LIHU‘E — By many accounts, including his own at one point, Charlie Ortal of Kilauea should still be working at Princeville, building up his retirement nest egg, and enjoying the company of his wife, three daughters, and other family members
LIHU‘E — By many accounts, including his own at one point, Charlie Ortal of Kilauea should still be working at Princeville, building up his retirement nest egg, and enjoying the company of his wife, three daughters, and other family members and friends in paradise.
Instead, he, wife Thelma and youngest daughter Naomi slosh through the unpaved backstreets of some of the Philippines’ poorest neighborhoods, ministering to residents there and bringing them rays of hope.
So, why did he give up his comfortable life, his life savings, his retirement funds, nearly his entire existence in paradise, to answer a call that seems unfulfillable?
Well, first of all, it wasn’t simply a rash, spur-of-the-moment choice, as he and wife Thelma have been involved in various ministries both on Kaua‘i and O‘ahu for many years.
The Ortals said they answered their calling.
Charlie Ortal was born in the Philippines, lived there until he was 19, came to Kaua‘i, joined the Army, met and married Thelma, and started a family and life here.
Now, the three family members are missionaries in the Philippines and their work includes providing food, water, medical and dental care, love and support for some of the world’s poorest people.
Locally, the Ortals have been involved in ministry for years, as co-founders of the International Christian Mission Church of O‘ahu (planters of over 50 churches internationally).
Charlie Ortal served alongside the Rev. Jesse Layaoen, pastor of New Hope Kilauea, as a member of the church council, missions director and administrative pastor, as a board member of Kaua‘i Island Ministries, and in 1999 with seven other pastors formed United Christian Fellowship of Kaua‘i.
In 2003, their idyllic life on Kaua‘i would be challenged, not by economic hardship or family strife, but by an undeniable calling to support pastors, care for people, and reach out to them with love in his and her native Philippines.
There are always smaller programs and projects going on, but the Ortals are developing the Laoag Mission House Ministry in the town of Laoag City in the northern Philippines province of Ilocos Norte, where many of Kaua‘i’s Filipinos hail from.
The house is envisioned to be a place of rest and rejuvenation for pastors and their families, the Ortals said.
The Philippine Pastors’ Pledge is a fund established to help fellow pastors in the Philippines, whom Charlie Ortal says “survive on almost nothing.”
The New Hope Camandingan Foundation was established to help the needy, especially the children, with food, medicine and school supplies. Camandingan is the town Thelma Ortal grew up in, and the Ortals minister there often, Charlie Ortal said.
Of course, cash and check donations are accepted, with checks made payable to Kaua‘i Island Ministries, with “Philippine Mission” in the memo area. They can be mailed to Kaua‘i Island Ministries, 3184 Unahe St., Lihu‘e, HI, 96766.
The Ortals can be reached at P.O. Box 977, Kilauea, HI 96754, or 808-240-0527 (this reaches them in the Philippines via the Internet). The Web site is www.charlieortal.com, and e-mail is charliero@hotmail.com. Their address in the Philippines is BRGY. #55A, BARIT (Bacarra Rd.), Laoag City – 2900, Philippine Islands.
