09/12/2025
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Story Time:
Today, I met Ate Nena at my daughter’s school. We ended up having a warm little conversation about her life—one I never expected would feel like listening to a quiet miracle.
She told me she used to work in the school canteen 19 years ago, back when I was still in elementary.
She spent almost 22 years serving at the convent, assisting the Sisters there.
Ate Nena remained single for a long time, not because she wasn’t ready, but simply because the right person hadn’t come along. Then, suddenly, there was this man—persistent and sincere—who pursued her wholeheartedly. Even the Sisters, and a priest who was close to her, helped arrange their marriage. It felt, she said, as if the Lord Himself was gently guiding them together.
Their wedding wasn’t lavish, but it was full of love. She didn’t spend much because everyone contributed something—like a community weaving a blessing for them.
But in their married life, God had not yet given them a child.
So they went to an OB-GYN. The doctor advised a special injection that cost ₱5,000 each time. If successful, this treatment would give her her first and only baby. They prayed hard, telling God they didn’t have much, but their hearts longed for a child.
Then something unexpected happened. The doctor learned that Ate Nena was close to Sister Ella. Without hesitation, the doctor offered to give the treatment for free, all the way until the baby would be delivered. A grace they never saw coming.
Now, that baby—no longer a baby at all—is serving the Lord as a sakristan. He is even preparing for an exam to enter the seminary.
Ate Nena smiled as she finished her story.
And all I could think was: What a beautiful journey of faith.
She continues to pray that her child will grow to serve God fully—a living reminder of answered prayers.