. “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of men.” And at once they left their nets and followed Him.

Like Simon and Andrew, we have our own Sea of Galilee. A river, the River Thames, runs through London, and another river, the River Loddon, streams also within the area of Basingstoke, meeting up with the River Thames.

No, we do not go fishing. We are near rivers apparently to remind us that we are, as Jesus called us, fishers of men.

By His Grace, we humbly follow His mandate to His apostles, which is now the core mission of our Light of Jesus Family to Go and make disciples of all men (Matthew 28:19).

In the midst of this pandemic, that is what makes us unafraid.

– Bro John and Sis Hannah Magayanes, Feast Light Planters of Feast Light Northwest London