Episode 19: Margaret Ereneta, Brought to Life Through Cancer

Can cancer be a life sentence instead of a death sentence? God had been trying to get through to Margaret Ereneta, using a myriad of people to get her attention. But it was her sister’s advanced cancer that finally brought Margaret to her knees — and her sister too. Hear the story of how two people got saved through cancer, one leaving this world with a new faith in Jesus, and the other living for Him. 

Be encouraged as you hear about the many people who reached out to Margaret over the years and the impetus that finally brought her to Jesus. Have you witnessed to people who seem to have deaf ears? Hear about Margaret’s initial rejections of the gospel and how it took an army to finally reach her.

Margaret Ereneta is the producer of One80, a OneWay podcast. https://one80podcast.com/. Today’s sendoff features “The Gospel Rap,” from the late Jerry Jacoby, poet and entertainer.

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Transcript

One80 Episode 19: Margaret Ereneta
Brought to Life Through Cancer

This transcript may contain errors that don't reflect the audio in the broadcast.

Andrew Neal: . [00:00:00] once we commit to Jesus, we are all brought from death to life.

But with Margaret's story today, she found life in Jesus. Through death Says circumstances that were actually the impetus of her faith and the truth of Jesus.

In some unlikely places, NPR, a mass shooting and cancer. Margaret is the producer of 180. Hear her story today.  

  This is guest hosts, Andrew Neil. Thanks for being on the show today, Margaret, is it weird being a guest on your own show where you're usually behind the scenes? 

Margaret Ereneta: Thank you so much for having me enter. I'm so glad that you're filling in today. Yeah, it's really weird. It's super fun to get all the guests ready to be on the show, but it's very strange being one myself. But since we had two guests in season one, like their testimonies had to do with an active shooter event.

And mine does too. I felt like this is the season that I should be sharing my story. So I am here today and I'm excited

Andrew Neal: Yes, that's great. 

Yeah. Wow. Before we get started with your story, [00:01:00] we're going to turn to our trustee random question generator from chat deck. And the question is if you could design any new ride or attraction for Walt Disney world, what would you build. 

Margaret Ereneta: Okay. That would be super fun. I think it would be really cool to build your own rollercoaster, like with Kinex and then you get to ride on it. Maybe there's some, you know, testing first for safety, but that would be super cool if you got to build it and then ride on it with.

Andrew Neal: it would be I'm, I'm honestly terrified of roller coasters, but for someone who would like, it'd be fun. 

Margaret Ereneta: Yeah.

Andrew Neal: Okay. Let's get into your story. So just tell us what was life like for you growing up did you have a faith background? 

Margaret Ereneta: So I'm one of those kids who grew up in the church. Like I grew up going into spaghetti dinners. I terrorize the place where my, well, my parents were trying to be in the vestry meetings. Any of you, people that went to [00:02:00] vestry, you know what I'm talking about? I was in the choir. I was in the youth group. I was just there all the time.

Andrew Neal: So for someone who was there all the time.

how did You view Christianity at that?

Margaret Ereneta: You think I just grew up believing, you know, all the things in the Bible, but I didn't understand it. It might've been told to me and I just didn't have the ears to hear it, but I did not connect with Jesus. I actually. I mean, I went to church, I guess I thought I was a Christian, but I really identified with Judaism even as a young child, because I did not understand that Jesus component.

I felt like we were supposed to be sorry for this man. And I didn't know why I just saw the crucifix. We went through you know, the last supper and good Friday and 

Andrew Neal: Yeah. 

Margaret Ereneta: crucify him, crucify him. You know, we did all that. I don't know if you guys, anyone out there did that on good Friday at your church. We had this plate.

Church did it. And I just, I didn't understand why I just did not. I connected with God, but just [00:03:00] not Jesus. I just didn't, I didn't understand why he died, but, so I did think I was a Christian cause I went to church even though I didn't totally understand there was that cognitive dissonance there.

But I, I did think I was a Christian, so I was confused. Why so many strangers. What stop me and tell me the gospel. I just, I thought I had a sign on my forehead and it was like, holy rollers. Talk to me

Andrew Neal: So tell me then who did talk to you? 

Margaret Ereneta: like so many people there was like a bus ministry and they picked up some kids in my neighborhood apparently, and this man stopped me and he totally took me through the Bible. And I was like, oh, I thought there was something. We are person but people on the street would talk to me. Just, just strangers would come up to me a lot.

