One sows, another waters
I was born in 1999 in Ormoc City, Leyte. I am the youngest of two children. We were raised by God-fearing parents. We were Roman Catholic and each night we prayed the rosary and recited the Angelus.
From my father, I learned to trust God in every situation—just like he did when he was dying from a brain tumour. From an early age my mother taught me the Scriptures and instilled in me a desire to do great things for God. My brother showed me how powerful God is. When we were young, he also had a brain tumour. After months of fighting, the doctor declared him dead. However, my parents were not convinced and took the body to the chapel of Santo Niño de Cebú. When I saw my brother rise from the dead I wanted to know more about God.
God is powerful
On 8 November 2013, Typhoon Yolanda hit our home. I thought it was the end of the world. I hid under the table. Alone, I watched the wind break everything in our house. My father found me and rescued me. We hid in the bathroom, together with my brother, mother and some of our neighbours. Everyone was trembling. Everyone was praying. I held the rosary, crying and asking God to help us. I promised that if we survived, I would offer my life to serve him. The wind got stronger and stronger and devastated our home. Even the concrete walls of our toilet shook. Then, suddenly, the wind stopped. By God’s grace we all survived.
I started serving God by joining the youth ministry at our local church. One day a group of priests and nuns came to our school. When Sister Beth told us about the love of God, the Lord touched my heart. I felt there was nothing else I could do except prepare to serve him full-time as a nun. But I was not sure God wanted me to become a nun. I prayed and asked God to reveal my true calling. I met people from the Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP) and for the first time I saw a woman priest. My prayer was answered. I knew that this was what I was called to do.
God is good
In 2016, my family was received into the ECP. I trained to become a Sunday school teacher, served at the altar, joined the e-care staff and assisted visiting missionaries.
God sent two women, Ma’am Farida Cawatig and Ma’am Zena Caytap, to support me. They encouraged me to enter St Andrew’s Theological Seminary. Through the four years of training, God has allowed me to experience him more deeply. It is a miracle that I graduated in this vocation. It is a mystery that God is using me, yet I am confident I am called to be God’s servant. I do not know what lies ahead but I do know that he will lead me.
Please pray that I will listen and obey. Pray that I will continue to learn to feel for God’s people and lead them as a fellow servant of our Lord and Saviour.
Queenie Mae Tagalog graduated from St Andrew’s Theological Seminary this year with a bachelor of theology.