Alone but Not Alone
Alone. Unlucky. Such had been the story of young Becca’s life by the time she turned to the Women of Hope® Tagalog team for help. With neither parent able to hold down a permanent job, they could not even provide three meals a day let alone afford to send Becca to school. Seeing no way out of their poverty, they sent Becca to work as a servant for her relatives when she was 12.
For five years, the Filipino girl did the work of a full-grown woman: Washing and ironing clothes, cleaning the house, and washing the dishes were among her many tasks. The environment was one of humiliation as she endured being yelled at for every mistake. By the age of 17, Becca began to envy her peers who were attending school. So she enrolled in school during the day and continued to do her full day’s work each evening. She studied and worked for three years, but it eliminated the little time she had been able to spend with peers. Even her desire to go to church was thwarted by her sister, who became angry each time Becca stayed out too long at a service. Work, work, work — that was the only expectation Becca’s family had of her.
But as she did her work, Becca listened to the radio and she loved Ilaw ng Pag-asa [Tagalog Women of Hope®] because parts of each program applied to her daily life and situations she faced. But the good devotionals about God — those seemed like a fantasy to her. When she compared her life to others’, everything seemed unfair. She did not feel special. Becca could not reconcile the loving God she heard about with how her family treated her: “Is it true that God the Father loves me? Why am I very lonely? Why do I need to work so hard? Why doesn’t anyone love me?” These were the questions she kept asking the Tagalog-language Project Hannah team.
The words of the Tagalog Women of Hope® team were the balm her soul needed to believe in the God that their programs told her about: “You are a very strong woman. Move on from your past knowing that God is watching over you so nothing you do is in vain. Someday, you will see the reward of your hard work.” Surprised that they saw strength in her determination and hard work, Becca thought differently of the Father God they spoke about and how much He loved her. Ilaw ng Pag-asa remains a source of comfort, encouragement, and strength for which she is thankful. Becca’s life is still difficult and filled with hard work. But she now knows finishing her studies will help her change a life of poverty. More importantly, she now believes there is a God who changes hearts.
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