 But even people like restaurant patrons would come up to me and tell me the gospel people in my grocery store checkout lane would come and share the gospel with me. My sister had become a believer [00:04:00] when I was in high school and her church was a heavy metal. Christian. Musician church. Really? It was very like, they were the sweetest people and they took me under their wing and they certainly shared the gospel with me too.

 Yeah, there were just so many, so many people in college people everywhere. It just happened so often, even like I could see, I could see in their eyes before they shared like, Who these holy rollers, air quotes. You can't use air quotes on audio, but I'm using air quotes for holy rollers. Cause I always called people.

Holy rollers, who were like that, I could see it in their eyes before they would share with me. It was just that frequent that I could see it coming in their eyes.

Andrew Neal: Wow. So you got a lot of gospel a lot. 

Margaret Ereneta: Yes. 

Andrew Neal: Yeah. 

Margaret Ereneta: Yes.

Andrew Neal: How did that make you feel to hear the gospel from all these different people? 

Margaret Ereneta: Well, I did think it was weird. I thought they were like preaching to the choir and I didn't know why these holy rollers would do that. 

Andrew Neal: Hmm. 

Margaret Ereneta: [00:05:00] Yeah

Andrew Neal: So with all these people coming up to you, did any of them finally click with you? 

Margaret Ereneta: I have to say none of them, none of them, I didn't. All these people. I just continue to go downhill, go my own way. It doesn't make earthly sense, but none of them.

Andrew Neal: yeah. Wow. So. Wow. Was there a time where you were particularly far from God? 

Margaret Ereneta: Yeah. I mean, I always thought of myself as a goody two shoes. And in fact, in sixth grade, when that song came out that year too young Andrew know about from Adam Ant Goodie two, two, goodie goodie two shoes, my friends in sixth grade, literally saying that signed to me. And so I would play. Scenario, this lie in my brain, like all those years, you know, from sixth grade, maybe to 26, still thinking I was a goody two shoes, still believing that lie.

 But it, it, so it wasn't grievous sin. I still thought of myself as a goody two shoes, but the [00:06:00] people, I, the choices I made, maybe the people I hung out with. It was kind of a slow fade and these little sins. And I just, I say that again in air quotes that you can't see on audio you know, there were no drugs, no addictions.

There were some drugs actually. There's no drug addiction. There was no jail. There was just maybe drinking too much a night here or there experimenting with drugs. I would tell myself I'm not a druggie. I'm not addicted to these things. Being in not great relationships, I wasn't treating my parents.

Great. And I was shutting out, God, I wasn't going to church. I wasn't letting him in. So it was kind of a slow fade.

Andrew Neal: Hmm. So were you able to feel that this slow fade.

was having. 

Margaret Ereneta: I didn't, it was probably when I was about 26, God actually gave me a picture and I wasn't talking to God. So he just broke through somehow I was working at hospital. I was a writer at a hospital many moons ago, but so I went in on a snowy day. So I started my work at [00:07:00] 8:00 AM and the parking lot was outside.

You couldn't see the parking lanes because the snow had come and there were workers that had come long before the snow came, you know, it all shifts. So when you come in, you couldn't see those lanes. So all you could do was match up to the car next to you and hope for the best. And so I, that was one of those days that I did that.

Well, when I got back to my car, 5, 5 30, and the snow had melted, I saw my car was so far off, in every direction from a actual parking spot. And the Lord told me, this is your life. And I was like, 

Andrew Neal: Oh, wow. 

Margaret Ereneta: This is your life. You are missing my mark because you are setting up next to other people. And other people, aren't the mark.

You're not a goody two 

Andrew Neal: Oh, wow. 

Margaret Ereneta: You are missing my mark, my Marcus far from where you are living your life. And I just, it was such a picture that day. And I just, it's hard to forget [00:08:00] that it's just, it was a very powerful image in my mind.

Andrew Neal: Yeah. After that moment how did your turning point. 

Margaret Ereneta: Well, it was over a period of time, but it did kind of, I didn't, you know, things didn't change overnight, but they did slowly start change just like the slow fade came in and it kind of faded away. But maybe a year later than that, I started dating my now husband, Fernando. He was a new Christian and he actually he had just started a Bible study with work with some people we still consider good friends and really, he had just started getting in the word and he would ask me these probing questions that really made me think he wouldn't sit there and tell the gospel.

