My Mission Partner Lea

“He summoned the twelve and began to send them out two by two…” (Mark 6:7)

On November 25, 1993, I and 16 other young men and women from Pilar Village in Las Pinas were dedicated to the mission and work of Singles for Christ (SFC). A few weeks after that, my elders started assigning me to deliver talks at various CLPs, and soon enough, I was delivering talks not only around Metro Manila, but in various provinces as well – mostly in the Central Luzon area.

I almost always went on “mission” with a small band from the first group of 17, though there were times I went alone. There was a small group of us who were always on the go: Bochok Gonda, John Rustria and Paolo Banzon from among the brothers, and Jerty Sapnu (now Jerty Sapnu-Banzon), Monette Antonio, Bettina Herrera and of course, Lea Garcia from the sisters.

Whatever the case may be, I had a perennial “mission partner” who would go with me to keep me company and to encourage me when I felt down and out.

Her name WAS Eulalia Garcia. She is NOW Eulalia Garcia-Suratos. Lea, for short.

Lea was always there when I was sent out. In many cases, she was my “financier”, as she had the money, since I was just a student. She never hesitated to “fund” my trips whenever she could and she always provided me insights into my strengths and weaknesses.

But more than anything, she was always ready to pray for me.

There is a reason why the Lord sent His Apostles out in pairs. Jesus says that “if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”. (Mt. 18:19-20)

On more than one occasion, we arrived at the venue of the talk either early or just a few minutes before the session began. On many of these occasions, Lea would be the one who reminded the Team Leader to pray over me, especially in areas where SFC was just beginning. In the rare situation that we would be a little late, Lea would be the sole person to pray over me. I even remember a time that Lea prayed over me while still on the bus as the traffic made it obvious that we would be late. As soon as we arrived at the venue, I immediately stepped up to the podium, confident that the Lord had heard the prayer of two of his missionaries.

There were times though, that Lea could not join me on mission. Times that no one could, for that matter. Some trips to Tarlac, Baguio, Mindoro – even as far as Daet, Palawan, Cebu and Davao. Though apart physically, Lea always assured me that she was praying for my mission. And this assurance: knowing that I had the prayers of my “mission partner”, always kept me going.

The point is, I never prayed alone.

Jesus made a promise, and I have felt the power of that promise. Those who knew me in high school know that I wasn’t the type who’d speak up in front of others. No, on the contrary, I was quiet. But having the Lord’s mission in my heart, and the prayers of a “mission partner” always gave me the grace, confidence and faith to deliver the Word of the Lord to those to whom I was sent.

Now, many years have gone since those days – and just as many new missionaries have been raised in the service of the Lord.

But the basics have remained the same.

To all missionaries the world over – pray for each other. Pray for all missionaries. If the prayer of two people was enough to spread the Word of the Lord and the mission of SFC in its earlier years, think of how much more the prayers of hundreds – thousands – of missionaries can do!

Who knows? We might still change the world?