I was Born in Butac, Natonin, Mountain Province, in the Northern part of the Philippines.  I'm a second-generation fruit of the Bible translation work in Balangao. (You can read the story of my people in Joanne Shetler's book, And The Word Came With Power.)

I am married to Victor Opungu and we have one daughter, Zeitl Elviane (born 24 September 2008).

My story starts with my mother Tekla. She had never heard about God until Catholic missionaries came to our hard-to-reach little village tucked away in the mountains. She wanted to know God more so when Wycliffe Bible translators came, she helped them learn Balangao and, in time, they gave her God’s word in her heart language. Because of that she came into a personal relationship with God.  She was the first believer in Balangao.

I am the last of six children. I was born a blue baby and my doctor said I had little chance to live. My mother recalls praying to God, “If you let my baby live ,I will give her to you when she grows up.”  God answered her prayer.

When I was little, God's Word, taught in Sunday School and in my own language, brought me to my knees before God begging for mercy. I heard Matthew 28:18-19 after high school graduation and I committed myself to follow God whatever He said. However, after I completed my studies I found a secular job. Five years into my job I started thinking about the real purpose of my existence. I felt like there was something I was missing – something like joy or pleasure that was within my grasp but somehow eluded me. Everything I was doing was keeping me away from it but time and again I felt it tugging at my heart. Verses like Matthew 6:19-21 spoke to me about investing my life in things that do not rust or get destroyed.

I left my job and went to a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Discipleship Training School. I gave myself into God's hands to do what He wanted. Since then I never looked back. God did another miracle and gave me something to live for. He reclaimed the life that was dedicated to Him in the beginning. The Lord brought me a long way and from 1997 to 2006, I had the privilege of serving Him in East Asia, first with YWAM and then with SIL.

When I first thought about joining Wycliffe Bible Translators, I struggled a lot because I feared I might not be able to do the kind of work they do, which is highly technical and academic. Then these thoughts came to me:  “Why, I'm a product of Bible translation! The Bible says, ‘Freely you have received, freely give.’” In the end, being available for the Lord to use me as He wanted prevailed.

I thank God for giving me a husband who also came to a relationship with God because of Bible translation and who is now serving God in the Bible translation ministry as I am. We are both serving in BTA with the desire to see Papua New Guineans have God’s Word in their heart languages and, therefore, an opportunity to read it and allow it to transform their lives.

God's Word is life-giving. I owe my physical and spiritual life to God who has spoken to me through His Word in my own heart language.