I never expected that I will ever live in a province much more in an island. I was born and grew up in the city. I am used to the fact that almost every place is within my reach – malls, grocery stores, drugstores, fast food and resto, transportation, church – and many other places that I can easily visit in no time at all. I am also used that almost everything can be bought within the area as long as I have the money.
My husband and I didn’t expect that in some point of our lives, God would call us to work in His vineyard in a place that we were not accustomed, well at least me because he was born and grew up in a province. But he stayed in the city for more than 10 years and he thought that God would call him to start a work in a nearby province if not within the metro.
Both of us were caught off guard. Truly, God’s plan is different from our plan and our His thoughts are too far from our thoughts. We both came not from this province and we don’t know anyone here before we had conducted a Daily Vacation Bible School more than 6 years ago. We were just acquaintance then, our relationship was just simply churchmates. I believed that activity was God’s preparation for us.
Panglao Bohol is not really a remote area. It is just 18 kms away from Tagbilaran, the capital of Bohol. A medical air evacuation is not yet a necessity in case there is an emergency and I don’t think the province can provide that kind of emergency vehicle. A reliable vehicle should be enough to transport the person who needs a medical attention. There is no traffic here anyway.
Though it is not as remote as living in a mountain, there are also no establishments here. Ah there are, the resorts for the tourists. Other than that, establishments can be found in Tagbilaran though also limited. But should we complain? The Lord put us here for a purpose. Any convenience that we gave up in exchange to be in the ministry is all worth it. There is nothing more precious in a Christian life than to be serving the true and living God 🙂
