Esther was reluctant to recognise her gifts and calling to ministry in the church.

 

My name is Esther. I am from Kachin State, Myanmar. I have a brother and four sisters.

 

My grandfather was an Anglican priest. He was a good and faithful leader of the church and our community. A loyal husband and wise father, he supported and guided my parents as they raised their own children.

 

Compelled by family

 

I admired my grandfather, but as a teenager I resented his strict discipline. I wanted to go out with my friends on Saturday afternoons but he made me stay and clean the church.

 

Because I am the firstborn, my parents set me apart for church ministry as an offering of thanksgiving to God. But I insisted that I was not interested because I knew there were few ministry opportunities for women in Myanmar. My mother kept reminding me to count God’s blessings in my life rather than focus on what I could not do.

 

I was allowed to go to college. But to satisfy my family, after graduating I went to Holy Cross Theological Seminary in Yangon.

 

Called by God

 

It was not until my third year of study that I realised I was chosen for ministry—not by my family, but by God. The Holy Spirit inspired me. He showed me who I am and where I belong. I promised God that I would serve him wherever he sent me.

 

After I completed my Bachelor of Theology in 2013 I was sent to teach in a mission school located in a remote and under-developed area of my state. After three years I became the coordinator of the Christian Education Department for the Diocese of Myitkyina.

 

Eager to learn more

 

I encountered many challenges and realised my knowledge was not sufficient to fulfil my responsibilities. I prayed fervently that God would enable me to study again and elevate my capacity. I wanted to serve faithfully and to the best of my ability, just like my grandfather. I remembered the words he used to encourage me: “No turning back!”

 

In 2017 God gave me an opportunity to go to the Philippines and study at St Andrew’s Theological Seminary. Thanks to SparkLit, I now have my own Bible commentary and dictionary. Wherever I am, with these books I can continue to improve my theological knowledge. God is good all the time!

 

Please pray that I will persevere in what I have learned and be thoroughly equipped for every good work as a servant of God, using the Scriptures to teach and train in all righteousness.

 

Esther graduated from St Andrew’s Theological Seminary in 2020 with a master’s degree in divinity and has returned to serve with the Anglican Church in Myanmar.

 

$70 will provide a Bible dictionary and commentary to a graduate from St Andrew’s Seminary in Manila.

Thanks to your support, graduates leave St Andrew’s Seminary in Manila with a Bible dictionary and commentary. To Victor Bongngat Mangngao, these gifts are indispensable tools.

 

“My six siblings and I were born into a remote Ingorot tribe in Kalinga Province. As a child I cultivated white beans, coffee and tiger grass. However I dreamed of becoming a priest. I was inspired by the commitment of the priests who travelled by foot to far-flung areas in my province to celebrate the Eucharist and minister to the people.”

 

Suffering produces perseverance

 

“Poverty and the remoteness of our village made life difficult. The year 1984 was a sad year. My eight-year-old brother died of pneumonia and my two-year-old brother died with measle-like symptoms. Neither received medical attention.”

 

Victor managed to complete elementary school. He then travelled long distances to attend high school and university. “I graduated from Kalinga-Apayo State College and sat the St Andrew’s Theological Seminary entrance exam. Unfortunately, I could not afford to pursue theological studies. But I was determined to find a way.”

 

Perseverance produces character

 

“My height disqualified me from enlisting in the police and armed forces, and I failed the civil service exam several times. I ended up working as a construction worker. My frustration caused me to join a revolutionary movement. With this underground movement, I saw the value of comradeship, developed self-discipline and learned to live with danger.”

 

When his father got sick, Victor was forced to choose between the movement and his family. “I felt bad because I was not able to take care of my father. I was also worried about being killed. I took advantage of a government amnesty and left the revolutionary group.”

 

Character produces hope

 

“My father died in 2010. In my grief I was reminded of my vocation. Almost 20 years after my first attempt, I finally enrolled at St Andrew’s Theological Seminary. This time my training was sponsored by friends.”

 

“My struggles have not been in vain. I can see that God has been preparing me to serve his church.”

 

“Pray that I will devote myself to our Lord Jesus Christ. Please pray that if it is the will of God, I will become a priest and serve him and the people he entrusts to my care.”

