MEMORIES: Faith & The Struggle for Freedom

MEMORIES;
Faith &
The People's
Struggle for Freedom


PASTOR RUDY BERNAL
          (Part 11)
       (1970-2010)

Foreword

These  is a  story of  our simple  lives.

It tells how we  reached  out to  the youth, the  parents, the teachers, the farmers, giving them strength and courage to stand  under the hard times of martial law regime  of President Ferdinand Marcos.

The story of my ministry as a Baptist Pastor,  our works  in  helping teach farmers, sugar cane workers in  sugar cane  plantations with legal education and training them in organizing works, livelihood, practical technologies needed to improve their lives.

Our involvements  in the struggle for equality,  freedom, justice, human rights and liberations amidst the Elitest and Oligarchs who controlled vast tracts of  lands and  resources  in the midst  of  poverty, inequality and injustice.

It covers a span of 40 years of dreams and   life,  success,  failures, pains, then start to dream again.   It share stories of love and life. How we and learned way to earn  something, making and selling  Salted Peanuts and Banana Cakes, after we lost our job.  It tells something our our venture with the Lord  again in Radio Ministry, reaching to wide circles of friends and  people, across the islands, making it our parish.  

We learned the art and way to earn and capture money as exclusive distributor of  Jaz Cola soft drink, first  in 4 municipalities, then expanded to another 5 municipalities in northern Iloilo. How we grew our sales from 1 pick-up carrying 70 cases, expanding gradually to 4 big trucks that can carry 200 cases, 300 cases and 400 cases. 

We learned the arts of how to capture money, then lost again.  It was sold by the owner to venture in another calling  politics. It was bought by the biggest beer and soft drink industry, with the purpose of gradually phasing it out, to ,  and rid of competitors. 

We stood and start again. Then Typhoon Frank came with heavy floods destroying all our equipment in broadcasting and publishing, living us with nothing to start after the typhoon.  .

It tells our  partnership with friends, my wife and children, while they  still they were young in  printing and publishing ministry.

It is the story of  our  faith and  the salvation we love to share.  

A simple  ministry in a small Baptist congregations in Cawayan, Carles, Iloilo. A ministry that reached  Maao Central Evangelical Church, in Bago City, Negros Occidental. Then reached out to the region and the country, when I was again called to be Special Assistant for Development Works in the Baptist Convention again. A ministry  that reaches out and touched some parts of the world, with seminars, exposures and books we wrote and published. 

These is the story we share in the book that will soon be published in Hard Copy. 

Thanks, my sisters, brothers and friends.

PASTOR RUDY BERNAL