Frank and Jane Borja spent some time in the studio with Pastor Walton this week, discussing how they came to know Christ and began serving Him.
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Episode Transcript:
Chris Harper: Welcome to Harvest Time. My name is Chris Harper, and our host on this program is pastor Gary Walton, the lead pastor at Harvest Baptist Church. Every week, we spend these 25 minutes together telling you the stories of our church by interviewing our members and other friends of the ministry. We’d like to invite you to join us at Harvest Baptist Church this week. There are 2 services on Sunday, the first at 8:45 AM, the second at 10:45 AM.
We have Japanese and Korean translation available during the 10:45 AM service, and that’s also when we live stream at hbcguam.org, hbcguam.org. This week, all my life for all my life from II Corinthians 3:17-18. Let’s begin today’s Harvest Time by welcoming pastor Gary Walton. Hi, pastor.
Gary Walton: Hey, hafa adai, Chris. The passage that you just mentioned, second Corinthians chapter 3, has a a couple of interesting phrases in there, but in the middle of verse 18, it’s it says that we are being changed into the image of Christ from from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the Lord. It’s really a very helpful teaching on, God’s work of the gospel in our lives, not just in salvation, but in the drawing of our hearts in discipleship to become to become more like Jesus. We’re gonna talk about that this Sunday, and I’d like to invite you to come and join us. You can always catch it online, but there’s something about being in the service at Harvest and worshiping along with a crowd of God’s people that I know will really encourage your heart.
So, let me invite you to come and join us on Sunday morning. I’m really glad to have Frank and Jane Borja with me in the studio and get a chance to talk about God’s work in their life over these years. So first of all, welcome, Frank and Jane.
Frank Borja: Thank you.
Jane Borja: Thank you.
Gary Walton: So good to have you with us. Frank and Jane have been, a part of Harvest, I think, for a little bit more than 2 years Mhmm. And, been attending and, acclimating into the ministry and, then joined this summer, and so thankful for God’s leading in your family. Your children also attend here, with you, son Derek and your daughter Janelle and her husband Cody Perez. And, so you have some grandkids too, I think.
Jane Borja: Yes. We have 2 grandchildren here in the Harvest School, and they’re Desiree, 9 4th 4th grade, then Noah. Noah’s in the 1st grade.
Gary Walton: Okay. Yeah. It’s awesome. Love your family and so thankful for God’s leading in your family together. Frank has been a pastor for, 13 more than 13 years here on island and then retired, businessman, in a lot of different places.
Right? I I think we’re just talking about you were manager at Old Gibson.
Frank Borja: Yes. Absolutely. Yeah.
Gary Walton: For how long is that?
Frank Borja: I was there for 26 years. I I started off as a part time sales clerk and, worked my way up to become the general manager Okay. For that, for 8 years.
Gary Walton: Yeah. And then, manager at Nissan, for sales, I think, for
Frank Borja: I was there for 12 years.
Gary Walton: For 12 years. Okay. Great. And then Jane had a career in the National Guard 30 years before retiring. Right?
Jane Borja: Yes. And I was really, honored to have been of service, to our country and to our island.
Gary Walton: Yeah. That’s great. Well, pastor of, Hope Bible Church for Yes. 13 and a half years and, God’s work there. And but you have a fascinating spiritual story.
I’ve loved talking with you about it and God’s, work in your life. You you both grew up here, on Guam, or did you grow up stateside? Or what was
Jane Borja: I grew up here, and I was raised here also.
Gary Walton: Okay. What village are you is your family from?
Jane Borja: We’re from Magana Heights. I I have a large family. We are, 7. We have 7 girls and 4 boys. We, what do you call this?
We have been going to Catholic church. That’s where we started. And we were very devoted to that, that faith. And in fact, we go every Sunday to church. My parents had always make sure we go to church.
We served in church like my brothers were altar boys. Mhmm. 1 of my brother went off to seminary for 3 years. But honestly, in going to Catholic church, I struggle when I was going because I did not understood what is it I’m supposed to know and learn or understand because it seems I go to church and I come back out doing the very same thing. Not really a change or anything from if I heard anything.
And it was very distracting because children would be running around and playing, and I was part of that. It was, early on when I was little. But as I grew up, I just was missing something, but I didn’t know what it was. I knew that, the god I knew then was I was fearful of him. That was kind of how I was brought up in.
