Use [our house] for Your purposes, for Your work | Susan’s story

At first, Susan didn’t want to join the Center for Community Transformation (CCT), HOPE International’s partner in the Philippines. In fact, when her best friend invited her in 2008, Susan refused. She had been running a small sari-sari (“variety”) store out of her home since 2005—just two basins of goods that she brought out in the morning and carried back inside at night. With all three children in school and her husband’s taxi driving bringing unstable earnings, money was always tight. Susan was afraid to take a loan. She wondered, what would happen if she couldn’t pay it back? But her friend persisted in her encouragement, and Susan took the step of faith to take her first loan of $73. 

Renewed interest in faith 

What Susan didn’t expect was the Bible studies that came along with the loan. She remembers wondering to herself, “Why is there a Bible study involved?” At the time, Susan and her family were already attending church. But she admits that most Sundays, they were more concerned with what they would do after service than absorbing the sermon. “We were also attending church, but it was not really for the Lord.” But as Susan met with her CCT group, something in her heart began to shift. The pastor was teaching God’s Word in a way she had never heard before. “In CCT, the Bible is thoroughly explained,” she shares. Before long, she was looking forward to meeting with her group, studying Scripture, and learning about God. She even began to meet one-on-one with a CCT staff member to read the Bible together. 

A family transformed 

In 2010, Susan decided to be baptized—and it caused a ripple effect in her family. The following year, her daughter Shine got baptized, too. Then in 2012, her husband, Santiago, and her two sons did the same. Today, Susan and her family host Bible studies in their home every Tuesday. When she renovated her house, Susan made a commitment: “I told the Lord, ‘When the house is renovated, use it for Your purposes, for Your work.’” The family’s transformation wasn’t limited to their faith. Having access to capital also changed their financial stability—helping cover school tuition, business capital, and home repairs. As Susan’s store grew, she expanded her inventory to include Wi-Fi, frozen goods, rice, and soft drinks—graduating from two plastic bins to a whole room in front of her house. She fixed their roof so it no longer leaked when it rained. Today, Susan continues taking loans from CCT to invest in her family’s future—her most recent was $850. 

Using her blessings to bless others 

Investing in her community is now an important part of Susan’s life. She helps two local churches manage their finances and provides medical help to neighbors, from administering medicine to checking blood pressure. When Susan thinks about the future, she doesn’t picture material things or financial stability like she once did. She shares, “I wouldn’t dream about getting rich, since I will just leave that when I die. I already have eternal life with the Lord. My greatest dream is that all of us believe in the Lord.”