A COTK Feature Story: CELEBERATING GOD’S FAITHFULNESS FOR 40 YEARS

You’re probably familiar with the significance of the number 40 in the Bible. Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness. The great flood lasted 40 days and 40 nights. It took the Jewish people 40 years to get to the Promise Land. A time period of 40 signifies a time of testing and a time of faith.

This holds true for Bro. Daniel and Sis. Cresencia “Cris” Martirez who has been married for 40 years! As they celebrate their 40th Anniversary on March 10th, they only have our Almighty Father to thank for bringing them this far, despite the numerous struggles they had.

Bro. Daniel being retrenched from a company he has worked in for 33 years, the family moving to Kalibo from Taguig and starting all over again, venturing into different jobs to make ends meet in the province, their family property almost foreclosed – these are just a number of what their family had to go through.

And yet their greatest challenge didn’t come until 2015, when Sis. Cris was diagnosed with Rectal Cancer Stage 2B in 2015. It was a very painful time for the Martirez family, most especially for Sis. Cris who thought her life was about to end already because of the unbelievable pain she experienced. During the operation, she cried out to the Lord and asked for a second chance to live so she can have more time for the people she values the most: her husband, her children Tzi and Mel, and her two grandchildren: Nathaniel Ani and Ansel Ian. She survived the ordeal by the grace and mercy of God, and the Martirez family considers it as their greatest blessing.

When asked how to make a marriage last for 40 years, they shared the following:

1) Make God the center of your relationship,

2) Misunderstandings will always be there, but practice patience and understanding,

3) Let love, joy, and peace prevail even in hard times

4) Seek wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit in every decision, and

5) Be thankful to God at all times.

Going back to the scriptures, the number 40 does not just symbolize a time of testing; it also signifies new life and new growth. The journey of Bro. Daniel and Sis. Cris as husband and wife is testament to this. As they celebrate their 40th Anniversary this year, they can truly say that beyond the pain and the challenges they had gone through, they are now experiencing new life and tremendous blessings. Indeed, great is God’s faithfulness in the lives of Bro. Daniel and Sis. Cris Martirez!