When he was sentenced to life in prison for drug trafficking, it may have appeared that his life was over.
But Arnel Lupingay says incarceration is when his life truly began. It was in prison that he enrolled in a Bible school and encountered God in his cell. Arnel spent three years diligently studying the Word, and he soon noticed his life began to look different.
“The Lord called me and changed my life through the power of His word,” Arnel said. His life transformed, Arnel began sharing the Gospel with his fellow prisoners. He led an outreach and evangelism ministry, led Bible studies and eventually became the head pastor of the prison. He also met a Christian woman inside the prison, who became his wife.
In 2010, Arnel was miraculously released after serving twenty-four years of a life sentence. But it wasn’t long before Arnel wanted to go back.
“The Lord put a burden on my heart to go back and continue the ministry in prison,” he said. But as Arnel continued to minister behind bars, he realized there was a great need for formal Bible study lessons.
The Lord answered his prayer for Bible lessons when he was connected with Paul Tan, director of Crossroad Bible Institute’s Singapore office. Arnel is now partnering with CBI to bring lessons to Inagawan Prison in the Philippines.
“The reason why I want to work with prisoners is because I want to impart life to them. If God can miraculously change my life, I believe God will do the same for them,” he said.
Please keep Arnel in your prayers as he leads CBI’s ministry in Philippines. Pray for open doors to new facilities and open hearts of prisoners.
Graduates of CBI’s Great Truths of the Bible course in the Philippines with Pastor Arnel (far left)