God was good in 2024 and He will be good in 2025. He alone is worthy of our daily praise and service. Everything we do or think should be for His honor and glory (Col 3:17).
Through a cooperative services/ministry we reached people in the Philippines and USA in 2024. Together we impacted the souls of our fellow human beings, warriors, and families not only during our lifetime but for eternity. Many came to know God personally in their hearts. Others returned and started worshipping God on regular basis. Broken relationships were mended. Prayers were answered. God healed many from their sickness. A handful few followed the LORD in baptism. Sadly, we lost family members (my sister Linda Lewis Hayward) and friends. They were promoted to heaven and their families were comforted through our Eternal Honor service, a grief ministry for the grieving families. The legacy of their faithful service to God they left behind will always remain in our hearts forever. The question is “can we do better in year 2025?”
I am truly grateful those who are serving our God and Country around the world. As for me, God has placed me in San Diego in 1987-1992 and 2016-2024. After retirement from active-duty (U.S. Navy), my ministerial service to my fellowmen continues. I really never retired, just transitioned to the next level of ministry. Year 2024 was a busy year for me traveling in more than a dozen States and Provinces.
I am an endorsed Community Service Chaplain while serving as VFW Post Chaplain. With God’s help, together with my fellow volunteers we helped and/or participated during the Honor Flight San Diego, Wreath Across America, Miramar Air Show, the largest Filipino-American Friendship Day in San Diego, The Maui, Hawaii Disaster rescue and recovery operation (many of the victims were Filipino-Americans) and Manila American Cemetery Memorial Service. I also was invited Guest speaker at Talisay Elementary School Recognition ceremony, Rafael Lacson Memorial High School (Talisay), Calvary Chapel Home (Bacolod), and Darlene Carey Christian School (Talisay) graduation ceremonies.
With God’s help, serving together with all the Philippine-based and U.S. based NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, we accomplished commendable deeds, programs, and outreach events that honored and glorified our LORD. The Operation Help for the Holidays assisted many of our active-duty children and families. Our sacrificial service to fellow veterans will always remain in the hearts to people we have touched. By God’s grace, our united effort in implementing the NGOs various programs such as honoring and remembering our veterans impacted the young and young at hearts in our community and beyond. Serving as Post Chaplain, I led the Eternal Honor ministry. My colleague, Fil-Am Pastor/Chaplain Fermin Ancho, U.S. Navy retired, and I comforted and blessed several dozen grieving families who lost loved ones in 2024 in San Diego, CA, Caledonia/Columbus, MS, and Bacolod City, Philippines.
I lead a group of dedicated volunteers around San Diego County and in the Philippines. Through our united effort in ministry in our four churches (Old Town, Sonlight, See World, and Southwest) and the good works done by our devoted and godly people, we infused living hope to those who were about to give up and losing hope. By God’s grace, our united effort in implementing and supporting various programs such as sharing foods thru our Food Bank ministry, participating in a Stand Down Outreach, feeding the single Marines during the Thanksgiving holidays, honoring and remembering our veterans during Wreaths Across America and Eternal Honor Ministry, impacted families, the young and young at hearts in our community and beyond.
Thank you so much to the ABBA (Ancho, Baviera, Biadog, Alcantara) Fil-Am team who serve our veterans on a weekly basis on board VVSD (Veterans Village in San Diego) and during the annual Stand Down attended by hundreds of veterans. Your compassionate effort is commendable. Thank you to all our dedicated volunteers who pick up and deliver the donated bread and pastries from Panera Brea. We picked and delivered up throughout the week between 200-300 pounds of bread bound for the hungry, veterans, children, the aged, and first responders. Thank you, Food Outreach Ministry team! I commend all our volunteers who helped the homeless families, the hungry, and underprivileged children and veterans.
Moreover, I am forever grateful to all our U.S. and Philippine-based OHOA (Operation Help One Another) volunteers for their prayers and support of the 80th Anniversary Commemoration on October 20, 2024 of the Leyte Landings in Palo, Leyte, Philippines. They blessed fifteen WW-II veterans and their primary next of kins. OHOA, a humanitarian-based ministry, assisted the underprivileged in San Diego County and the Ukrainian refugees, and fed more than 5,000 children and youth, delivered more than 200 backpacks and school supplies to students, and giveaway 2,500 food packs for families in the Philippines. The Food Program impacted several hundred families in San Diego County too. In addition, OHOA supports more than 200 churches in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao islands in the Philippines. Serving with Operation Worship, a Sacramento, CA based NGO, OHOA team leader, Mike Sipe, sent several hundreds of Bibles, Christian literatures, gospel tracks, and Children’s Illustrated Bibles donated by CKA of BiblePlus, Rocklin, CA. OHOA teamed up with Sister (Doctor) Eva Maamo feeding more than 300 poor children and families in Paranaque, Philippines in May 2024. We are forever thankful to God for using us in our generation helping others in need, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, and impacting the lost and dying world. I believe in 2025 we can do more for God and Country. We can improve our Vertical Relationship (VR) with God through praise & worship, Bible reading, and prayer.
Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” Matthew 18:20 NKJV. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” John 15:7 KJV. Additionally, the Bible says, “Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near” Hebrews 10:25 TLB.
With God’s help, we can also do better enhancing our Horizontal Relationship (HR) with our fellowmen, sharing His Love (Agape), serving, or helping other in need & habitually fellowshipping with brothers and sisters in Christ. As believers of Jesus Christ, live with passion & serve God with compassion!
Jesus said, 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25: 34-40 ESV).
Lastly, let us heed to what the Apostle Paul said to Titus, “It is a faithful saying: and these things I will have thee affirm constantly: that they, who believe in God, may be careful to excel in good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.” Titus 3:8 (DRV) Fellow veterans, family, friends, servants of God and leaders, God knows who you are and what you’ve done in 2024. I appreciate each one of you for your faithfulness to and love of God. I challenge you, “In Christ, Live with Passion & Serve God with Compassion!” The year-end fireworks in SeaWorld San Diego symbolizes the end of year 2024 and the beginning of year 2025.
The motto of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is “No one does more for Veterans.”. This motto highlights the importance of supporting and caring for veterans, regardless of their race, religion, background or circumstances. Church, OHOA, and VFW volunteers, let’s Do More for God and Country in 2025! Have a Happy New Year and full of God’s Blessings beginning on Wednesday Jan. 1, 2025.*
(Chaplain Manuel A. (Dondoy) Biadog Jr. is a retired U.S. Navy commander. He was born in Cadiz City and educated in Talisay, Negros Occidental.)