The Surprising Way God Answered a Prayer

January 25, 2025

When all the festivities of New Year's Day ended, I was able to find time to focus and contemplate my hopes for this year. Next to knowing the right career path to take and getting to accomplish some health-related goals, I really did not make a lot of plans, to be honest. Instead, all I had wanted for this year was expressed through a simple but heartfelt prayer.

"Dalhin Mo ako sa mga lugar na hindi ko pa napupuntahan at kung saan ako mas magiging kailangan,"

Every event has a mandatory class picture :-)

It was a request with a few words, but what I didn't know is how God would surprise me with an "almost immediate" response. A day after New Year, I got a message from the incumbent president of Tanay Kapamilya Lions Club, Jonas Flores, inviting me to an outreach activity they organized for the kids of Rehoboth Sampaloc Ministries. I have been given a heads-up by my former professor, Ma'am Cez, about the event weeks before. I had the chance to be present at two of their events last year, but I had reservations about joining this one because I also received another invitation from a friend to join a medical mission in another province. I spent two weeks contemplating both activities. But just when I had made my decision to join the medical mission, some unforeseen turn of events happened. I just found myself travelling to Tanay at 6 am on Saturday, January 18.

One of my favorite shot from last Saturday taken by Ma'am Cez -- with Shin, and Tanay Kapamilya Lions Club president, Jonas Flores.

With URS Angono ANGMERC president Ria dela Cruz.

Just like last year when I attended their community awareness talk, I was with Ma'am Cez Villegas (who brought along her niece, Shin, the hubby Jon and their daughter Ciljon). Ria, the president of the emergency response council of my former school, joined us after I mentioned the event to her during a quick trip to her campus days prior to the activity. I was supposed to be the storyteller that day, but when I found out that Ria is an aspiring teacher, I thought of asking her if she wanted to give the task of storytelling a try, and she agreed.

It may just be a three-hour activity, but it was a good thing that I showed up and joined Ma'am Cez and her family. Having volunteered in an orphanage years ago, it not just raised a certain level of awareness but also became an eye-opener on the plight of kids and how the presence of adults positively impacts their lives. Interacting with the young residents of Rehoboth, it made me realize this would be the least that I could do for them. That if it's not part of God's plan for me to become a mom and have my own children, at least, by devoting a portion of my time to these kids, I get to fill the void in their being that longs for care, attention, and love—and the closest chance for me to feel how it's like to be a mom, even for a while.

Despite showing up for the activity with zero sleep, I'd like to say that the time I spent travelling to the hills of Tanay and bonding with the children was truly worth it. At the end of the day, I have come to understand why the last-minute change of plan (that was beyond my control) had to happen—it's because God knew better where to lead me, and He saw who needed me the most.