Lord knows. I heard it a lot already, but he just said things like, like, do you know how to get to heaven? And he didn't give me the answer. 

Andrew Neal: Right. 

Margaret Ereneta: really cool. So because of his questions, I was getting in the word, I'm trying to figure out life.

Andrew Neal: Yeah. Yeah. 

. So having [00:09:00] your boyfriend at the time ask you these questions did it sort of help you feel like you're getting back on track? 

Margaret Ereneta: Yeah, somewhat. I just, I did have a hunger to just be. in the word. I did have another life event that happened around this time. Another sister I was living with at the time, my eldest sister had gotten diagnosed with progressive cancer.

It was already 

Andrew Neal: Oh man. 

Margaret Ereneta: and she literally was pregnant too when they found it. And she, yeah, it was. It was interesting. And she, that night in the ER, when she got diagnosed with cancer, the first person she called of course was my, my other holy roller Christian sister. so she brought her Bible to the hospital and dutifully led Kathy to the Lord that night, right there in the ER.

And so she had become a Christian during this time. And you know, I'm still processing, reading the Bible. Still had a lot that I needed to learn and figure out. [00:10:00] But at that time it was very shocking to me here. I lived with my sister, she had two small children and, and she was pregnant and advanced cancer.

It was, it was really hard for me, but my prayers at this time consisted only of the rosary. That's all.

Andrew Neal: Wow. Oh, wow. Yeah. 

Margaret Ereneta: Here that I had to earn favor with God by doing works. And this was just one of them. You were supposed to pray the rosary, the priests would tell me a lot to just pray the rosary, pray the rosary. So I did pray a lot of rosaries for my sister, but I still felt hopeless and very sick with worry for her.

I was still really worried. It hadn't released any kind of burden for.

Andrew Neal: Yeah. How did you break out of that? 

Margaret Ereneta: Yeah, that worry. So actually I didn't, I like plowed right into the worry, actually I didn't break out of it right away. I plowed into it. The only way I knew how I hadn't it was research. I took a week off [00:11:00] work at the hospital and I worked in the hospital medical library researching my sister's cancer.

Other cases where they were pregnant. Anything I could find on, on her and I cross-referenced the doctors in these studies and I talked to them, they like picked, I don't know how this was so divine, but they, I mean, they picked up the phone and talk to me and just answered my questions. And they had really bad news.

Their studies had bad news. They had bad news as well. Every single one.  And that it was really grim. It was just really bad news. So here I was a worrywart digging into this worry, did nothing for me, but give me more worry.

Now I had worry and I couldn't share it. I could not share it with anybody. And so it made me very sick. I was literally. Some horrible, horrible cold. By the end of that week, I was just feeling absolutely miserable.

Andrew Neal: Oh, man. Wow. Yeah, that must have been really hard news to know.

Margaret Ereneta: Yeah, it was, it was very that having all that [00:12:00] worry, it's just, it's such a, such a yoke. It was just really strong. But there was a divine occasion that did break me out of that worry. And it's what happened at the end of that week. So this was the same time in 1999, where the unfortunate mass shooting at Columbine high school had just happened.

It was so sad. It was so sad. You weren't alive yet for that, but a lot of our listeners were, but if you weren't. 

Andrew Neal: Yeah. 

Margaret Ereneta: was one of the first, it was one of the first mass shootings . There were 13 deaths and there were 21 casualties, 21 people that got injured, like really a terrible event.

So that had happened and it was really hard for the whole country. We were really all mourning for these kids. It was so, and the adults, there were some adults that lost their lives to. It was really terrible, but there actually, I had NPR on, I was so stressed out. I couldn't even listen to [00:13:00] music. I only had NPR and at this time of my life, which is a great station anyway, but I only listened to NPR that time.

So of course, when I got home, I put on NPR and lo and behold, a national public radio. They were broadcasting a worship service, not just any worship. But a worship service. These kids were putting on these kids that just watched their friends get killed, that were just part of this horrible event. And they were broadcasting.

These kids worshiping. Like they, I can't imagine what they had just gone through and these kids are worshiping. I just, it was very powerful to hear them singing on the radio and. It just, it really hit me. These kids have faith. These kids have some serious crazy faith. Like what, how, how do you have this kind of faith?

