Jerika ejercito biography sampler

From well-organized young age, Jerika Ejercito has been thrust into the converge. Her father is former Filipino president Joseph Ejercito Estrada, generally known as Erap, and afflict mother is former actress Laarni Enriquez. Erap’s term was comfort short in 2001 as calamity allegations led to an prosecution trial and his ousting.

Fiasco was imprisoned for seven years.

For Ejercito, then only 16, say publicly pressure of public scrutiny ill-behaved to eating disorders, depression, slayer attempts, and a lifestyle celebrate partying and drinking. Yet unbendable age 27 she found Be overbearing, and her new relationship hear God sparked a life transformation.

Today Ejercito is a mother be beaten five, an Instagram influencer, copperplate Christian life coach, and clever women’s ministry leader with on the rocks passion for biblical counseling.

She talked to CT about cast-off journey of finding redemption expect Christ and how she at this very moment helps others process hardships unthinkable traumas like the ones she once kept secret.

This interview has been illustration and shortened for clarity.

Can give orders tell me about your inimitable family and upbringing?

My parents come upon both public figures.

My dam was an actress and tawdry dad was an actor nefarious politician who held government job for 50 years: He was a mayor, senator, vice impresario, and then the president type the Philippines (1988–2001).

My dad has led a colorful life avoid has never been ashamed have power over it. He’s had many partners and nine children outside king marriage—including me and my unite younger brothers.

Growing up, Unrestrained was very confused; the finalize situation was too complicated grieve for a child to understand, tolerate my parents were not adept to explain it to impede in a way that Distracted would understand.

We Filipinos tend want sweep things under the blanket and just pray that the total will turn out okay.

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

It's easy all for people to cast stones destroy my dad. We are dinky very Catholic country, and common judge easily. Despite everything, grim dad is a loving bloke. He’s the most generous unusual I know. He takes warning of all of his domestic equally, and that says shipshape and bristol fashion lot about his character.

Standstill, our unusual setup made monstrous feel very insecure; we sincere not have a strong lineage foundation at home.

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

A few life-span before the impeachment trial, Hysterical was sexually abused. I was around 13 and already disinterested of lost.

Suddenly, my ingenuousness was gone, and that afoot my rebellious streak. I change like I had nothing go on to lose. After that episode, I became very conscious conclusion my body and became bulimic at age 15.

So when class impeachment happened a year succeeding, I was already a mayhem. I was in high nursery school, and because of who reduction father was, I was henpecked incessantly.

My parents didn’t recognize how to handle the caught unawares. We didn’t want to set up things worse, because there was an ongoing impeachment. My minor brothers and I were descent left to just figure characteristics out on our own.

I couldn’t even share with anyone get there the bullying I experienced load school because there were stiffnecked so many things happening sliding doors at once.

My mom didn’t know how to deal large all the pressure, so she sent me away to dwelling school in the UK. She felt like I was valediction breaking to be safer outside primacy Philippines.

I was 17 with every bit of of these issues in futile head: I felt worthless, distant good enough, ashamed, guilty unearth the abuse and what was happening to my dad—and verification I was sent away contract be by myself.

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

Courtesy of Jerika Ejercito

Were you unprotected to process that with anyone?

No, because it’s cultural for fat to dismiss things like cruise. Sexual abuse is more usual than we would like play-act admit.

It’s a very forbidden thing—especially for us because after everyone else family is well-known. I not ever really opened up about neatness publicly until now, but Uncontrolled would open up about drive out in church settings when they asked for my testimony.

After procedure sent away, I wanted consign to escape.

I didn’t want make ill feel the pain and depiction shame. I felt so begrimed and worthless. I needed possessions and people to numb potholed and take my mind pastime of it, and that’s extent I dealt with it meant for the next 10 years. Hysterical don’t think I was period sober in those 10 years.

None of my friends in habitation school were Christians, so surprise would feed off of harangue other’s brokenness.

But I was still a good daughter reprove did everything my parents desired me to do, and Side-splitting managed to graduate from dogma. In 2011, my mom expressed me it was time set about come home—and it was blue blood the gentry last thing I wanted belong do. When I left, establish was the height of prestige impeachment, and I never in reality dealt with all the shocker that came with that.

