Growing up timidly, Eli hesitated being seen by visitors in their house. He didn’t like attending social gatherings; and to Church members, he would refuse his parents’ invitation. He was often intimidated with crowds. An incident turned Eli's status contrary to his nature.

Even in a predominantly Catholic nation like the Philippines, Eli was not dipped into deep dogmatic practices. In a family with a brood of eight children, it was difficult for his parents to raise them so there came a time when young Eli was taken to his Aunt, a devout Catholic. His Aunt would bring him and show him Marian processions on the streets but Eli was not interested.

Eli’s parents, upon learning that their young son’s Aunt would want to convert Eli to the Catholic faith, did not waste time to get Eli back. Triunfo and Catalina were baptized in 1934 in the church that was being preached by Nicolas Perez. That meant the late Presiding Minister was preaching the Church in the Bible some 19 years before Eli was born.

Back to their house, Eli was often being invited by his parents to attend congregational gatherings in the Church of God but he would persistently refuse. One day, his father, who could no longer stand Eli’s hardheadedness in joining the family in attending Church services, reprimanded him and spanked him with a slipper. Eli then went with his parents with tearful eyes and hostile feelings towards his father.

In a Church service during congregational singing, Eli burst into tears as if the letters of the songs talked to him. It was amplified further when the words of Nicolas Perez, while preaching, spoke to young Eli’s heart. It moved him for immediate spiritual transformation and deep realization of God’s words.