The author contributed to Our Hideaway in March-April 2006

I am an avid reader of this God-given magazine. I’ve been enjoying the fruits of Misyon for almost a decade now. The hectic schedule during college years wasn’t reason enough for me to set aside any issue of Misyon. During semestral and summer breaks, reading and rereading Misyon issues from cover to cover also become my inevitable recreation. I can’t help feeling thankful to all the staff and contributors of Misyon. Every time I read an issue, especially vocation stories, I felt inspired and renewed. Then and now, Misyon has continually helped me in discerning and nurturing what vocation to respond to. With God’s grace I feel that I’m almost done in discerning the vocation I’m called to. Thanks to Misyon for being part of the process.

I come from a broken home. I would like to share the goodness that God has shown me and how He filled up the missing pieces of my life and helped me to use the scars and wounds for service. The experience in itself cannot be considered a blessing. Yet its fruit has proven its worth. It taught me that a child from the mess of a broken family can somehow play a role in the healing of society.

Once upon a time
Among her eleven siblings, my mother is the only one who remained a Catholic. She kept her religion faithfully. Though my father was a member of the Iglesia ni Kristo in his single years, my parents had their wedding in the Catholic Church. However, in less than a year my father went back to his former religion. My father said that he couldn’t exchange his religion for twenty wives who were not of his religion. On the other hand, my mother’s faith was so strong that she was willing to suffer the consequences of becoming a single parent rather than to reject her religion. That caused their separation. I was only a toddler when this happened.

During the absence of the head of our family, my mother religiously brought me and my younger brother up all by herself. Criticisms and crises, emotional, social and financial woes were there. But mother told us, ‘Our father is the Lord and whatever we need we have Him in place of your father who abandoned us.’ In my young mind, I came to think, ‘If my classmates have fathers who help them make their school projects, who take care of them and their moms, who are there in times of fear and sickness, well I too have a father and He is more powerful than all the fathers in the world.’

This helped me grow closer to God. Thus, even if in reality I didn’t have a father who was around me physically, still I was able to face and solve problems that came up in every stage of my life. Eventually I reached my ambition of becoming a professional teacher with my younger brother who became an engineer, all because of God’s presence. Hence, coming from a broken home is not a hindrance to success. answer to my prayer has caused healing.

Treasure out of the rubble
The author of these triumphs is my Heavenly Father. Next to him is my selfless mother. I thank and honor her for being faithful to our religion, above all to God. I believe this is one of the reasons why I, a child from a broken home, succeeded in finding my place in society.

At present, I am happily serving as a public elementary teacher, strengthened by the sweet fruits of the struggles and pains of a broken home.

You may write the author at: Poblacion, AURORA, 7020 Zamboanga del Sur