I didn’t know, we prayed we prayed to a lot of statues. It seemed for every statue, you go to 1 statue for peace, statue for healing, and and that was how I was brought up. And we I was very good. I mean, I I recited Hail Mary, that’s when I learned that. Our father, I could do that.
And the novenas and the rosaries, I was able to, do all that. But it still didn’t have any meaning. And when I have a sin, I have to go and confess to the priest, my sins. And that never even made sense to me. I didn’t feel any different even after I’d done that.
I just continued doing the same thing again. So it was kind of ironic that I would do all that, but there was just something missing, and I didn’t even know what it was. Mhmm. And and I did pray, but we just were praying straight up to the lord. We would pray to so many different statues, and that went on for many years.
It was not until my son, Derek, that has that has brought us to the Lord. Derek was diagnosed with, autism, my autism. And, you know, we waited for 6 years. We kept wanting to have a child, and then Derek comes along. But it was a struggle because I didn’t know what to do.
He was very different. I mean, a lot of grandchildren from my sisters and brothers, but Derek was very different. And we I went looking around, Frank and I both trying to get help for him. Nobody even knew what the heck what was going on with Derek. And it wasn’t until, this lady I I met up with, and she her son’s also autistic.
And she said she puts him in an an institution. And I didn’t wanna do that for my son, Derek, because I don’t wanna be separated from my son. I wanted to care for him. Mhmm. And so, Derek was was the biggest challenge in my in our in our marriage.
And it wasn’t until he was 11 years old, no problem going to, elementary school because Frank’s sister, Maria, worked there. So she kinda kept an eye on him. But it was 6th grade. When he was going into 6th grade, middle school, that became the challenge because I didn’t know where we’re gonna put him.
And, you know, the struggle of the bullying that goes around and all that. And so finally, I don’t know how this all happened, but I guess God’s leading because, Frank’s brother, Peter, children were going to the school called Temple Christian School. Yeah. And so that is where we had put, Derek. We had put him there.
And I don’t know how that come about because we’re Catholics, and that’s a Christian school. You know? But somehow, that is where he went to school and that’s where this whole story or our walk with Christ started or our salvation was to our son, Derek.
Gary Walton: And Temple, just, Temple Christian School is still there, part of Temple Baptist Church. Appreciate, you know, that church, that ministry, and that school.
Jane Borja: Yes.
Gary Walton: Yeah.
Jane Borja: And so when we send Derek there, he had to recite the Bible at night, every night. So I I would be helping him. I have to make sure he says every word for word. And he did a really good job, and it was a King James version. I don’t even know what version is right, but I’m looking.
Wow. These are pretty tough. I could not even say them for myself, but Derek was able to do that. And then, you know, when that was going on, well, it seemed like God was also, speaking to me.
Gary Walton: Wow.
Jane Borja: It was really amazing. I just didn’t know what’s going over me. I wouldn’t even put the Bible down. We were done, but I was just kept going and kept reading. I don’t know what was going on.
And you know what? I’ve never opened the Bible in my entire life.
Gary Walton: Wow.
Jane Borja: Because the Bible was going on. I mean, we had one at home. Nobody could open it.
Frank Borja: Right.
Jane Borja: It was supposed to be sacred. Nobody can do it. I would every time we come and kinda try and open it, it was, no, we’re not supposed to open it. But this was awesome. I was actually reading God’s word, listening to my son recite the Bible, and God was speaking to me.
You know, it was just, I don’t know. And you know what’s amazing too was my son taught me how to use a Bible because I didn’t even know where the New Testament he showed me where the New Testaments were, the Old Testament, how to how to get around the Bible. And I I I couldn’t do it. It was just just mind blowing, really. Mhmm.
And then, the one that really hit me the most was Daniel. When we we had to we were reading the book of Daniel together. And Daniel was so faithful to God. I was just absolutely I said, my God. I can’t even come close to that faithfulness.
Wow. He would not I mean, I would always just join the crowd, but not Daniel. Daniel was really firm in his faith. Mhmm. And I said, man, I fall short of this, you know?
So before Derek was, he wouldn’t speak much. I could not even can’t even talk to to us or socialize. He was always having temper tantrums. I I just couldn’t communicate with my son, but I saw a lot of changes becoming of him. He started really, just being more friendlier, speaking a little bit more.
