Meet Aunt Julie

Aunt Julie is my mother’s sister. Way back in 2007, after my father died, my family was left with nothing—not even a roof over our heads. My three siblings and I had to find a way to survive. I found myself living with Aunt Julie’s family in a remote area of Bantuanon, about 40 minutes away from my hometown.

Driven by the desire to continue my studies, I lived and worked alongside my cousins in neighboring farms as a laborer and harvester, cleaning rubber trees and plucking weeds in corn fields. At the time, I had no clue what I was doing, so I would clean my area of weeds—and the young corn plants growing alongside them. I also spread fertilizer by hand, and by the end of the day, the chemicals burned my skin.

In her tiny house made of bamboo walls, dirt floor, and nipa palm leaves with a rusting tin roof, I lived with Aunt Julie, her husband, and their seven children. No work, no food; that was our life back then.

At three in the morning, my cousins and I had to wake up to begin our five-mile walk from Aunt Julie’s house to high school, most days without breakfast. Life was hard and simple. We only really ate sweet potatoes and, if we were lucky, some cornmeal with dried fish.

At some point, it became unbearable for me. I quit school and decided only to work. But eventually I realized I really wanted to finish high school. I moved back to my hometown of Malaybalay.

There I began caring for an old man and a girl with special needs in exchange for a place to stay and food to eat. I stayed with them until I graduated high school and met my wife. I started a family of my own, and together, we joined Family Missions Company.

Over the past 13 years, we’ve ministered to many poor families all over the Philippines. We’ve built homes and laid more than 200 cement floors. All the while, Aunt Julie struggled. Her husband died, and she lived as a widow with one blind eye in a dilapidated house.

Aside from some medicine during her husband’s sickness, burial costs after he died, and school supplies for her grandkids each year, Aunt Julie didn’t ask for much help. She is simply always grateful for the little things we can share.

Last Christmas, she personally came to our home and told us that the land her tiny bamboo cottage is built on will be demolished by the government to make way for a high school. It is great news for the hundreds of students who could use a new high school in that area. They won’t experience the same hardships we had to go through anymore. But the problem is Aunt Julie will lose her house.

Praise God, the government has given her a relocation area where she can build a new home. Aunt Julie came to ask us personally to help her build a new house. She asked if we could buy her a tin roof and some bamboo for posts. My wife and I told her we would pray and see what we could do.

Months passed, and Aunt Julie patiently waited, even though her neighbors were slowly moving to the relocation site. She was one of the very few left. The house she was staying in wasn’t even livable anymore. They say, “When it rains, it pours,” but Aunt Julie has her very own waterfall inside. Her family had to use umbrellas even within the house. At one point, it was raining so hard that Aunt Julie’s newborn grandson was drenched in rainwater. They had to vacate the house and find a temporary place to stay.

After seeing the dire situation of Aunt Julie’s house, we sensed the real urgency of this matter. At the time, we were also dealing with a lot of personal challenges, but we trusted and brought everything to prayer.

God put brother Eric on our hearts. He is a mission partner who has been very generous. We’re not even sure how he started partnering with us, but we’ve become like family to him. We explained to him the situation and showed him some pictures. We asked if he and his family would be willing to donate toward building Aunt Julie a new house.

We hoped and prayed that we could have some funds to at least start the project. To our surprise, not only did brother Eric respond to our appeal, but he was willing to shoulder all the expenses to build Aunt Julie’s home.

“I cannot refuse the poor.”

His simple short response was, “I cannot refuse the poor.” We jumped for joy and cried praises to our Lord Jesus Christ. Truly, He is our great Provider. He places people to become instruments of His grace.

Immediately, we started building Aunt Julie a new house made with pure steel, concrete, and sliding glass windows. Aunt Julie will not worry when it rains. She, her children, and her grandchildren will be safe and dry.

Aunt Julie told us she never imagined that someone would help her have this beautiful home. It’s the first time she has a concrete floor and a proper toilet.

I am reminded of the saying, “Some give by going, while others go by giving.” Truly, mission work happens this way. It never ceases to amaze us how generous our mission partners are. They have become our backbone.

This special project, a home for Aunt Julie, didn’t just meet a need for her and her family, but more importantly, it strengthened their souls. They are pointing their praises and thanksgiving to our God.

Looking back at my young self, who suffered so much, I want to tell him that there are good people in this world who do not hesitate to show that God is alive and is listening to our prayers.

From the bottom of our hearts, Daghang Salamat! (Thank you so much!) to all our supporters, prayer warriors, and brother Eric, his wife Stephanie, and their entire family.

Thank you so much for your generous hearts. We offer prayers in hope that God will reward your kind hearts a hundredfold.

Salamat sa Dios (Praise Be to God)!