Did you have big plans for 2020?

I did. Our family did.

But, shortly after the new year started, our big dreams and plans were shattered. As early as February, when I started reading news about the pandemic, I knew already in my heart that one of our biggest dreams and plans for the year will not push through.

Our eldest child was supposed to compete in the US and will represent the Philippines in the World Championship of Performing Arts in July of this year. Since there is a pandemic, my husband and I decided that it would be best to back out of the competition.

It was heartbreaking for me to see my eldest child cry after I told him the sad news that we are not pushing through with our plans. He has been excited about it for months! He actually thought that some of his dreams (going to the US and Disneyland) will come true this year.

God had other plans for us.

The first thing that entered my mind after we made that decision was to instead write the book I had been planning to write about my eldest child. If you had been following my blog and me on social media, you would know that my eldest child is a musician, a pianist. He has been playing the piano since he was 5 years old. He has been serving as a church pianist also since he was 7 years old. He just turned 12 recently.

I thought that maybe God wanted me to use my time instead to write this book instead of using my time raising funds for our trip to the US.

Then, the pandemic took a serious turn and we were quarantined. We experienced being on lockdown. While I was still in a state of shock and trying to figure out how to make sure that our family would have the food and stocks that we need to survive, God reminded me that there is a deadline for the Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards this year that I need to beat.

I was struggling with God. My heart was gripped with fear because of the pandemic. I was struggling to hold on in faith that God will be our protector and shield in this pandemic. I was struggling in entrusting our future to God. Suddenly, I lost my HR clients because they were in the non -essential business category and they had to close their businesses during the lockdown. Do I really need to spend my time now writing a new book when I should also be spending my time looking for new clients and finding ways to contribute to the family income?

I spent more time in prayer during the Holy Week. I soaked in God’s presence. I asked God for strength and greater faith in Him. I knew what God wanted me to do. I just needed more grace to obey Him.

As usual, this book project was a test of faith again for me. Did I say that the deadline to publish my book was the end of April?

Holy Week was in April also. It was only after Holy Week that I had the strength to obey God and to set things in motion.

My other challenge in obeying God was that I wasn’t even sure if the Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards this year would push through. What if there would not be a contest this year? But, what if there is?

Then, I thought, “I should write this book so that in case I die during this pandemic, Yanthy’s story has already been written. I would be the best person to tell his story because I saw it all firsthand.”

Yes, I had those morbid thoughts. Why not? There is a pandemic, right? And people are dying all around us. So, I thought that death has become more real to all of us now because of what is happening in the world.

I believe that it is only by the grace and mercy of God that we are still alive and are not added to the statistics of this 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

With all these emotions inside me and all these thoughts in my mind, I embarked on this book project. Another mission impossible.

I had around 2 weeks to write and publish this latest book! Wow! I needed a miracle!

God reminded me that I wrote another award-winning book the previous year in just 3 days. I reasoned with God and told Him that it was a business book and it had a different format. I told Him that I really need His help to finish writing the book and make it good enough to qualify in the Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards as well. What a feat!

It has been said that it always seems impossible until it is done.

Anyway, I started writing my book and I kept praying to God for inspiration. I knew deep inside that if I am to finish this book, it would be only by His grace. If I am to finish the book and publish it before the deadline, it would be only by His grace.

You see, I am not only the author. I am also the publisher. I was planning to publish it on Amazon. I have published e-books on Amazon in the past but there is no guarantee that all the books I will try to publish on this platform would be approved.

I prayed harder. Worked harder. Until the miracles I had been praying for were granted. I finished writing the book! It was published on Amazon before the end of the month! Amazing! He did it again! What a faithful God I serve!

My work was not over, though. I still need to submit my entry to the award-giving body.

They didn’t respond right away. I continued to pray that they would choose to push through with the awards this year. Although I prayed hard for this, I was also contented that I have, at least, obeyed God and wrote the book about my eldest son’s music ministry. I kept praying and hoping.

