Benji and Hazel Cruz
The vision of Living Waters Philippines is to create a safe place for the hurting, broken and wounded where they can experience the healing touch of Christ.
Benjis involvement and eventual leadership of Living Waters, a healing ministry for the relationally and sexually broken, began from his own struggle with homosexuality. Lonely and hiding in churches for almost two decades, Benji lived a double life of doing active Christian service while living in secret sexual sins. He believed the lie that being true and honest with his struggle would disqualify him in the church whose acceptance and belongingness he desperately craved.
In His love and mercies, God brought him to the ministry of Living Waters in Thailand in 2000 and there began a beautiful journey of healing: from being unknown in the church to walking in the light with the prayers and support of the Body of Christ. In that process of humility and vulnerability, he got a new heart. Benji then interned with Desert Stream International Ministries, a global outreach bringing Living Waters to churches worldwide, and eventually became the director of Living Waters Philippines.
In 2002, Benji met Hazel who was part of a ministry team doing Living Waters in Manila. They got married in 2005 and have a three-year old son named Ezekiel. Since their marriage, they have been leading the ministry together full-time in binding the brokenhearted, setting the captives free, restoring troubled marriages, freeing those in different addictions — by pointing them all to the Cross of Christ!
After two healing conferences in 2001 and 2002, there have been Living Waters programs in different churches nationwide from 2003 to present, both for adults and teenagers. This year, a pilot Living Waters will be implemented in the Visayas, the countrys middle group of islands, for the first time. Aside from churches, this healing ministry is also going to schools and universities such as University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, St. Stephen in Binondo, Manila and Central University of the Philippines in Jaro, Iloilo.
Filipino graduates of Living Waters are also being sent as missionaries outside the country, as part of leadership teams of this healing ministry in different parts of Asia.
The vision of Living Waters Philippines is to create a safe place for the hurting, broken and wounded where they can experience the healing touch of Christ. It is to prepare the Church to be pure and undefiled for the coming of its groom Jesus Christ.
Please go to www.livingwatersphilippines.org to read more about our work.
Home Church: World Community Church, Pasig City, Philippines