Second chances in life are precious,
and Lola Lourdes surely made the most of that chance by using it to pursue and have a relationship with God.
Lola Lourdes Tapon,
at the age of 94, first decided to study the bible before the pandemic. At her age, she had a lot of challenges to face, both physically and spiritually.
From her fear of being unable to overcome how easily angered she becomes toward noisy children to her doubts and worries concerning her health. The limitations she built for herself made her inconsistent in studying the Bible. She eventually stopped.
But the challenges weren’t over yet. There were a lot of concerns as to where her baptism would take place due to her physical strength. It was also during the pandemic so there weren’t many options available.
The inflatable pool was not possible because she couldn’t stretch anymore and she would have difficulty in getting up. A water drum was also not an option. They were concerned she wouldn’t be able to get out of it easily. Unfortunately, the lake nearby was dirty and dried up. Their last option was a pool that can be rented. They knew the owner. But it was fully booked. Since there weren't any more options, they decided to wait until the pool was available, which meant it might take a few months.
But God made a way and through everyone’s prayers, the pool suddenly became available. A client backed out. The timing was perfect.
It was a week after she was scheduled to finish her Bible studies. Though everything was already set and her baptism was on the way, she still had one more thing to conquer, which was her fear of big bodies of water.
Lola Lourdes did not let her limitations hinder her from having a relationship with God. She believed that, with God, she could overcome those fears and with that faith, she was baptized on May 9, 2021.
Her baptism paved the way and inspired one of her daughters, Nanay Juliet, to study the Bible as well.
Truly God appoints the times and places in following Him.
Lola Lourdes is evidence that no age or limitations can hinder us in our pursuit of knowing God. There can be a lot of challenges along the way, but with perseverance, prayers, and His love, we can see God and be used by Him.
Lola Lourdes died faithfully on August 3, 2022. She will be cherished and remembered by the Tapon Family, the Laoag Church, the disciples, and her friends.
MINISTER'S CORNER: BUILT TO LAST
“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”
– Matthew 7:24-27 NASB
One of the many things that is certain is that misfortunes and disasters will happen in our lives. And our stability depends on where we are standing, where we are laying our foundations.
Jesus tells us that the best and wisest place for us to build is on the rock, on His words because no matter how strong the winds and challenges are, we will not collapse and will remain steadfast, and unharmed.
One of the famous spots in Laoag is the Sinking Bell Tower that is believed to sink at a rate of an inch a year. We don’t know exactly the reason why it is sinking but this tower is a great representation that no matter how massive things are, they are still capable of collapsing.
We don’t know when this building will completely collapse but let’s consider this Bell Tower as a life lesson that when we build, we make sure that it is built to last.
KNOW MORE ABOUT ICOC LAOAG
If you want more inspirational stories like this, subscribe to our Newsletter!
