ORI'S MAN

The story of Ori's Head of the Kitchen, his Dreams, and Journey of Fulfilling God's Call for his Life

"NO".

That would be the sure answer of a twenty-year old Billy Gabuay when asked if he dreamed of becoming a Pastor. A decade later, he became the man he never wished to be. Once young and idealistic, he saw himself working in a Cruise Ship or in the kitchen of a restaurant overseas to save enough capital for his dream resto. Coming from a less fortunate family, he helped his Nanay and Tatay pay for his school when he took up Entrepreneurship during his college years. He worked in fast food chains that sells the world's famous chicken joy and Hawaiian Pizza. In 2008, he booked a flight to Manila and enrolled in Center for Advanced Training in Food and Beverages Services where he acquired the basic and advanced techniques of cooking, running a kitchen, and food presentation. He was trained by the best chefs in the Philippines, one of them is Chef Roberto P. Francisco (https://ph.linkedin.com/in/roberto-jr-francisco-85b114186). The Cruise Ship and the restaurant dream seemed to be at reach but the Lord had the most beautiful plan.

HIS TURNING POINT

He was haunted by a dream-vivid and mindblowing, he couldn't let it go. It's a voice commanding him to do something different, a voice that reminded him of a greater purpose and a life he never dreamed to have. He painfully let go of Cruise ship and Resto dream and embraced the call of becoming a minister. He went home, applied for admission in Mindanao Regional Bible College in humble obedience to the Lord. In 2010, he became the Youth Pastor of Polomolok Assembly of God. He was the 'kuya' to the young ones who have been searching for truth, and deeper purpose and meaning of life. At first, he seemed to be walking in a fragile glass, didn't know what to do, and how to handle them. Yet the Lord who placed him there have given him the direction and wisdom he needed. Through God's love and grace, he helped the struggling, broken, hopeless young hearts find a different experience in the Lord. He had also grown to be the man the young boys have looked up to; the man they've wanted to become.

GREATER CALLING

In 2013, after getting a diploma in Biblical Studies, he left home and flew to Baguio and went to Asia Pacific Theological Seminary. He was hungry for learning and he had a deep longing to be better. He was certain that the three years in Bible School is not enough for him to see the bigger picture of the ministry that God has prepared for him. He enrolled in Master of Divinity with barely enough money to get through the trimester but with great faith and hope to God whom He believed had brought Him there. Every single day he placed His trust in God's providence, wisdom and power. He was given the chance to work in APTS Cafeteria where its kitchen has become his other training ground. He was thankful that the skills he acquired at CATFABS didn't go into waste. To be a student taking up a Master program while working part-time is never a walk in the park; but through God's grace and strength, he was able to finish his Master of Divinity. The higher level of education is not only a title he needed to work hard for; it has changed him-his perspective, his way of looking at the picture that God have always wanted him to see. The training have helped him become more confident in God who called him for ministry.

At present, he is juggling his time between the Diner and Notre Dame of Dadiangas University. Some days, he is helping running the Diner's kitchen with his mentee Jhong (who will have a different story soon) and most days, he's teaching Religious Education for Evangelicals at NDDU.

Pastor Billy Gabuay's story have taught us that life's crossroads is not about choosing what is good or bad, right or wrong. At times, it's about choosing right and right, better or best. He was sure of his dreams, just a grasp away until God's call. There was definitely a struggle and a temptation to listen to the voice telling him to choose his dream and a more comfortable life. He didn't opt for an easier way. He chose the Lord and His call and in the end, his obedience paid off. The man he is now is way way better than what he had imagined if he'd stick to his plan. He humbly chose God's way and it has always been the best choice he made in the entirety of his life. For some, the restaurant is the dream that never was; but in his heart, it is the dream that should happen because he has always wanted a ministry he can support and provide for.