Her deep grief led to an even stronger faith

Her words were heartbreaking. “I honestly lost my will to live,” she said. But the Lord did not give up on her.

Ira, 21, lives in the Pag-asa (Hope) district in Palawan, Philippines.

The public school teacher is a mother of two. Ira was raised in a Christian home but disregarded the Bible’s teachings when she was young.

The youngest of seven, she was her father’s favorite daughter. But as a small child, she experienced deep grief.

Her father passed away. She pleaded,

“Lord, if you are real, please bring my father back to life.”

This young girl’s prayer was:

• honest,
• painful,
• and heartbreaking.

“That’s the first time I learned how to pray truly, but I felt like God did not listen to me,” she said.

She wondered why God did not bring her father back from the dead.

She continued to live like an unbeliever until she was 16 years old. “I honestly lost my will to live,” she recalls.

But God did hear her. During grief, the Lord made Himself known. He sent people from the church to support, guide, and encourage her.

She learned about Christ from her pastor. He taught her about death and to rely on God for comfort.

“Only at the age of 16 did I come to terms with the reality that my father was in heaven, happy with his eternal existence. God showed me the right path; I never imagined that my father’s death would be the way for me to come to know the Lord,” she says. “Of course, I was sad, but knowing that my father is at peace in heaven gave me hope and joy.”

Ira finds it difficult to contain her tears as she tells her story.

Every time she thinks of her father, the pain of his loss returns.

But her mourning was turned into great joy, knowing that God had been a father to her all along.

“God guided me to the right path and fixed my life; He taught me how to hold on to Him,” Ira said.

Now, she’s sharing that joy with the kids in her neighborhood who have a special place in Ira’s heart.

She teaches them about the Bible and that God is the greatest father of all.

As a kindergarten teacher, Ira wants these children to have a better future. English language proficiency is one of the keys to success for her students.

When she heard about the Bible-based English literacy training, she felt excited and intended to incorporate the program into her curriculum.

“Learning the English language is very important in our community,” Ira said. “Many people here are illiterate; I want them to learn and build self-confidence,” she continued.

God’s Word has molded Ira into the person He wants her to be.

Likewise, she uses the same instrument to impact her students’ lives.