 

 

Victor Bongngat Mangngao graduated with a bachelor degree from St Andrew’s Theological Seminary.

 

$70 will provide an IVP New Bible Dictionary and a New Bible Commentary to a theological graduate in Manila.

Thanks to your support, graduates leave St Andrew’s Theological Seminary in the Philippines with a Bible dictionary and commentary.

 

Because their resources are meagre, these gifts become indispensable tools. One graduate, Jenelyn Marino, tells how God sustained her as she studied.

 

“My mother called me while I was working far away from home. ‘Your father has had another stroke. We need you at home. Oh, and you have been offered a place at the seminary.’”

 

“I had to choose between my family and my vocation.”

 

He called me

 

Jenelyn was born in Nueva Vizcaya, a mountainous province of the Philippines. “My father worked hard to feed and educate his family. He supported me through a bachelor degree in information technology.”

 

The priest of Jenelyn’s home parish encouraged her to train for ordination at St Andrew’s Theological Seminary. She made a special journey to a neighbouring diocese to take the admission exam.

 

“I was waiting for my results when my father suffered his first stroke. Even though I wanted to be with my family I kept working in Sagada to pay for his medical bills. Our relief when my father was discharged was short-lived. He had another stroke and was rushed back to the hospital.”

 

An invitation from the seminary was the confirmation Jenelyn had been waiting for. “I resigned from my job and set off for home. How would I tell my family that I wanted to study theology? I got off the bus and ran to our house. My father tried to speak to me but, as a result of the stroke, the words he uttered were unclear. I wept as I played my guitar and sang to him.”

 

He sustained me

 

“I sought my father’s blessing on my decision but he said: ‘I cannot work anymore. I thought you would find a job and support your younger sister in her studies.’”

 

Jenelyn accepted the offer from the seminary but not without much doubt and hesitation. “During my four years at St Andrew’s I was hounded by guilt. How can I expect to serve other people when I do not help my own family? I also doubted whether I had the skills and confidence to fulfil my calling.”

 

“I now see that I persevered with God’s help. He provided financial support. He blessed me with a community. Every time I felt like giving up he sent friends to comfort me. Most of all, he gave me the chance to make up with my father. To God be the glory!”

 

“Please pray that with the help of your gifts I will share the gospel with confidence.”

 

Jenelyn Marino graduated from St Andrew’s Theological Seminary with a bachelor degree in theology.

 

$70 will provide a theology graduate in Manila with a Bible dictionary and commentary.

You can help prepare graduates like Dexter Tad-awan to speak the word of God with boldness.

 

I observed the way the priests sent to our village accompanied the people and supported them in practical ways. I felt drawn to this vocation. However, I was becoming increasingly aloof and insecure. I couldn’t express myself with confidence. People told me that I was strange and weird.

 

My name is Dexter Tad-awan. My parents are subsistence farmers in Pasnadan, an Igorot village in the Tadian municipality, Mountain Province in the northern Philippines. Like them, I preferred to plough fields rather than study or be with people.

 

To avoid moving away from my home and family, each day I spent over four hours walking to and from high school. I tried my best to overcome my weakness in dealing with people and eventually made friends. They lived near my school and asked me to live with them. This meant that I wouldn’t have to walk so far. Despite my anxiety, I accepted my friends’ invitation. However, these friends also introduced me to vices such as drinking too much alcohol. I began to lead a double life. By day I was a church man, by night I was a man of vices.

 

I am thankful that, by God’s grace, people from my church helped me to take a chisel to my life. I chose to serve God and was encouraged to pursue the priestly vocation of which I had once dreamed. Looking back, I realize that life is full of choices. A choice between right and wrong, good and evil, God and the world. Our background and upbringing can affect our choices. But, nothing can overtake the plans God has for us if we work out our faith through his love and grace.

 

Seminary life has prepared me to make better choices in future. Please pray that, with the help of God, I will also guide others to the way, the truth and the life.

 

Thank you for the Bible commentary and concordance. These will help me to accurately explain the Scriptures and prepare and deliver better sermons. To God be the glory!

 

 

Dexter Tad-awan is a graduate of St Andrew’s Theological Seminary in the Philippines.

 

$60 will provide a Bible commentary and concordance to a graduate at St Andrew’s Seminary in Manila.