The Mission That Started It All

Perhaps those who’ve known me as a missionary thought I always had the “heart to serve.” But no — I became one out of curiosity. Yes, I’m a planner, and I have larger-than-life dreams. But being a missionary wasn’t a priority. Like many other good things in my life, the call to serve was a God-given gift.

I was invited to join Pure Heart Philippines, the lay missionary organization I’m affiliated with now, by a good friend and workmate. But seeing that the name of the group implied “purity of heart,” I felt unworthy. I didn’t think I deserved to serve or that I would ever qualify. So after three years and three “No’s” to Allan’s invitation to join PH, he instead invited me to Philo-Brew in March 2018. And by the grace of God, I said yes.

Since that day, I’ve met many PH servers. Then one day, I came across one of their Facebook posts about an upcoming Missionary Formation Weekend.

My October 2018 Calendar with the MFP Weekend Schedule

God’s Birthday Surprise: A Mock Mission That Turned Out Real

I joined the weekend formation without realizing it fell on my birthday. I thought my 28th birthday would be as uneventful as the ones before it. When I was a student, my birthday usually fell during final exam week. When I was employed, it often landed a day before payday. Growing up, I got used to treating my birthday like just another ordinary day. But as it turned out, on my 28th birthday, God had prepared a surprise.

Me at the venue of the MFP Weekend

During the formation workshops, we were tasked with planning a mock mission — complete with talks, praise and worship, testimonies, and games. I was assigned to give a testimony. I thought it was just for practice, but on that Sunday, 14 October 2018, we were told we’d be carrying out our mission plan for Chiara Luce, an apostolate of the Apostolic Sisters of St. John.

And that, my friends, was my first mission. I didn’t plan to serve. I didn’t prepare for its reality. But I dare to believe that God planned it all for me.

A Welcome Surprise

Missionary Formation Weekend 2018 Participants

I thought I would be alone on my birthday. But God gave me a community — amazing people to grow with, serve with, and love: students, missionaries, and religious.

Yes, I treasure my parents and siblings. But that formation weekend opened my eyes to the bigger family I’m meant to serve.