62 AND STILL ON THE GO: A REFLECTION- Pastor Doy Castillo Year of birth: When my father was still alive, he and my mother had a hard time resolving the actual year of my birth. One says 1951 and the other says 1952. And so for a long time, my legal documents carried different years of birth. Some indicated 1951 while others indicated 1952. I went through a fairly difficult time resolving it as there were a number of documents that had to be reconciled. Finally, I made the decision that 1951 would seem to be reasonable and thus all my papers now (hopefully) carry the year of birth as 1951. Roots: My great great paternal grandfather came from Bauan, Batangas. He and his sister decided to move to the Visayas which, during that time, was the land of promise. They landed in Negros Occidental and became landowners. And so my Great Grandfather was born in Negros Occidental as well as my Grandfather and my father. My paternal Grandfather married another landowner and they got blessed with only one son- my father. Thus, my father inherited properties sufficient to last his last time and still leave his children with enough. I have actually visited a town in Negros Occidental where an older relative told me that my father used to own one half of the town. Then my father lost everything. He and my mother (whose roots are from Iloilo province) went to Mindanao which, at that time, was the land of promise. There he raised his family. He also acquired lands. And thus in 1951 I was born the fourth among ultimately seven brothers and one sister. GROWING UP: My childhood was one with great memories. I grew up when it was only our place that was enjoying electricity while the towns around us were in literal darkness. The reason for our bright nights was that we were in a mining community which produced its own power and thus we have sufficient lights, the precursor of later would become the electric stove and tap water. It was a good life. At 5 years old, we visited Negros Occidental to see the former place. I was placed on a horse and when the horse starting galloping, I tumbled down developing an asthmatic childhood. My asthma worked to my advantage. Every time I did something wrong requiring a physical punishment, I triggered the asthma attack (somehow I learned how to do it) and got spared from the punishment. My high school days were memorable as that of other high schoolers. I was not a believer then. We did not use the term boyfriend or girlfriend then and certainly the modern MU was a completely unknown concept for us. The boyfriend and girlfriend then were known by the Visayan slang: uyab. When I was in the fourth year I had four uyabs- one in each year. Uyab second year was from the Alliance church and she “coerced” me into going with her to the church and that is where I first heard the gospel. I did not respond at that time because I was there for the girl not for the gospel. LEAVING MINDANAO: Our eldest brother was toughie and feared by most people. He got into trouble but nothing serious happened because people were afraid of him. One day, he got into a trouble with a person who belonged to a powerful clan in Misamis. As a result, PC rangers hunted down my brother. He was not afraid and my father was not afraid but prudence required that my brother leaves so he left on my father’s orders. He went to Bacolod. There he got into all kinds of trouble again until his life became “boring” because there were no more fights. During those boring days, he found a torn and a small piece of the gospel of John. He did not know what it was but there was something there almost a literal power touching him. He went around asking what that piece of paper was. He finally was directed to an American missionary who told him of the Gospel. My brother got changed and became a powerful evangelizer. He started sending “strange” letter to my father about this new relationship with God. My father, suspecting that something was wrong with my brother’s mind, sent the next brother to Bacolod to find out what was happening. Soon, the other brother was also sending “strange” letters. So my father said: something is not right. You go (I was sent although I was the fourth one) and see what this is all about. So in 1969 I went to Bacolod and got bombarded daily with Exodus 20 (you shall not make yourself an idol etc). It was tiring and I had to defend my faith (Roman Catholic) by reading the Bible. I discovered they were right and I was wrong. Not long after that, I was also writing “strange” letter to our father. Studies: I did my AB-Pre law (did not finish it) and theological studies in Bacolod. My graduate studies were all done in Metro Manila. I first pastored in Pasay (that is a long story worth telling one day) and moved to BF Homes in 1991. I taught at the Asian Theological Seminary as well as the Presbyterian Theological Seminaries. In 1991, I became the Senior Pastor of BF Homes Christian Fellowship now known as the Bread From Heaven Christian Fellowship. Health challenges. I have had two heart by-pass surgeries but I was never in danger from the surgeries as far as I can tell. What was strange is I nearly did not make through the pre-surgery procedure called the Angiogram. I was allergic to the dye that was used. Initially I was told not to worry about allergic reaction because there is only a very small 01 percent of a thousand who is allergic to it. I was the 01 percent and nearly went to heaven. I also had a difficult gall bladder problem requiring surgery. Since I was in the habit of self-diagnosis, I failed to realize that I had approached the critical stage. The surgery was at the nick of time. God’s Gifts: When God prepares us in life and for life, he give us gifts to help us walk our path and accomplish His intentions for our lives. I have been abundantly blessed. Ruth is God’s most wonderful gift to me. Without her I become ruthless (I was gun-carrying person during my younger days). She literally enrolled me in my graduate studies. She got my class cards and told me to report to school. She worked when provisions were tight. For a number of years she provided for us in order for me to do ministry work. God gave us our sons: Mark Timothy who is 31 years old, married with one daughter Margaret Isabel. Mark is married to April, a wonderful lady who is not only bright but also business-minded. Paul Cornelius is 30 and is a very productive lawyer. He is married to Nesly Joy who is also a lawyer and is a tax specialist. Jonathan Joshua is 21 and remains our little boy. He is a Down syndrome kid and has been the demonstration of God’s faithfulness and provisions. His educational expenses in a special school are a lot more than that of a law student. Ministry: I am pastoring a church of great and humble people. I enjoyed the ministry and the friendship that comes with a healthy church. I enjoy mentoring fellow pastors and sharing whatever God has given me. I continue to learn even from the youngest of pastors as God is so kind to enable us older and more senior pastors to learn even from one who is in his first year of ministry. My social exposure is satisfactory and God has given me opportunities beyond my expectations. God is good. At 62, I am still on the go.
Posted on: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 12:08:12 +0000
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