“God has a plan.” I have heard this many times and most probably
you did too.
I heard this again when we went to Salalah, Oman for the
Mission Exchange but this time it was different. I didn’t just hear it from
just anybody. I heard it from a person who testified that God has a plan. His
name is Bro. Ping Long. He told his
story about how and why he is in Salalah.
Bro. Ping Long was born in Malaysia but grew up in UK and
was part of the British Air Force. One day, he went to a job fair exclusively
open for Air Force personnel. And there,
someone approached him and offered him a job in Salalah, a place he didn’t know
anything about. He accepted the job
offer. Little did he know, that this place,
would be significant for him.
For years, Bro. Ping Long worked and joined gatherings of
different religions and sects looking for something in his life. And then, he finally met the community and the
current parish priest of Salalah, Fr. Ashok. He said that after attending a lot of
different gatherings, the only place that he was truly happy was with the community
and the Catholic Church. He was so happy that he decided to be baptized as a
Catholic. The baptism was done by Fr. Ashok, whom he considers a friend. Later on, he got married in Salalah and is still
actively serving the community now.
Realizing Bro. Ping’s story, I really experienced and
witnessed that God truly has a plan for my life.
I never planned going on a mission this year because I
needed to save up for my wedding next year. However, I got a message from a
sister who already went on missions through the Mission Exchange Program in the
past years, and has been constantly promoting it to everybody to go on one. She
said that she knows I’m saving up for my wedding, but I should consider going
since it’s just nearby and will not cost much, we can even ride the bus which is
cheaper. And that struck me, but the
problem now is that, I just filed and got the approval for my annual leave
recently so I’m not sure if my boss will still approve another one for this. Anyway, I still tried and was approved.
Being in Salalah and going on a mission made me realize a
lot of things, one of it is that no matter how much we plan for our lives, the
Lord has His own plans for us, and it is only up to us whether we want to
accept His plans or not. As for me, I’m
thankful that I decided to follow His plan and be forever at peace knowing that
He is my life planner. If I didn’t obey His plans, I wouldn’t be able to
experience and witness His greatness in Salalah.
I’m looking forward to what else the Lord is in store for me
and I hope you are too!
By Bro Earl Balolong
SFC UAE
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