Testimony

TESTIMONY OF MRS. BERNA TUPAS
(A Pastor's Mother)

“MANY are the plans in man’s heart but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Prov. 19:21 (NIV).
We live in God’s purpose driven life but it is the only way we should really live, everything else is just existing. It is God who directs our lives and everyone’s life is in His power.

I’ll begin my testimony with some significant stages in my life. At the time I woke up in this world, my parents were non-churchgoers. My father attended church only once a year, that is on Christmas eve, while my mother was so busy managing her “carenderia” (a small restaurant) from 6:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. 7 days a week. My father had to help her after his work. There never was a time we attended church as a family. Church or religion was not mentioned in our household. To us everything was just existing.

I finished grade school with good grades and in my high school years, I struggled hard to excel, spending weekends doing assignments and studying, aiming to get perfect scores in our exams. It was a success, I graduated at the top which means scholarship for college. I maintained my scholarship, however, in my 4th year pharmacy, I got married to my best friend’s cousin, promising my mother to finish my college course. My husband is good, loving and wonderful and his family are devoted Christians.

We used to visit his parents every weekend, and we never missed church on Sundays During weekdays I attended school. At first I felt awkward and unfocused in the church but then after a few months, God started to work in my heart. Then one Sunday morning, something great happened to me. I accepted the JESUS CHRIST as my LORD & SAVIOR! Two weeks later I was baptized right in the fishpond we now own. Then everything in me changed. I looked forward to attend church on Sundays. My faith in God grew stronger, my heart was no longer empty. I became joyful and a concerned person. I am immensely grateful to God for my husband and his family who graciously demonstrated to me God’s love and grace.
After 2 years I became a pharmacist. While my husband worked abroad, I continued taking another course and graduated as Math & Science teacher. I taught in both the private and public schools. I started planning for my career path by pursuing a Master’s Degree in Education. At this stage of my life, I remained faithful to the Lord and also to my husband (by His grace) who was away for 13 years. God took care of me and my 2 kids. I was promoted as a Department Head Teacher for Science & Math. It was then when my husband decided to come home for good.

Bernadine, our eldest was already graduating, Greg Jr., was in second year high school. After a year, God gave us a beautiful gift and we named her Ginadine. Years later my father died and my mother was converted by her sister to Seventh Day Adventist.

Again the Lord poured upon us His abundant blessings. I finished my Master’s degree in Education. A year later I became a Division Supervisor for Science & Math in the Division of Iloilo City with more than 3,000 secondary & elementary teachers to be supervised.

Years passed, my son Greg Jr. was already a Project Engineer in Iloilo, Bernadine, a nurse in Canada and Ginaline, in first year high school. I was almost at the top of my career path, at the same time I was preparing my dessertation for PhD. in Education, an important point for promotion to a Regional position as well as a Superintendent of Schools. Bernadine petitioned us to come to Canada, perhaps it was God’s plan why we arrived here on June 10, 1987 (our wedding anniversary).

God’s plan was working in us. Despite the difficulties and challenges we experienced on the first year, God manifested His promise to never leave us or forsake us. My son Greg Jr. left his high paying job and became a pastor. My husband and I had a good job (now both of us retired). Happy and contended as we were, God tried our faith.

I was sick for over a year due to lumbar spine problem (2004-2005), unable to walk or move freely. However, God answered our prayer, I was cured. Twice my husband and I met serious accidents in Highway 401, one in 2002 before I retired and the second, a day before his open heart surgery for aorta valve replacement (2007). In both accidents, God spared our lives His operation was successful. At the same time, our grandson, Lemuel (pastor Greg’s son) was diagnosed with a rare kind of cancer in his arm. Later, however, it turned out to be benign. God answered our prayers. Now he is cured and healthy.

Truly God is so good and merciful to us. We praise and thank Him for His continuing blessings, guidance and protection to our family. Sometimes we just don’t see how God works in us. It was difficult for us to understand why God directed us to move to Canada, after all both myself and my son Greg Jr. had successful careers with great potentials to get even better.

It is just now that I realized that God’s purpose is for us to serve Him in this capacity which give us a great deal more of success and personal satisfaction.

God is our great God, our sustainer and dependence on Him will lead us to a life of ultimate contentment. Now I have no regret being here in Canada because I am able with my family to serve God faithfully in our best way. Truly, God’s purpose for our family prevails (Prov. 19:21)

(Published in the September 2009 issue of The Baptist Chronicle)