my faith journey

I, Elmer S.Victoria, have born on August 12, 1971 at Sitio Flora, Capas, Tarlac, the youngest of four children of Pintik Lapuz Victoria and Isabelita Sanchez, both hails from Sitio Flora, Capas, Tarlac City. My father was a respected Chieftain in the community and he always thinks what was good for the community, especially on the issue of ancestral domain,many ranchers(cattle farmers or breeders) in our place has drove out when he fighs for the rights of the Aeta community in Barrio Flora, Maruglo, capas, Tarlac City. Although there are no peoples organization accredited and non-government organizations, before to uphold or advocates the welfare of the Aeta community to fight for their own rights to have legally control about the land. What I also saluted to my father was that, when there are mission Pastor assigned in our placed was that he never let them nothing to eat, but he also make a house for them to have to stay. And because we have our own power saw (chain saw) he ask for other elders to build a church voluntarily. That was a good timing for the mission Pastor before, because my father begin not to believe in manganito in the community (faith healer) it is because he believed that my brothers and sisters died due to the faith to the manganito and not to the doctors. This background perhaps will help us to understand my faith journey. The journey of my faith begun when I was young and it is not very clear for me about serving God. What I recall is that, I am very active in the church, especially, in every gathering of the young people or fellowship of group of young people every Friday. That time, our Pastor was from the other barangay and most of them are students in Immanuel Bible School, Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac City. And three of them are my cousins who are helping our Pastors in that Area. I used to teased them and make fun of calling them Pastor with embarrassing words. And perhaps as being naughty boy, sometimes I encourage others thrown water buffalo’s manure in the wall of the church, and we shout “pastor hen damuag” (which means, one who taking care of the buffalo) but when our parents decided to bring us in Olongapo City to pursue my Elementary, because our place is a very remote area, and it’s very difficult to request teacher from the DECS(Department of Education Culture and Sports) even up today. In Olongapo City, my Eldest Sister then is a member of a Choir in Assembly of God Church. She regularly attended every activity in their church, and if she has ample time, she joins in the discipleship seminar and helps their Pastor. My Eldest sister always encourages attending Sunday school for elementary level and motivating us to join in the DVBS (Daily Vacation Bible School). This would become the routine of our scheduled after school, we go to church and have fellowship with the other young people. And you know what happen next? One there was a mass baptism and once again my sister asked me to go along with her in the beach where the baptism conducts. But before the baptism , there was a guy who approach our Pastor and begs for prayer for his grand mother , this old lady has a rheumatic heart diseased and it’s hard for her to walk. This is my first time to see a powerful prayer of a Pastor, after a very powerful and touching message of prayer he asked the old lady to stand and request her to walk slowly, and it’s amazing because the power of God reveals not only to the woman but to those witness around us and likewise reveals himself to me, that is why in the deep of my heart I prayed Lord, you are truly alive and you don’t want your children be dismayed because of their afflictions and trials they have encountered. I begun to meditate on that experienced, and this was inspired me to be involved in any activities that would enhanced and developed my belief in God, the church become the vehicle for my spiritual growth. But due to the unavoidable circumstances, our parents decided to transfers us in Tarlac. Because there are scholarship waiting for us there. So, my Elder brother and I enrolled in O’donnell Barangay High School and we are now in our first year high school level and it’s very difficult for us , most of the student are kapampangan(pampango language) and if they saw us they always teased us because of our physical appearances which is different with them. We stayed at the dormitory spearheaded by the late Ms. Marion Walker a missionary whose main purpose is to uplift not only the spiritual life of the Aeta but also to have a better future through educations. As part of the life in he dormitory we have a regular devotions that became the instruments to nurture my spiritual life. But because of the influenced of other students with in the dormitory I have learned to drink liquor and this would gradually changed my mind and almost forgot all he experiences happened before. After high School, my father encouraged me to enter or join in the Philippine Army training, but unfortunately, after completing the requirements in Army training, I got sick and almost died to Malaria malignant. What was I recalled was the unspoken word which was “Lord if you give me the chance to lived I want to served you” that was the exact words perhaps that heard by God because we never expect somebody visit us by the volunteers in the rural health center and he try to test my blood, that’s why we confirmed that I have Malaria malignant. I thank God for this blessing because