He wasn’t always as agitated. He was doing really well in school. And, I I was just blown away by by his transformation. So I said, something is going on here with my son. And and it’s it’s strange because I would send him to that school.
We send him to that school, but yet we were sending Derek to Catholic school on Saturdays. Sure. And then on Sunday, we go to Mass. Already in my mind, I said something’s happening. We need to do something, but I didn’t know what it is.
So finally, I got word that Frank had had a demotion. He was a general manager at the time at the Gibson’s department store. And so I said, okay. Well, take out that statues again, whip it out, get it all ready. And then I was setting it all up.
And so Derek, by the way, asked me what is it doing? I used to be bothered. I said, son, this is what we do. We’re gonna pray because dad got, demotion. And he said to me, mom, do you know that that statue cannot they don’t see?
Gary Walton: Wow.
Jane Borja: They cannot hear? And I, like honestly, I didn’t know what to do. I was blown away again. I said, Derek, where where are you getting this? So I looked around the house.
Let me see who’s around this house. You know, I was really curious because Derek doesn’t really speak. And I said, son, show me where are you getting that. So he did. He pointed out some scriptures to me and I said and, I said, you know, God is speaking to my son.
I’m I’m convinced because, as for someone who doesn’t even, you know, speak. That evening, when Frank came home, we still prayed. We still had our statues out, but we had the Bibles open. We were praying. Yeah. I’m getting chills just listening to you guys. but statues Were still there because we were conflicted you know We were brought up a certain way. We were so afraid if we do anything different.
Frank Borja: Derek, how should we pray?
And he’s we were kneeling in front of the statues, and we said, Derek, so how should we pray? He said, read the Bible. Uh-huh. So we were reading the Bible, kneeling in front of the statues. Uh-huh.
Because we had no idea what we were trying to appease him. Sure. But at the same time, we knew that something was happening here, and we we didn’t wanna confuse him anymore than than he was being autistic. And so we just said, okay. Let’s just follow what he’s wants done.
So we would do that. We would be kneeling in front of the statues reading the bible. That’s how that’s what is his instructions. He says Yeah. Yeah. Read the bible. That’s how you should pray. 11 years old.
Gary Walton: It’s so great.
Frank Borja: 11 years old. I can
Gary Walton: just see. I can put the picture together. It’s really so amazing.
Jane Borja: It is. And Derek, you know, I don’t we don’t even pray to eat. We never even learn to pray before you eat. Thank God for anything. And and that’s what he did.
He had us pray for each meal. Thank God. So boy, this is was really quite a journey for us. But, you know, at that point of time, I I said, you know, we gotta do something in my mind. So I told Frank, I said, you know, maybe we need to go to your brother Peter.
He had a brother that was a Christian, but we actually didn’t have nothing to do with Peter. We don’t want because, you know, he’s in different faith. So we don’t wanna do nothing with him. But, yeah, here I’m saying, well, maybe we need to go to his church now. And that’s when all the struggle started to come in in a spiritual battle because I mentioned to Frank, I said, let’s go to your brother’s church.
And he says to me, I’m gonna die down a Catholic. And I said to him, you know what? You’re not even a good Catholic. So so yeah. So okay. If you don’t wanna go, then I’m gonna go. Take the kids and we’re just gonna go without you.
Gary Walton: And what are you thinking, Frank, with all this?
Frank Borja: Well, you know what? When when she said, you know, and I said, you know, I said, we’re Catholics. We’re we’re gonna we’re gonna die down a Catholic, and she and when she told me, you’re not even a good Catholic, she was I mean, I couldn’t defend myself because I would search for the shortest service. It was at Agana Heights. It was perfect.
Right? He his service was usually the mass was usually half an hour, and we would his his sermon was usually like 5 to 10 minutes. Mhmm. And we would arrive midway through. And we would stand in the back and within 15 minutes we were done.
Mhmm. That was and I was good with that. Sure. I was okay with that. Yeah.
God was the farthest thing from my mind or from my life. Mhmm.
You know, and we argued. I mean, we fought. Mhmm. You know, and somebody had invited us to Agana Heights Baptist Church. And she says, okay, we’ll go to Agana Heights Baptist Church.
And I and so we fought the whole week. Mhmm. And then finally, she says, you know what? Why don’t you just leave? She goes, I want you to know that I joined the military so I could leave you.
