I graduated from Central Philippine Adventist College in March 2003 with a degree in Theology, but the path to this victory was not a paved, shiny road.
Living in poverty with parents who raised nine children through farming, paying my tuition each month was a challenge. However, my late father had an iron will. Despite being just an elementary graduate, just like my mother, his determination to see me march on a stage as a theology graduate made him face hardships and hard labor with grace.
I grew up in Brgy. Pinaguinpinan, Kabankalan, Negros Occidental, Philippines, and after my father’s years of toil in the farm with a meager income barely enough to feed nine children, the place hardened by labor and scorching sun, witnessed a young adult finally climbing into the stage as a future, full-fledged pastor.
My silent tears of happiness when I marched on the aisle were not for me alone, but for the father I truly admire. For the unshakeable determination he had and his faith in me.
The joy on his face that day spoke of his earned victory for giving me to the Lord.
I began my ministry in 2003 as a Bible Worker at Silay City SDA Church under Pastor Lamboso. From 2003 to 2006, I served as a Bible worker, global mission worker, and an adopt-a-minister worker with the Negros Occidental Conference.
In 2007, I married the woman I dreamed of having a future with. She is Grace Gay Gente Carrera, whom I met at Mountain View College in 1998, when we were both members of the same singing group.
I first got captivated as I watched her play the piano during my audition. I just couldn’t forget how she played gracefully, her fingers dancing across the keyboard in a rhythm that matched the beatings of my heart.
That gentle melody still lingers in my memory, the opening notes of our love story. The song was “My Jesus, I Love Thee” from the SDA Hymnal.
We quickly became friends, but I soon learned her heart belonged to someone far away. I tried to win her over with small gifts and shared meals, but she gently drew the line. Though it stung to remain just friends, I honored her decision.
In 1999, I transferred to Central Philippine Adventist College and shifted my course from Biology to Theology. We lost communication until after we both finished our studies.
Later, when I applied for the 1000 Missionary Movement and visited Manila, I unexpectedly saw her again at the Pasay Adventist Church. By then, she had already transferred to the Adventist University of the Philippines and completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. During that time, I already had a girlfriend, so our meeting remained casual with no romantic intentions.
Life led us down separate paths. I returned home to continue my work as a Bible worker in Silay City, while she began her career at H.W. Miller Sanitarium and Hospital (now Adventist Hospital-Cebu) after passing her nursing board exam.
While preparing for the IELTS exam, she found herself seated next to a girl from CPAC. They struck up a friendship, and by a twist of fate, that girl was one of my close friends from Bacolod. Through her, our paths crossed once again.
At that point, we were both non-committed. After six months of friendship and communication, she accepted me as her sweetheart. We were together for two years before we married in 2007.
With her by my side, life felt complete. Yet I stepped away from ministry for five years, seeking new paths in business to better provide for our growing family.
Despite my efforts to earn more, the sense of fulfillment slipped through my fingers. My father’s dream of seeing me serve as a minister haunted my nights.
However, in January 2013, Pastor Benjamin Mahinay, former president of the East Visayan Conference, encouraged me to return to ministry as a Bible worker, and I accepted the call. I worked as a Gospel Outreach worker assigned in Calbiga, Western Samar, until April 2015.
In May 2015, discouragement led me to step away from ministry once more. I moved to Thailand and spent four years teaching, but even in a new country, the inner sense of fulfillment continued to elude me. Thus, in 2019, my family and I chose to return home to the Philippines, hoping for a fresh start.
Late in 2019, as I picked up my daughter from Tacloban City Adventist Elementary School, a chance encounter with Pastor Antonio Gobi changed my path. He urged me to consider joining Samar Mission, where workers were needed. After a week of earnest prayer, I called him back and expressed my willingness to serve as a Bible worker. They warmly accepted me.
In 2020, I received my assignment as a Bible worker in General MacArthur, Eastern Samar. The following year, when a new district opened in NORESA 1, Samar Mission entrusted me with the role of district leader, even though I was a layman.
In 2022, I was transferred to lead the San Juanico District, which is conveniently closer to Tacloban, where my wife resided. I served faithfully there for three years.
From January 2025, my journey continued in the South-Eastern Samar District, also known as the Salcedo District.
Though I spent nearly a decade away from ministry, weighed down by discouragement and life’s trials, the Lord’s call never faded. My journey in the ministerial field has been shaped by His grace, and on May 8, 2026, my lifelong dream came true when I was ordained as a licensed minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Embracing this sacred calling, I offer my life in humble service to God and His people. My prayer is that my ministry will always mirror Christ’s love, with all glory and honor belonging to Him alone.
Currently, I am privileged to serve as the district pastor of the Southeastern Samar District under the Samar Mission, working alongside my wife and our only daughter.
