Monday, December 16, 2013

THE JOURNEY OF A GODDESS


In college, I had a roommate named Venus. Her name meaning "Goddess of beauty," she literally is a beautiful person inside and out. She is a year younger than me, and we met at Room 310 in UPLB New Dormitory, year 2007. We had fun times together, sharing and learning in class, in school, and in life.

A year after, we moved to a new apartment, together with our dear friend Monic, and there we still managed to live happily together. Being younger than me, I was surprised how this lady taught me many lessons I needed to learn back in college. At that point, I was beginning to grow in my Christian faith as a young leader at church, and there were times we talked about spirituality.

She struggled several times and asked so many questions about the Christian faith and I've seen how she sought to find answers to her questions. In my capacity at that time, I tried to also find answers to her questions and prayed for her spiritual journey. I sincerely prayed that she will find the answers to her questions, and that God will reveal himself to her.

I finished college a year earlier than she did. We only kept in touch very seldom through social media. She eventually got her degree, passed her board exam, and came to know Christ. I was surprised and excited to learn her story, six years after we first met.


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When she was reviewing for her board exams, she prayed to God in an empty appeal, that if God allows her to pass her board exams, she will begin to seek and know Him. It was a half-meant, self-centered prayer of a person who wanted to pass a board exam and fulfill her career aspirations in Manila.

She passed her board exams, but she forgot about her prayer and was busy looking for a job in Manila. Unfortunately she cannot find a job that will support her and her family financially. Job opportunities in Manila for her field - Nutrition - does not promise good wage vis a vis her expenses. She decided to go back to her province where she could find a job that will support her family and will require only minimal expenses for her.

She worked at a hospital with another co-worker who was also a Christian. She stayed at an apartment and all her roommates happened to be also Christians. She remembered her prayer from before she took her board exams, and realized that God made a way for her to come to know Him more. She was surrounded by people who follow the Lord. So she started attending church services from time to time, until she finally wanted to seek the Lord and know Him better.

Since then, God has revealed Himself to her and never failed to amaze her. She never thought she would work in that  place, and that in exchange for her aspirations to work in Manila, God has prepared for her something far more wonderful and meaningful. She has come to know the Lord in a different way.

Right now, she is still on a journey towards pursuing career and family aspirations, but everything never felt the same again after she has come to know the Lord deeply. She trusts God in all her decisions, and she dreams of marrying a godly man and building a godly family of her own, someday. :)

Venus is one of the many people who have inspired my journey, and her journey towards knowing Christ has touched my heart so deeply. By the time she shared me her story, I knew it is worth including in the radical journeyist's page:)

This photo was from year 2008. We visited the UPLB Botanical Garden for the first time together. Looking back at our old photos refresh the great memories we shared back in college :)

Venus and I. Some years ago :)

The ROOMMATES from UPLB NEW DORM. Room 310. L-R Monic, Me, Venus, Corine, Nikki (Missing ate Yaos here)

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