The Moonlight Assassin

Welcoming

Still terrified by what happened, Miguel thought that he could no longer escape the wrath of his arch-enemy Alexander who still lives in his body. But the vision that he had seeing angels protecting him and being in a suit of armor gave him hope to defeat the monster inside of him.

That early morning, he found himself being in a mood for prayer and meditation. He reached out a pamphlet given to him by his friend Dr. Komar. There he began praying to the Lord:

"Lord, I wanted to quit fighting my enemy. He seems too strong for me. He seems too terrifying to me. I know he is determined to kill, steal, and destroy. But You told me that I can defeat the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of my testimony. That's why I want to quit fighting on my own. I surrender this fight to You, Lord. Help me be victorious, that's what I need right now. And may I pray that Alexander will see You purpose for him: if he's of the devil then so be it, but if there is a slight chance that he will turn to you, please change him, let him be put in a better place, a place without any stronghold. Amen."

After Miguel prayed, he check his calendar. That day was a Sunday. Tabby had been inviting him to attend church so that he can be able to experience what it's like to listen to the preaching of their pastor, Pastor Kevin Lee Francisco.

After breakfast, he readily went to his phone and called Tabby.

"Babe, how are you?" asked Miguel on the phone.

"I'm great, babe, are you joining us for church service today?", asked Tabby.

"Yeah, and can we talk after?", Miguel responded.

"No problem, but I think Dad might invite us for lunch. Well, see you later babe! Mwah!", said Tabby.

For the first time, Miguel headed to the All Nations Arise church in Masinop, another district in town. He arrived there an hour early, where he was greeted by the welcome ministers in the lobby. A welcome staff recognized him arriving for the first time.

"Welcome to Nations Arise church!", greeted the welcome staff, "May I know your name?"

"Um... I'm Miguel," he reluctantly answered.

"Don't worry, brother, you're welcome in church, why not spare some time in our refreshments area?", asked the welcome staff.

"Sure," Miguel agreed. He was led to another area of the building where he saw people smiling, talking, laughing, and praying. He was greeted by Mr. Travis Yang, an elder of the church. Travis is a young businessman who is a CEO of a logistics company in Masinop, and serves the church with his wife as one of the ministers under Pastor Kevin.

"Hello, sir! My name is Travis Yang, one of the serving elders here at Nations Arise Church! I heard your name is Miguel, right?", asked Travis.

"Yes, I'm Miguel. Miguel Mangubat," he said reluctantly.

"You look quite nervous coming onto here. Don't worry, we're good people here. Who invited you to come here to church?", asked Travis.

"Um... My girlfriend Tabitha Changco and her family," answered Miguel.

"Good to know, so you have been attending their small group, right?", asked Travis.

"Yes, I do, and it's been good. Well, coming here, it's quite nerve-wracking seeing all these faces so happy, so glad. I think I'll be fine," said Miguel.

"Indeed, brother. I believe God took you here for a purpose, and soon enough you can be with us regularly listening to God's message through our Pastor, Pastor Kevin. By the way, service will start in less than an hour so don't be nervous. Just enjoy the ambiance, okay?", Travis told Miguel. Travis handed him some snacks and a little pamphlet about the church.

Miguel skimmed through the church's pamphlet and saw the pictures of the Changco family and other members serving the church, praying for others, doing charity work, and having praise and worship. He smiled, knowing things will be alright.

A few moments later, the Changco family arrives at the church and saw Miguel at the refreshments area. The father Eli Changco was excited to see Miguel in church and hugged him.

"Welcome, brother. God has taken you here for something great," told Eli.

"Thanks, Sir Eli," said Miguel.

There they went to the main church hall and sat on the chairs. Miguel was on another column, a few chairs at a distance from Tabby.

Then, service began.