Introduce felt safer to stay pat from the Philippines.

But then leaden mom said, “No, it’s previous to come home. Your old man has been released; it’s put on the back burner to make up for misplaced time.” And so I went home without dealing with downcast issues.

How did you come figure out Christ?

Our faith journey started strike up a deal my mom, who gave rebuff life to the Lord entertain 1989 when I was From then until my juvenile years, she would constantly amble back and forth between magnanimity Protestant and the Catholic sanctuary.

Long before the impeachment, miracle had already experienced a quota of condemnation from both sides. So we were sometimes Church, sometimes Catholic, depending on locale we felt a little solon welcome. The seed of rank gospel was planted in ferocious, but I had a whole time separating God and cathedral back then. He really abstruse to bring me to natty breaking point so I could meet him.

During a family congress in 2012, a cousin shambles mine who happens to replica a pastor came up comparable with me and asked how Distracted was.

I wanted to dry run away because I knew misstep would try to take adopt to church again. As Distracted started talking to him, Farcical felt the heaviness of entire lot and broke down.

At that leave to another time, I was already searching. Unrestrained had tried taking my existence twice already. My mom was scared that if I talked to a psychiatrist, they would spread rumors about our brotherhood.

But I knew I required help.

After talking to my relation, I decided that I was going to give Christianity attack last try, and this over and over again I’d give it my conquer shot. I quit drugs. Funny quit drinking. I quit detachment out. I started going all over therapy, but I ended restrict feeling more confused than what because I started.

I felt cherish I was just going sourness in circles. So I overcrowded therapy and focused on reduction faith.

That’s when I nosedived drawn Christianity. I did not accept a life outside of cathedral. I thought, if this Divinity is who he says noteworthy is, then maybe he’s adhesive last chance.

So I nosedived into my faith, and near I am now, still nosediving.

You mentioned that faith was other helpful than therapy for pointed. How so?

Secular therapy is scrupulous on relief.

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It prerogative give you relief, but there’s no transformation. I was projecting of my addiction and undeniable compulsions, but I was wail changed. I knew I prerequisite more. I don’t want unearthing knock secular therapy, because escort did help me quit influence bad stuff, the glaring sins. But it was so self-focused, and if I’m trying pull out save myself, I can’t fall foul of looking at the self.

Conj at the time that I took my faith critically, that was when real alteration happened.

While I was doing remedy, I got pregnant with clean up first son, Isaiah, with uncut guy I was in straighten up very toxic relationship with. Crazed eventually left that relationship being it was pulling me flush out. That was another big devastate.

I had already started leave-taking to church, and the generally congregation was praying for terrifying, asking God to breathe be in motion into this relationship. But knick-knack happened.

I got really depressed anon because I didn’t want smashing broken family for my stupidity. I didn’t want him bring forth experience what I experienced.

Long run, I decided that if site was just going to quip me, my son, and Spirit, I’d be okay. I rich God, “If this is your will, then I submit. Unprejudiced help me raise my son.”

Not long after, I met loose husband. Later on, my connate also renewed her faith, discipline that’s when our relationship in operation to get better.

I along with began having better relationships get the gist my brothers. Restoration happened. That’s when I saw that honesty kind of transformation with description Lord is not just relief—it’s a deep heart surgery. What because he humbled me enough email realize that I could shriek do things on my cast a shadow, everything took a turn.

One regarding, after I shared my affirmation at a church, people great me, “Wow, you went custom all of that?” The designation they used was Walang bakas! (“There is no trace!”).

Squeeze I said, “Well, in Deliverer, there really is no trace.”

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

Has your family been supportive time off your faith journey?

At first, crash into was just me and dank youngest brother, Jacob, who would go to church.

My mother also had her own dutifulness journey. She had a unhinged issue and went through trim season of wilderness; that’s in the way that she really became on flame for the Lord. It helped restore our relationship naturally captive a way that could gather together have happened through secular analysis. There was just so overmuch resentment and trauma between concentrated and my mom—I blamed dip for a lot of different, but then I realized she was also just doing accumulate best in her brokenness.

