Lent is a season of reflection, repentance and renewal —a sacred time of surrendering in carrying our crosses, trusting in God, and discovering hope even in the midst of suffering.
Allow me to share a story of Larne. Larne is a single mother of two daughters now 26 and 17 years old respectively. She was married but later on separated from her husband that she single handedly raise her daughters for fifteen years. She decided to work abroad to give her daughters a good future. She worked as a care giver in Taiwan. She is willing to endure the suffering of missing her children, and that for caregiving became an act of love.
She first worked in a nursing home for differently-abled residents, serving there for three years. Later, she spent six years caring for a 56-year-old man diagnosed with ALS. Bedridden and completely dependent, he relied on her for everything—feeding, bathing, and constant care. It was a very demanding job, that it requires patience that it sometimes being tested because often you got a few hours of sleep. Her only consolation is aside from meeting friends is to be able to attend Mass where she can have time to pray. This is where she gets her strength and to continue to move on amidst being so tired and almost on giving up.
Larne learned hardship in her early life. As a child, she gets to experienced the difficulty of having to work in order to have something to eat. She planted rootcrops and help her mother sell rice cakes in order to survive. When she get married, because of poverty, she was left no choice but to work overseas and leave her 2nd daughter who is still 2year old to work overseas. It broke her heart, but she believed it is only way to provide. Her sacrifices had always shaped her story.
Years of caregiving eventually took a toll on her health. Breathing problems led doctors to recommend heart surgery. She returned to the Philippines hoping to recover, but family conflicts and a failed business forced her to seek work abroad once more.
Then came the most devastating trial. Severe abdominal pain and bleeding brought her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with stage 4 malignant cervical cancer. She was so afraid that she thought she would return home only in a coffin.
Through the help of her employer and a broker, she was brought to the Hope Workers’ Center. Even there, hope felt distant. Yet in the darkness of illness, something unexpected happened. Her suffering became the beginning of a deeper relationship with God. In her helplessness and loneliness, she learned to surrender completely.
She began to see how God had walked beside her through broken relationships, painful decisions, and years of sacrifice. Her illness revealed a powerful truth: God allows us to live freely, yet His love is greater than our mistakes. He transforms weakness into strength and brokenness into grace.
After ten chemotherapy sessions, encouraging news came—the tumor had reduced to normal size, and her lungs were clear. Today, Larne calls her life a miracle.
She continues to join community prayers and support fellow caregivers. Her presence alone speaks hope. Her message is simple: “Do not lose hope. God is always present. Do not be afraid to ask for His help.”
This Lent, Larne’s journey reminds us that the cross is never the end. When we surrender everything to God, suffering becomes grace, and even the darkest path leads toward light.
