Charito's Testimony at Young People's Fellowship

I would like to thank all the people who have been supporting me financially and in prayers.

The very thing I’ve learned from my sickness is to trust God in all circumstances, whether bad or good because He is in always in control.

To sum up the years that I have been sick was already 5 long years. I have excluded the years I have been transplanted (1994). Throughout those years, His graciousness and faithfulness abound. He never led us where His grace cannot reach us.

As a child, I had always dreamed of getting rich, just as other poor people wish too. I held on to this dream as I got older.

After high school, I started working for an uncle since my family couldn’t send me to college. I planned to work and save some money to be able to get a degree. The work was hard and the pay was small, but I persevered, thinking that I would get something from it.

Everything was turned up side down, when my kidneys broke down. I have to be at the mercy of other people in order to survive. It was 3-1/2 painful years of sickness together with character breaking. It was through those years that I came to know the real God. I have known and heard about Him during my high school years, but only then have I known Him in that intimate way.

It was after 3-1/2 long years when God decided to put a stop on my suffering and answered my prayers. My sister decided to donate one of her kidneys to me. A lot of people contributed and the operation was successful. I was well again. I tried to serve God, because of His goodness to me. I was able to go back to church and involved in some ministries. Some people sponsored my anti-rejection drugs, that I needed everyday and my tuition fees, so that I can go back to school.

Unconsciously, I was still holding on to that childhood dream. I took my studies seriously and it paid off, because I got good grades and scholarships. I even joined competitions to establish a name for myself, thinking that it would serve as a stepping stone for my future. I would take part-time jobs during vacations to earn some money for my allowance. I would often thank God for everything was smooth sailing, and was in accordance with my plans during those times. I never realized that it was not God’s way but my way. It was I who was leading and not Jesus. I had not fully surrendered every part of my life and I’m still the one who’s in control of some parts of my life. It’s like saying, "Lord, You can take care of ¾ of my life but this ¼, please leave it to me."

It was on my practicum years, that my new kidney broke down again, because it got infected with tuberculosis, which I contacted, because of my low immune system, which was a side effect of the immuno-suppressive drugs I was taking. It was another painful chapter in my life I learned from God the hard way. No matter how hard you work, but if it’s not in accordance with God’s will, it won’t succeed. God is the one who gives and takes away the things that can hurt us.

God is not answering my prayers and the prayers of others for physical healing until now. But even if God does not change our circumstances nor solve our problems, He provides the way to show us His goodness. We sometimes focus our eyes on false hopes, our health, wealth, and hard work would all be meaningless without God’s approval. The Bible still holds the best advice, "Trust in the Lord with all you heart and do not lean on your own understanding."

We have to give God 100 percent control of our life, whether big or small details, for He alone knows what's best for us. Sometimes, God may seem to be slow in answering our prayers, but we can always be assured that He won’t be late.

Posted December 1998