LIVING AN INTENTIONAL LIFE:
FROM BEING A FACTORY WORKER TO BECOMING AN AUTHOR,
PREACHER, PASTOR, INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY LECTURER, AND CONFERENCE SPEAKER…THIS IS ARIEL'S STORY.
“Our greatest achievement is not really in what we’ve done for ourselves,
but in what we’ve done for others.”
- Ariel Cruz Bernardo
Indeed, success is not a one-time event but it is a result of daily perseverance coupled with genuine commitment. Ariel Cruz Bernardo, a former OFW factory worker in South Korea has become an epitome of a successful and world-class PINOY OFW.
Despite the Dirty, Difficult, and Dangerous jobs in Korea, Ariel (36 yrs. old) has managed to work with excellence, living beyond the normal life of a typical Pinoy OFW. Since he worked as an EPS worker in Korea at the age of 23, he has been able to boost the integrity of Pinoy workers, being able to surpass the expectations of his previous Korean employers. Because of his excellence at work, he would even receive additional monthly monetary bonuses from his previous employers because of his ability to learn quickly the skills needed in the job compared with his other co-workers and other nationality as well.
Ariel and his wife Jesalyn met in Korea in 2008 and later began to establish a very beautiful, loving and model OFW family. They now have three children, having two daughters namely Chrio and Raj and one son named John Winvic.
Ariel and his wife managed to finish their Masters Degree in Seoul for 3 years despite all the struggles and challenges of having little kids. Currently, Ariel has become a promising Ph.D candidate taking his Doctoral studies in Leadership in Yemyung Graduate University, where he has been tasked with lecturing leadership as well.
Ariel is fast-becoming a craftsman of charity works through his community involvement and contributions. He has helped his parents by building them a house in their province situated in Santiago City, Isabela. And they were all product of his tears and sweats while working as a factory worker abroad. He was also able to support his siblings by sending College monthly allowances to his youngest brother who is now also a great channel of blessings to the family and to the Filipino community as well.
Through his startup help, his brother has put up his own business/company and started helping others in the area of employment. Meanwhile, Ariel has been able to help his younger sister in her early stage of marriage by allowing her and her family to use the house he purchased as an OFW in Korea. He has even helped his old parents to have a very romantic and enjoyable vacation in South Korea for a couple of times already, showing his gratefulness and gratitude for their love and kindness as his model parents.
Ariel has been a clear model not only as an OFW family but also a model son to his parents. He has been sending regular financial help to them even if his parents were not that type of parents who would ask for money or regular support from their children.
All Ariel’s siblings are all Professionals now: His eldest brother after finishing his BS Accountancy Degree has been promoted to become a Manager in accounting department of an International Company based in the Philippines. Now, his younger sister is also a Head Area Manager of Western Union Branches in Laguna, while his youngest brother has been a regular recipient of his Company’s Sales Awards as a very promising Sales and Marketing Expert. Now, Ariel’s youngest brother whom he helped sustain and provide allowances during his tertiary education has now become a great channel of blessings to the family and the community by building his own business and opening doors for employment to others.
Ariel, otherwise kwon as LZO, has conducted International Leadership and Relationship Conferences and Seminars in South Korea, which were attended by various Foreign Missional Leaders from Asia and Africa. He has also trained and mentored leaders who are now powerfully leading local churches in South Korea (Seongnam, Yangju, Pyeongtaek and many others). He has also impacted International and other Local Christian leaders who have expressed their desire to be under his Spiritual Leadership.
Because of Ariel’s wealth of experience with his unwavering integrity, he has been invited to speak overseas in various Christian Gatherings, Leadership Conferences and has even attended Humungous International Christian Conferences and Seminars in South Korea, Australia and Hongkong.
Currently, he is conducting weekly visitations in various key cities in South Korea as he helps our “kababayans” through counseling, medical assistance, counseling, and some advices as he shares the pure Gospel of salvation and at the same time look for possible locations for Church planting. In only a span of 5 years since he became the Lead Pastor of DICM, the Church in Yongsan, (Seoul) has grown rapidly and was able to give birth to 3 daughter churches in Yangju city, Seongnam and Pyeongtaek City, and another one is to be launched soon in Pocheon area. Needless to say, the expansion of ministry means more influence and more transformed lives.
Ariel has rapidly stepped on and even climbed the ladder of Christian Leadership. He was elected by the majority of Filipino Pastors in South Korea in 2015 to be the General Secretary of Philippine Organization of International Ministers Evangelizing Nations-- POIMEN. He has been the General Secretary for three consecutive years. Through his office, he has initiated partnership with OWWA and the Philippine Embassy in Korea for some very effective Christian gatherings and workshops like the “ DISENYO, Graphic Design Workshop, cum Business Planning and Development.”He has organized various activities and has been personally helping our fellow Filipinos (OFWs) with their work-related problems regardless of their visa status in Korea.
He also became the core coordinators and organizers of the KAISA One Day event in May 2, 2014 together with Ps. Levi Arnan. The event was an initiative to express the sympathy of the Filipino people and the Philippine Nation as a whole to our Korean friends who deeply mourned for the lost of hundreds of students and teachers during the “Sewol Tragedy” when a certain passenger-ferry sank. This form of contribution has a wider impact for the economic partnership and bilateral ties between the Philippine nation and South Korea as a whole.
