Rodel
always believed in God and attributed this to his mother's influence
and strong faith in the Almighty. He was 17 years old when Rodel
was touched by the message of the of the speakers in a Christian Youth
Conference held at Philippine Theological Seminary in Mariveles, Bataan.
Rodel went forward to receive Jesus as his Lord and Saviour. After
the camp, Rodel became more active in church activities. Also
Rodel and our sister, Rosalie, and five of their friends formed
a singing group and they called themselves The New Sound. The
group sang in different churches and Christian television shows.
Rodel
earned a gold medal in a national oratorical contest with a piece entitled:
He
knew that he wanted to serve the Lord but at the back of his mind was
a burning ambition to make it in the entertainment world as an actor-singer.
He bargained with the Lord to give him a chance. Rodel recalled
giving that vow to God before he entered show business. Probably
out of teenage naivete or spiritual immaturity, he cried to God,
"Lord if only You will make me successful in
my singing career, I will use my talents to serve you."
But he forgot all about
that promise in the midst of his acceptance and recognition in the entertainment
world.
