Grace Love Rest Blog

I received a call from Singapore at 10:30 one quiet evening. It was from someone I couldn’t say no to (huh). She was asking if I could be her correspondent here in Canada; she was putting up a magazine in the Philippines that will help at least prepare the hearts and minds of Filipinos desiring or praying to go abroad. She said the magazine would try to guide outgoing overseas workers find their so-called rightful place in life, and help them in their pursuit for the meaning and purpose of why Filipinos are being scattered around the world.

The request for me to write about my experience was hard to accept at first because I myself waited for years before I understood some things. It took me a decade to find out the definite reason why I had to leave my country and work abroad.

Here’s my story:

Poverty. This is probably the number one reason most of us would leave and find work abroad. To escape poverty I went to Singapore in December of 1997, on a tourist visa and at the advise of my friends who were already working there, to take my chance and look for work as a computer programmer. It was the season of the Y2K issue and professionals in my line of work were in demand. I got hired fast and started working as soon as I received my working visa.

Only four months into my stay in a foreign country with a different culture, I noticed that I was beginning to experience changes in my point of view in life. Not that it had anything to do with my new environment. I believe it was because of the suicide of a friend of mine. She was also working in Singapore, and pressures from job and personal circumstances became too much for her. She must have felt so down, being away from home, having to face work problems and other concerns all on her own.

The death of someone close to you always forces you to rethink your position on life itself. It makes you evaluate your own existence. I thought about the meaning of life and it was during this time that I realized I really needed guidance. My search led me to the Lord Jesus. He became personal to me. I began to call Him my Lord … my Savior. All of a sudden it was as if a huge black veil was lifted off me and I began to see life anew.

My boyfriend and I got married on February 29, 2000 and immigrated to Edmonton, Canada in October of the same year. Canada is different from Singapore in a lot of ways. One thing that stood out and became very noticeable was the work attitude of people. In Singapore I was always rushing, because over there, it seemed time and money was of utmost importance. Edmonton’s pace was a bit slower and since I had been longing to live in a laid-back, very family-oriented city, Edmonton posed no problem for me. We were able to adjust right away. By God’s grace, we got our first car, our first house, and our first baby in no time at all.

One of the benefits of being in Edmonton is that the province of Alberta offers one whole year maternity paid leave. It allowed me to enjoy a break from work and just to be with Ethan, my lovely growing baby. I dreaded the day I would have to go back to work. It was heart-wrenching for me to leave our son at the daycare at 6am of my first back-to-work day. My office was far from home and during winter travel time usually doubles. I could only pick him up at 6pm, and the hours spent away from Ethan felt like years. I could not wait to see him.

Having a baby changed our priorities in life. Presently, whatever decision we make is for the benefit of our son. I resigned from my work and chose to be a stay-at-home mom. We adjusted our lifestyle accordingly and got rid of anything that we could live without, and even went to the extent of giving up our dream of moving into a brand new house. We said, some things in life could wait. This was one of those.

Being at home with my son most of the time, I began to search for my purposes in life. Though my husband, Esser, and I were very active serving at the church we were attending. I wasn’t happy. My desire to go back home to the Philippines grew stronger each day.

As soon as we received our Canadian citizenship, we made plans of visiting a friend in Seattle, Washington. The place was appealing and our friend encouraged us to move there. We declined because we saw that we would only be living the same lifestyle as we had back in Edmonton. What we wanted is to have a life … a life that goes beyond work, beyond paying debt, loans, and mortgage. Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life, life abundantly.” (John 10:10).

On the long drive back home, we made a decision to go back to the Philippines and do something very dear to our heart – missions. While waiting for our house to be sold, my father died. I was devastated beyond words. The excitement of going home was replaced by fear and regret. My father didn’t live to see his 3-year-old grandson. Part of the reason why I wanted to spend some time home was to build relationships with my loved-ones, to bond with my parents. I thought it was high time for me to do so because I had been away from them for 10 years (since I graduated from college).

I can’t forget what God did for us in the Philippines when we went home. We became more appreciative of life and people. Even our son learned a lot, the things we did in the Philippines created a huge positive impact on him. It was the most rewarding experience for us to share not just our resources but also our life. I was glad I was there with my mother, brothers and sisters and their respective families as they took the first steps in their journey of faith.

I left the Philippines out of poverty but I went back bringing my faith in Jesus. I was richer on all fronts (He is the One who makes people rich because of His finished work at the cross).

Now we’re back in Canada, and back to work, too. I can say that we are living life abundantly just as the Lord promised. Esser and I are now living in a beautiful home, going to a new church where we could worship and rest with God, just enjoying His gentle grace. Meanwhile, Ethan always brings smile to everyone he meets.

(P.S. The bible says that we should bring up our children in the instruction and admonition of the Lord, Ephesians 6:4).