Fifth Post - Donna Amayun

My Life, A Testimony To God's Faithfulness

I was born Donna Florendo (the oldest of five children) on September 9, 1955 in Santa Ana, Manila to Fernando Florendo and Thelma Estacion. My siblings are Fernando Jr. aka Nikki, Randy, Ariel and Chona. Our growing years consisted of packing our belongings and following my father to every town his job took him as an engineer. My mother had to find a job as a teacher too. We lived in places like Olongapo City, Bukidnon, Isabela, Iligan City, Quezon City, Manila and finally settled in Dumaguete City. As we traveled to these different places, I learned Ilocano, Cebuano and Tagalog. All my life, whatever my parents lacked in finances more than made up for it with a rich spiritual heritage and an overflowing Florendo sense of humor.

In 1972 at the age of 16, I went to Charlottesville, Virginia as an exchange student; it was there that I met relatives who played a major role in my life. Auntie Flora modeled generosity and faithfulness in remembering birthdays. Uncle Romy Escanilla of Maryland, became a second " father" to me. My mother's sister, Auntie Carmen, paid my tuition fees to the University of Santo Tomas where I received my medical degree.


In February 1983, my fiancé, Clarence Amayun migrated to the USA. In order to fulfill my promise to him, I followed. Tourist visas were nearly impossible to get but in June 1983, I arrived in New Haven, Connecticut. A few months later, we were married. Except for seventy-five dollars which paid for the wedding rings, we were both jobless and penniless. Fortunately, friends helped with other expenses. One of these was Manong Rene, who gave the wedding reception. Clarence had last seen Manong Rene as a 6 year old boy but by God's providence the cousins met. He also helped Clarence get a job at the lab of Yale- New Haven Hospital, which put food on the table, but more importantly, provided health insurance as I was now pregnant.

Our most pressing problem was my tourist visa. Friends advised me, " mag TNT (tago ng tago) ka" which meant becoming an illegal alien. As a couple, we vowed to honor God and obey US laws; by God's mercy, He chose to honor that vow. One Saturday afternoon, a congressman was one of the speakers in a gathering of demonstrators. Jeff Lennon, Clarence's friend and later husband of my sister, pointed out that the politician was none other than the chairman of the Immigration Committee. Clarence approached him and was given an invitation to discuss my case. The Congressman wrote a letter in my behalf which later became the first page in my file at the immigration office. I would appear before a deportation officer every 6 months in order to receive an extension of my visa. The last deportation officer was shocked over the impossibility of my case; nevertheless, he granted me an extension of my stay. After 8 years, I received my immigrant visa.


In early 1987, we started to make plans to go back to the Philippines. My husband had become increasingly discouraged. We had passed the ECFMG- an examination for foreign medical graduates and not ready to give up on our careers. But God had other plans. In the summer of 1987 after 4 years of looking for a position in a hospital, Clarence got accepted at DC General Hospital in Washington DC where he trained as a cardiologist.


We now reside in Kokomo, Indiana. I help manage the practice of Clarence. We have been blessed with 4 children. Nathan is in the US Navy with the aircraft carrier, USS George Washington. Clarence is a senior in Accounting at Purdue University. Matthew is a freshman at Purdue University. Dulce Ann Emiliana is an 8th grader at Northwestern Middle School.

My favorite hymn is " Great is Thy Faithfulness". As a Christian, I have not only witnessed God's faithfulness, but also His love. One of my favorite verses is Romans 5:8:


“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God has been (and continues to be) our Provider all these years, for He is faithful!

Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful to Jesus Christ my personal Lord and Savior.




Thelma “Nonet”, Chona, Fernando “Ando”, Ariel, Fernando Jr. “Nikki”, Donna and Randy



Thelma “Nonet”, Fernando “Ando”, Randy, Fernando Jr. “Nikki” and Donna
 


Ariel, Chona, Randy, Donna, Nikki, Ando and Nonet




Nathan, Matthew, Clarence & Dulce



Clarence & Donna



Clarence, Nathan, Dulce and Matthew