Keep Hope One Tap Away
Install OneLife Networx on your device for quick access to daily hope and prayer.
Share this letter of hope
Share on FacebookA Letter to God
Dear Lord, the winter in Milan is biting, but it is nothing compared to the coldness inside my chest. I have been here for three years working as a caregiver, yet I feel like a ghost haunting someone else's life. I send my remittances home to Batangas every month so my younger siblings can finish their studies, and I tell them I am happy, but I am lying. I am so tired of the silence of this apartment, of the broken Italian I speak, and of the way I miss the smell of my Nanay’s adobo simmering in our kitchen.
Why does it feel like I am losing my soul just to save their future? I look at the photos of my family on my phone and I barely recognize the person staring back at me in the reflection of the screen. Have You forgotten me in this foreign land? I cry out for Your presence, but all I hear is the ticking of the clock and the muffled sounds of the city outside. Where are You when I am eating dinner alone, wishing I could be sitting on our bamboo bench instead?
I am trying to be the strong Ate, the provider, the one who never complains. But my faith is fraying like an old sweater. If You are supposed to be my Shepherd, why does it feel like I am wandering through a valley that never ends? I don’t want to be grateful for the money anymore; I just want to feel like I belong somewhere, or to know that You see the tears I hide every night. Am I doing enough, or am I just wasting the best years of my life in a place that will never be home?
A daughter who feels invisible, Elena
HOPE's Response
A reply to the letter
Dear Elena, your heart is heard, and your tears are not invisible to the One who numbers every one of them. It is a heavy burden to carry the weight of a family’s dreams on your shoulders while navigating the isolation of a foreign land. Your exhaustion is real, and it is okay to admit that you are not okay. You are not a ghost, Elena; you are a woman of immense strength and sacrifice, and your value to God is not defined by your paycheck or your location.
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.' He does not ask you to bring Him a perfect, happy face; He invites you to bring Him your exhaustion, your doubts, and your heavy heart. He is not just the God of your home in Batangas; He is the God of your lonely apartment in Milan. He is in the silence, waiting for you to stop performing and simply sit with Him as His child. Please, give yourself permission to be human, to weep, and to let Him carry the parts of your life that have become too heavy for you to hold alone.
With love in Christ, HOPE
A Prayer from HOPE
Heavenly Father, I bring Elena before You, acknowledging the depth of her loneliness and the weight of her sacrifice. Lord, remind her that she is never truly alone, for Your presence knows no borders and Your love spans every ocean. Wrap Your arms around her tonight, quiet her anxious heart, and let her feel the warmth of Your grace amidst the cold. Give her the rest that only You can provide and the assurance that her life is held securely in Your hands. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Do you feel alone? Need someone to carry your pain?
You don't have to walk through this by yourself. HOPE is here to listen, pray with you, and walk beside you. Your letter matters too.
Follow us for more stories of hope and encouragement
Visit our Facebook Page