Almost all Filipino families have a relative abroad—mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters forfeiting the solace and comfort of home to provide a better future for the families they leave behind. It is no easy journey but their hearts remain steadfast knowing that they and their loved ones will meet again soon.
Rev. Danilo A. Borlado, Vice President of the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches has dedicated his life to encouraging and ministering Overseas Filipino Workers in Hong Kong. It is his heart’s desire that Filipinos far from home will be encouraged by the love of Christ through a community of believers.
His journey with the Lord started when he entered the portals of Central Philippine University. He was enrolled as a student of the CPU College of Agriculture in 1975 when he came to dedicate his life to Christ after attending the Christ Emphasis Week. Two years later, he decided to study Theology in the same university. “I came to know the Lord and commit my life to Him in one of the Christ Emphasis Week celebration. After that, I was engaged with religious organizations in the university. I kept growing as a young Christian through the Campus Crusade for Christ and became part of the University Church choir.”
According to Rev. Borlado, his engagement with the University Church and religious organizations in the campus helped him realize that he had a calling to serve Christ as a minister. “I began to feel that there was an urge, a prompt, to share the love of Christ to others.” His stay in the CPU College of Theology deepened his biblical knowledge and theological perspective towards the poor and powerless. “I had empathy for the less fortunate and vulnerable people, maybe because I came from a poor family myself.”
After graduating from college, he took up his Master of Divinity in the college then pursued his Master of Theology in Australia. He then became a minister at the Baptist Center Church and taught part-time in the CPU College of Theology.
When asked what he loves about the ministry, Rev. Borlado shares that it is seeing people commit their lives to Christ that makes him realize his purpose. “I enjoy helping people. Seeing people commit to the Lord in a personal way, not just intellectual or head knowledge, but to be able to shed light on what it means to know God. Seeing them grow in the Lord gives me great joy. And there is also an added dimension particularly that we are in the OFW ministry in Hong Kong—being able to assist, strengthen and encourage our OFWs abroad. ”
In 1999, Rev. Borlado was invited to attend a Mission Conference in Hong Kong. There he visited two churches, one of which is the International Baptist Church Filipino Congregation. Months after his visit, the convention encouraged him to apply as pastor in the said church. “There were eight applicants and I was the one chosen. I saw that as the Lord’s leading to move into a new area of ministry, specifically in OFW ministry.”
After serving the church for six years, Rev. Borlado established the New Beginnings Christian Fellowship which is now serving and ministering OFWs in Hong Kong for 11 years. There are indeed many challenges of leading a church in a foreign land but Rev. Borlado shares that God has equipped him in the early stages of his ministry. “There was a bit of a struggle on our part because we have teenage children at the time. It wasn’t easy for us to leave them behind. We cannot bring them because the education in Hong Kong is so expensive. That experience taught us to experience firsthand the very struggles of the OFWs that we would be working with, that we would be ministering to. We experienced the loneliness, the pain of separation and living away from your family, and that put us in a better situation to understand and sympathize with the OFWs are going through. That made us minister effectively to them.”
Though away from home, Rev. Borlado is encouraged by the stories and testimonies of faith of the OFWs that they are ministering to and that has fueled his heart for the ministry. “The experiences of our OFWs abroad are always a mixture. There are painful and sad experiences, the loneliness, not being treated well by their employers. Sometimes, you encounter OFWs whose children drop out from school, or their husbands have another woman to the extent that their marriages and families experience breakdowns, and OFWs incurring a lot of debt. Those are the sad stories, but there are plenty of encouraging stories, like an OFW having a lot of difficulty with the present employer then suddenly the contract was terminated and then by way of our prayers and comfort, the terminated employee was able to find a new wonderful employer who gives them more than the minimum wage, treats them like a member of the family and allows them to return to the Philippines more than once a year, all expenses paid; or OFWs who came to know the Lord personally, converted and committed their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ and see them grow in their relation with the Lord and serve God in the church and enroll in our discipleship training, attend our bible studies and cell groups. Those are some of the things in the ministry that are very inspiring.”
For his advice to young people who want to know their calling in the Lord, Rev. Borlado advises them to take heart and pursue God. “To the young people who might feel that they are being called to full time ministry, one of the things that made me hesitant when I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit calling me to enter the ministry is the doubt about provision for myself and my would-be family, but the Lord proved me wrong because one of the very first things I learned is that when the Lord calls, He will provide. If you feel that the Lord is prompting you, is calling you to the ministry, please do not hesitate to respond and answer that call.”
To Centralians around the globe, he encourages them to anchor themselves in the Lord and see His goodness in their lives. “The experience of loneliness is always there, missing your family, missing your hometown, but always maintain your connection, your anchor with the Lord Jesus Christ. Never neglect, never take for granted the faith dimension because when our faith in God is strong and firm, when we are intimate with the Lord, His presence will comfort us in our moments of loneliness. His strength will sustain us in our moments of weakness and His provision will always be there. His reminders will always be there when we forget. Stay close to the Lord, He is our anchor. He is our strength.”
Rev. Danilo A. Borlado is married to Pastor Mary Lou Silencino Borlado. They have two children who are now pastors: Pastor Jec Dan S. Borlado (married to Mrs. Herme Agriam Borlado), and Pastor Deo Grace S. Borlado. They have one grandson – Matteo Chaim.
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