May 1, 2018 marked my seventh year anniversary as a full-time missionary at He Cares Mission, a foundation for street children in Quezon City, one of the mercy ministries supported by Light of Jesus Family. It was in 2010 when my caring group head first took me to He Cares. I felt burdened when I learned about the lives of the wounded kids to the point that I would just stare blankly at a corner. I began to volunteer at the center. I was then working as an accountant for Shepherd’s Voice Publications (SVP) and was also undergoing the Radical Training Course for young male leaders of The Feast. I was free every Saturday so I pledged to go to He Cares. I would be drained and tired after serving but I would go home fulfilled. That was my life for eleven months. One day, Joe Dean Sola, the founder of He Cares, asked me if I want to be a part-time volunteer in the foundation. I discerned it well but my mentor told me that it would be hard to be an accountant by day and missionary at night. I had to choose only one. So I did another round of prayer, fasting, and reading the Scriptures to know what God’s will was. Then my Radical Training coach, Obet Cabrillas, dropped by our office and randomly told me that the deepest desires of your heart is the will of God in your life. I was surprised. Although I consider him my mentor, I didn’t immediately believe him. I searched for more wisdom. I went to confession in the chapel of a mall. I asked the priest how I would know if I have a calling. He said that I would only know if I try it out. If I didn’t, nothing would happen. So on March 15, 2011, after one year of working in SVP, I resigned. And on May 1, 2011, I started to serve full-time at He Cares.
Challenges Ahead
I must say it’s very challenging to deal with the poor. Before we can introduce Jesus to them, we must first fill them with their basic needs. If we don’t satisfy them, they will say that we are just using the poor. Another challenge in dealing with street children are the times when some of them escape from the shelter. We have to search for them the way the good shepherd looks for the lost sheep in Jesus’ parable. At the same time, we need to journey with them, taking into consideration their different personalities. The worst that happened in my experience was the death of one of the kids under our care. He was an 11-year-old boy who had an ear infection which reached his brain. Those were challenging times. But through prayer and sincere service, we continue with the mission.
Biggest Blessings
It has been fulfilling for me to see all our kids in He Cares getting baptized in the Catholic Church and receiving the Holy Spirit through the Life in the Spirit Seminar. It has also been my joy to assist their parents’ church weddings because some of them have not yet received the sacrament of matrimony. God has also brought me twice to Australia to raise funds for He Cares. It didn’t feel like mission work at all because I enjoyed visiting many places there. This September, I will reap one of my biggest blessings yet as I marry my girlfriend. So many good things have happened to me these past seven years of service. As the years go by, I am all the more convinced that my assignment is to bring the Good News to the poor and to the wounded children in our society. No matter where I am, I continue to do His mission for me.
Source: Kerigma Magazine June 2018