They have every reason in the world to worry way more than me about what [00:14:00] they had just witnessed. But I, I was so moved by their faith and I thought about my own worry, right at this, at this point. And I just, I thought of these kids, I thought in my worry and I just literally got on my knees. It was so weird.

I said, Lord, like these kids can handle what they're doing by giving it to you. Clearly you can handle Kathy's cancer. You can take this from me and you can take this from her and we can just put this in your arms clearly. So I just, I give this to. So I literally got on my knees, like as a result of that Columbine high school worship event.

Andrew Neal: yeah, yeah. Would you say that in that moment where you just felt really vulnerable and seeing those kids with their faith and you get on your knees and at a moment, would you say that that's where you became a Christian? 

Margaret Ereneta: So, you know, here's the, here's the thing. Really no people are at different progressions. God's writing everybody's story. For me, it was a pre.[00:15:00] I consider myself a process, Christian, I needed all, I don't know if it was because I was living too much in my head. I don't know, but this was definitely the first step, but it wasn't yet. I still didn't understand the things that God needed to reveal to me, for me to fully commit to him.

And so for some people, this would be all they would need, but for me, it was definitely the start and God did start showing me what he needed to show me, but it was a process from this moment. A year or two, and it's like murky from here on out, but there's a lot of points in there where God does work through me and explain things to me in a way that I do finally, finally know that I made that commitment, but, but in there, this is definitely the beginning.

Andrew Neal:  Wow. So what happened next to draw you closer?

Margaret Ereneta: Yeah. There were a lot of events and this is the beginning So I was in the word a lot, really asking probing questions to people and God. So in this time, Fernando and I did get married also. So after our [00:16:00] wedding, just a couple months later, we did start going to a Bible based church.

And it was funny. We did come in on the Sunday, we visited was reformation Sunday, which I didn't know existed. And we heard a message about Martin Luther. I didn't know really much about him at all. And it was so powerful so that the speaker talked about faith alone by grace alone, through Christ alone, with scripture alone, those tenets of, of Martin Luther.

And they just hit me like a ton of bricks because I still thought I had to earn God's favor to be saved. I still, I was in the, the word, but I still hadn't put all those pieces together to totally understand it. But that message. I just, I remember being in tears. Oh, my gosh, it's free, Lord. I don't have to do all this work.

Like this is free. I can't believe this is free. I just was so taken aback by that message. And so that was cool. Another thing was I did start reading the Bible [00:17:00] even more so in here, this might be the point when I fully became saved. God only knows like there are still some, but, but while I was really getting in the word, I did come across a scripture.

Was this huge aha moment for me. And it was second Corinthians 5 21, which says God made him who had no sin to be sin for us. So that in him, we might become the righteousness of God. And I just remember. Yeah. And this was actually Martin Luther's verse, which was the big Eureka moment for him to actually found out later.

 But this just put the whole gossip. In order for me, like I understood everything now. I understood why Jesus had to die to become sin for us because we couldn't do it on our own. And we are literally made right before God, because of what he did. I just didn't understand this until even though I had asked God that he's probing questions, it took a while for me to really [00:18:00] put it all together and put the.

works theology like out, and this was the verse that did it. And I remember underlining and underlining and asterisk that verse. And it was just a really special moment for me. So this could have been the moment. I hadn't prayed that prayer. I don't know. I mean, some people say it's necessary. Some people say maybe it's not, . So it wasn't a while till I actually prayed the prayer, but I did, it was a few months later that I did actually say yes when there was an altar call, but who knows when I actually became a Christian. So there's like a year and a half in there where you know, I, at this process for me was coming about, so sometime in there definitely I became a Christian and, and things definitely changed, you know, really quickly after that, for sure.

After the altar call, but yeah. You know, these other points before that the change was really coming on.

Andrew Neal: Yeah. Yeah. Many of us like we really can't. Pinpoint the exact time that we fully accept Jesus, but the changes you were talking [00:19:00] about what were just some of The things that changed in your life when you gave your life to Jesus .

Margaret Ereneta: The first thing I noticed, which was very strict. And it was the day after I prayed that prayer. So there's probably other fruit before that, but the day after I did finally do the altar call, I could not swear. I stopped being able to swear. And I just, I, it was so weird. I didn't realize I had a potty mouth before that, but I definitely could not swear.

Andrew Neal: Wow. 

