The Gentle Reminder

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”—

2 Corinthians 12:9

There were moments in ministry when I quietly questioned myself. I wondered if we were still making a difference or if we were truly doing God’s work the right way. Sometimes, seeing people slowly drift away from the church made me feel discouraged. No matter how much effort we gave, there were days when it felt like nothing was changing. Little by little, those thoughts became heavier, and I started carrying silent doubts in my heart.

On the night, I felt emotionally drained. My mind was full of questions about what we should do next and where God was leading us. I shared these struggles with my partner, but she was also feeling uncertain. Earlier that day, one of the brethren had shut their door right in front of us. It may have seemed like a small moment to others, but it stayed with us the whole night. We felt rejected, unseen, and honestly, unappreciated.

That night, we prayed with tired hearts. We told God everything we were feeling—the confusion, discouragement, and fear of becoming ineffective in ministry. We asked Him for wisdom and direction because we no longer knew where to go or how to continue reaching people in Jubgan. At that point, surrendering everything to Him was all we could do.

The next morning, God answered our prayer in the most unexpected way.

When I opened Facebook, I saw several missed messages from Nanay Minda. She had slipped in the bathroom after stepping on malunggay sticks, and her foot had swollen badly. She asked if we could visit her because she believed we were people sent by God. She trusted that through prayer, care, and even simple massage, she would recover and walk again.

Reading her message instantly softened my heart. The night before, I had been questioning whether our ministry even mattered. Yet while I was doubting myself, someone else was already believing that God could work through us. Unknown to me, she had tried calling several times that same evening, but I had not noticed until the next morning.

We immediately went to her home. Since she lived alone and could barely walk, we decided to stay with her for two nights. She had to crawl just to move around because of the pain. We cooked sweet potatoes, prepared meals for her, helped with her daily needs, and stayed by her side. Whenever we had extra food, especially fish, we shared it with her. Every night, we gently massaged her swollen foot and prayed together before resting.

As the days passed, we slowly saw improvement. After one week, Nanay Minda was finally able to walk again and even go to the store by herself. Seeing her smile and move freely again filled my heart with gratitude. But what affected me the most was when she told us, with tears in her eyes, that she had cried out for help to her neighbors, yet no one came. Despite that painful experience, she said she felt comfort, peace, and genuine care through the prayers and presence we shared with her.

That experience deeply changed the way I viewed ministry.

I realized that ministry is not always about large crowds, successful programs, or seeing immediate results. Sometimes, God’s work happens quietly in small homes, through simple conversations, shared meals, and showing up when someone feels alone. I learned that being present for one person can already become a powerful testimony of God’s love.

I also realized that discouragement can easily blind us from seeing how God is still working behind the scenes. While I was busy focusing on rejection and disappointment, God was already preparing an opportunity for us to become instruments of comfort to someone in need. The closed door we experienced the day before was not the end of our mission—it was simply leading us to another person who needed God’s love more urgently.

Looking back now, I understood that God never wastes our pain, doubts, or moments of weakness. He uses them to teach us dependence on Him. He reminded me that ministry is not about proving our effectiveness but about faithfully answering when He calls.

We did not heal Nanay Minda through our own strength. It was God who healed her. We were simply allowed to witness His mercy and become part of His work.

And honestly, that was enough to remind me why we serve in the first place.

-Angeline Q. Bautista I 65th Batch 1000MM