Never Lose Hope

“Do not fear, for I am with you, I will strengthen you and help you.”  

—Isaiah 41:10

During one of our house-to-house visitations, my partner and I would often pass by a small, quiet house. The door was almost always closed, and there never seemed to be anyone around. Still, for some reason, we always felt a desire to visit that home. After several months, God finally gave us the opportunity to meet the person living there. His name is Kuya Jun.

As we introduced ourselves and began talking with him, we learned that Kuya Jun has lived with a disability since childhood—he was born without hands and has spent most of his life living on his own. His daily life requires a kind of strength that many of us may never have to think about.

Simple things that most people do without a second thought—preparing food, bathing, getting dressed, carrying something, opening a container, cleaning the house, or earning enough to eat—can become difficult and exhausting when you have no hands to rely on.

Even caring for himself and managing his home requires patience, creativity, and determination. There are days when the heat is unbearable, when work is difficult to find, and when simply getting through the day is already a challenge. Yet despite all these struggles, Kuya Jun chooses to keep moving forward. He lives alone, with only a small solar setup for electricity and a flashlight. We once thought about buying him an electric fan, but without electricity, even that simple gift would not be useful.

Life for Kuya Jun is undeniably hard, but he refuses to let his circumstances define his hope. What surprised us most was not the difficulty of his situation, but the way he sees life. Kuya Jun told us that no matter how difficult or painful life becomes, there is never a reason to give up.“ As long as there is life, there is hope.”

Today, Kuya Jun continues to live with joy because he believes that he is not alone. He believes that God is with him every single day. Knowing this truth, Kuya Jun continually been studying the Scriptures on his own.

He told us, “The teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are the ones that follow God’s commandments because they are found in the Bible.” Hearing that , my heart was filled with happiness. Then he added something we will never forget: “You don’t have a disability, so use what God has given you for something good. There are people who have received blessings but do not use them. And don’t ever lose hope when you become tired or discouraged. Everything passes, but God’s love remains forever.”

Kuya Jun reminded me that our blessings are not meant to be wasted, our abilities are meant to be used for God’s glory, and our trials should never cause us to lose hope. That day, we did not simply leave Kuya Jun with encouragement—we left with a renewed faith of our own. His life became a testimony that God can use anyone, in any circumstance, to become a blessing to others.

Name: Rea Gumanod/66th Batch

Mission Field: Davao City