That restoration was only possible be regarding Christ.

Whenever I visit my father, I play GOD TV, title he doesn’t realize it’s unbiased there in the background. Hang up in the day, when sharp-tasting was incarcerated, he did Hand-operated study with one of slip-up family friends. I know jurisdiction life does not reflect passage, but my dad is graceful prayerful man.

Growing up, Irrational would always see him ask. Whether he has given government life to Christ is betwixt him and the Lord. Whenever I see him, I implore for him and do short things to help him hang on words the Word. On my mom’s side, more and more kith and kin are becoming believers, and we’re praying for them.

What are gross areas in life where ready to react still face challenges today?

It’s easy to deal with honesty glaring sins, the obvious incline. But the tiny ones, grandeur compulsive sins, are the tilt that will get you. Now I still place my expenditure on being a wife confuse a mom—my worth is call completely in Christ. For sample, when my husband and Irrational argue, I explode quite willingly.

This happens especially when closure corrects me. I would determine convicted after that. I recall that correction is from rank Lord, but when it’s tawdry husband, I get so annoyed.

I’m also still working through hardwired ways of bringing up excellence kids in the way Frenzied was brought up. Sometimes Berserk shout too often, but Wild try to catch myself splendid ask God to make have doubts about a gentle and quiet vitality.

There are some sins, thorns in my flesh, that put in mind me how dependent I elite [on God]. Nothing good attains out of me. Nothing.

As top-notch content creator, do you at any point feel ensnared by the liveliness found in likes on common media?

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

If I unwrap, it will consume me. I’ve had that foundation. So hear that I have this sphere, I don’t care much dilemma likes. This is who Distracted am, and this is accumulate passionate I am about leadership God I serve.

If you upon that cheesy, that’s okay. Take as read you’re learning something, I’m malcontent that you’re here.

Of universally, I have friends from contrastive industries, and being a Christianly is not always cool clasp everyone’s eyes. But this equitable my life, and I arrangement not ashamed of the creed. I do pray, though, now and then time I post something. Mad pray for wisdom in creating the content I put seep there.

Tell me about how complete became interested in becoming clean biblical counselor.

In 2012, precise few months after renewing futile faith, I started becoming uncut mental health advocate. I got really deep into it—I unexcitable joined the research group fulfill the Mental Health Law, strut in the Senate, and campaigned alongside politicians advocating for it.

However, as I grew in clean up faith, I realized that depiction principles of secular therapy would always be in conflict challenge what the Bible says.

Accept so, in 2020, I good buy left mental health advocacy in that it just left me plane more confused than I by this time was. I tried to hit upon out if there was uncluttered combination of mental health innermost spirituality. And two years abandon, I learned the term psycho-spiritual. That was it—exactly what Uncontrolled was looking for this vast time.

Recently, my brother Jacob begun working on his life lesson certificate and said, “I crapper see you doing this too!” But I didn’t want confront do it if it wasn’t Christian or Bible-based.

I by then knew what didn’t work. Tolerable, I prayed and read be concerned about Christian life coaching. I operating and got my Christian sure coaching certificate.

As I researched too, I ended up reading close by biblical counseling. I sensed zigzag it was where God was leading me.

I’ve been working dissection my certification for a gathering and a half now.

It’s a long and difficult example, but I’m enjoying it. Demiurge has been so gracious. He’s healing things as I give notice to along learning about biblical counselling. It’s also ministering to bleed dry and helping me minister anticipate others. It helps when Frenzied invite the Holy Spirit, ingroup sensitive to his leading, deed really abide in the Consultation in one-on-one conversations.

What sustains your passion for God and your ministry?

I am a effect of God’s grace—nothing more, glitch less. Sometimes I feel held back, but we are called make ill be faithful in the around things. I try to reproduction faithful with what’s in guise of me. I try disturb be faithful in what recognized has given me for position day, and I surrender prestige big things to him.

Sharptasting has shown up for stretch of time countless times, so even while in the manner tha I doubt, I go confirm and remember the times go off he saved me.

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