He left to become a bible student. Now, he’s back to tell his story.

by: Rowena Joy Flores

It was “conviction” that compelled Joshua Severino Canlas Jamilano to pack his bags. At 18 years old, despite being in the middle of a global pandemic, he decided to leave everything behind to enter bible school.

Now, Joshua is a bible student clad in a short-sleeved barong and slacks as per the standard attire for students during church service. He was assigned to do field work in Faith Baptist Church (Faith Baptist Church) Diadi, Nueva Vizcaya just a week ago. According to his classmates, Joshua was sent to work in his home church earlier than most students. He is back to help reach souls who, like he also did, need to hear about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how He can transform their lives.

Joshua, along with the workers and other bible students, had been filling 1.9-meter holes and making metal posts to help with the construction of a new church building. There were occasional banters, laughter, and singing as they worked. After all the hard labor, he was more than willing to give his testimony.

“Bago ako pumasok sa bible school may mga struggle,” Joshua told me.

(Before I entered bible school there were struggles.)

He looks like a normal boy, but the way he carried himself with a straight posture gave him a more dignified aura. With a tone of voice so steady, he sounds so sure and convicted.

“This is a true story.”

His Past

In contrast to the quiet, provincial town of Diadi, Joshua’s story began in the big and bustling barrio Baretto in Olongapo city. There, he was raised solely by his mother. He never met his father.

When he was in grade two, he was supposed to move to Nueva Vizcaya with his mother. Unbeknownst to him and his mother, his step-grandmother had already adopted him. Because his step-grandmother threatened to sue his mother, Joshua was eventually returned to Olongapo.

Joshua’s step-grandmother took him to Canada. There, he became rebellious and stubborn to the point that he was sent back to the Philippines.

“Dahil sa aking kalokohan napunta ako dito sa Vizcaya,” Joshua plainly said.

(Because of my mischievousness I ended up here in Vizcaya.)

Eventually, he found himself in Diadi where he attended high school and was enrolled in the Special Program for the Arts (SPA) in the field of Instrumental Music. This nurtured his talent for playing the guitar.

Encountering Christ

Come 10th grade, he started living in a boarding house near the school. As the expenses grew, Joshua began searching for jobs and was recommended by Kuya Motmot, a member of the local FBC in Poblacion, to work for the church.

The work included visits to the barangay churches- one of which is in Lower Lanka, a remote barangay lush in the embrace of mountain greenery. In one of those visits, Joshua learned about eternal salvation through Christ.

“Sa pamamagitan nun, narealize ko na ako ay isang makasalanan. At ang kamatayan ko, because of that sin, ay yun yung kabayaran. Pero mayroong nagmahal sa akin na isang Diyos. That is Jesus Christ,” Joshua said.

(Through that, I realized that I was a sinner. And my death, because of that sin, is the payment. But there is a God who loved me. That is Jesus Christ.)

On October 2019, inside the small church that was still under construction, Joshua accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. Two months later, he was baptized. And from that point on, there was no turning back.

A Higher Calling

It was his fourth time attending church service.

“Nung narinig ko yung ‘bible college’, nung sinabi ni pastor sa mismong likuran ng pulpito, pagkatapos ng service nilapitan ko si Pastor with courageous heart, with courageous heart,” he repeated for emphasis. Then he asked, “Pastor, paano po pumasok ng bible school?”

(When I heard about the ‘bible college’, when pastor mentioned it from behind the pulpit, after the service I approached Pastor with courageous heart, with courageous heart. ‘Pastor, how can I enter bible school?’)

I asked him how long it took him to plan his entrance to bible school. He looked at me with a confused expression. So, I asked him if he ever had a plan to enter bible school.

“No,” his reply was gentle but firm. “It’s a conviction. Actually, wala talaga akong balak.”

(No. It’s a conviction. Actually, I did not have plans.)

He explained further.

“Hindi ko ninanais. Bakit ko nanaisin na maging pastor ng isang Baptist? Ang dami namang religion, pwede naman akong maging pari, ‘tsaka ang marami namang opportunity, di ba? Pwede akong magsundalo. Pwede akong mag-photographer. Pwede akong maging photographer, kasi ayun yung pangarap ko sa buhay.”

