From Greenery to Arid Lands

Called to Serve: Ludy Mahinay

My only dream in life is to work for the Lord with all my heart. Regarding a specific place to work, I don’t have any idea. My role is just to wait and follow where He wants me to go.

My calling to the ministry started in the Philippines. It was in 1994 when I began my ministry, and I was ordained as a full-fledged pastor in 1997. My wife and I loved working with people in di erent districts, and it brought us joy to usher many precious souls to the feet of Jesus.

I became a director of di erent departments, including stewardship, legal and trust, and the communication department. I also became a senior pastor and Bible instructor at my alma mater. During these 20 years in the ministry, my wife and I worked together. She also worked as a teacher in many schools, including a university.

In 2015, my wife had the opportunity to work as a teacher in a school in Arizona. That brought the biggest challenge in my life because I needed to decide whether to stay and continue my work in the Philippines or be with my wife in Arizona, giving up the job I had for 20 years. With no guarantee of finding a pastoral position in a new area and because I would not be allowed to work with my status, I would stay with my wife as her dependent— and that didn’t seem like a good idea. However, after seeking God’s wisdom and guidance and receiving advice from colleagues and friends, I finally decided to go.

In June 2015, our youngest son and I arrived in Pinon, Arizona, where my wife worked. On Sabbath, we traveled about an hour to the nearest Seventh-day Adventist church in the area. When we arrived, there was no worship because the church was attending a camp meeting.

Later, I met Pastor Dale Wolcott at Chinle SDA church. After some time getting acquainted, I was asked to preach, and later, I volunteered to help the pastor in his district. He asked me to do house visitations and Bible studies in my home.

A couple of Sabbaths later, Pastor Dale informed me that the pastor of Holbrook SDA church, at Holbrook Indian School, was looking for a speaker for the week of prayer. Pastor Dale asked if I was available to speak, and without hesitation, I said yes. The pastor at Holbrook immediately confirmed the invitation.

On Saturday, when the week of prayer concluded, my wife came with me to Holbrook. She had the chance to get acquainted with the people there, especially Principal Pedro Ojeda. During their conversation, my wife learned that the science teacher at that time was planning to leave and the school needed a science teacher. My wife could apply if she was willing.

The offer didn’t matter to her much at that time because she had just started working at Pinon Unified School District and she was expected to stay there for two or more years. The administration had promised to sponsor her green card after a year, including me and our son as dependents. We prayed hard that the sponsorship would happen before our son turned 21; at that time, he was already 18 years old. The chance of coming to Holbrook Indian School seemed very slim. However, the Lord intervened in our situation.

During that year, the Pinon school sponsored 17 green card applicants who were ahead of my wife. As soon as they were finally approved, most of them planned to transfer to other schools for the next school year. Because of this, the administration changed their policy to no longer sponsor green cards for any applicants in the following year or so.

We were worried because we wanted to have our green card before our son turned 21. My wife appealed to the administration regarding our concern, asking if she could retract her next school year contract and find another school that would sponsor a green card for us. When the school understood her situation, she was allowed to leave. She remembered the principal at Holbrook Indian School mentioning the need for a science teacher. She immediately contacted the principal to see if the position was still open and if the school was willing to sponsor our green card. She was happy to learn that the position was still open and the school was willing to sponsor our green card.

When my wife started teaching at Holbrook Indian School, I volunteered as an assistant church pastor, as well as volunteering at the farm, in the cafeteria, and as a substitute teacher when needed.

On July 2019, the school needed a pastor, a Bible teacher, and a chaplain. I was asked to apply if I was interested. I prayed to God for wisdom and guidance, and He impressed me to accept the o er. The Lord is so good and merciful. My wife and I were working in the same place, and our son had his green card before he turned 21. I would like to express my thanks to God and His chosen instrumentalities to put me in this mission field. To God be the glory.