Sharing Time
Reva Lachica Moore
The Student Who Wrote To Jesus Christ
The sky was hazy with spurts of rain throughout the day. Late that afternoon my sister Rosalie and I were on our way to Central Philippine Adventist College for our Food Distribution Program for 300 working students. Halfway to our destination, a rainbow suddenly appeared in the darkening sky. I had wished for the rain to stop and the rainbow told me it was going to be a nice evening.
We arrived at the campus and went inside the house of Mrs. Tagaygay, the House Mother of the working students. Working students couldn’t afford to stay at the dormitories so they stay in cottages built for them. The House Mother related stories about the struggles of the working students. One story was about the student who did not have a bed; he dug up a shallow hole on the dirt floor, placed cardboard on it and made it his bed.
Before long I could see students coming out of the cottages and walking toward the chapel. When we walked in, the place was packed. Then it was time for me to give the message for the worship hour. Since I was also a working student while in college, I truly understood their sad plight; I wanted badly to encourage them that night.
I started my talk with encouragement from the Holy Scriptures. “God wants all of you to have a HOPE and a FUTURE. God says in Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.’ Just like you, I was a working student when I was in college so I know how tough it is to work and study at the same time.” I told them. Suddenly I remembered Junas, a student at the college. In the past years I had received many e-mails from working students who asked for financial help but Junas’ e-mail got my attention. “Two years ago I received an e-mail from one of you,” I continued. Then I shared with my audience the story of Junas, the student who wrote to me but had addressed his e-mail to Jesus Christ.
Here is Junas’ letter: “To Jesus Christ my Savior and my Friend in the heaven of heavens. Dear Jesus, this is the first time that I am writing you a letter because I am about to give up after all of the trials that I had encountered here in CPAC. Since I arrived in this place, the trials are already too much for me and my twin brother. All the suffering and difficulties that I had experienced in this school, I always count them as blessings. YOU always made me smile after I cry. I always put in my mind that success without difficulties is meaningless, and what is hard to suffer is very sweet to remember. I always keep on looking forward to the goal that you promised. BUT MASTER, I would like to ask your permission IF you will permit me to drop all of my subjects which I am enrolled in and I will work fulltime again. Maybe it’s already too late for me but I have no other choice because I cannot take the prelim exam because I have no money to get my exam pass. I know you have a thousand ways to solve my problem, but by myself, I found no way, except this.’ Love, Junas”
Then I asked the students, “Is Junas in the audience?” A hand on the right side went up. I continued my talk, “Junas also mentioned in his other e-mails about being so hungry all the time; one day he picked up food from the trash and ate it. Because Junas believed that only Jesus can help him, God sent him a sponsor who is helping him in his studies today. To all of you,” I reiterated, “God wants you to have a HOPE and a FUTURE.”
I related my humble beginnings and my lack of means to go to college just like them. But, after much prayer, God sent me a complete stranger who sponsored me through college. My audience was really quiet. That night I gave them hope for their struggles to acquire a Christian education.
After worship time was over, we had the Food Distribution. It was the e-mail of Junas, the student who wrote to Jesus Christ that gave me the idea to have Food Distribution for the working students of CPAC. The students lined up to get their food and I finally met Junas.
We’ve been having Food Distribution (of rice, noodles, canned goods) at CPAC every other month for the past two years. It was so nice to see firsthand the students’ faces glow with excitement. They sent their thanks to the sponsors.
Mrs. Tagaygay related the story of our first Food Distribution for the working students. Two years ago, this caring house mother knew that most of the working students no longer had rice and so that night during worship time, she challenged the students to pray for rice to come the following morning not knowing that Pastor Ruben Villanueva will surprise them with sacks of rice, noodles and canned goods during our first Food Distribution on that very day. It made them believe that prayer really works.
The rice story reminded me about what Isaiah 65:24 says: “ It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.”