Grace Joy Reid
Reflections on Mom (Nanay)
I am reading from Nanay’s testimony called, “My Life in Christ”
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
This verse is very special because of my miraculous deliverance from a Japanese firing squad during the Second World War. My mother and I were fleeing the Japanese slaughter of men, women, and children from my hometown, Palompon, Leyte in the Philippines. Riding on my mother’s shoulders we fled across an ocean inlet only to find ourselves face to face with a squad of Japanese soldiers aiming long rifles with bayonets fix menacingly waiting for us on the other side. I was only six years old and extremely terrified when we were made to stand in front of a 24-men firing squad. My mother, a woman of unusual faith, quietly whispered while smiling (said) “They cannot kill us because God has sent his angels to stop them.” The squad commander then shouted out the order, ready, aim, fire, but nothing happened. The soldiers looked as if they had seen something really petrifying, dropped their rifles without firing a shot. I ran into the woods and the commander asked my mother for direction to our town. The soldiers let us escape into the woods where we were able to join the rest (of) our family members who were hiding from the Japanese.
After the war was over, I got very much involved in our church. Rev. and Mrs. David Smith, Presbyterian missionaries led Mom and Dad to Christ and they opened our home as the meeting place for church. I was the youngest in the family born having siblings who had already reached adulthood. I was one of 10 youth at my church who responded to a call to serve God in the gospel ministry. I have kept my pledge to serve God all of these years. During my teenage years I served as soloist during evangelistic outreach ministries in towns and barrios in Leyte. Later I served as Christian Education Director for the entire Leyte Conference as teacher-trainer traveling, choir director and preacher all over the island of Leyte for 7 years. I was given free board and lodging and occasionally a free-will offering as a salary.
Those were Mom’s words. Now for my words.
She continually told me about the great things that God had done in her life and in mine. “You should’ve died as a baby, when you got sick, but God saved you for His purposes.” Mom would say.
Before I was born, Mom bought piano books for me. She had a gorgeous singing voice and would sing to me, while I was in her womb, and Esther, too. She would play Children’s Christian songs on the record player for me to learn. She would sing along to her favorite Sacred Christian artists while she cooked in the kitchen. In the third grade, I would tell my Mom of my desire to play the piano for a Billy Graham Crusade.
Growing up, Mom spoke of God’s mighty hand moving in the Philippines. For example, it was monsoon season, and the road had become a river. The bus driver was afraid to cross it and wanted to turn back. But mom called out, “No, keep going! I will pray and see the hand of God move! Have faith! We will make it! “ And they did! She also spoke of the time when they first got married and living in Norwalk, CA. Dad was a full-time college student at Biola University and working full-time at night at the U.S. Post Office. Mom was alone with me. When they didn’t have enough food to eat, Mom would pray, and a bag of groceries appeared on their front doorstep. Mom had an usual faith, like her mom, Marciana Cabillo Cardillo.
I miss your laughter & love for people & God. I love you, Nanay. Ini ibig kita.
