Beyond the Horizon: Star Maglajos’ Journey Into God’s Call

“God is calling you beyond the horizon.”

Those words were spoken over Star Maglajos 24 years ago by a young female youth leader while pointing toward the horizon where the sea met the sky.

At that time, Star was only 12 years old, attending a youth camp in Zambales mostly because her childhood church friends were there. She did not fully understand what the young leader meant.

But she never forgot it.

Back then, Star describes herself as merely a church-goer. She attended church mainly to avoid being scolded by her mother. Every Sunday, she sat in church listening to sermons without truly understanding the Gospel or having a personal relationship with God.

But during that youth camp, something shifted.

One particular session deeply caught her attention. The preacher spoke about God’s calling, and afterward, the youth campers were instructed to go to the shore for prayer.

Star sat quietly beside a boat facing the sunset while youth leaders prayed over the campers one by one.

That was when the young Bible school student approached her and said:

“Do you see that line dividing the sea and the sky? That is what we call the horizon… and God is calling you beyond the horizon.”

After praying for her, the young woman moved on.

For years, Star carried those words without fully understanding them.

A Season of Brokenness

Not long after the camp, Star’s life spiraled into rebellion and brokenness. She became distant from her parents and made choices that led her into deep pain and confusion.

Eventually, her father sent her away from Manila to Mindanao, to her mother’s hometown, Magpet in North Cotabato.

It was there, in 2005, while wrestling with suicidal thoughts, that Star encountered Jesus personally and began a genuine relationship with Him.

She was only 15 years old.

And during that season, one thing became clear in her spirit:

God was calling her to Mindanao.

Even when her father wanted her to return home, she chose to stay. She eventually began living in the church under the care and discipleship of her pastors, Ptr. Jerson and Rose Benlot, whom she continues to deeply honor today.

Under their leadership, Star was molded both spiritually and practically for ministry. She grew in the church, serving faithfully as a youth leader, worship leader, preacher, and worker in church-planting ministries among the Obo Manobo tribal communities in Magpet.

By the age of 16, she was already preaching.

As the years passed, many assumed she would eventually pastor a church.

Star shares the word of God with a tribal community.

But deep within her heart, she knew God was leading her toward missions.

Even without connections to missionary organizations or access to mission networks, she continually told the people around her:

“I am called to go.”

Because of that conviction, Star intentionally discipled and raised young leaders around her. Her goal was never to build dependence on herself, but to help others mature in Christ so that when God eventually opened mission doors for her, she could go freely and faithfully.

So she waited.

And while waiting, she served wholeheartedly wherever God placed her.

The Door She Didn’t Realize Was Opening

In March 2024, Star attended a missions gathering initiated by Evergreen Missions.

She attended simply because one of her mentors, Ptr. Richard Lanzanas and his wife Cyndz, asked her to help.

Star during the Evergreen Missions Training at CCT in March, 2024.

So she came with her camera.

She took photos.

She served quietly behind the scenes.

She led worship.

To her, it felt ordinary.

But what she thought was another simple act of service became the very door she had waited and prayed for over many years.

On April 22, 2024, Star officially joined the Evergreen Missions team as a social media coordinator. Months later, she joined the missionaries on the field during her first missions immersion and exposure trip to document stories and create content from the mission field itself.

The mission trips Star was able to join for the past two years with Evergreen Missions.

Then came a moment she would never forget.

The Day She Finally Understood the Horizon

During a recent missions exposure trip to Tawi-Tawi, the team traveled by boat to the island municipality of Simunul.

Star sat at the front edge of the boat, staring at the horizon—the same line dividing the sea and sky she had once looked at as a child.

And suddenly, after 24 years, the Holy Spirit brought back the words spoken over her life during that youth camp:

“God is calling you beyond the horizon.”

As she stared at it, she realized something profound:

No matter how far the boat traveled, she could never actually reach the horizon.

It would always move further ahead.

And in that moment, she finally understood.

God was never calling her to a destination.

He was calling her into a lifelong journey with Him.

The call was never about “arriving.”It was about staying in the boat with Jesus wherever He leads.

The Journey Beyond Has Just Begun

Today, Star continues serving in missions with a renewed understanding of God’s call—not as a finish line to achieve, but as a daily surrender to walk wherever He leads.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

— 2 Corinthians 5:7

Her story is a reminder that God often speaks long before we understand. That even seasons of rebellion and brokenness cannot cancel His purpose. And that sometimes, the horizon itself is simply an invitation to keep following Jesus.

The journey beyond has only just begun.