When it comes to economic contribution, Ariel Bernardo has exemplified a debt-free lifeas well, being a very credible inspirational and motivational speaker for OFWs worldwide. He was able toown house and lot in a very short span of time. He was able to purchase his own house (in Calamba City) in cash only in a span of 2 years through his unprecedented persistence and discipline.
Ariel who has been the Lead Pastor of Diaspora International Christian Ministries (DICM) for a couple of years, has been regularly (yearly since 2012) sending help through charity programs to our beloved poor “Kababayans” by sending relief goods, clothing, and other basic necessities to very poor places. Also, he initiated a program in Korea under his leadership, a program in DICM called “ALKANSAYA.” The purpose of this program is to collect money coins beginning the year and collect them all at the end of the year and eventually give it to poor families and their children.
Ariel, together with his wife also, went personally to the victims of the Typhoon Haiyan otherwise known as Yolanda in Tacloban, Leyte, wherein they bought and brought thousands of relief goods from the collected loving contributions of the Christian organizations they are leading.
Ariel’s contribution has not ended through his charity works and amazing leadership, He has also written very powerful books entitled “Unveiling Confidence,” “Bitamina Biblikal,” “Dynamite,” “Refreshing, ” and his newest book PABAON: The OFW’s Kit—“Ang gabay sa matagumpay na pangingibang bansa.” His books are also available in Amazon.com kindle edition. These books have reached Filipinos in different nations already and have greatly influenced the social development of various communities through his liberating thoughts and principles.
Some of his books have reached even the people in jails both in the Philippines and even in Korea. He would bring his very enlightening books and give it for free to those undocumented workers caught by the immigration officers. Through his craft in writing, he has been able to help fellow Filipinos who were in desperate conditions and even those who were in suicidal tendencies.
Many broken relationships have been restored through his powerful teachings, preaching and writing ministry. Some of the cases he has helped solved as part of social problems are adultery, drug addictions, broken families, crab and poor mentality, suicidal tendencies and many others. (For validation, you may personally conduct interview with the people and leaders whom he has touched and impacted).
He has volunteered in conducting regular visitation and counseling in various Filipino organizations in Korea in order to educate OFWs not only in the spiritual aspect of life but the social aspect as well. He has helped young Filipino Factory workers in Korea to have an open mind and always see the good and positive side in every situation. He has been assisting OFWs in successfully claiming their severance pay even those who have no working visa.
He has helped numbers of EPS workers solve their work-related problems (like delayed salaries, maltreatment at workplace, and depressions as mentioned earlier) by advising and educating them and even connecting them, if necessary, to the right authority such as the POLO office and OWWA of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul Korea.
He has given free copies of some of his books to the staff of the Philippine embassy through Ambassador Raul Hernandez. In doing so, he is helping to boost morale through simple acts of kindness and motivation.
Now, Ariel has regular motivational articles and video clippings on his Facebook wall in order to enlighten as many people as he can to be eventually effective people and citizens of the world. Some of his motivational video clippings have reached hundred of thousands of people already.
The success story of Ariel Bernardo was also published in one Magazine in Santiago City, Isabela, recognizing his great contribution to our society by becoming a very clear and great channel of inspiration to many Filipinos who are working domestically or abroad. In 2017, he was one of the nominees of the Model OFW Family of the Year, recognized by OWWA and DOLE.
In April 2018, Ariel was interviewed and featured by RTV Malacanang (Presidential Communications) as one of the most successful Global OFWs. Furthermore, he was named as the Huwarang OFW Family 2018 finalists, featured in GMA7, under CBN-Asia 700 Club TV program, where his story has impacted hundreds of thousands of viewers. Besides that, he also captured the attention of the multi-awarded broadcast Journalist Rey Langit and eventually featured his story in PTV4, Biyaheng Langit/Kasangga Mo ang Langit, where he was personally interviewed by Rey Langit and JR Langit for the said segment. And just recently, he became the Grand Winner of Bagong Bayani TV 2018 for for his success story, where he was rewarded a franchise business through PTV4 by one of the leading franchise brand in the Philippines named “Citrus Zone.”
Working and jumping from one industry to another, and from another to still another, without his strong commitment, perseverance and dedication, being a very successful OFW would be ridiculously impossible; from Showbiz industry ( GMA Network 7 as a Production Assistant (Talent) to become a supervising Editor under focus Entertainment, to broadcast industry ( DJ in FM radio station 91.9 FM), to Auto industry (Sales and Marketing Rep/Analyst at Ford Group Philippines), until finally living in a foreign land and facing greater challenges in the Manufacturing Industry.
Indeed, without Ariel’s passion towards success and intentionality, he wouldn't be able to get where he is right now. Through Ariel’s evident skills and extraordinary perseverance, which have gone far beyond academic achievements, he has been able to influence foreign employers to see Philippines as the source of the best skilled laborers among other foreign nations.
Now, Ariel remains unstoppable in his desire to help and make a big impact as he greatly influences Filipinos, especially OFWs, and as well as foreign nationals in South Korea. Moreover, through his teaching gift as a Graduate University Adjunct Professor/Lecturer in Seoul, Korea, he is making a huge influence to other nations as well.