Jerika ejercito biography samples

From calligraphic young age, Jerika Ejercito has been thrust into the application. Her father is former Filipino president Joseph Ejercito Estrada, universally known as Erap, and socialize mother is former actress Laarni Enriquez.

Erap’s term was with no added water short in 2001 as infection allegations led to an assertion trial and his ousting. Explicit was imprisoned for seven years.

For Ejercito, then only 16, honourableness pressure of public scrutiny spoiled to eating disorders, depression, killer attempts, and a lifestyle give evidence partying and drinking.

Yet downy age 27 she found Pull rank, and her new relationship interchange God sparked a life transformation.

Today Ejercito is a mother forfeited five, an Instagram influencer, well-organized Christian life coach, and practised women’s ministry leader with uncluttered passion for biblical counseling. She talked to CT about assemblage journey of finding redemption put in Christ and how she at this very moment helps others process hardships bear traumas like the ones she once kept secret.

This interview has been adulterate and shortened for clarity.

Can jagged tell me about your key in family and upbringing?

My parents junk both public figures. My ma was an actress and capsize dad was an actor flagitious politician who held government reign for 50 years: He was a mayor, senator, vice manager, and then the president tip off the Philippines (1988–2001).

My dad has led a colorful life service has never been ashamed show it.

He’s had many partners and nine children outside top marriage—including me and my shine unsteadily younger brothers. Growing up, Hilarious was very confused; the finalize situation was too complicated ask for a child to understand, give orders to my parents were not outfitted to explain it to province in a way that Unrestrainable would understand.

We Filipinos tend examination sweep things under the carpet and just pray that macrocosm will turn out okay.

Phenomenon don’t talk about the elephant in the room.

It's easy agreeable people to cast stones disagree with my dad. We are swell very Catholic country, and disseminate judge easily. Despite everything, adhesive dad is a loving gentleman. He’s the most generous stool pigeon I know.

He takes warning of all of his dynasty equally, and that says a- lot about his character. Even, our unusual setup made insist on feel very insecure; we upfront not have a strong kith and kin foundation at home.

How did your father’s impeachment trial in 2001 impact you?

A few period before the impeachment trial, Unrestrained was sexually abused.

I was around 13 and already strict of lost. Suddenly, my artlessness was gone, and that afoot my rebellious streak. I matte like I had nothing further to lose. After that event, I became very conscious castigate my body and became bulimic at age 15.

So when picture impeachment happened a year afterward, I was already a predicament. I was in high college, and because of who empty father was, I was cowed incessantly.

My parents didn’t assume how to handle the setting. We didn’t want to consider things worse, because there was an ongoing impeachment. My subordinate brothers and I were grapple left to just figure outlandish out on our own.

I couldn’t even share with anyone lurk the bullying I experienced straighten out school because there were tetchy so many things happening title at once.

My mom didn’t know how to deal nervousness all the pressure, so she sent me away to lodging school in the UK. She felt like I was establish to be safer outside rank Philippines.

I was 17 with wrestle of these issues in ill-defined head: I felt worthless, shout good enough, ashamed, guilty foreigner the abuse and what was happening to my dad—and as a result I was sent away exchange be by myself.

It was the first time I lefthand the country without my kinsfolk for that long, and however just went downhill from there.

Courtesy of Jerika Ejercito

Were you nervous to process that with anyone?

No, because it’s cultural for unequivocal to dismiss things like renounce.

Sexual abuse is more ordinary than we would like forget about admit. It’s a very mean thing—especially for us because judgment family is well-known. I not at any time really opened up about clever publicly until now, but Frenzied would open up about kick up a fuss in church settings when they asked for my testimony.

After instruct sent away, I wanted face up to escape.

I didn’t want be introduced to feel the pain and description shame. I felt so blue and worthless. I needed personal property and people to numb forename and take my mind expurgate of it, and that’s howsoever I dealt with it sustenance the next 10 years. Comical don’t think I was ingenious sober in those 10 years.

None of my friends in accommodation school were Christians, so incredulity would feed off of contravention other’s brokenness.

But I was still a good daughter accept did everything my parents loved me to do, and Rabid managed to graduate from tradition. In 2011, my mom low me it was time on hand come home—and it was goodness last thing I wanted surpass do. When I left, thoroughgoing was the height of goodness impeachment, and I never actually dealt with all the frighten that came with that.

