Emanuel & Ashley Moreno - "From Party Life to Abundant Life"

When Emanuel Moreno was young, he attended several churches, taken there by various family members. Though he says he believed in God, he never lived for Him. Quoting Pastor Robert, Emanuel says he had a “drug problem;” he was drug to church! Manny says he would go in and never listen, oftentimes still sleepy from the night before and many times hung-over. He felt it was enough that he believed in God and that he would get around to getting serious about Him some other time. ”Not for me right now” he would tell himself..”I want continue to have fun.” While Manny was sure then that he would be missing out if he accepted Christ and lived for Him, today he knows that by not accepting Christ, that he was truly the one missing out then.

One family member whose life impacted Manny was his cousin Gabe Moreno, a worship leader here at Calvary. Emanuel and his friend noticed that there was something different about the way Gabe lived and would comment to each other that they wished that they could just live like him and give up all the things they were doing and regain innocence again.

Ashley Moreno was raised in a nominal Catholic family. Her relationship with God consisted of going to church one or two times a month and confessing her sins. To her, God was someone she would meet when she died and ask for forgiveness. Then, she assumed, she would spend a little time in purgatory and be alright.

When Ashley was in high school she witnessed a guy who was an avid “party-er” undergo a major transformation. One day, he came up to her as she was sitting at a table and told her and her friends that he had received Christ. They were pretty amazed by the change and Ashley feels that that young man planted seeds that day that would later grow into a strong faith in Jesus.

She began to attend Calvary Tucson, where she says she first heard the gospel. “And when I heard the gospel, it just hit me,” she says. Ashley realized that God was really alive and it impacted her in a dramatic way.

Ashley and Emanuel came to hear Joel Rosenberg speak on December 2, 2007, at Calvary. Manny says that was when God got a hold of him, shook him up and showed him that He was real. As Joel shared the fulfillment of several Bible prophecies that night, God moved on Manny’s heart. Seeing the reality and the reliability of the Word of God caused Emanuel to realize that he wasn’t guaranteed tomorrow and that he couldn't be playing around anymore. He needed to change. Ashley also responded to the message and realized her need for Jesus, as her Savior. They both received Christ that night in the privacy of their own hearts.

The Moreno’s had gone to hear Joel on a Saturday night with the intent of getting out early so that they could go to a huge party after. But God had changed their plans as well as their hearts. As they walked to their car, neither of them had that desire anymore. Ashley told Manny that she didn’t want to go party and he was so relieved as he didn’t either! Their new life began that night and the changes God makes when He enters a heart became clear right away.

For quite some time, Manny had tried to give up drinking on his own and was unable to. He said he would get really sick with every attempt. After Christ came into his life, the desire was gone, he says. God just took it away and he was able to quit with no complications.

Manny says he would go to spend time with his former friends and where he once had joined in the partying with them, he now saw them as people who were trapped in the same sins he had just been freed from. He now felt compassion and sorrow for them as his heart was burdened by their futile lifestyle.

For Ashley, giving up drugs was a struggle. However, she says that once she realized how great God’s love was for her, how He loved her more than any other person, including her own husband, she would do anything for Him. Laying down drug use became easy in the light of that amazing Love.

Though some aspects of their lifestyle were instantly changed, Ashley and Emanuel learned quickly that it wasn’t always easy to follow Christ, and that it would involve personal sacrifice. They lived together at the time they got saved and it became obvious that this created a conflict in their hearts. Desiring to do “everything right” and live a life pleasing to God, they came to church and talked to a pastor about their situation. He confirmed what they already felt was true- that they could not live together and honor God. Adding that if they wanted to be married at Calvary, they needed to go through marriage counseling. Acting in obedience that same day, Emanuel moved into his cousin’s house and Ashley stayed with his mom. Soon after they went through counseling, they were married. In the same month they had met Jesus, they gave their lives a fresh start all the way around.

Ashley also notes how important the fellowship of other Christians was during this time. She says that no one just told them what to do, but spent time answering their questions, showing them scripture passages that addressed their concerns, and helping them lay a good foundation in their walk with Christ, leading to steady growth.

Christmas has become a very special time of joy for the Moreno’s because it was during that season of hope that they came to know their Savior personally. As they reflect on how Christmas has changed for them, Ashley says, “....when you were a kid you looked so forward to your gift, like ’oh my gift for Christmas’, and you go pick out your gifts. But that year, our gift was that God saved us! That we knew He came to die on the cross and that we accepted that gift from Him.”

Today the Moreno’s have a solid testimony for Christ and have been blessed with a baby who they named Cadence. Their lives show us that God’s love and power can transform the life of anyone who surrenders their heart to Him!