Path to Christianity 2

At the embassy, things really changed. I got sent to various countries for conferences and meetings. I got a good break. Everytime they send me somewhere, I got a per diem at Norwegian rates (they call Odin rates). And I started being able to save up. We started buying more stuff in the house, and sent little Aya to nursery school. Things looked rather bright both spiritually and materially. Until I was told the embassy will close down the commercial section in Manila, a decision taken from HQ in Oslo. Many a new dad would have been scared *hitless, but at that time I was already having a strong enough faith in my God who has given me so much. An HR guy came to Manila to tell me that they will give me a package amounting to about a quarter of a million pesos. When I left government 3 years ago, after working for about 12 years as a civil servant, I even owed government about Php14,000. Here I am, after 3 years with the embassy, being sent packing with a hefty Php250,000. Now that is a lot of zeroes after the numbers 2 and 5. The HR guy was perplexed t see me happy, while all the others looked rather sad.

I used the money to co-share with my brother-in-law in buying a lot, and together we built a 3-storey house. I occupied the 2nd floor, a 1-bedroom unit. Finally I own a house. It was a bit of a shell, butwhile it was being constructed I found an opportunity to moonlight. I prepared a feasibility study together with some old friends for a wealthy Taipan, and got paid about half a milion pesos for it. So we were able to make the house look like a home eventually. There was still a little money left, so I also sold my battered 1990 Nissan Sentra, and upgraded to a 1995 Toyota Corolla.

I just have to be crazy not to think that my God is giving me a little boost.

Path to Christianity 1

With our new baby, we started to build a new family. We rented a studio apartment in the community where my wife grew. We really started small. We had a two-seater sofa, a bed and a 14-inch TV. I was then occupying a neat position in government, Director for Transport BOT Projects. The position was great for social stature, but the salary was meager. There were temptations to cross the line in order to bring home big bucks. But I stuck to my guns, and my God. I had this feeling in my gut that if I feed my baby with food bought wth dirty money, she will choke to death. That kept me in line. I was too happy for the miracles I got, and was too scared to disappoint the Lord.

At some point God kicked me out of government, and led to me to a job in a different government. I got a post a Market Adviser at the Commercial Section of the Royal Norwegian Embassy. The travel time was shorter, and the pay was almost double. I feel that I got rewarded for saying no to the serpent who offered me a bite in the apple for so many occassions in so many years. God is gracious indeed!

Miracle of the Disappearing Lump

A few months after my wife and I got married, she discovered a lump on her breast. She was then pregnant with our first daughter. I remember being very scared. I have friends who have told me stories about sisters and aunts who had been afflicted with breast cancer, and succumbed to it eventually.

I called and prayed to my Lord again. I asked that she be healed. But knowing too that God wants us to aso act towards the resolution of our own struggles, I told my wife that we will have it surgically removed and biopsied as soon as she gives birth. I buckled up and got ready for a rough ride ahead, both phsychologically and financially. Meanwhile our attention got refocused on the anticipation of the arrival of our first baby. We bought baby clothes and all the stuff she will need. We went to the ob-gyne regularly to make sure our first baby is healthy.

Aya was born on the 1st of January, 2001, the first day after the end of the first year of the new milineum; portent of good things to come. As soon as we brought baby Aya home, I told my wife we should get ready to have the lump checked and removed. I remember hoping that it did not grow so big during the intervening months. She examined the lump, and looked at me, and said: Dad, I can't feel the lump anywhere at all.

Yes, the lump disappeared. Some doctors later told us that her body must have cured herself in order to protect the baby, which is quite reasonable scientifically speaking. But I have a Big Boss who takes cares of us, and I say, our God healed her.