Finally, I got a response to my inquiry! The CSCBA is pushing through and they moved the deadline for the submission of entries. Hooray!

Last night, when we watched the awarding ceremony for this year, the hosts said that at the beginning of the lockdown, they weren’t also sure if they should go on with the contest this year.

But, God knew what will happen in the future. He has seen it. He has planned it.

And so, God asked me to do what I needed to do even before the organizers decided that they will push through with the awards this year. Isn’t that amazing?

What was even more amazing is that my entry, my latest book, qualified as a Finalist in this year’s Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards (CSCBA)!

Wait, there’s more! I did not only qualify as a Finalist, but I also won in the E-books category again this year! This is, actually, my 3rd consecutive win in this category!

When I first joined the CSCBA, I won for my e-book From Career Woman to SAHM, WAHM then Businessmom. That was in 2018.

Last year, I won for my e-book Keep Your Employees Engaged! Low Cost and No Cost Ways.

This year, I won for my e-book Yanthy: God’s Little Pianist!

It still feels surreal as I write about this on my blog right now.

I received miracle upon miracle from God just to get to this point! I, definitely, do not deserve this! These are all favors from God! I am truly God’s highly-favored daughter! That’s why I have found favor in His sight and in the sight of men!

The other miracle is that there were more judges in the E-books category this year than in the previous years. In the past 2 years that I won in this category, I only won a plaque or citation. This year, I won the most coveted trophy! That means I got a higher than 90 score from the judges this year! Wow! God has outdone Himself this year in miracles!

I give praise and thanks to God for this wonderful favor! I was willing to give up on this dream and goal at the beginning of the lockdown. But God would not let me. He could not let me because He has set apart this victory for me. He had my name on the trophy long before I have written my book.

How can He love me and believe in me this much?

I was content and grateful just to be alive and well with my family members, having food on our table and a roof over our heads.

But my Father in heaven had so much more in store for me and my eldest son. Now, my eldest son’s story has been immortalized in a book and an award-winning book even! What no one eye has seen, no ear has heard, or mind has ever conceived, is what God has in store for those who love Him and whom He has called to His purpose! God’s plans are always best, indeed!

My God is unstoppable! No pandemic or lockdown can stop Him from giving me this victory!!! He made me victorious even during a pandemic! I cannot help but shed tears of joy and thanksgiving as I write this story now.

Yesterday morning, I was singing Who You Are by Gateway Worship while cooking our food for lunch. Part of the lyrics of the song goes this way:

Because of who You are, I can live with hope
Knowing that You’ll always be
God of all my dreams
Everything I want to be is found in You

He, truly, is the God of all my dreams. He knew that this meant a lot to me. And He made it happen even during a pandemic.

I thank God for the grace He gave me to obey Him time and time again even when what He sometimes asks me to do doesn’t seem reasonable or feasible. He proved once more that I only need to obey and He will take care of the results.

While eating pizza to celebrate my victory last night, my husband said that it was a good thing I obeyed the Lord. Otherwise, last night would have been a really sad time for me if I did not persevere and wrote the book as God had prompted me. I would be feeling regret instead of joy.

We used that moment last night as an opportunity to teach our children and to testify to them. I shared with them the importance of prayer because if I had not been praying to God faithfully through the years, I would not recognize God’s voice in the chaos of this pandemic. I would not know God’s will. I would not receive His grace if I had not been open to Him and the leadings of His Holy Spirit.

I pray that our children learn from my example and that I will not only leave a legacy through my books but I would leave a legacy of faith to the future generations in our family and in the family of God.

I offer this award back to God, the Giver of all gifts. He is the source of Yanthy’s gift in music. He is also the Source of my gift in writing and my inspiration and reason for continuously writing books.

Not to me, not to me, but to Your Name give glory, Lord!

Find out why I won a trophy for this book when you buy a copy from my online shop for only P150. Click here to get your copy of this award-winning book.