Geoffrey in Nawasan River, reminiscing the days he used to pray for his family and studies.
Four years ago, Geoffrey Flores bitterly cries to the Lord every night near the Nawasan River in Norzagaray, Bulacan. There, he pleaded for his disjointed family and his desire to finish his studies.
He could not forget the time when he was just seven years old and his stepfather got sick which resulted in a loss of a job. When his parents were in the hospital, he was left with a big responsibility of taking care of his young stepbrother with a little amount of money. In order to buy his stepbrother’s milk, he had to work through water rationing in the neighborhood. This was also the age of his last memory of his birthday celebration.
This dilapidated nipa hut shelters Geoff, his stepfather and stepbrother.
Despite being a consistent honor student, he became unfocused on his studies due to family and financial circumstances. It was in his third year when he decided to quit despite his desire to finish studying. But one day, his mom’s friend talked to him and encouraged him to finish school by providing 20 pesos ($1.03) per day for his allowance. Indeed, nothing’s too little with a big determination. To save the money, he wakes up very early in the morning to walk from home to school, even with tropical cyclone “bagyo” or even under the scorching heat of the sun.
20 pesos per day allowance ($1.03), the amount Geoffrey saves to finish high school.
To make matters worse, he got depressed when he entered college. He applied for different scholarships to support his education but he wasn’t accepted. His parents’ relationship was unstable. Due to these unfavorable circumstances, he took different vices to ease the pain. He was about to give up to the point of taking his own life.
Behind him was the Camachile tree where he tried to hang himself.
But when he decided to entrust His life to Jesus, blessings came through! The Lord touched the heart of generous people to help him with his studies. Through his church Sambahang Kristiyano sa Norzagaray in Bulacan, the Back-to-School scholarship program of Operation Blessing was introduced to him. “Salamat dahil may mga kagaya ko na nabibigyan ng pagkakataon na ipagpatuloy ang pag-aaral. Maraming tao pero ako yung nabiyayaan na maging scholar. Bukod sa financial support, ang Operation Blessing ang naging dahilan para ma-reach out ko yung family ko,” Geoff gratefully stated.
(“I’m so grateful that I was given a chance to continue my studies. There are a lot of people, but I was one of the chosen scholars. Aside from financial support, Operation Blessing became the way to reach out to my family.” Geoff gratefully stated.)
Geoffrey and his mother in front of their house.
Geoffrey is now an active youth in the church, joining the elders assigned in reaching out to the communities in the mountain, and he’s also involved in the music ministry and a student leader in his school.
Fun-filled jamming with his friends in the music ministry.
The bitter things he experienced made him stronger and taught him to fight for his dreams. When asked about what inspires him to finish his studies, Geoffrey said with conviction, “kapag sumuko ka ngayon, hindi mo na mababawi ang bukas. Pero kapag lumaban ka at nagpatuloy, kaya mo pang pagandahin ang bukas.”
(When asked about what inspired him to finish his studies, Geoffrey said with conviction, “when you give up today, you cannot undo your future. But when you persist and endure, you can make your future wonderful.”)
Your generous donations are truly a big help for deserving youth like Geoffrey. As you continue giving, you help us provide scholarships and a chance to help transform their lives. Be an Operation Blessing partner now.