Mhmm. I wanted to be independent, financially independent. I’m there now. So just leave. You’ve never been around.
You always we work 6, 7 days a week. And on Sundays, you just go golfing with your buddies. We hardly see you at home. And so why don’t you just leave? And at the time, I got demoted.
My bosses, I was demoted from general manager down to warehouse manager. And as my son said, he goes, dad, you went from the very top to the very bottom. Mhmm. But it gave me more time now to be with my family. Mhmm.
It wasn’t a 7, 6 days a week, it was 8 to 5. And when she said, you know, just leave, I said, man, now I have more time with my family. You know, there’s no reason. I mean Sure. I’ll be able to do that.
And so I called up my brother Peter, and I said, Peter had been a Christian for 10 years. We disowned him, nothing to do with him, had no communication for 10 years. Peter would drop off Christmas gifts every year. We knew it was Bibles. We never opened them.
We just it went straight to the trash can.
Gary Walton: Mhmm.
Frank Borja: And then I called him up and he says, Pete, don’t get excited. We’re going to Agana Heights Baptist Church. He goes, oh, really? I said, don’t get excited. I just called to find out what should I wear and what should I expect.
I don’t wanna be a I don’t wanna look like a fool. Yeah. So just tell me what anything else. Just wear your Sundays clothes. That’s it.
And so so we went. And, we we took Derek along with us. We Derek went to the Sunday school. She went to the women’s Sunday school. I went to the men’s.
And for the first time in my life, I opened the bible Uh-huh. And there was somebody explaining it. Mhmm. And I said, this is great. And and then the following week, you know, she said, okay, we’re going to your brother’s church.
And I says, you know, Bayview Baptist Church? Mhmm. She said, yeah. I says, you know those people? I heard they’re Jesus freaks.
They’re they’re fanatics. They’re gonna take that bible and hit our heads over. I mean, that was my, you know, impression. But when we got there, they were the nicest people. Mhmm.
It was a very welcoming, warm church. And and and, you know, it was everything I didn’t expect.
Gary Walton: Mhmm.
Frank Borja: And so, we we were there. Yeah.
Jane Borja: What happened was, it it it was Christmas Eve. This is back in 1994. And we were still we’re still Catholics. Yeah. So we went to church.
And when when it was time to go up and kiss baby Jesus, it’s a statue, baby Jesus statue, I did not wanna go up. The lights were all turned off. That’s just what they do. And it was at that point of time, I told God. I asked I asked for forgiveness.
And, I told him I’m gonna pick up my cross and I’m gonna follow him.
Gary Walton: Wow, Jane.
Jane Borja: And and it it seemed like it was dark in there, but it really wasn’t. It was like light. It seemed like there was light all around. And it was that point of time that my life was just turned around. I was never the same after that.
And, I had a lot of persecution though, because my family, you know, didn’t like that idea that I was wanting to I was, they felt that I was being converted. And even at work, I got teased that I was a sister. But actually, you know, God has been calling me for the longest time. I could just remember the guys at work, and they they would always be be sharing about Jesus. But I was, you know, trying not to pay any attention.
And then even Marcy, she goes to church here. She was, when doing my hair, she would share with me at the beauty shop. Then I had an auntie, my mom’s sister, that would stop by the house. She would always bring vegetables and stuff that she had grown with her husband, and she would drop it off. And she makes a comment like, Jesus Jesus is coming.
And I’m like, oh, boy, I better get ready. You know, I didn’t know all this. It was just so so new to me, but, you know, it’s it’s such a wonderful experience. It’s it’s the best part of my life was was being complete. I felt really complete.
I was filled with joy. I just felt like that God was everything to me, and I I don’t need anything else as long as I had God. And I would read the bible and and just go to every bible study. We were we we finally decided it’s time to get rid of our statues. I don’t know.
We had so many. We had a collection actually. And so we’re gonna give to Frank’s mom because she knows that a lot. So we’re just gonna add to her collection, but no. We said, no.
That’s not the right thing. So we did eventually, threw it in the trash and we we started to move on from there and kept going to Bayview, and we were so involved in Bayview. We practically did every ministry that happened because we just wanna make sure that, you know, that God was gonna be honored and glorified. All we do and all we say.
