But being pulled back does not always mean we are being pushed away from our purpose. Sometimes, it means God is preparing us for something greater.
A Different Direction
I was born in Panay and raised in Davao as one of ten children in a simple Catholic family. We did not have much, but I carried a deep desire to serve God. Through a scholarship, I entered a Catholic seminary, believing that I had found the path God had prepared for me.
Then God redirected my steps.
One day, Seventh-day Adventists held an evangelistic meeting in our community. I attended out of curiosity, but the message reached something deeper in my heart. Night after night, I returned to listen. Eventually, I left the seminary, embraced the Adventist faith, and was baptized.
After my baptism, church members encouraged me to study at CPAC. I was still new to the faith and knew very little about Adventist education. I had not even heard of Mountain View College, although it was near my hometown. Looking back, I realize that God had already begun directing my steps long before I understood His plan.
The Weight of the Pull
When my family could no longer support my education, I became a working student. I cleaned the campus park, mowed the soccer field, tended the gardens, worked as a bookbinder in the library, and eventually served as an assistant librarian.
Every task helped keep me in school. My work paid for my tuition, food, and lodging, while extra hours helped provide for my basic needs. Life was difficult. There were times when I used lemonseto as deodorant and salt as toothpaste. These experiences were humbling, but they taught me to value honest work and to be grateful for every provision.
I worked during the day and studied whenever I could. Some days, my body was exhausted before my lessons began. On other days, discouragement weighed more heavily than physical fatigue. I often wondered whether I would finish.
There was a time when I planned to return to Davao. I told myself, “If I can save enough money for my fare, I will go home.”
But before I could leave, I became seriously ill. A ruptured appendix brought me to Bacolod Sanitarium & Hospital. Suddenly, I was facing not only academic and financial struggles but also a major health crisis and hospital bills.
I had no clear answers. I prayed. I wept. At times, I even fasted—not by choice, but because I had no meal ticket. Yet in the moments when I felt most helpless, God reminded me that I was not alone.
God’s Hands and Feet
God sent people to become His hands and feet.
I will always be grateful to the CPAC administration, faculty, staff, fellow working students, and friends who supported me. I am especially thankful to the Batch ’93 and ’94 Junior and Senior BSN students. When I was in the hospital, they volunteered to stay with me. They brought clothes, food, flowers, and companionship. They helped me change and made sure I was never alone.
Their acts of kindness may have seemed simple to them, but to me, they meant everything. I was sick, far from home, and worried about my health, finances, and future. Their presence reminded me that God often answers prayers through people.
Those years taught me lessons no classroom alone could teach. I learned discipline, responsibility, time management, and respect for every honest occupation and every person. Most of all, I learned perseverance.
For nearly nine years, I worked and studied while completing my Theology degree. Nine years of work. Nine years of study. Nine years without returning home.
During school breaks, Christmas, and New Year’s, I remained at the CPAC compound. I sometimes watched parents visit their children, share meals, laugh together, and enjoy one another’s company. I was happy for them, but I also felt the ache of being far from my own family.
There were many moments when tears filled my eyes. Still, I learned to trust God one day at a time.
When I ask myself how I survived those years, the answer is simple: God helped me.
The Purpose of the Struggle
After completing my studies, I served faithfully as a layman for more than twelve years. I prayed that God would give me the opportunity to serve in a more formal capacity. I hoped to become a district leader or church pastor.
But those opportunities did not come.
I had never been employed by a Mission or Conference, nor had I held a formal position within them. Yet I continued to serve, pray, and trust God.
Then, when I least expected it, God opened a door I had never imagined. Today, I serve as an Adventist Book Center director in the northern part of America.
This was not the path I had planned. I had asked God for one thing, but He answered in a way I never expected.
During those difficult years, I could not see the purpose of my struggles. But looking back, I now understand that God was not abandoning me. He was positioning me for the future He had prepared.
Isaiah 60:22 says, “When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen.”
God’s timing was not always my timing. His answers were not always the answers I expected. But looking back, I can see that He was preparing me all along.
At CPAC, I thought I was simply trying to survive. I was trying to pay my bills, remain in school, and complete my degree. But God was doing something deeper. He was shaping my character, strengthening my faith, teaching me to work with people, and preparing me to serve.
The difficult days were not wasted.
The closed doors were not wasted.
The tears were not wasted.
God used them all.
A Message to Working Students
To every working student who is struggling today, I want to speak from experience: do not give up too quickly.
I know what it feels like to have very little money. I know what it feels like to work when you are tired and study when your mind is exhausted. I know what it means to wonder how you will pay your next bill or whether you should simply go home.
Take one day at a time. Manage your time. Set your priorities. Do your best with what you have. When you are tired, learn to rest—but do not give up.
Do not let financial hardship convince you that your dreams are impossible. I say this because I lived through it.
If money had been the only thing that mattered, I might have left CPAC. I might have returned home. I might even have walked away from my faith. But God had another plan.
He provided what I needed—sometimes through people, sometimes through opportunities, and sometimes in ways I understood only much later.
So, if you are struggling, keep going. You do not have to understand everything today. I did not understand everything either.
Just take the next step.
Pray. Work. Study. Serve. Trust God.
When the Arrow Is Pulled Back
An arrow must first be pulled backward before it can be released forward. In the same way, God may use difficult seasons to strengthen our faith, shape our character, and prepare us for the work ahead.
What feels like delay may be preparation.
What feels like rejection may be redirection.
What feels like the end may be the beginning of something greater.
At times, my life felt as though God were pulling me backward, like an arrow being drawn before release. I cannot claim that every hardship was a direct promise of future success, but I now see how God used those experiences to develop my faith, character, perseverance, and readiness to serve. I have learned that hardship can feel like being pulled backward. But sometimes, God is not taking us away from our purpose. He is preparing us for it.
When I look back at my life, I do not see a perfect story. I see a young man from a simple family who became discouraged, wanted to go home, and sometimes wondered what God was doing.
But I also see a God who never abandoned me.
He was there when I entered the seminary.
He was there when I left.
He was there when I came to CPAC.
He was there when I became ill.
He was there when I wanted to go home.
He was there through the people who cared for me.
And He is still with me today.
That is why CPAC means so much to me.
CPAC was more than a place where I earned a degree. It was where I learned to work, persevere, and trust God. It was where my faith was tested and strengthened. It was where I met people who became like family. It was one of the places God used to prepare me for the work He had planned.
To my CPAC family, thank you for the friendships, lessons, memories, and kindness you showed me when I was struggling and sick.
Today, I may be far from CPAC, but it will always have a special place in my heart. When I think about where I came from and where God has brought me, I can only say:
“Lord, You knew what You were doing.”
I did not always understand. I did not always know what would happen next. There were moments when I wanted to quit. But God was there through every step.
My story is not about having everything figured out. It is about taking one step at a time and trusting God with the next. I came to CPAC looking for a way to continue my education and serve Him. I left with more than a degree. I left with stronger faith, lifelong friendships, enduring lessons, and a deeper understanding of God’s grace.
So, if life is pulling you backward today, do not lose heart. Keep praying. Keep working. Keep studying. Keep serving. Keep trusting God.
You may feel as though you are being held back, but perhaps God is preparing to launch you forward.
When God pulls back the arrow, He is not wasting your struggle—He is preparing your release.
For all of this, I will always be grateful.
Salamat gid, CPAC!
