When "Doing It All" Is Actually Keeping You From What Matters

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

We have a Nanay in our mission field whom we affectionately call Mama Lang. Mama Lang has been blind for six years, lives with diabetes, and deals with severe, high-risk hypertension. The very first time we knocked on her door and checked her blood pressure, the monitor read a terrifying 210/100.

Honestly? I froze. My heart sank into my stomach. Knowing her numbers put her at a massive risk for a stroke or heart attack, a wave of intense anxiety washed over me.

After sitting down with her family, we uncovered the heartbreaking reality behind the numbers: Mama Lang had been prescribed Amlodipine, but she had to stop taking it a year ago simply because she couldn’t afford it. It’s the kind of systemic, financial heartbreak that hits you like a wall when you're on the field.

Thankfully, I’m part of a group chat with medical doctors from Korea who volunteer their time to give free advice to missionaries. I immediately fired off Mama Lang’s vitals, hoping for a quick fix. Their response? Straight to the point: “This is a medical emergency. She needs a hospital, ASAP.”

But knowing her financial reality made a hospital admission feel impossible. Seeing the roadblock, another missionary in the chat reached out with an alternative: why not try the NEWSTART method? It focused on a holistic, lifestyle-first approach—leaning heavily into a clean diet of vegetables and brown rice, increasing her water intake, and getting regular, gentle exercise.

So, my partners and I locked in. We committed to praying over her, cooking her meals every single day, and walking beside her every morning.

The result? In just one week, her blood pressure dropped to 180/90.

Seeing that drop was a massive wake-up call. It made me realize how much raw, unfiltered power there is in the natural tools God has already provided for us—especially when paired with intentional prayer and seeking His wisdom. True lifestyle adjustments are absolute game-changers for our health.

But honestly, the biggest healing happened inside me.

During those intense days of helping Mama Lang, I was running on empty—totally stressed, physically drained, and completely burnt out. That’s when it hit me: I was operating with major "main character energy," trying to carry the entire weight of the world using nothing but my own limited strength and effort.

But realizing my own limits didn't magically change our circumstances; it just changed how I faced them. The reality of her illness is still very present.

Mama Lang is currently still struggling with Hypertension, but she always keep the faith and discipline of having a healthy lifestyle. We are praying that by the time a medical mission team from America and Korea that offers free eye surgery visit here, her blood pressure will be normal.

Everyday we spend thirty minutes to one hour walking with Mama Lang, praying with faith

we will be an instrument for her journey to healing.

The moment I stopped trying to be the savior and realized that God was the one actively working through Mama Lang—not me—was the exact moment the crushing weight finally lifted off my shoulders.

We can’t pour from an empty cup, and we certainly can’t out-work the Holy Spirit. ^. Sometimes, letting go of control is the ultimate act of faith.

Name: Eunice Jiwon, Lee

65th Batch

Mission Field: Bacoor , Cavite