by: Vincent Saavedra
When the Every Nation Building Phase 2 project was launched last year, my parents Roland and Becc encouraged my siblings and me to be part of it. I decided early in the year to give to the building project, and was blessed almost immediately after making the decision. In the summer of 2012, I was selected to appear in a Milo commercial, and excitedly gave a thousand pesos to the building project from my talent fee.
In July, I decided to participate in Piano Category A2 of the National Music Competition for Young Artists 2012. This is the most prestigious piano competition in the Philippines. Out of 12 entrants from all over the Philippines, I qualified for the NAMCYA Regional Competition at the University of the Philippines-Diliman last September 29. I competed against five other semifinalists, and I was so happy when I qualified for the finals!
During the November 20 finals at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Main Theater, I prayed to God for confidence and skill; I trusted He would help me. As I played my pieces against other incredibly talented finalists, I knew my parents were covering me in prayer as well. In my heart, I knew God was helping me through it.
By the end of the evening, God really came through! I ended up winning third place! My family knew it was God who helped me performed well and eventually win! Another surprise quickly came: I was given a check for P10,000! This was a surprise, because when I joined the NAMCYA, I didn’t know there were cash prizes at stake!
My mom says this wasn’t a coincidence. I gave a thousand pesos to the building fund. We believe God returned to me ten times the amount I gave! We really cannot out-give God. My faith was strengthened even more, and I believe that God really will work through young believers like me to do amazing things in my generation!
