My parents are both in full-time ministry. They sing and blend
beautifully not only in music but in ministry. When they got married they decided
that Joshua 24:15, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” will be
their verse. So when I and my brothers came
along and realized we have the music in us, they patiently taught us to sing and
harmonize and brought us along on week-ends to sing in evangelistic crusades.
It was fun! New places! New people! New experiences!
In the summer of 1971 my parents were invited by New
Tribes Mission (NTM) to speak at a 3-day family conference for the Dumagat
believers somewhere in the coastline of Dibut Bay! Since they cannot leave us
alone at home, they decided to take us along! I was 10, my brother Paul was 9, Jojo was 8,
David was 7 and Jonathan was 6. 
It was a mixture of fear and excitement. Our mode of
transport was a 2-seater piper cub, a small simple light aircraft used by NTM
to transport missionaries from Manila to their area of ministry. Since the aircraft can only carry a couple of
passengers, our family was divided into two (2) groups and I remember being in
the first group. I was so intrigued by the aircraft because the sides were made
of plastic when I poked it. At that age, I pleaded to God that He protect us and
I will serve Him all my life.
While on flight, the pilot explained that we need to make
a stop-over in a mission field somewhere in the Sierra Madre Mountains. As he
was maneuvering to land the aircraft, I noticed he was following the river and I
was amazed to see a landing strip before us in what looks like a small island
in the middle of these mountains. It was so beautiful! Tall green trees, a wide
river and a clearing in the middle of nowhere! Upon landing, we were welcomed
by the missionaries, their children and the children from the village. I could
not remember how long we stayed because I know we need to continue on with our
flight for we are racing after time to
be able to land the plane while the Pacific waters was in its low tide.
Our plane landed safely along the sands of Dibut and we
were met by the Dumagat believers and their children. After getting our stuffs from the plane, it
took off immediately to fetch the other members of our family from Manila. When
the plane arrived after nearly 2 hours, I was among the children waving and
cheering as the plane landed on the sands!
During the days of the conference, we sang and worshipped
with them, 300 parents in all, not including their children from the Dumagat
tribe and a number of missionary families. We sat with them and learned God’s word together. And during the parents’ workshops, we
were allowed to play and swim in the ocean with the other children (brown,
black, & white skin). I could not recall their names but we had great fun!
We were all children enjoying the beauty of friendship surrounded by God’s
nature, not bothered by the colors of our skin, or by the places from which we
came from.
One experience that I could never forget was when I was
asked by a German missionary nurse to assist her in delivering a baby. Though
we walked for some time to reach the house, it was a fulfilling experience for
me. I assisted her in cleaning the baby and saw how she used a sharp bamboo to
cut the infant’s umbilical cord.
On our flight back to Manila, for a reason that I could
not even recall, we were stranded for another 3 days in that island in the
middle of Sierra Madre. That was a treat for us! So when my family left for
Manila, I was invited to stay for another two weeks in what I call my
“Shang-rila.”
I could never erase this memory from my mind because this
experience was deeply embedded in my heart. The missionaries and the Dumagat
believers were great blessings to me. One
thing so evident, they have genuine love and respect for one another.
As I recollect this great experience, I was
reminded that as Christians we must “Excel in showing respect for each other.”
(Romans 12:10b) In Rick Warren’s “Better Together” he emphasized that we excel
in showing respect when we work hard at being tactful, not just truthful;
understanding, not demanding; gentle, not judgmental and polite, not rude.
This is an apt reminder for us as we venture in any
mission endeavor, short-term or long term.
May the experience
we leave behind usher children and youth alike to seek God in a personal way and
commit to serve Him whether in a mission field or in the workplace!
God is indeed good and faithful po sa inyong family--i am glad that my family is blessed by your family din po!