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This Sabbath afternoon, May 30, the baptismal waters carried the weight of answered prayer for the Compuesto family. Antonio and Simplicia, the parents of Pastor Jomar Compuesto, executive secretary of the East Central Philippine Union Conference (ECPUC), publicly accepted Jesus Christ through baptism.

The couple’s baptism, together with Lovely Pancho, a youth from Cortihan, Daanbantayan, Cebu, was conducted by Pastor Jomar himself, alongside Pastor Lemmuel Lauron, 1000 Missionary Movement coordinator for the ECPUC.

For Pastor Jomar, a dedicated servant of God who has conducted countless evangelistic efforts from a very young age and brought thousands of souls to the feet of Jesus, this particular milestone was unlike any other. He has rejoiced over the mighty working of the Holy Spirit throughout his ministry, but nothing could compare to the overwhelming joy of this moment.

“I prayed and waited so long for this,” Pastor Jomar shared, revealing the silent weight he had carried for years. For a long time, the delay in his parents' decision felt like a heavy burden. At times, he admitted, it felt like a quiet barrier holding him back from fully inviting others to Christ—grappling with the irony that while he had brought thousands to follow Jesus, he could not yet persuade his own parents to walk the path he had chosen.

Yet, God’s timing is flawless. In His appointed hour, the Holy Spirit moved the hearts of the elderly couple to fully surrender to Christ.

“They recently called and announced they were ready,” Pastor Jomar recounted, his voice filled with emotion. “I was overjoyed.”

Pastor Compuesto first engaged in intensive Bible study in 2000 and was baptized into the Adventist faith in 2005. Throughout the two decades that followed, he chose the path of patient love over force, never imposing his faith upon his parents.

Interestingly, he was not the one who directly taught them —he never dared. He chose to live his faith and shine his light to them, praying that the kind of life he chose would draw his parents to his side. 

“He wasn’t even the one who gave us Bible studies; he asked someone else,” Simplicia shared, admitting that her son had sent two different Bible workers to their home over the years.

When asked if it was the second Bible worker who finally convinced them to make their decision, Simplicia smiled and pointed back to her son. “It’s because of our son. He has been inviting us for so long.”

The journey was not without its challenges. Antonio, 63, recalled that they initially resisted Jomar’s conversion to Protestantism because of their deep Catholic roots.

“We used to go to church together, and so we didn’t like it at all when we learned about him joining the Adventist faith,” Antonio and Simplicia both confessed.

Their hearts began to soften only after discovering the quiet sacrifices their son was making to honor his new conviction.

“He used to work before and submitted his earnings to me every day,” his mother remembered. “Not knowing that he didn’t work on Sabbaths. Instead, he would hide somewhere far from home to keep the Sabbath holy. He was already deeply convicted, but he couldn’t dare tell us yet.”

Witnessing his fierce yet silent conviction, the parents stopped opposing his faith. From that moment on, Pastor Jomar actively dedicated his life to the church. It wasn't long before the local brethren discovered his innate gift for ministry, setting him on a path to become a shepherd of thousands—and ultimately, the spiritual guide who would welcome his own parents home.

The church in Lanao welcomes the couple into the family, the very ones who have joined them for three years, even without the sanctity of baptism. 

Lyn Lucero ⎸ ECPUC Communication Department