Ivy Pearl B. Estrella | Philippines I am a sophomore in Ateneo de Davao University taking up AB International Studies, major in American Studies. I am thankful that I was brought up in a Christian environment. My father is a pastor in Digos City and other neighboring towns of Davao del Sur and my mother is a pre-school teacher in our church-school.I grew up in church and became very familiar with the Bible stories through Sunday school. I can still remember that my Sunday school teacher taught me that I am a sinner and will continue to commit sins because I am not perfect and I will surely go to Hell. She said that the only way for my sins to be forgiven and for me to go to Heaven is to ask God for forgiveness and ask Him to cleanse my heart of all the sins that I have done, and accept Jesus as my Savior and Lord so that He will live in my heart and thus, I will not go to Hell anymore. I grew up having that belief in my heart and every time that I committed a sin, I was afraid. Then doubts would rush through my mind again about whether I will go to Heaven or not. So, I quickly ask God for forgiveness and ask Him to purify my heart and accept Him again. Little did I know that it became a habit, to the extent that I cannot even recall how many times I have asked God for forgiveness and accepted Him as my Savior.I was already informed by my parents that after I graduate from high school I must first undergo a one-year course, CLC(Christian Life Certificate) at Doane Baptist Seminary in Iloilo City where they both graduated. They said that through this they would be more confident of me being able to handle my college life and not being easily influenced by the world. In fact, after I graduated from high school I was enrolled at Doane and I stayed in the ladies' dormitory for one year, together with the other seminary students.The lesson that I learned from the teachers there was the same as the lesson in Sunday school, but with more depth and emphasis. Throughout my one school year stay in the seminary, all the pastors and teachers stressed mainly about salvation that can only be attained by accepting Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior and that it is required to ask Him for forgiveness every time that I commit a sin. I really thought that that teaching was correct and I believed it with all my heart.Through the challenges of the sermons there, I was moved to serve God and to become a missionary, so

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