The Lord has His ways of leading me to the religious life.
I see the development of faith in the different stages of my life. The gift of faith was nurtured first at home, next through my years of education in the school of Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (Victoria Street) where the love for catechism lessons and moral instruction left an imprint on me, and lastly through my activities in church which has helped me to mature and seek out to serve.
I come from a cradle catholic family and am the eldest among the 3 girls at home. It was a practice when I was young, that my father would bring the family to Church on Sundays. Besides, we will also pray together the Teochew-rosary at night at the Altar before going to bed. One of the distinctive values that I picked up from my parents is perseverance in whatever we do and with it the virtue of patience which will help one to attain mastery over oneself and any skills that one wants to learn.
The activities in Church open my eyes to the needs of others like visiting the homes, reaching out to the disabled. I begin to find meaning by being involved and it has helped me count my own blessings.
What set me thinking about my direction in life was when my second sister made known her intention to marry that I started seriously praying to God to know His plan for me in life. When I truly felt His prompting to follow Him, I resisted as I felt I was not ready and good enough for Him. I hesitated, struggled with my parental objections and trusted in the mediations He sent along to guide and strengthen me.
Since I entered the religious life, I have been teaching, first to the little ones in the Kindergarten, then to the Hearing Impaired children and now in the Total Learning Centre at the Canossaville Children’s Home.
I enjoyed teaching especially inculcating Christian moral values and making Jesus known to the children who in turn bring home the message of God’s love to their families. I find sharing what the Lord has done for me in my life with people I encounter, and enlivening their faith in Him meaningful. Besides, reaching out to Religious life has also set me on the road to the discovery of God, myself and others. I realize that an indispensable friend I have is God Himself, God alone and the enrichment of living in community and working with the children, teachers, parents, volunteers and people He sent along my path in life. It is a privilege and challenge to grow and become what God has wanted me to be in His eyes. Even though I am imperfect, I’m grateful to God for the gift of vocation and this opportunity to celebrate 25 years of His promise of faithfulness, goodness and love for me. I will continue to trust Him with my life. Amen.
