An Invite to Abundant Life: May 2013

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)

Every 1^st May of the year brings to mind a memory of how great the love of God is for my family. It refreshes the fervour of our gratitude for the compassion of the Lord in answering our prayers and His generosity in providing our needs. He is faithful in His promise when He said, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you….” (Matthew 6:33)

Coca-Cola had a raffle promo called the “Red Hot Prizes” during the summer of year 1997. The prizes at stake then had really caught my attention. A couple of months before its first bi-weekly draw, there were rumors that the company I was working with would be laying off employees due bankruptcy. The situation caused uncertainties and worries to my family. My wife and I have just been married for about more than a year without savings and still without a house and lot of our own. Compounding the anxieties within us, my wife was on a delicate condition being pregnant with our second baby with just a couple of months gap after having delivered our first baby.

The Coca-Cola raffle promo sparked hope in my innermost being. The raffle promo required 5 pieces of the sofdrinks tansan in any combination as proof of purchase placed inside a white letter envelope with the participant’s name, address, contact number, and signature. There was no limit as to the number of entries a participant may send. I cried to God in fervent prayer with a supplication begging Him to let me win the grand prize for the sake of my family especially for my babies. I offered acts of sacrifices even to the point of humiliations. I remember picking and gathering tansans or crowns from garbage receptacles left by vendors in bus and jeep terminals oftentimes with sputum as if I was already insane. Many people, including our boarding housemates, who have witnessed what I was doing were laughing at me. Me, a professional (an engineer), doing such a ridiculous thing? But I ignored all the negative remarks/comments; and instead continued to focus in doing what seemed to be a crazy task even walking at night into dangerous areas just to pick up those thrown away crowns. Then patiently I had to wash all the crowns and lay them individually in upright positions for quick drying on the floor inside our bedroom.

For the scheduled first bi-weekly draw, I sent more than a hundred entries. Our family prayed over all the entries before dropping them in official drop boxes placed in groceries. To win the grand prize became part of our daily petitions to the Lord as we remained faithful serving Him in our local parish.

May 1, 1997… the first draw (of 4 bi-weekly draws) for the Visayas Region was held in Cebu City. I stormed heaven with unceasing prayers during that day. God is good and true to His promise. Two days later, the Bacolod Plant Manager of Coca-Cola came looking for me to inform and congratulate because I won the grand prize: a fully loaded Isuzu HiLander vehicle! The amazing thing, I was able to win all the different kind of prizes at stake during the succeeding bi-weekly draws which include an all expenses-paid trip for 4 to Sicogon/Boracay and a special Coca-Cola edition component. And it happened simultaneously with my layoff from job. These wonderful things the Lord had done into my life made me so popular as the results of the raffle draw landed full page in both national and local newspapers. It became a byword among households in our place. All praises and glory be to God.