THE GOD WHO STILL ANSWERS

"Call unto me and i will answer you and i will shew you great and mighty things that thou knowe'st not" — Jeremiah 33:3 (KJV)

“Ate… Ate… please open the door.” It was faint at first—three uncertain taps against our door. Then came a trembling voice from the other side. I opened it and found a little girl standing there, shaking so badly that she could barely remain still. Tears covered her face. Her breathing was uneven, and the first thing she did when she saw me was reach for my hand. Then she cried. Not the ordinary crying of a child who wants attention.

This was different. It was the kind of crying that comes when someone has been holding fear inside for too long and finally finds somewhere safe enough to let it out. She glanced behind her and instinctively tried to pull the door closed. She did not want anyone else to see her. I lowered myself to her height. “Sweetheart, what happened?” She opened her mouth, but no words came. Fear had left her speechless.

For a few seconds, we simply stayed there. I didn’t want to rush her or make her feel that she had to explain herself before she was ready. She just stood there, crying, while I tried to reassure her that she was safe. Then, as if realizing that she couldn't find the words herself, I turned to the other child, who was with her. She stepped closer and quietly began to tell me what had happened. "Her younger sibling had accidentally swallowed a Coke bottle cap." For a moment, I didn't know what to say. My heart sank as soon as I heard it. A child had swallowed a bottle cap. 

Those words alone were enough to make my mind race. I could feel the seriousness of the situation, and suddenly, the little girl standing in front of me seemed even smaller. I looked at her trembling face and could almost feel the weight of what she was carrying. She wasn't just scared about what had happened to her younger sibling. She was scared that somehow, it was her fault.

Then, to make everything worse, their mother had fainted when she learned what had happened. Fear took over their house. And the little girl who had been watching over the child was left carrying a burden far too heavy for her to understand. They had no idea what to do, and every second felt like it was making the situation worse. So they ran, not to a hospital. They ran to our little house. And suddenly, our quiet afternoon was no longer ordinary.

I remember looking at that little girl and realizing that there was very little we could actually do for her at that moment. We weren't doctors. We didn't have the right equipment. We couldn't promise her that everything would be okay. All we could do was stay with her and pray. So that is what we did. We prayed—not because we knew what would happen, but because we didn’t.

It was not a long prayer, nor was it filled with carefully chosen words. It was simply a sincere prayer from people who were deeply concerned and from a child desperately hoping that everything would be alright. We placed the situation in God’s hands, trusting Him with what we could not control. And Heaven moved. Just seconds later, voices came running from outside shouting: “The child is okay! She’s okay!” I looked at the little girl.

In that instant, she wrapped her arms around me and, through tears and a broken smile, face slowly gave way to relief, then she asked me the most beautiful question I have ever heard: “Ate… God is really real, isn’t He?” I simply smiled, held her tiny hands and looked straight into her tear-filled eyes. "Yes, sweetheart, He is real. So real."

And somehow, in that small moment, she was beginning to understand something about God—that He had been listening all along. I realized that our small house was more than just four walls. Somehow, it had become a refuge—a safe place where little hearts could come, feel seen, and simply be themselves. The smallest place can become holy ground when God uses it to remind a hurting heart: “You are not alone. I have been listening all along.” All we have to do is open the door, hold someone's hand, pray, and that is exactly where God chooses to reveal Himself.

Name: Bebie Jane Torremocha/66th Batch

Mission Field: Agusan Del Norte