he hears my prayer. After I got recovered I forgot my promised to serve Him, and I pursue my desired to become a Philippine Army. With out the knowledge, that I was enrolled by my uncle in the Immanuel Bible School where he also graduated and finished his Pastoral Course. After the worship service I received a letter that informing me that our classes will start this coming week. This begun my struggle to choose, my promised to serve God? Which was reminded me of that letter when I have sick or the dream of my father which also my choice to become an Army? That night I pray hard to God and beg for an answer but hopelessly I didn’t received any revelations from above. After a couple of days I decided to submit all of my requirements to join in the military training I was late and never received my papers. That’s perhaps the way of God to hinder my plan and I saw myself in the Bible School studying the word of God with hesitant because this is not my original plan, but who am I to ignore the calling of God. I reflect on what was happened to me and my dreams. You know, what I have learned is that God’s wanted to be his Army in his vineyard. After two years in the Bible School Last March 1990, I attended the Annual conferences and that’s the time when they read my appointments. The District Superintendents of the Mission District for Tribal Filipinos assigned me in the mission Area at Sagpat , San felipe, Zambales. It’s a very difficult and surprising experience because only we only received three hundred thirty pesos (350) mont5hly from the mission fund. But I really blessed since the members and the community warmly accept me as their pastor and they provide my needs, since this was my first year in the ministry.What greatly surprise to me before was then they prepared even a simple gipts during my birthday just express their love to me by preparing “tinupak and softdrinks” because cassava is their main crops until today and planting rice. But due to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo on June 1991 most of the people in the community moved to different evacuation area, this was the beginning of the diaspora of all Aeta from Mount Pinatubo, where we used to live. I myself forced to live that area and move to Tarlac City, where my parents also evacuate in San Miguel Tarlac High School. Though there are some problems in the evacuations centers, the opportunity come to me to have my college educations. While my parents stayed in the resettlements centers, the Director of the Immanuel Bible School enrolled me at the Holy Angel University in Angeles city, Pampanga, to take Bachelors of Science in Psychology. It’s a burdensome because our District superintendent assigned me in a remote mission area in Iam resettlement a place adjacent to new Cabalan, Olongapo city. And if I have ample time I tirelessly visit my parents and other victims of Mount Pinatubo eruptions. After a year, I decided to transfer in Virgen Delos Remedios College in Olongapo City to pursue my studying. Because I was retain in my church assignment. But my course affected since there are no BS in Psychology there, I need to change it to AB Political Science, where I finished it in six years due to some unavoidable circumstances like financial incapacity, conflict on my church assignment. But in the midst of tiring and unhealthy scheduled it was a tremendous opportunity to established and dreams to have an Aeta Annual Conference, separate to a regular conference that we have in he United Methodist Church. I was elected the Chairman of AETA TRIBAL MISSIONCOUNCIL, and as chairman of ATMC one of our advocates is to have an Aeta Annual Conference, so that we could create programs that are suited to our culture and systems. We believed that there is a possibility to have this separate conference; the ATMC has composed of four provinces namely; Tarlac city, Bataan, Pampanga, and Zambales. This is alos open the door for me to enter in the seminary so that in due time or much better used the term in God’s perfect time our dreams to have an annual conference be realized. Rev. Carmen and DS Mario Badua with Dr. Silito K. Toquero decided for my studying as part of their support on our dreams though my choice is to enroll in Wesley Divinty School, but they advice me to have a better training is to go to Union Theological Seminary. So as servant, I choose to obey them with out hesitant since I really believed that this will truly help to developed my ability and likewise the future of Aeta ministry. At present the Aeta Mission group in Tarlac city with the permission of the Bishop Benjamin Justo of Baguio Episcopal Area organized themselves into an Aeta Sub-District, and the Zambales Aeta group creates only a committee which will further study the proposal to have a distinct a Aeta District. Since the Pastor is limited required numbers of Ordain Elders to have a District. But Last annual conference of the West Middle Conference May 2006 a Morong , Bagac, Bataan and before the adjourned session I was asked to lead the group of Aeta Pastors in Zambales Districts and call a meeting to have a program planning for the Aeta ministry in Zambales. I was really blessed during our first meeting seeing that our Aeta workers attended it and Aeta Lay leaders. Hopefully, the dreams to have an Annual Coference realized in the near future but the dreams comes only with the help of the concerted efforts of individuals and the desired of every Aeta workers to fulfill this vision.