By Pastor Ernie Catanghal
As a missionary to the tribes here in the Philippines I have experienced a lot of travelling on land, on air and on sea. I have been doing this for almost a decade and a half now, and travelling only on sunny days is not my privilege. Being called by God to "go" and do His work as for me means most of the time to do what needs to be done, where it is needed to be done and when it is needed to be done. There is no luxury of choosing but rather plain obedience and dedicated service.
As a missionary to the tribes here in the Philippines I have experienced a lot of travelling on land, on air and on sea. I have been doing this for almost a decade and a half now, and travelling only on sunny days is not my privilege. Being called by God to "go" and do His work as for me means most of the time to do what needs to be done, where it is needed to be done and when it is needed to be done. There is no luxury of choosing but rather plain obedience and dedicated service.
In doing so I have been through a lot of rough and tough times, and to share one of them it was when going through the borders of China Sea on a small boat getting caught in an ugly storm. This one unforgettable experience happened while I was trying to bring in some food and medical supplies to a place where the people of the tribes were perishing because of the continuous beating of heavy rains and strong winds for weeks. These people were part of the groups I've been reaching out in my missionary work. The Iraya-Mangyans of Mindoro. Well, it's not about the mission work or the Mangyans that I am going to talk about this time but about my experience on that 12 feet long wooden boat.
When I stepped on this "small" fisherman's boat all I remembered was the four inch clearance of the top edge of the boat from the surface of the troubled water. It was not because of my weight that caused the boat to sink that low but because when the boatman together with some locals helped me load a few sacks of rice, a sack of sugar, a sack of dried fish, some boxes of canned sardines, some bags of used clothing and several boxes of medicine. Right at the shore it was calm, or there was a window of calmness in the sea and we thought we will get just enough time to cross over with all these heavy baggage aboard.
When I stepped on this "small" fisherman's boat all I remembered was the four inch clearance of the top edge of the boat from the surface of the troubled water. It was not because of my weight that caused the boat to sink that low but because when the boatman together with some locals helped me load a few sacks of rice, a sack of sugar, a sack of dried fish, some boxes of canned sardines, some bags of used clothing and several boxes of medicine. Right at the shore it was calm, or there was a window of calmness in the sea and we thought we will get just enough time to cross over with all these heavy baggage aboard.
To get the picture there was a storm, there were dying people desperately in need in the other side of the island, I got the supplies they need, and the only way to get to the place is by boat. Normally, no one goes out to the sea in this kind of harsh weather condition. But there was only one fisherman in the town who was crazy enough or should I say desperate enough to earn some money by taking me there to that storm-beaten side up north.
At first it seemed like any ordinary boat ride and I even cared to pull out my camera for some shots. When all of the sudden the wind have shifted speed and direction, the sky grew very dim and everything suddenly changed, from calm to worse and escalating to worst. I have been in the sea with this kind of condition on a large ship but not on a tiny and overloaded boat. I have to admit it was one of the scariest moment of my life. With my heart pounding so hard even with the noise of those huge waves beating the sides of our boat and splashing all over us from all directions it wasn't enough to hide the beating sound of my chest. Then somewhere more than half of the way our boat developed a leak from the side and down beneath, water slowly filling up! Oh, I couldn't be scarier more! Yet from a distance an enormous shadow suddenly casted on us, at first I thought it was a whale but no it was not! It was like a wall, growing bigger and everything that surrounded us in that very moment turned to shade of gray. It was a huge wave in a size I can't tell, just huge. And it was right in front of the boat about to capsize everything and I knew it will be just be in a blink of an eye.
The only word I was able to utter at that very moment was "LORD!" Then something flashed before me, like a silver screen in a movie house suddenly rolled down and like a movie I saw a scene of a boat of almost the same size being beaten and battered by the waves in the darkness of the night, with men inside so scared just like me and as they panicked knowing not what to do a man from one end stood up and raised his arms heavenward. And the ghastly winds and corkscrewing waves just like breath calmed down. It was a vision of a story from the Bible.
Jesus Calms the Storm
Mark 4:35-40
As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
This event took place just after Jesus went so busy teaching, preaching, performing great miracles upon miracles right before his disciples' eyes. Multitudes followed the Master because of these things and the disciples where not separated from the awesome sight, as a matter of fact they were in the front row every time. Now who could say they have missed a thing of wonder?
Yet just few ticks from those events they all went aboard with their Master on this small boat and somewhere the disciples found themselves deeply troubled by the winds and waves, it was a fierce storm as the bible have said. They were all rattled, totally soaked and shaken. Fear has entered the abode of their hearts and mind while the Master resting peacefully on one end of the same boat.
Was it easy to forget?
Did these fresh facts totally slipped out of their minds? Have they forgotten of their master? Or him being on the same boat? Or those amazing things he just performed few hours back? Have they easily lost the truth they found in him? Have their hearts gone capsized by those waves? And they bothered the master in the middle of his peaceful rest, and questioned him if he do care.
The rest is history. The master on that boat was their Lord and Savior and so do mine!
Going back to what happened on my boat, it was just on time as we have pulled ashore before the boat totally sink. How about the supplies? It was the Master's hand that scooped them out and pushed them to the shore. Nothing was lost for the Master was calm and true, and as much as He has done for His disciples same thing He has done for me, and also for you.
Today as I continue the work of the Lord I am being threatened by winds of persecution, waves of affliction, storms of insufficiency. But should I easily forget? Should I doubt?
My Master is always aboard and whenever He raises His hands heavenward I know miracles do happen. Today, as I write this blog Jesus raised his saving hands again, and His hands came in the form of some people who selflessly came to the rescue. Thank you Lord Jesus for sending Raul, Lani, Marga and Darwin! Lord, You know Your hands well and I know you will bless them for being so.
My Master is always aboard and whenever He raises His hands heavenward I know miracles do happen. Today, as I write this blog Jesus raised his saving hands again, and His hands came in the form of some people who selflessly came to the rescue. Thank you Lord Jesus for sending Raul, Lani, Marga and Darwin! Lord, You know Your hands well and I know you will bless them for being so.
Jesus is never early nor late, He never fails! He have done it before, He has done it today and He will do it forever. Trust in Him! That I will never forget.
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