by Candy Ledesma
GOD DOES WORK IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS
People think I don’t pray. I’m the kind of person that can easily be mistaken for baliw or luka-luka. I always find the humor in things around me and most of the time, people around me find it funny too. I can sometimes be very abrasive because of my frankness - taklesa daw. Care ko?
I don’t think that I have to justify myself by letting others know that I do, in fact, pray. I pray at the drop of a hat. I say the rosary daily, installment nga lang because of the numerous things that have to be done through the day. But yes, I make it a point to finish 20 mysteries.
During one of my longer “kwentuhan” with the Lord, aside from endlessly thanking Him for all His wonderful graces, I asked Him what I can do to be of help to others. Keep in mind that I spent my entire childhood in a Catholic school. The nuns hammered us with the idealism that we are all servants for others. Naman, hindi naman siguro lahat kami dapat maging maid noh, you get what I mean. We should always think of ways how we can be helpful to many, by our deeds or simply just being there, an ear to listen, etc, chorva... Siyempre, God doesn’t answer audibly but somehow, He creates a situation where you see clearly His plan - in this case - His very reply to my question/ request. Out of the blue, a good friend sent me a text message. Now, this friend and I don’t text everyday but we text to ask how each is doing, what’s up for the day, etc. In other words, lahat ng kababawan pero it shows that we care enough to keep the friendship going. Nerissa, has been a friend since pre-school - sus, since birth nga yata, because we grew up in school together and we even have birthdays that are close together.
She never mentioned anything, but I could sense in her text that something was not right. So being the master of kakulitan that I am, I badgered her with questions until she finally gave in and told me the whole MMK story. I can’t convey the entire screenplay of the several events in her life that led to such
mishaps (papatayin ako ni Dennis, mauubos ang pages ng diyaryo niya, hehehe! Labyu Dennis!)
So anyway, here’s a really short background of Nerissa. Like me, makulay din ang buhay niya. She has gone through so many trials in her life. Thing is, a lot of people misunderstand her. And to make things worse - people judge her without really knowing the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth - Sranghamneda, Bo.
So there, her problems started little by little. Thinking that she will be able to overcome the little things, everything went the other way. Nagkandaleche-leche na ang lahat. To make a very long story short, she’s now down in the dumps and totally bankrupt. As in wala talaga! Ugh, I hate this situation because I too was out of resources. Even if I wanted to help her financially, I was totally helpless. Kainis, really. Then she asked me if she can come and stay with me for a while. I was torn between saying yes and no. I wanted to but if I think about my financial woes, jeez! So, a quick consultation with the Big Boss - somehow, His reply was a resounding YES, do it!
A few days later, Nerissa arrived with her son and daughter in law. I know I had room for Nerissa but the son and daughter in law would be “floating.” Nerissa probably saw the look on my face so she explained that they only brought her to my house but they’ll be staying with the in-laws.
Nerissa and I sat down and discussed several ideas that might help her get back on her feet. We settled on a network marketing business. I can almost see your faces. Network? Does it ever work? Scam yan, di yan totoo and whatnot. You’d be surprised. Yes, maybe while starting, the earnings may be minimal but as you work on it, it grows, whether you like it or not. The only thing I can help her with was with her registration fee in the company. Even for that very minimal amount, I did not have the money. So we devised a plan where we will not have to pay out of our own pockets but try to earn the registration fee first before anything else. With God’s graces and the benevolent powers of the universe all conspiring for a favorable outcome, we achieved that goal in two days! Imagine that? How can you not be grateful?
Nerissa is still staying with me. We make do with what we have. Sharing all our resources. I am thankful that she is here though. She helps me get around. With my health issues, she is a godsend. Maybe it’s her way of repaying what little help I offered but she doesn’t know how much I appreciate her being around. Her presence also helps me tremendously. With her here, lending an ear when I need it, giving me the care and assistance when I need it most and just being my friend - is always a wonderful thing and I thank God for it.
Hopefully, we can be examples of how we can turn life around just by being selfless and truly willing to offer whatever help we can and not just surrender. We just have to keep in mind that God always has something good in store for us despite all the trials. We may not understand His plans immediately but just let it flow and things will eventually become clear.
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