Former Muslim Says 'God Called Me' to Be a Bible College Director
A former Muslim man who now leads a Bible college says he believes that God called him for the task, a report says.
John Serra Dionio, director of the Philippine Bible College of Bangar in Solano, a city in northern Luzon in the Philippines, said he believes he was called by the Lord to become the school's director, according to the Christian Chronicle. And his calling can be traced to his life before he met Christ.
Dionio had a rough life prior to becoming the director of the college that aims to train sound preachers of the gospel. In fact, he didn't imagine that he'd end up doing what he's doing now.
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"I believe this is my calling," he said.
Journey to find help
Dionio grew up a Muslim in Mindanao, a large island in southern Philippines that is inhabited by a large number of Muslims. He father was a Muslim and he followed after his faith despite not being able to understand the Quran. His mother, on the other hand, was a Christian who went to worship at a Church of Christ.
In 1997, Dionio was forced to leave his hometown after receiving news that Muslims had killed his parents. While on board a ship bound for Manila, the Philippine capital, he was robbed and beaten, before ending up in Baguio City.
There, he remembered what his mother told him: "If ever you're in trouble, find the Church of Christ." That's when he found the Philippine Bible College, which is supported by the Church of Christ.
Formerly a Muslim
Initially, he worked odd jobs and because he was a Muslim he didn't want to study the Bible. The director of that College, Filo Alcayde, didn't give up on Dionio and eventually asked him if he was interested in starting a new Bible school.
He agreed and joined Leo Corpuz in the project in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya province. Still refusing to study the Bible, DIonio was put in charge of the library but soon overheard a class discussion about the Holy Spirit. Intrigued, he started to read the Bible and was surprised to find a loving God offering salvation to all.
A month later, Brother Corpuz was surprised when Dionio asked to be baptized, after which he became a student in the school in addition to being the librarian.
Growing in Faith and Service
Dionio grew in his faith and was asked to serve a Church of Christ in San Francisco. In 2008, however, he went back to Solano to oversee the Bible College as Corpuz needed treatment for diabetes outside the country.
During one graduation ceremony, Corpuz surprised everybody by installing a new director, telling them, "I give my authority and relinquish my directorship to John Dionio." Corpuz effectively installed the former Muslim as director of a Christian Bible school, just two days before he died.
For Dionio, being the director of the Philippine Bible College of Bangar is something that God had specifically prepared him to do.
"Brother Leo prepared me for this job, but God called me for this ministry," he said.
