18/07/2026
When Kester was in elementary school, he struggled with reading and had a severe stutter. The bullying from his classmates was relentless. By the time he was in 4th grade, the shame and fear caused him to finally fight back. He soon became a bully himself, constantly landing in the principal's office.
But God was working in his life.
At 12 years old, Kester heard the gospel from a teacher and gave his life to the Lord. His dream was to teach children about their Heavenly Father, but college wasn't an option financially.
That is when his path crossed with Walk Thru the Bible. During the pandemic, our team in the Philippines trained Kester virtually to teach otLIVE (our interactive event that teaches the big picture of the Old Testament). Kester still had a stutter, but he persisted. The training gave him the confidence to finally overcome his fear of speaking in front of others.
Then came the ultimate full-circle moment: Kester’s former principal allowed him to return to his old elementary school.
This time, he wasn't sent to the office for fighting. He was there to teach 6th graders the Word of God! The kids connected with him so deeply that other teachers began asking Kester to come to their classrooms, too.
Today, at 22 years old, Kester is sharing the gospel in public schools across the Philippines.
"God and His Word changed me," Kester says. "And if He can change me, He can change others."
