AUTOBIOGRAPHY
of Marlon Marlondo Myers

I was born on August 26, 1977, at the Spanish Town Public Hospital in St. Catherine, Jamaica. My name is Marlon Marlondo Myers, and I am the second of four children and the only son in the family.

My father, Raphel Myers, is a retired Shift Supervisor and is currently a bishop in the Church of God of Prophecy (located at Roadside, Ewarton, St. Catherine), a Pentecostal Holiness Christian denomination in Jamaica. My mother, Audrey Myers, is also a licensed Minister, but she dedicated most of her time to being a wife and a mother, taking care of the household and her children.

After finishing primary and secondary education, I attended Moneague College in St. Ann, Jamaica, and completed a two-year Associate Degree in Tourism, Hospitality, and Entertainment Management in 1997. This degree allowed me to pursue a Bachelor of Arts Degree in General Studies at the Jamaica Theological Seminary in 2002. The following year, I enrolled in a teacher training program at the same institution, which awarded me a Diploma in Teacher Education in 2004. The Jamaica Theological Seminary (JTS) is an evangelical Christian denomination of Anabaptist origins with Wesleyan and Pietist influences.

In my career, I have been involved in various roles, including local church ministries, community outreach programs, and volunteer work for organizations committed to nation-building. In 2003, I established the Genesis Mentoring Center for Youths and served as a Youth Ambassador. Since 2005, I have worked as a Probation Aftercare Officer (PACO) in the Department of Correctional Services of Jamaica. I have acted in the post of Senior Probation Aftercare Officer (SPACO) several times and am currently serving as the acting Sex Offender Registrar (SOR). Additionally, I am a member of the Child Diversion Committee (CDC) in Trelawny, a volunteer coach and mentor for youths at HEAT/NSTA Trust, and a gazetted mediator authorized by the Minister of Justice to serve in the parish of Trelawny.

In 2014, I discovered Orthodoxy and reached out to various Orthodox jurisdictions. Eventually, I got in touch with Protopresbyter Christopher Grist of St. Spyridon Parish Church in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, under the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Mexico. After receiving the blessing of his bishop, I initiated the first Orthodox mission in Jamaica, which was established as a vicariate on April 24, 2015. I was Chrismated into the Orthodox Church on November 14, 2015, taking the name "Moses" after the patron St. Moses the Black of Skete. Since then, I have been actively involved in supporting the mission, which has now expanded to two parishes in the North and South of the island.

On December 8th and 15th, 2019, members of two Orthodox communities met and unanimously agreed to transfer their mission. This led to the mission being renamed the Jamaican Orthodox Mission (JOM), which is now under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) – Moscow Patriarchate (MP).

As for myself, I am currently unmarried and have no children. In the future, I hope to receive tonsure and ordination to serve the mission parishes in Jamaica as a hieromonk. If it is God's will, I would also like to establish a monastery on the island.

☆ WHY ONE JAMAICAN BECAME AN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN

"Not all men are alike…I am not like all men."

Greetings, dear Reader! May the Lord's blessings and peace be upon you!

My name is Marlon Marlondo Myers. I was born on August 26, 1977, and I am the second child and only son of my parents, Raphel and Audrey Myers. I have three sisters: Sherna, the eldest; Anna-Kim; and Kathy-Ann. I am a Jamaican and work as a Probation Aftercare Officer at the Department of Correctional Services in Jamaica.

I grew up in a highly religious environment, raised by my parents in a Pentecostal Holiness Christian denomination. Specifically, we attended the Church of God of Prophecy in Roadside, Ewarton, St. Catherine. My father has been the local pastor of this church for over three decades, and he is also a bishop. My mother is a minister in the same church, and my sisters are active members as well.

My parents had always hoped that I would follow in my father's footsteps and become a pastor. I was very involved in church activities and community outreach programs, serving in various capacities, including Choir and Music Director, Sunday School and Bible Study Teacher, National and local Men’s Director, Youth Director, Evangelism Team Leader, Founder and Director of GENESIS Mentoring Centre For Youths, and so on. However, despite my active participation, I had no desire to become a pastor.

My father is an excellent role model for pastoral care, and I admire him greatly. But, instead of following in his footsteps, I focused on developing my skills in mentoring and counseling. I continued to grow in my professional career, as I am passionate about helping people. Seeing positive changes in people's lives is my greatest reward.

