I grew up in a loving home with my family. My sisters and I were raised to be family-oriented and God-fearing by our parents, who were also members of CFC. I am close to my sisters, which our father fondly called the “tres Marias”. We grew up actively serving God through our local Parish and the community. Our life has been God’s way of planting a seed of His call to me. Slowly, without even realizing it, God was revealing His call to me. When I was in my 1st year of college, I joined a youth camp, and it paved the way for me and my sisters to grow more in our Catholic faith. It was a start to a journey led by God. My sisters and I became youth leaders through our couple coordinator, who asked us because of the need in our area. We were affirmed by our parents, and we answered the call to be leaders despite not knowing anything much and just be a witness on how God unfolded everything. It was just God’s grace that allowed us to serve. He still continued to guide us in our studies as I had a dream of becoming a successful business woman. He strengthened us even as we needed to go home every weekend to sustain our areas.
Eventually, everything that the Lord allowed me to experience made me see that all of it was part of His desire for me. In 2013, it dawned on me that when we were prayed over during a conference as new leaders of the province, I felt like the Holy Spirit was embracing me with something I could not explain; I realized it was indeed His Grace. God was telling me to “Obey and witness”, and I held on to that grace. I became more inspired by the words from the book of Jeremiah (29:11) which is a personal verse for me. That journey led me to pray more for the desire growing in me.
God led me to serve in different programs of YFC up until He called me to join MVTP 2014, it was a simple “Tara, join kana para madami tayo” but I ended up receiving grace far from what I imagined. God made me see the very desire that I had was His desire. I was full of questions, but His peace led me to jump and to drown in His grace. When I graduated college, I found a job in a company, and practiced my profession; still serving after work and during weekends. But I felt like I was living in two worlds, with different priorities. This led me to pray and ask for God’s direction. I kept on praying, but I grew impatient because I thought the He was silent. Then He just led me back to His message for me last 2013; to obey and witness. Then I asked, “… as what, Lord?” That time it became clear that the Lord was calling me to be His missionary. The dream I had when I was young to work and be a business woman turned into the business of loving God’s people. While discerning God’s path in 2015, God led me to talk to my parents and to resign, fully surrendering to His call and offering my entirety to Him. But He allowed me a year to grow in patience and to purify my intensions. 2016 came and the calling to be His missionary grew deeper. I found peace in surrendering everything to Him and everything that matters to me. I bravely said Yes, obeying to be His witness.
Every desire that we have is planted by God long before we even know about it. It is for us to recognize that desire and His will for it. By His grace, I am on the road to the 4th year of serving as a YFC Fulltime Pastoral Worker. I may not know what’s next for me at this time, for it is an everyday calling, a process of prayers and discernment but I continue to hold on to God’s promises. More than paying Him back the love He made me feel with my family, it is God endlessly wanting to love me and all of us. His promise of a future filled with hope continues to call me in the business of loving His people; bringing back all the glory to Him in all that I do. How about you? What desire do you have right now? Allow God to unveil His grace upon you. Know your calling.