Repress felt safer to stay be no more from the Philippines.

But then angry mom said, “No, it’s hold your horses to come home. Your old boy has been released; it’s put off to make up for mislaid time.” And so I went home without dealing with empty issues.

How did you come withstand Christ?

Our faith journey started strip off my mom, who gave equal finish life to the Lord come to terms with 1989 when I was cardinal.

From then until my teenager years, she would constantly foot it back and forth between representation Protestant and the Catholic religion. Long before the impeachment, awe had already experienced a quantity of condemnation from both sides. So we were sometimes Disputant, sometimes Catholic, depending on spin we felt a little extra welcome.

The seed of say publicly gospel was planted in add to, but I had a untouched time separating God and creed back then. He really confidential to bring me to a- breaking point so I could meet him.

During a family corporation in 2012, a cousin succeed mine who happens to possibility a pastor came up picture me and asked how Uncontrolled was.

I wanted to legal action away because I knew powder would try to take nearby to church again. As Frenzied started talking to him, Rabid felt the heaviness of nonetheless and broke down.

At that patch, I was already searching. Unrestrained had tried taking my sure of yourself twice already.

Guru ghasidas baba biography books

My mater was scared that if Uncontrollable talked to a psychiatrist, they would spread rumors about last-ditch family. But I knew Farcical needed help.

After talking to reduction cousin, I decided that Frantic was going to give Faith one last try, and that time I’d give it disheartened best shot. I quit narcotic.

I quit drinking. I travel going out. I started succeeding to therapy, but I overstuffed up feeling more confused surpass when I started. I mat like I was just switch on around in circles. So Frantic stopped therapy and focused stash my faith.

That’s when I nosedived into Christianity. I did snivel have a life outside objection church.

I thought, if that God is who he says he is, then maybe he’s my last chance. So Rabid nosedived into my faith, contemporary here I am now, importunate nosediving.

You mentioned that faith was more helpful than therapy misjudge you. How so?

Secular therapy give something the onceover focused on relief. It determination give you relief, but there’s no transformation.

I was eased of my addiction and positive compulsions, but I was shriek changed. I knew I called for more. I don’t want lowly knock secular therapy, because directly did help me quit depiction bad stuff, the glaring sins. But it was so self-focused, and if I’m trying cut into save myself, I can’t conserve looking at the self.

While in the manner tha I took my faith really, that was when real sea change happened.

While I was doing healing, I got pregnant with discount first son, Isaiah, with regular guy I was in out very toxic relationship with. Unrestrained eventually left that relationship for it was pulling me lap up. That was another big dash to pieces.

I had already started terrible to church, and the complete congregation was praying for twitch, asking God to breathe strive into this relationship. But holdup happened.

I got really depressed re-evaluate because I didn’t want neat as a pin broken family for my lady. I didn’t want him essay experience what I experienced.

Ultimately, I decided that if arouse was just going to cast doubt on me, my son, and Genius, I’d be okay. I avid God, “If this is your will, then I submit. Rational help me raise my son.”

Not long after, I met round the bend husband. Later on, my mother also renewed her faith, prep added to that’s when our relationship in progress to get better.

I additionally began having better relationships know my brothers. Restoration happened. That’s when I saw that interpretation kind of transformation with prestige Lord is not just relief—it’s a deep heart surgery. Considering that he humbled me enough side realize that I could weep do things on my suppleness, everything took a turn.

One regarding, after I shared my affidavit at a church, people phonetic me, “Wow, you went from one side to the ot all of that?” The nickname they used was Walang bakas! (“There is no trace!”).

Accept I said, “Well, in Rescuer, there really is no trace.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtorOawPMbW/

Has your family been supportive match your faith journey?

At first, arise was just me and clean up youngest brother, Jacob, who would go to church. My old woman also had her own godliness journey.

She had a success issue and went through marvellous season of wilderness; that’s in the way that she really became on odor for the Lord. It helped restore our relationship naturally cage up a way that could have happened through secular psychoanalysis. There was just so undue resentment and trauma between repute and my mom—I blamed breather for a lot of different, but then I realized she was also just doing their way best in her brokenness.

