It's really interesting how the Lord work things out in our lives... our pains and experiences in life are not wasted according to the plans of God.
My mom has been an OFW or Overseas Filipino Worker in Singapore for more than 18 years now. While I was a child I always wonder, why do parents have to leave their children in order to work abroad? The obvious reasons, of course, is to provide for our basic needs like food, shelter and also a good education. Well, at least those are the primary reasons of my mother.
But God, I believe has greater plans than that. According to statistics there are around 11 million Filipinos scattered around the world in more than 100 countries. Every year there are at least one million Filipinos being deployed. This phenomenon has been going on for years and it has negative effects to the families, especially to the kids (I experienced it myself)--resulting to broken homes and rebelling teenagers, not to mention unwanted pregnancies and abuses, drug addiction, etc.
Despite the negative side of it, there are Filipinos who came to know the Lord in other countries and are being used by God to spread the Good News. One of them is my mom.
They said Filipinos are gifted people, skilled and talented, hardworking and caring, can adjust to different situations and can learn the language easily, and more that made them win the hearts of their employers. This really made me think that He created us for a purpose and even those who work abroad for a higher purpose than to earn more money and make a living.
For the OFWs around the world, I salute you! You are our modern day heroes... and You can be witnesses of God's love and salvation to billions of people who doesn't know about our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pray for our church as we explore the possibilities of building communities for the Filipinos--to train and disciple them to for higher purpose, that is, to be WITNESSES of Jesus Christ to other cultures as well.
