Family Story and Journey, as written by Maricel:

“With God all things are possible” (Mathew 19:26), a bible verse my parents taught me and served as a reminder to me especially at times of downfall.

Hi! My name is MARICEL, and this is my story:

I am originally from the Philippines. I got married in 2011 and had a child a year after but unfortunately, my marriage failed for personal reasons in the same year my daughter was born. I worked in Taiwan for 7 years and in 2014, I got an opportunity to work here in Canada as a temporary foreign worker. Life here was not easy at all. I did stuff that I never experienced in my own country. I started as a laborer and then started as a cleaner at a fish plant. In 2016 I received the good news from my employer that they will sponsor my Permanent Residency. My application was denied the first time. It was frustrating but I am the kind of person who will never give up, so I tried the 2^nd time. It went through smoothly and I finally got my permanent residency in 2018. This made me realize that anything destined to be yours, and no matter how much people will try to stop it, the blessing will be given to you.

Since I was away from my daughter for a long time, I decided to bring her to live with me here in Canada even though I was not financially stable. I told myself “BAHALA NA” which means “come what may”. I had no idea what would happen next. I asked myself, “Will I be able to give her a good life, or will make it miserable?” Yet I decided to take the chance. It wasn’t easy at first because of some adjustments for both of us. Then in 2020 when COVID started, I needed a job that would sustain us. I saw an opportunity on a dairy farm. I took the job since it was not affected by COVID-19, and it allowed me to still work normally. I thought of helping my siblings as well that this might open doors for them. But later on, I regretted taking the job, I was preoccupied. It was too busy, and I was missing out on quality time with my child. Aside from working on the farm, I also clean houses and cottages during weekends. My child witnessed all my hardships. There were also times that I had to bring her with me to work. A realization came to me one day that our situation was no longer healthy, so I decided to look for another job.

Nothing hurts a parent more than seeing their kids hurting as well. I got a new job and so we moved again in 2021. She had to enroll in a different school again which made her upset because she had to leave her newly acquainted friends/classmates and was forced to make new ones in her new school, for the third time. This left me with a reflection. That we can’t be like this forever, we had no permanency. So, I made a goal to have our own home, for my child’s sake. I wanted her to finally have a permanent school, friends, and community. I wanted her to have a safe place and call it home.

I started checking and saw posts on Facebook regarding Government Programs for owning a house that are intended for low-income families. I thought I was not qualified when I went through all the requirements. Until one day there was this post from a non-profit organization “Habitat for Humanity” that caught my attention. I went to their official website and read the requirements.

I applied randomly not expecting that I would get picked. I considered that decision as a “SUNTOKSA BUWAN” which is a Filipino phrase meaning “unattainable”. I thought I would have a very low chance of being chosen since there are lots of people aiming for an affordable house. On December 19, 2023, I received an email from them saying that they had received my pre-application and that they were requesting some documents to continue with the application. I was happy but scared at the same time. Scared that I might put an effort into it but will end up being wasted. However, I would not know the answer if I didn’t give it a try. I decided to continue with my application. I thought of complying with all the requirements on the day of my deadline which is January 3, 2024. The funny part is, that I had to be with a friend in the hospital who was about to give birth on that day, so I was not able to submit the documents on the required deadline. I told myself, “Maybe it’s not for me”. I made a phone call to Habitat PEI before their office closed just to apologize for not showing up because I was in the hospital with my friend. The lady on the other line said, “it’s ok, you can come tomorrow or anytime you’re free”. She was so nice, and that day was the day that my journey with Habitat PEI started. They had the first home visit in March, this was to verify all my statements on my application.

In May, I will never forget that day I was at work when my phone rang. I was not expecting any call. I was thinking that it was already granted the opportunity to someone who needed the house the most. I was wrong, they gave me the big news that I GOT PICKED among all the other applicants. I was crying while on the phone, and the rest is history.

I will be forever grateful for knowing this non-profit organization, Habitat for Humanity PEI, for it opened doors for us. Thank you for choosing me and my daughter to be recipients. This journey with you taught me so many things. A big thank you to these people who gave better opportunities to families who are less fortunate like us, to have the chance to experience good things too. Special thanks to Ms. Bev for always reminding and guiding me, especially when it comes to documentation, to Ms. Amanda for accompanying Ms. Bev during home visits, to Ms. Catherine of Family Service PEI for educating me financially, to Steve whom I have known during the house renovation, and to all staffs and donors of HABITAT PEI ORGANIZATION I sincerely thank you. You have no idea how your generosity and kindness affect people’s lives. Expect for hundredfold return for the graces you have shared with us, I will always include you in my prayers. Please continue changing lives and spreading the love. MABUHAY KAYO! GOD BLESS YOU ALL.”