SCAR FACE
By Daryl F. Famisaran
September 1999
His face bears some slight marks of stray bullets, that is
how he got his nick name. Scar Face is
of a Higaonon tribe living in the
mountains of Misamis Oriental in Mindanao in the South Philippines. When he was still a boy, his tribe was always
caught in crossfire between the NPA communist rebels and the government
troops. Having been maltreated once by
some government soldiers, he joined the NPA when he was fourteen years old to
retaliate. Scar Face became a squad
leader in a combatant unit. Soon he was
engaged in successful trips to ambush government soldiers bringing home to
their camp the guns and ammunition gathered from their dead victims.
When their camp in the high forest was attacked, he was the
number one hit man or sniper. He was
scoring the highest among the snipers blowing up the marine or scout ranger
heads. He was also the lead man in
planting land mines and making jungle traps that killed many of the government
troops. Even “tora tora” planes (old
Japanese bombers) dropping bombs were not able to blow up their hide out under
the cave in a thick forest. Streams of
soldiers blood made the place a “no man’s land”. Scar Face became Number One on the government
“Most Wanted” list. The orders were,
“Shoot to kill!”
The situation seemed too difficult for the government troops
to penetrate. They could not move
another step further so they retreated.
The firing stopped and there was a lull.
Scar Face and his men were surprised by the silence. After some days, they went back to their
living tending small farms but still cautious of any surprise attacks.
During the Silence, Scar Face married one of the girls in
their group. Their top leader officiated
in a simple ceremony binding them in a bullet proof matrimony with a belt of
bullets. Their marriage brought two
mouths to feed and Scar Face realized that he needed to find a better way to
meet the needs of his family. He then
surrendered his arms and ammunitions to their tip leader. He said, “I need to live a peaceful life
now. I don’t need these any more. I have a family to attend to. I need to stay in one place and earn a
living. The leader offered him much
higher rank and pay but these did not change his mind.
From there, Scar Face, together with a few from his group,
came down to the open and surrendered to the highest ranking official in
town. They were given amnesty. This seemed unbelievable to the eyes of the
soldiers. The name, Scar Face, is still
painfully piercing to their ears.
Whenever they hear this name, their blood boils and they want to blow
his head off. The village of Scar Face
still seemed to be a “no man’s land” where nobody dares go.
A Seventh-day Adventist member who tills land near the “no
man’s land” informed the SULADS of this Higaonon tribe village. Their children just roam the forest not
knowing how to read or write. The SULADS
director, together with a team surveyed the place and found it ideal and
reasonable and needy. Now a couple of
missionaries are holding literacy classes in their temporary house. Children rub elbows in their crowded
temporary room. Their parents provided
them pieces of rough boards so they can have something hard to write on as they
sit on the floor.
The parents were glad to join their adult literacy
class. They learned that their teachers
don’t eat pork, rats, snakes, eels, snails, crabs or other things pronounced
unclean in the Bible. Why? These are the same foods that our old great
grandfather advised us not to eat. He
once said, “These dirty foods are unsafe for us to eat. They bring disease to our village.”
They told the missionaries about this and the couple brought
out their Bible and read, in the vernacular they could understand, the very
lines where these items are pronounced unclean for food. The missionaries asked them about their great
grandfather. They replied, “he passed
away a week before you came. He was 107
years old when he died.”
Now Scar Face told his people, “This couple, these teachers,
are sent by our great God to teach us and our children the kind of life our
great grandfather used to live. Let us
now start to change our lives for the better.”
The people love their new teachers. Their kitchen is always full with fruits,
vegetables, root crops, and anything the people would bring their
teachers. They are living in abundance
there. But when the teachers go down to
the town for some important business or to MVC, all eyes of the lowlanders are
on them, especially the soldiers. As
they near the detachment, all eyes are glued on them. Their curious looks seem to say, “What is
this couple doing in that no man’s land?”
What are they doing there?
They are bringing the Good News of Salvation to this village where Scar
Face, the once deadly killer, now lives.
They are bringing the same message that angels brought to the shepherds
on the hills of Bethlehem, “Peace on Earth.
Good will towards men.” Let us
join in praying for these dedicated young missionaries as they present Jesus to
this village.
If want to thank those of you who have responded indicating
you would like to be a part of this ministry. Just mark your contribution for
MVC SULADS and mail it to:
Adventist Mission Society of America
2411 S. Azusa Ave
West Covina, CA 91792
You will receive a tax deductible receipt. The SULADS say “Thank You” for making it
possible to reach these unreached people.
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