The subject matter of this book piqued my interest as I am half Filipina on my father’s side. Born in Portland, Oregon, I am an American citizen, and freedom is granted to me by birthright. My father came to America from the Philippines in the early 30s, became an American citizen, attended the University of New Mexico School of Mines, and served in the U.S. Navy as a commander during World War II, principally out of Washington, D.C., with the Lend-Lease Program.
Growing up, I learned that my father’s older brother, my uncle, had died during World War II as a Japanese prisoner of war. I was spared the details, and perhaps my father was as well, as he didn’t talk about it—only that it had happened.
The Philippines is made up of several thousand islands. I was able to visit years ago, and many of the places mentioned in this book I was familiar with at least by name.
Large close-knit families, honoring tradition, strong values, and plenty of faith and fortitude seem to be hallmarks of the people of this island nation. Certainly part of my heritage is rooted there.
For all these reasons and more, I picked up this volume.
What the main protagonist in this story, Marion Ghent, passes on to her daughter, Cindy Scott, the author of the book, is that her faith sustained her always on a journey that her daughter didn’t fully comprehend until she was an adult. It’s an incredible journey and a story of survival that’s well worth sharing.
“Never Forsaken” reads like a private journal. I felt privileged to turn the pages and take in this often-harrowing account of this young woman’s triumphal journey from a faraway, war-torn island to finishing her education in the United States, and her eventual return to the Philippines.
Each chapter of her life is met bravely, with faith overcoming fear time and time again.
Descriptions of her early life are filled with her immediate family—Marion’s father was an American veteran, William Ghent, and her mother, Petra Gozon, was from Cavite on the island of Luzon. Originally from Kentucky, William Ghent had fought in the Spanish–American War and then moved to the Philippines. He and Petra raised 11 children on the island of Mindanao. A convert to Christianity, he died in 1933 while working for the American Bible Society as a colporteur.
The youngest of those 11 children, Marion adored her father and knew him at his best after a long personal journey to find peace and purpose in his life. Her world revolved around her mama, siblings, and close friends—many the children of American missionaries.
Marion grew up on a plantation in Momungan, and school was some 15 miles away in Dansalan, where we find her shocked by the news that their country is at war with Japan in late 1941. Within days, the family is uprooted and on the move. Without the protective arm of their father, the remaining children and Petra are under the care of the older boys in the family, several of whom join guerilla forces. Marion’s mother, Petra, is an unsung hero in this narrative as she carries, concealed in a pouch, all the family documents, including William Ghent’s military papers—paperwork that will be invaluable in later proving Marion’s American citizenship.
Foraging for food and taking shelter in abandoned buildings and huts, the small group is on a continual hunt for safety and sanctuary.
Can they survive in land occupied by the Moros, a Muslim sect? Who can they trust? And the Japanese invaders? Rumors were wild about their harsh treatment of the Filipinos—particularly women. Who would be their champion?
For four years, the intrepid group of predominately women and children are on the run from burned villages to mountains to the seashore to rainforests, taking daily risks, often in either freezing or boiling hot conditions, and at the mercy of the elements. The islands are beautiful, but these areas are also infested with the likes of centipedes, bees, leeches, and snakes. At one point near the sea, it’s hermit crabs that find their fragile, huddled bodies good places to roam. Often Marion is barefoot or without adequate clothing. Miraculously, one of the brothers would find them just when they needed him, and they would be guided to their next destination, but not without peril. At one point, Marion and her sisters are holding hands and being led down a slippery ravine ... and it’s pitch dark.
Throughout all these times, Marion’s faith keeps her out of fear’s grip. Remembering and reciting a hymn from her early childhood keeps her focused: “God will take care of you, be not afraid.”
In April 1945, the planes flying overhead were not Japanese. Marion could tell the difference. The war was over and American and Filipino forces had prevailed. Freedom had returned.
Although not without emotional angst, Marion decides that going to the United States is her goal. She wants to see this land her father called home with a focus on finishing her education. On the ship, a serendipitous meeting with an American brings her in contact with her father’s family, and a whole new chapter begins for this still young woman, who, while physically suffering from the effects of the four-year-ordeal, is emotionally and spiritually buoyed by a new beginning.
With faith and trust in God’s will for her, Marion embarks on a new journey, taking her through high school and college and an eventual return to the Philippines to be reunited with her mother and siblings.
The author, Cindy Scott, grew up in Manila, but at the age of 11, in 1964, she is sent along with her brother to the United States. They’re soon joined by their parents, Marion and Manuel Jose.
Marion worked on her memoirs for more than a dozen years. She wanted her story to be shared. For her, it was a story of faith. Her daughter, Cindy, took up the task of helping her tell her story, through research, interviews, and her mother’s writings.
Cindy Scott is fulfilling a promise to her mother to have her story shared. For Marion, it’s a story that everyone needs to know—that with God you are “never forsaken.”