Margaret Ereneta: And I started seeing. Friends around me as God ordained as people, I should turn into God ordain. Even the people who weren't, Christians, who were my friends, like turn into them, God put them in my life for a reason and give myself to them. That was really cool too, to just start seeing people differently.

And that happened very, you know, the next day too, and started praying for my friend. I didn't know Jesus also that, that next day after that prayer, it [00:20:00] was pretty cool. But the first thing I also thought when they prayed that prayer was, this is going to be great. Like the next time someone shares the gospel with me, like I have a story to tell them, you're not going to believe this, but I'm one of you too.

This is so cool. give them a big hug and I thought this was going to be so great. Did it ever happen? No. No body has shared the gospel with me since then, since the day that I actually prayed that prayer, like nobody has come up to me. No strangers have shared this scripture with me. Nobody. I know nobody.

I have not been able to tell any strangers, you don't have to tell me the gospel because I know it like, which means God said all those people, like he literally, I needed to hear it from all those people. And so. 

Andrew Neal: Yeah. 

Margaret Ereneta: like to claim Isaiah 55 over that like, God's word does not return void, but it serves the purpose that he's intended.

So all those people, even though I say, I didn't say yes, I didn't say yes, after all those seeds were [00:21:00] planted in my heart and they didn't bear fruit till 20, 30 years later, I was almost 30. I think when I became a Christian. So it's just took a lot of people in a lot of seats for me. So God sent all of those people, which is just wild to me that I needed like a huge army of people to share the gospel with me.

Andrew Neal: Yeah, 

Margaret Ereneta: But another thing that did change when I became a Christian. It took it really hard with Kathy with her cancer. It got really, really hard. We are in and out of every ICU with like a, within a 50 mile radius. She was sick and well sick and well, and lots of treatments, lots of surgeries just watching her suffer with her little children and her new baby and toddler.

 But I had a faith to stand up. So I could walk with her. I had enough strength cause it wasn't in me. It was supernatural strength to get through it. And I did have a community of people that were praying for me and helping me [00:22:00] walk through this I'm babysitting my kids. So I could be with my sister. It was just really, really helpful to have Jesus and go through that with somebody.

So I could help her. And Kathy did pass away. She, it took her five years. She lived with cancer for five years and she did pass away.

Andrew Neal: so sorry about that, but I just am glad that at least in that time, like you had Jesus there to help you through like super hard circumstance. 

Margaret Ereneta: Yeah. And Cathy did too, because Cathy had become a Christian and you could definitely see the change in her, the fruit in her over those five years. So I actually found her diagnosis much harder to deal with than walking with her, through her cancer and even her death, because not only did I have Jesus to walk with me, but I did, I knew that she did.

And I, I knew where she was going and she knew where she was going to, without a doubt. Doubts, we have that complete assurance that she was going to [00:23:00] be with the savior. If she was taken early from this world I still feel like cancer if it's what it took to reach Kathy and also me. Gosh, you know, I thank God for cancer and it sounds weird, but it did.

It brought me life. It even brought her life, you know, it's much easier. It's much better to be healed in your spirit right than in your body. And God did the ultimate healing and. And I did get eternal life through, through that ordeal because I needed it to so her death literally brought me life.

Andrew Neal: Yeah. Wow. 

Margaret Ereneta: yeah, but the coolest thing is that I got to share the gospel at her funeral. So that was really a special moment for me and something I will always cherish. It was really hard to do, but man, I'm so glad I was obedient and said, yes,

Andrew Neal: Very, very glad for sure. Well, we're going to go to our last question. If you could go back to the Margaret who just found out her sister might die from cancer, what would you say to [00:24:00] her? 

Margaret Ereneta: So I should know this question's coming cause we ask it to everybody. But it's weird when it's asked to you So, so I would say to myself, like, it's okay, it's okay, Margaret, this life is, it's a bleep in the scheme of things. And Jesus has a plan. And even if it's not heal, Kathy physically, he's going to do the real healing, healing and her spirit and yours along with it.

And your life is going to look so different and you won't believe it because you're going to do it with Jesus. And maybe I would tell myself. You're going to have five kids. So get all the sleep you can now because it's not happening later.

Note to self.

Andrew Neal: Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Well, Margaret, Thank you, for sharing your story today on 180 the lady behind 180 herself telling us her story. It's really cool.

Margaret Ereneta: Thank you, Andrew.

Andrew Neal: Yeah. See you later. 

Margaret Ereneta: Okay.

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