#GuessWhat | A BIG SURPRISE!

I have been wanting to write about this since I first got the news. Itching. Eager. And all the synonyms you can think of to mean such. But I didn't get the go-ahead from the campaign manager until last week, so I had to keep this piece of news all to myself. Well, myself and a few good friends. Hehe. But first, let me give you a brief background.

A few days after the New Year, I decided to join this year's Prayer and Fasting. Not because I wanted something from God, but because I knew I needed to work on my prayer life this year. I have not been so faithful - you get lost amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I have been so busy, and although I know it is not an excuse, I have been lacking and missing-in-action in my daily quiet time with God. I know, bad. But such was life in 2015. I have no excuse, really.

So on Day 1 of Prayer and Fasting, I was particularly giddy. At the office, I was telling my assistant how I wanted to transform our office and how I planned to shell out the money for it. When asked how I was going to pay for everything, I declared out loud, "Mayaman ako, anak ako ng Diyos!" ("I am rich, I am God's child!") That evening, as I was going through the questions in my guide book, I came across this particular Q: "How has God been faithful to you in the past year?" As I reflected on this, I couldn't help but feel grateful because God has been more than faithful. I recalled a post that came up on Facebook Memories back in December, and it was this Christmas Wish List I wrote about 5 years ago. And it's funny, because I appeared to be so needy back then. But anyway, that post made me even more grateful as I reflected on God's goodness, because compared to back then, today, I have everything I need. So yes, back to my reflection on 2015... I was feeling a tad overwhelmed because God provided - He gave me even the things I didn't ask for.

As I reflected on the next question on my faith goal for 2016, I didn't know what else to put. I kept thinking about work so I decided that my faith goal for 2016, aside from financial breakthrough, would be a successful 2016 for work (sidenote: we have been struggling, so yes, work needs a major turn-around, a miracle to get us out of the red). As I prayed to cap the day, I asked the Lord for this specifically. Because I knew that was the burden He placed in my heart. I knew it was a burden for a reason. And for my personal goals for 2016, I negotiated, "Lord, I know You will take care of me. I will not ask for anything else but breakthrough for (insert place of work here)." That evening, I went to sleep at peace.

Backtrack a bit to December.

Every year, Judy and Benji of itsjudyslife hold a fundraiser for various charities. They call it #Dancember. Their main charity for 2015 is Convoy of Hope - a group that works to end hunger for children across the globe. All throughout the month of December, whenever they reach a specific milestone amount, Judy, Benji and their friends dance on their vlogs. They also hold a 24-hour live broadcast around the third week and showcase other vloggers and social media personalities. Overall, for #Dancember, they raised a whopping amount of P228,000! So during the live broadcast, I decided I was going to contribute to their good cause. I donated!

Now, this particular #Dancember is special because Judy and Benji worked with a campaign manager, Prizeo - they were actually giving out a prize! Each $5 donation earned a participant one raffle ticket. They were giving away a trip + VIP experience to VidCon2016!

So back to Day 2 in January... 

I woke up to an email from Prizeo telling me I had won that trip to VidCon! Not just for me, but also for my nominated friend. I had nominated KY since we both watch itsjudyslife religiously. There I was, staring at the screen for a good 5 minutes, filled with unbelief. Thousands had contributed to their cause. Out of thousands, only one would win, and that person was me. A random pick, but God chose me!

Let me just say that although a trip like this wasn't part of my faith goals for 2016, I was believing in God's provision - trusting He knows the desires of my heart. The cool thing is - this was part of KY's faith goal! She had prayed for this because she recently started her own YouTube channel. KY was, needless to say, ecstatic. Beyond ecstatic!

He gives you even the things you do not ask for. Truly, the Lord holds nothing back. He is our Heavenly Father who loves us more than anyone else would. What more if you make your prayers known?

Do you believe in breakthroughs? Prayer is a powerful tool, and it comes free. The Lord is faithful, and I am humbled by His goodness.


“Ask, and God will give to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will open for you." Matthew 7:7 NCV

#DareToBelieve