Since childhood, I have grown in grace and spiritual fervor. During my adolescence, I began devoting myself more to sincere prayer, fasting, and meditation. I had decided to dedicate myself entirely to the One who called me. My mother had promised the Lord that if she were granted a son while I was still in her womb, she would give him back to God, like Samuel, the Old Testament Prophet. No wonder I have always had such a strong desire for the things of God; connecting with Him has been an overwhelming passion. There are countless stories and glorious experiences I could share about my walk with the Triune God, and learning more about Him has birthed in me a continuous desire for more of Him. I so yearned for a deeper connection with Him. However, nothing seemed more satisfying than wanting to know Him, for I seemed so far away from Him, no matter how close I thought I was to Him.

After completing my college education, I started working in the Tourism Industry. However, my passion for ministry soon took over, and I decided to pursue seminary training and counseling. I enrolled at the Jamaica Theological Seminary (JTS) between 2000 and 2004. During my time there, I was deeply committed to the seminary's motto: "That I May Know Him - That I Might Make Him Known." This experience further strengthened my resolve to devote myself entirely to God. Interestingly, I also began to admire Pope John Paul II of the Roman Catholic Church around this time, which contributed to my thoughts of becoming a priest, though I had no intention of joining the Roman Catholic Church.

In March of 2014, I had an amazing experience that became a milestone in my life. While watching an old YouTube video on my laptop that featured the Papal Inauguration of Pope Francis on March 13, 2013, I noticed a distinct figure identified as the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. The wise and elderly bearded man caught my attention, and I became curious to learn more about him and the Church he represented - The Orthodox Church.

I didn't know anything about Orthodox Christianity before, and it was never mentioned during my Church History classes in seminary. However, my interest in the Ecumenical Patriarch led me to explore Eastern Orthodox theology in depth. I started watching more YouTube videos about the Ancient Christian Church and was exposed to its form of worship through the Divine Liturgy. I remember watching a video of the Divine Liturgy of the Russian Orthodox Church, and it moved me to tears. I prayed, "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner." From that moment on, I was determined to become an Orthodox Christian, and I had a deep conviction about it.

Although it is difficult to articulate my newfound beliefs in Orthodox Christianity, my interest in the Orthodox Church was the start of a journey that led me to discover that it is the original Christian Church founded by Jesus Christ and His Apostles on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), and has survived for over two millennia - The One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

I was unaware that the Orthodox Church is one of the three main Christian groups, along with Roman Catholicism and Protestant Denominations, and that it is the oldest. It has over 400 million followers, making it the world's second-largest Christian group.

As I delved deeper into Church History, I came to realize that what we are taught in the Western Hemisphere is only a fraction of the truth about Church History and the One True Church. I also discovered that the fragmented Protestant churches/denominations that have existed since 1517 to the present lack Apostolic Succession, making their ministry null and void. Furthermore, the Bishop of Rome, who had broken away from the One True Church and formed the Roman Catholic Church (which had existed since 1054), had fallen into drunkenness and corruption.

After gaining a lot of knowledge about the Orthodox Church, I felt a strong desire to become a part of it. I reached out to several jurisdictions within the Orthodox Church through email and also interacted with many Orthodox Christians on social media, especially Facebook. With their guidance, I was able to connect with a priest from the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Mexico. With his help, the first Orthodox mission was established in Jamaica on April 24, 2015, under the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Mexico, which is led by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

I was chrismated into the Orthodox Church on November 14, 2015. I used to be called "Marlon," but now I go by "Moses," after the patron saint Moses the Black, who was renowned for his strength and Ethiopian heritage.

On July 7, 2017, the first local parish of the mission, St. Timothy the Apostle Orthodox Church, was formally established in Runaway Bay (St. Ann). It is now located in Kingston.

On August 9, 2019, the mission's second parish, St. Moses the Black Orthodox Church, was initiated in Discovery Bay (St. Ann). It was later formally established on October 9, 2019, in Falmouth (Trelawny).

On December 8 and 15, 2019, the parishioners of both the Northern and Southern Orthodox communities met and unanimously agreed to transfer the mission to become the Jamaican Orthodox Mission (JOM). It is now under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) - Moscow Patriarchate (MP).

The transition from Protestantism to Orthodoxy was not easy, as it involved a significant process of change. Even though I have personally become convinced of the truth and validity of Orthodoxy, some of my friends and family members found it challenging to accept my decision. However, they have eventually come to support my choice.

My ultimate goal is to spread Orthodox Christianity in Jamaica and serve as a missionary hieromonk after being ordained into the Orthodox Church. Sharing my story has helped many others learn about the Ancient Church and its faith, leading some to make a similar decision to become Orthodox Christians.

While I'm not perfect and have struggled in my Christian walk over the years, I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a sinner. Looking back at my journey humbles me, but I know that the best is yet to come. In short, I have found what I was looking for and feel at home where I belong. Moreover, I'm keeping my mother's promise to God.