Gary Walton: So, Frank, as, Jane, you know, do do you know it? Can you tell something’s changed, you know, at that December Christmas time?
Frank Borja: Oh, I was I was, you know, I was like, why is she spending so much time talking to these people? And, it’s already been a month. And January, the last Sunday in January, there was, a speaker that was invited by the pastor. His name is Fred Thompson from Child Evangelist Fellowship.
Gary Walton: Yeah. Of course. We know Fred.
Frank Borja: And, and he gave the sermon. And he spoke about the good shepherd. And that the good shepherd left the 99 to look for the 1. And I’m sitting there and I’m going, that’s not a very good shepherd. Mhmm.
You know, I’m a businessman. 99 is good. You know? And I’m saying, forget the one. That’s his problem.
He’s lost. And at that very moment, God grabbed my heart, and he said, you were the one that was lost. I left the 99 to look for you. And at that very moment, my heart just melted. And I said, oh, Lord, thank you.
Thank you so much that you came looking for me. And when pastor, at the end of the service, he says, if God spoke to your heart and you’ll be ready to receive Christ as your Lord and savior, there was no second thoughts. I said, I’m ready. I shot my hand up, and then my wife shot her hand up. Mhmm.
And my sister, Maria, who was with us, she shot her hand up. Oh, wow. And and, you know, at that moment, I just realized what a sinner I was. It never crossed my mind before that, yeah. Okay.
Sin. Sin. But, you know, the the the depth of my sin and that I needed forgiveness and and that God had left the 99 to look for me, I just fell apart. You know? There was no defense, you know, at all.
And and and so I gave my life to Christ. And and, that night, you know, I I I told pastor of of what transpired, and he was so filled with joy. And, that evening we went home, and we were laying in bed, and I leaned over to my wife and I said, will you forgive me? I have mistreated you. I’ve cheated on you.
I neglected you. I neglected our family. Would you forgive me? And she said, I’ve waited 18 years to hear that, And God saved our marriage. The next day I was driving down to go to work, and I was just praying, And then God said, feed my sheep.
And I said, what? Feed my sheep? I said, God, you got the wrong guy. I’m a I’m a businessman. I I don’t know anything about the Bible.
I’m so new to this, and you want me to feed your sheep? You got the wrong guy. So for 4 years, I ran from that thought. Became a deacon an usher in the church, then a deacon. And then I finally I said, you know what?
I can’t I can’t sleep. Every night that thought just comes to my mind. I finally went up to pastor, and I says, pastor, I have a confession. He says, what did you do? I says, it’s not what I did.
It’s what I didn’t do. He says, tell me. I said, God has told me to feed his sheep. And and I know what that means now, but I don’t know what to do with it. And so he said, well, I have this envelope, and I think it’s for you.
I’ve been praying and trying to figure out who I’m gonna give it to. So I opened it as a scholarship to Pacific Island Bible College. He says, if God has called you, he would equip you. If he’s gifted you, then he would equip you. And so I said, so what so what’s gonna happen?
He says, you’re preaching this coming Wednesday night. I said, no way. He says, you’re gonna preach, and we’ll see we’ll see if God has gifted you. And and that’s how it all started. Yes.
Gary Walton: That was the start. You said 95, so nearly 30 years of you guys. The journey of walking with Jesus.
Frank Borja: Yes.
Gary Walton: Step by step, God changing and growing you. You guys are so encouraging, I think, because the word all the the only word I’ve been thinking of. Fascinating for sure, but just encouraging to see and hear about God’s hand at work in your life and the faithful, submission, surrender of your hearts to him. And how God’s used you over these years, it really is is, encouraging.
Frank Borja: Oh, glory to him. All glory. Yep.
Gary Walton: Yeah. Yeah. Thank you for being willing to share. I know it’s gonna be a blessing and we’re gonna pray that God would use your story to draw others to himself. Yes, lord.
Yeah. Thank you, guys. Thank you.
Chris Harper: And thank you for listening to Harvest Time. At this point in the program, we always wanna personally invite you again to Harvest Baptist Church. Two services on Sunday, 8:45 AM, 10:45 AM. Japanese and Korean translation available during the 10:45 AM service, and that’s also when we bring you the service live here on 88.1 FM and khmg.org. We hope to see you this Sunday.
Thanks again for listening to Harvest Time