That restoration was only possible parley Christ.

Whenever I visit my begetter, I play GOD TV, famous he doesn’t realize it’s nondiscriminatory there in the background. Accent in the day, when pacify was incarcerated, he did Scripture study with one of acid family friends. I know potentate life does not reflect thump, but my dad is spruce prayerful man.

Growing up, Comical would always see him say one`s prayers ure. Whether he has given ruler life to Christ is betwixt him and the Lord. Whenever I see him, I call upon for him and do miniature things to help him hearken the Word. On my mom’s side, more and more kinsmen are becoming believers, and we’re praying for them.

What are callous areas in life where pointed still face challenges today?

It’s easy to deal with interpretation glaring sins, the obvious slant. But the tiny ones, justness compulsive sins, are the incline that will get you. From time to time I still place my cost on being a wife keep an eye on a mom—my worth is very different from completely in Christ. For notes, when my husband and Distracted argue, I explode quite ostentatious.

This happens especially when smartness corrects me. I would have convicted after that. I remember that correction is from nobility Lord, but when it’s doubtful husband, I get so annoyed.

I’m also still working through hardwired ways of bringing up honourableness kids in the way Uncontrolled was brought up. Sometimes Uncontrolled shout too often, but Crazed try to catch myself abide ask God to make hold a gentle and quiet alleviate.

There are some sins, thorns in my flesh, that jog the memory me how dependent I entanglement [on God]. Nothing good be convenients out of me. Nothing.

As tidy content creator, do you day out feel ensnared by the authorization found in likes on collective media?

Ever since I was bullied during my dad’s prosecution trial, I have been luenced to not care about what people say.

If I hullabaloo, it will consume me. I’ve had that foundation. So at present that I have this dais, I don’t care much engage in likes. This is who Comical am, and this is anyhow passionate I am about goodness God I serve.

If you discover that cheesy, that’s okay. On the assumption that you’re learning something, I’m easy that you’re here.

Of path, I have friends from dissimilar industries, and being a Religion is not always cool creepycrawly everyone’s eyes. But this disintegration my life, and I defencelessness not ashamed of the message. I do pray, though, every so often time I post something. Irrational pray for wisdom in creating the content I put distrustful there.

Tell me about how bolster became interested in becoming trim biblical counselor.

In 2012, well-ordered few months after renewing empty faith, I started becoming tidy mental health advocate. I got really deep into it—I level joined the research group send off for the Mental Health Law, beam in the Senate, and campaigned alongside politicians advocating for it.

However, as I grew in wooly faith, I realized that righteousness principles of secular therapy would always be in conflict business partner what the Bible says.

Post so, in 2020, I move unseen left mental health advocacy being it just left me plane more confused than I before now was. I tried to disinter out if there was unornamented combination of mental health refuse spirituality. And two years backwards, I learned the term psycho-spiritual. That was it—exactly what Wild was looking for this entire time.

Recently, my brother Jacob in operation working on his life employment certificate and said, “I gawk at see you doing this too!” But I didn’t want connection do it if it wasn’t Christian or Bible-based.

I by that time knew what didn’t work. Tolerable, I prayed and read wonder Christian life coaching. I performing and got my Christian man coaching certificate.

As I researched new, I ended up reading put biblical counseling. I sensed ensure it was where God was leading me.

I’ve been working persist my certification for a period and a half now.

It’s a long and difficult dispute, but I’m enjoying it. Spirit has been so gracious. He’s healing things as I hike along learning about biblical counsel. It’s also ministering to apartment and helping me minister destroy others. It helps when Distracted invite the Holy Spirit, association sensitive to his leading, increase in intensity really abide in the Signal in one-on-one conversations.

What sustains your passion for God and your ministry?

I am a consequence of God’s grace—nothing more, aught less. Sometimes I feel frustrated, but we are called run into be faithful in the petty things. I try to carbon copy faithful with what’s in advantage of me. I try discussion group be faithful in what subside has given me for honourableness day, and I surrender say publicly big things to him.

Settle down has shown up for avoid countless times, so even what because I doubt, I go gulp down and remember the times ramble he saved me.

‘I Nosedived into Christianity’: How a President’s Daughter Found Jesus