“IT IS FOR YOUR FAITH”
Pastor George Payumo grew up in a Christian family and had been raised by his parents on the truths in the Bible. In 1993, at the age of 13, he made the best decision in his life to accept Jesus as his personal Savior. He was full of passion, and he would attend church activities because he enjoyed the fellowship with other Christians. One day, a missionary pastor visited their church and encouraged all the young people to be a part of the great commission; that is to go to all nations and make disciples. Pastor George was so inspired and dreamed of becoming a missionary. However, as young as he was, he had no idea how he would become a missionary. Not knowing his next move, he just waited for things to unfold but nothing new was happening in his life. After some time, he forgot about it and continued with his daily activities as a teenager. But God reminded him again after 12 years. Pastor George was 25 years old when God spoke to him, “Remember, I have called you to be a missionary”. He felt through his bones the intensity of God’s calling and decided to follow Jesus. God led him to International Teams Philippines, a mission organization that helps aspiring missionaries to fulfill their calling. Pastor George joined ITP and fully surrendered everything to God. He went to Malaysia for his mission exposure trip, and it opened his eyes to doing God’s work in other nations. He felt the passion for reaching out to lost souls. However, after his mission exposure trip, he had to go back to the Philippines. Another season of his life started to blossom, he got married to an amazing woman who has the same heart for missions. After two years as a couple, they have decided to go together to Malaysia for a mission exposure trip. They have truly enjoyed serving God and learned more as a missionary couple. Though after five months in Malaysia, they were called to go to Cambodia and help out in the ministry there. They prayed and sought God’s will before they moved to Cambodia. Once they got the confirmation they went to Cambodia by faith. While they were in Cambodia for the past three years, God blessed their union. Pastor George’s wife got pregnant, but it wasn’t easy for her to be in Cambodia. Her doctor advised her to go back to the Philippines because there’s a high risk of her pregnancy so it would be better for her to be in her home country when she delivers the baby. The couple decided to go back to the Philippines for the safety of their baby. Pastor George’s wife was seven months pregnant, and the baby’s situation was very delicate and risky. The doctors had no other choice but to suggest an early delivery for the child isn’t growing in her womb. The baby had to be born early so she would survive. His wife gave birth to their baby prematurely and she was so tiny weighing only 1 kilogram. Pastor George was disheartened “Lord, why did this happen? Our baby is premature.” The pain in his heart seeing his child so small and fragile was immeasurable. “It is for your faith” was God’s response to him as he desperately sought answers. Pastor George was so worried about his baby and adding to his worries is the hospital expenses. He had no money, no medical insurance, nor any government benefits and for just three days at the hospital, they had to pay 60,000 pesos. Pastor George had no money and no means of earning that amount in three days. They had to pay up so her wife could be discharged from the hospital and their baby would be placed in an incubator for a month so she would grow. He had no idea how he could pay up the hospital bill. On the fourth day, his wife was discharged, and a fellow Christian brother knew about their situation and handed them an envelope. Inside the envelope, it was exactly the amount they needed. They got 60,000 pesos to pay for their hospital bills. God is truly wonderful in providing for the needs of His children. He is the God who hears and sympathizes with His children who are undergoing trials. After settling their hospital bill, they had to move Zoey, their premature baby, from the private ward to the public ward because of the expenses. They had to leave Zoey for a month for incubation and Pastor George needed to go to the hospital every day to be with Zoey while his wife was recovering at home. He went to the hospital every day, but he didn’t have enough money to spend on his own food. Their pediatrician was used by the Lord to bless Pastor George. She would give him lunch and allowance so Pastor George could be at the hospital with Zoey every day. They should have been the ones giving to the pediatrician because they were acquiring her services, but the pediatrician’s heart was moved by God so Pastor George could be at the hospital for a month while Zoey was there. Being at the hospital every day, he witnessed a lot of things. There is so much pain and some people are losing hope. It was hard to see people suffering from illnesses or the loss of a loved one. God gave him strength and made him focus on the needs of the patients. He would share God’s love with the other patients and family members of the patients to give them hope and comfort. He knew exactly what they were going through. “The Lord comforted me through Zoey” Pastor George was grateful to God that he has hope through his daughter. He felt the burden in his heart and the compassion towards the people at the hospital before he even became a pastor. He even wrote in his diary, “Lord when are you going to send a pastor to the hospital?”
After a month of incubation, Zoey’s growth became stable so she could go home. Pastor George continued praying for the people at the hospital and that someday God would send a pastor to minister to the sick. After ten months, Pastor George, his wife, and their baby returned to Cambodia to do God’s work. But as they were already serving in Cambodia, they had to experience trials but with every one of those trials, God showed that He was with them every step of their way. Their journey isn’t over yet, but it was the start of God’s promise and purpose in their lives. His amazing journey of faith will continue …
Pastor George entrusted his life and his family to God, and he knew that God would take care of his family as he obeys Him. If you live a life that honors God, you will have peace of mind because God Almighty will take care of everything for you and you will see and know without any doubt that He has done it for you. If God had shown a miracle in the birth of their firstborn, Pastor George is confident that God can do greater things in his life and his family as he faithfully serves Him. Our God is holy, loving, eternal, and amazing beyond our comprehension. Let’s give the highest praise to God and get our eyes off our worldly troubles and focus on our heavenly Father who deserves our praise! Psalm 71:5 For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.
(Written by: Venus Jablo)