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I thirst.
Sister Alice serves as one of the staff members in the Bishop's House. She grew up in a religious family. They go to the church regularly. Her father is a Lay Eucharistic Minister or LEM and her mother was a member of the Catholic Women's League or CWL.
This foundation of her childhood to her teenage years greatly influenced her to join the convent and become a Sister.
When she opened up to her parents about her plan, they were not in favor of it because they wanted her to have a future like building her own family and have a stable job.
She has a simple life. No issues with the family, no health problems, good relationships with society. However, she still feels something that she needs an answer to.
Sister Alice then followed her parent's decision for her. After college, she applied for a job in a government office. She worked there for two years but as time goes by, she feels that something is lacking in her heart. Something that she's thirsty to do but as she weighs in the circumstances, obedience to her parents matters the most to her.
And so, she continued to work in the office with a slightly heavy heart. She stayed in the office for another 5 years.
Her parents must have noticed their daughter that she's not happy anymore and so, her mother told Sister Alice about joining the convent for her happiness.
However, they would prefer their daughter to join the convent somewhere near to their place so she goes home as much as she can.
From then on, Sister Alice joined the convent and became a Nun since.
Sister Alice has proven to herself that this is her calling. She never regretted anything about it. What's most important is her happiness and she's willing to serve the Lord.
It is finished.
Sir Marc is a supportive and active member of the church as Singles for Christ.
It is finished. Jesus Christ's suffering is over. However, this doesn't mean that he's a failure. This is a story of success because he followed and accepted his fate although he may suffer a lot.
A life-changing situation has happened when he was in his high school days. Truly, rebellion stage. Juvenile delinquency.
He tried everything. Alcohol, smoking, drugs, marijuana, and shabu. Because of those vices, it slowly destroyed his relationships with his family, friends, and relatives, and also society.
He acted as no one can beat him. He entered a gang, everything you could think for negatively.
He became addicted to shabu and that's how everything started. He never skips a day of not using it. He spends his tuition to buy drugs. He's not even sleeping. He feels so high. Luckily, he was able to graduate but he is still an addict.
He spends his salary all on shabu. One time, he was caught by his mother doing a drug session with his friends.
His mother called the police and had him arrested. However, he was so blessed for not going to jail because the police who responded to the call was his friend. He was given a chance to change for the better.
However, it was not easy for him to change. The temptation was always there. One day, a friend of his offered a place to stay for a self-rehab. But it's not the ideal setup for a self-rehab. There are still some distractions and he has to go to work which is the place for his greatest temptation.
But God never left him, instead, he was introduced to the Singles For Christ group. That's where everything changed for the better.
He's a changed man now but still vulnerable to drugs but this community helped him grow as a Christian.
Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit.
Sir Rodulfo came from a poor family. There are seven of them. His father is a farmer but an alcoholic one. His earnings for the day are not enough to sustain the needs of the family because he spends it on his vices, which is alcohol. His mother is a gardener (manggunahay). Her earnings are enough for them to be ae to eat three times a day.
As they grow older, his sisters got married and him being the youngest was left at home to accompany his parents.
Rodulfo had to work so he can sustain the needs for his requirements at school. And so he looked for a part-time job. He found a generous family who has been so good to him since then.
On weekends, he goes to their residence to feed the pigs (piggery) and clean the area.
He was able to graduate from a 2-year course but he realized that why not pursue a degree. He asked permission from his boss and his boss was more than happy to offer a scholarship for him.
Just when you thought that things were going as smoothly as you expected.
In November 2017, he was diagnosed with diabetes. He was 24 years old at that time. They went to the doctor because of his drastic weight loss. From 70 kilos, he's down to 56 kilos. His blood sugar went to 300 which was too high for his age.
As a result, it affected his mental health. His life was changed after that health problem. He has to take medicines and inject insulin every day to maintain his blood sugar.
He stopped attending school since then because he cannot manage to stand alone. He's gone bed-ridden. Too skinny, so sick.
At that moment, his prayers to God changed. He even surrendered himself to God and said he gave up. But his family thought otherwise. They were there to lift his spirit. They were full of hope that he can recover.
There even came up to the point when he was not able to sleep because of his condition. He felt that it's his end. He thought that he's dying because he saw his ancestors who died a long time ago.
He was rushed to the hospital. But then he was sent home because it's still in the same condition. He might catch other illnesses if they allow him to stay in the hospital.
When they got home, he told his parents "Ma, Pa, mopahulay nako. Di na nako kaya" "Mom, Dad, I give up. I can't bear the pain anymore".
That's the first time he saw his father sobbing and said " Maypag sa ako nlng gihatag ang sakit, Ginoo". "Lord, I should be the one suffering instead."
"Lord, I give up. I surrender myself to you."
But the people around him never gave up on him. With prayers, he was able to recover. Although he's on a lifelong medication to treat his illness.
He's now a licensed teacher and currently taking on Masters in Education.
So that's how my Holy Week went. Full of realizations. Feeling blessed and thankful 🙏
Thanks for reading!
Keep safe everyone ❤
