I’ve enjoyed the random meetings God has placed in my life, and there are times when He just blesses me with the people I meet. While Tommy and I were running errands and getting prepared for his wedding in the next couple of days, we were able to run by his house for a little while. The first of his roommates that I met was Liaz. The reason this was such a cool blessing was the fact that his parents are from the Philippines. In the next couple of years, they’re hoping to retire back out to Cebu, which is just a short flight from my second home, and it was nice to just have a reminder from the culture that I love so much.
We didn’t get to trade too many stories from the Philippines, or really even get to talk for that long, but just when I was missing that country, it was nice to have a reminder that this country could never fully be out of my life. Our short conversation reminded me to pray for my close friends that are over there and to not forget to lift up the requests that they all have. Even the miles can’t make the distance unbearable when it comes to the Kingdom and power of God.
It was cool though to get to talk to Liaz for a few minutes and see where he was on this journey through life. Like many people that are fresh out of college, he’s working on paying off the student loans and taking care of any debt that college brought. He’s working in the shipping department for an evening gown company that ships formal dresses to everyone from Heidi Klum to random high school seniors with enough money to splurge for prom. I don’t think Liaz is looking for a career in the evening gown and formal dresses department, but he’s doing what he has to do to make sure no debt can follow him.
I feel like a ton of 20 somethings are on this leg of the journey. Whether we like it or not, this cycle of going to school, racking up debt to pay for it, working our tail off to pay it off, and then settling into a career has been something so many have just stepped in to. It may sound like an impossibility, but I’m praying for a way to make college more affordable so we could have more people coming out of college and launching into their dreams instead of trying to collect any random paycheck to pay for the education they just received. That thought and prayer is huge and way bigger than any one person, but it doesn’t mean I can’t pray for it with the confidence that God can take care of it.
Honestly, I’m beyond blessed that I was able to leave college with little to no debt. I don’t have to experience fighting for a paycheck and I’ve been able to chase some of these dreams and ideas. I just wish and pray that people would realize dreamchasing is still possible, but that’s a tough battle to fight. Nevertheless, I pray for our future and for more dreamers to continue to emerge and change the world.
