Joel Monasterio reached a breaking point. During what he describes as one of his life’s most intense and sad moments, he saw no hope. But, through what he believes was a divine intervention, Joel found himself treated by a Christian doctor who had just the right prescription.

“All the things around me were not good, and I got to the point where I was sick and tired of my life, and I tried to kill myself,” he says. “I was baffled, but God turned this desperate moment into the most meaningful one.”

Rushed into treatment, the doctor assigned to his case greeted him with these words: “Hi, Joel. I heard you tried to kill yourself. Why did you do that? Don’t you know God created you for His purpose?”

Joel recognized this as a turning point. He followed the doctor’s lead and prayed the sinner’s prayer.

“She preached to me a short gospel message, and I accepted Jesus right then and there,” Joel says.

Then the doctor asked, “Do you want to serve God to save people? Whatever you are going through, God will use it for His glory. Many people need you. You just don’t know that yet.”

But this physician, representing the Great Physician, wasn’t done.

“You are now saved to serve. Are you ready? Do you want this? Do you want to lead others to experience the deliverance you have today?” she challenged.

“I felt a fire in my belly, and I was excited. I said ‘yes!’”

Unfortunately, that spiritual high did not last.

“After I accepted Jesus into my heart, I wanted to continue to live my life the way I wanted. I continued in sin and was very immature. I didn’t know anything about the Bible. I didn’t even know what God did for me exactly,” Joel admits.

Little by little, however, he began to understand biblical truths, he adds.

“Some were easy to accept, and some were hard because of my mindset.”

God was patient with Joel. Over time, Joel came to realize the Father’s love for him and the sanctification process in-store through the work of the Holy Spirit.

“As I walked on my new journey, I learned that God’s will matters and that I can live in obedience and holiness for Him with His help.

“God has changed my hard heart into a wholly sanctified one; now I seek the Creator to live for Him according to His purposes and plans for my life. God’s will is best!”

Joel describes the period between his initial acceptance of Jesus and the time when the Holy Spirit began to take control of his life.

“I wanted to be Jesus’ follower,” he explains, “but I also didn’t want to accept the cost of following Him. It was hard for me to give up the comfort and responsibility that goes with proclaiming His Kingdom and to say goodbye to my family to share the gospel in other places.”

When his marriage fell apart, Joel found himself a single father of two little girls. He describes those times as “arduous.”

“Today, I can say that God never left me alone. He used every circumstance to draw me near Him to teach me who He is. God is more concerned with our development than (our) comfort, so we may be perfect and complete — lacking nothing.”

One extremely low point came when Joel had only $20 in his pocket, which was all he had to buy food for his two daughters. There was nothing in the fridge.

“I remember I said to God, ‘Lord, this is all I have, and You know what my family and I need during this tough period. Please help me. Help me with my unbelief! I want to know if You are with me and if You are listening!’”

The next day, Joel’s father came with groceries. Joel’s corps officer called with a job offer as a youth counselor during summer camp.

“My girls were able to be part of that camp, which motivated me to accept the offer,” he says. “God not only showed me His provision, but He also showed me His power. That was the moment the healing process started, and I moved forward with His help.”

Whether Joel realizes it or not, the “healing process” actually began years earlier when a God-ordained doctor diagnosed Joel’s condition and provided a prognosis that would change his life.

Joel’s call to Salvation Army officership came in 2013 through his involvement in the Hamilton Corps in Ohio. Hearing that call, he says, “God spoke to me with the exact words spoken when I first accepted Christ (in that medical facility): “You are saved to serve others!”

Cadet Joel Monasterio entered the Eastern Territory’s College for Officer Training in 2019 as a member of the Messengers of Grace session. His first appointment upon commissioning in 2021 was to the Paterson Corps in the New Jersey Division.

“I have grown in so many areas with my people, and I praise God for His work in all of us.”