Another faithful man was Alfredo Olavidez. I first met him after we arrived in Boac, Marinduque, January 24, 1956, for our second term. Marinduque is 100 miles south of Manila, and in 1956, had a population of 60,000. It is composed of six towns and many barrios. It is one major island surrounded by six to eight smaller islands. One of the first residents we met was an eleven-year-old boy named Alfredo Olavidez, better known as "Iddo." He had been attending the children's meetings of the missionaries who preceded us, the Gordon Swanson family. Having an ear for music, he loved the singing and was fascinated with the Bible stories being told with flannelgraph figures.
Iddo did not fully understand what it meant to receive the Lord. He thought he must repeatedly "get saved" every time the teacher extended an invitation to do so. Iddo soon became fast friends with our son Jim and daughter Charlene. He continued attending Sunday School and always attended the church services we held in our home. One Sunday morning in 1956, Iddo was the only one who showed up for church. I talked with him very personally to see whether his claim to have received the Lord was genuine. It was only then that Iddo realized what it meant to receive the Lord. He recognized he was a sinner and that Christ died for him. He received the Lord and made his salvation genuine.
Iddo grew quickly in the Lord. He took Bible correspondence courses and was present at every Bible study I held. He also accompanied us every Sunday to share the gospel in a barrio across the river in Balagasan.
Doris Gertz, our fellow missionary, encouraged and trained Iddo to teach Sunday School at age fourteen. He was reluctant at first because of a speech defect, but the Lord gave him the courage to stand before the younger children and tell Bible stories. He practiced the story first to Doris on Saturdays and then he taught the children on Sundays. He always wanted to do his best for the Lord.
During the school months, our son Jim attended Faith Academy, a boarding school for missionary children. He returned home for summer and Christmas vacations, and occasionally at other times, too. He and Iddo's friendship blossomed, and they formed a lasting friendship. [Our daughter] Charlene also found Iddo to be a friend and a second big brother.
Iddo's brother, Ando, came to know the Lord also. But later he backslid and returned to his gang, and a life of drinking and carousing. Iddo and I agreed to pray for him daily. We pleaded with the Lord for Ando to return to Him. Months went by. Ando always avoided me, so Iddo and I decided to pray that the Lord would make Ando so sick he would have to come home. Soon Iddo ran to our house, "Come quick; Ando's home!" I went with Iddo to see Ando and told him, "Ando, you don't belong out there in the world. You belong back with the Lord and us. Isn't it time you repented?"
Ando's version was, "I was in bed sick, alone. I felt the room get smaller and smaller, so small it could only accommodate me. I thought I was inside a coffin. Fear gripped my whole being. Will I die? I whispered a prayer. When I opened my eyes, the first one I saw was Mr. Hufstetler. He led me in a prayer of repentance and I started anew with the Lord."
Ando went to Bible school and is still serving the Lord.
We left Boac in 1960, as we were assigned to Far Eastern Bible Institute and Seminary (FEBIAS), now FEBIAS College of Bible. By then, all of Iddo's family had received the Lord.
After high school, Iddo spent two years studying at Far Eastern University. He told us later he hoped to complete a course that would take him to the U.S., where he would get rich. But the Lord kept convicting him until he responded to God's call to the ministry and gave up his selfish ambition.
He enrolled at FEBIAS with no promise of support, but his bills were always paid. God proved His faithfulness, and Iddo completed his degree in Christian Education. One of his greatest fears before graduation was having to deliver a senior message in Chapel. He still struggled with stuttering and feared laughter from his classmates.
The Lord created a timely way for Iddo to prepare well for his message. He was asked to guard the campus from 3:30 to 5:30 each morning. While at work, he practiced his message on the mango trees.
After his message, Mrs. Jackie Allen, his speech teacher, gave him a note which said, "I'm praising the Lord with you for His victory. Who said you couldn't be a preacher? Let me be proud of you even though you can't have the pride yourself." Iddo says he still has that note as a token of God's victory in overcoming his speech defect for God's glory.
The last place Iddo wanted to go after graduation was his home province, Marinduque; however, that was where the Lord sent him. He served as Christian Education Director for the island, directed camps, and served as treasurer, administrator, and office manager for the fellowship of churches on the island. This prepared him for bigger responsibilities in Manila. The churches established by SEND International and the Overseas Missionary Fellowship were organized into an association of churches in 1972, and Iddo served as Administrative Officer.
He later joined the Donare Mission, a German-based church-planting mission in the mountain province. He served as the liaison officer between its missionaries who were Igorots and the head office in Germany.
Iddo had a great burden for the poor people who lived homeless on the street. This led him to his present work. Having administrative gifts and a heart of compassion, he was aptly suited for this type of work. The ministry among the street people started in 1997 as a coffee ministry for market goers and tricycle drivers. They met every Saturday under the umbrella of the Lord's Church.
Three months later, two street kids dropped by, enjoyed the coffee and bread and brought ten others the next week. The Street People Ministry of the Lord's Church was born. Today, its attendance is 60-80 street children and parents. They take a bath and wash clothes and are served brunch after a Bible study and worship service.
Other ministries offered on a limited scale include schooling, medical assistance, and livelihood assistance. In April 2004, "Street Dwellers Outreach Ministries, Inc." was registered with the government as a nonprofit, non-government organization.
In addition, a pre-school and daycare center was started. Many children came but many others could not come because of their parents' rounds of garbage collection and other work. The parents were not able to bring them. So the teachers decided to go to them with "School in a Cart." This is going well, and there are now four locations where children gather to be taught.
Iddo's wife, Lourdes, suffers with a rheumatic heart and at one time needed mitral valve surgery. The surgery could be done best in the U.S., and God miraculously provided the funds for them to come. We were able to get a cardiologist and surgeon who donated their services, and the hospital gave a reduced rate. Reformed Baptist Church, where our son Jim and son-in-law Sam were pastoring and where I was a lay pastor, had an offering box at the back of the church for members who wished to help toward the hospital bill. Over $7000 came in.
God provided every need. Iddo, Lourdes, and their daughter Charissa, then eleven, stayed with us for ten weeks. Charissa, whose name means "divine grace," was a special daughter. What precious fellowship we enjoyed! Lourdes continues to do well. The three of them have a difficult ministry among very poor and deprived people, but they are faithful--lovingly winning people to the Lord and helping them physically. I am proud to be called Iddo's "Dad in the Lord."
CAH