(I did not want it. Why would I want to become a Baptist pastor? There are so many religions, I could become a priest, and there are so many opportunities, aren’t there? I could become a soldier. I could become a photographer. I could become a photographer, because that is my dream in life.)

His older sister wanted him to graduate Senior High School.

“Pero because of that conviction, hindi ko matakasan. Kasi alam ko na kapag tinawag ka ng Panginoon (sa ministeryo) hindi mo matatakasan iyan. Kailanman kahit anong gawin mo sa sarili mo, kahit anong gawin mo, hindi mo matatakasan iyan.”

(But because of that conviction, I cannot escape. Because I know that when the Lord calls you (in the ministry) you cannot escape it. Whatever you do to yourself, whatever you do, you cannot escape it.)

He decided that once he gets baptized, he will go to bible school.

Bible School

On June 2020, he stashed his phone, bid his secular dreams “goodbye,” prepared for four years without going home, and went straight to the Baptist bible college in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.

Not many people know of the Baptist bible colleges under the Independent Baptist Mission for Asians (IBMA), and part of this is because not many people aim to surrender in to the full time ministry. For the ones who care to learn about what bible school is like, this much is common knowledge: One does not simply enter bible school and expect to graduate.

In the words of a friend, “You cannot last in the bible school if you do not have a calling.”

Joshua came to know why. Although he had already anticipated what would happen from the stories of the bible students who once invited him to church, reality still hits pretty hard. Being a bible student required getting used to major adjustments in his old lifestyle- something he overcame by faith and resolve.

They do not call bible school the “training ground” for nothing. The school itself runs ultimately by faith- no kidding! The tuition fee is low and the school supports the living fees (dormitory, electricity, food etc.) of all the students. Naturally, there would be times when the school has to run on a tight budget, but that is a story for another day. The point is, living there entails discipline.

Joshua experienced those circumstances. He had to wake up before 5 a.m. everyday to attend prayer time. Food should be consumed in five minutes- leftovers and giving leftovers to classmates are not allowed. In a week, he has to spend eight hours in the library. There are also demerits for every violation of rules, and earning 30 demerit points will cause him to fail the semester.

While the school educates students academically in subjects like theology, doctrine, and more, they emphasize “field work” the most. That means students are assigned to help in the IBMA churches. They travel there on Thursday afternoons and go back to school on Monday mornings.

Some students quitted along the way, but Joshua’s motivation for entering stands.

“Alam ko kapag pumasok ako ng bible school yung family ko mase-save niya (God) rin,” Joshua said.

(I know that if I entered the bible school He (God) will also save my family.)

Today

Joshua said he once felt compelled to serve in the music ministry.

“Kasi noong unbeliever ako, ang buhay ko lang music. Doon nalang ako nabubuhay. I was in the band. I was vocalist at doon nagagamit ko yung boses ko.”

(Because when I was yet an unbeliever, my life is just music. That is where I live. I was in the band. I was vocalist and there I can use my voice.)

Today, armed with his guitar, Joshua sings in the church and even serves as the song leader of the congregation during praise and worship. He walks from door to door during outreaches, sharing the gospel to the people of Diadi along with the other young people and bible students in the church. He tells his testimony to the people in the church.

So much has changed the moment Joshua decided to follow Christ. Being a new creature in Christ changed Joshua’s manner of speaking, actions, attitude, way of dressing, and conduct. Being a bible student changed his vision for life.

Not many people aim to become pastors, because there is really no money in that profession, especially if you aim to go to places beyond the cities and urban areas- the places where people have not really heard of the gospel. But that is his calling. For Joshua, it was not a matter of being a bible student, the biggest transformation took place in his heart and it was enough to dedicate his life to the noble cause of spreading the gospel of Christ.

To bible students like Joshua, the lyrics of the choir’s song fits their goal: “If just one more soul were to walk down the aisle, it would be worth every struggle, it would be worth every mile. A lifetime of labor is still worth it all if it rescues just one more soul.”

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