Thank God, election is now over.  The two different supporters are now feeling the opposite, The victorious one feel overjoyed and the opponent feel dismayed.  The winner will have all the benefits while the loser has to give way to the new elected officials. Politics is not solely own the stableness of a political career.   The most affected are their supporters, some would lose their jobs and would also become powerless as the administration would now change. The very reason why people fight against each other is their thinking that if who they support would win, they can do all the things they can and no one can go against them because there is an official who can defend them.  Their way of thinking is too far away from the truth that it is not the official who is the highest but it is God who is the greatest, who sees everyone with fairness and justice. Every person is accountable to his actions. God will reward the good and punish the evil. Everything is arrange by God, one has its proper time and there is always a beginning and end.  Nothing is permanent in this world, only change. Everyone must be compelled to face the reality and accept the truth.

This coming June is the last month of stay of all the assigned priests in the church.  New priests would be assigned and Adna does not know who would that be. Some would say, the new priest would be the godfather of Al the second, a young Bishop.  Many church goers are now having speculations and name names of possible priest who would replace the monsignor who came to Adna’s house and looked at her garden.  It is certain that he would be assigned to the province but since he holds a high position, he still is the head of the entire churches situated in the South. One of the benefactors told Adna, ‘’I don’t like if the one who would replace is the young Bishop, he is not approachable.’’  It is true that the young bishop looked somewhat strict, but in truth he is a philanthropist. Adna had been helped by the young Bishop, he paid the school tuition of Al the second in high school when Adna was having financial difficulties because she needed to destroy the house of Papa Mar and build another house using the same materials.  Both Lex and Azia were still in the University and the cost of the nursing course was too expensive. Adna did not ask money from the young Bishop, the help she wanted was to ask the school director who was also a priest that Al the second be allowed to take the exam as Adna would be given an extension for the payment of Al’s tuition. Adna who went to the school and talked with the priest director, did not like his gesture.  He was not a good priest. Adna saw many students who stayed outside of the office because their parents were not able to pay and they were all asked to go out of their classrooms not allowing them to take the exams. Adna knew so well the priest. He is the cousin of Uncle Rom’s wife. When he was studying, his cousin helped him pay his tuition but since the wife of Uncle Rom was just a housewife, while Uncle Rom was a lawyer and had a high position in the government, it was Uncle Rom’s money which was given by his wife to pay for his tuition because he was already an orphan.   Now, that he is successful in his studies, first as an engineer then a priest, he became overproud. He no longer look back on who he was and where did he come from. Adna told him, ‘’we come from same family, my cousins are also your relatives, but I did not ask any favor from you, i asked favor from the young Bishop but your heart is like a stone, you are not even a good Christian. The duty of the students is just to study and it is the liability of the parents to settle their outstanding accounts, and not to put the students in shame by sending them out of their classrooms while other students would obviously know they were not able to pay.’’    Adna stepped out from the director’s office and called the young bishop through telephone. The young Bishop told Adna, ‘’calm down, Adna, and listen to me. Can Al the second take the exam if i would send you money?’’ Adna answered, “there is a check for Al’s payment but i have not received it yet.’’ The young Bishop said, ‘’forget about the check, can Al the second take the exams if I send you money?’’ Adna answered, ‘’yes.’’ The young Bishop then added, ‘’how do you know he can still take the exam?’’ Adna answered, ‘’because there are about thirty students staying outside feeling sad because they cannot also take the exams.’’ The young Bishop asked, ‘’how much is the tuition needed by Al the second?  I will send the money through my driver and you will say the name of the older Bishop, who was like a grandpa to Lex, Azia, and Al the second.’’ The young Bishop then told Adna, ‘’tell Al the second to go back to his classroom and take the exam. Adna after telling Al the second, went back to the office of the priest who was the school director and told him, ‘’do not worry, the young Bishop would pay the tuition of my son.’’ The school director could not believe Adna has a strong connection with priest with high ranks. When Adna went out of office to go to the church and receive the money from the driver of the young Bishop, she no longer see the many students outside the office. She asked the school cashier who was Adna’s friend, where they are?  The cashier answered, they are now all allowed to take the exams, the young Bishop called and he instructed that all students must take the exams even if they still have an unsettled account. Adna felt so happy.

When the driver arrived, Adna said the name of the old Bishop, the one who sent her as a missionary.  The driver then handed the money and Adna told him, ‘’please wait for the receipt and the change.’’ After paying in school, Adna asked the driver that they would go to the near fast food restaurant to eat some snacks.  The driver went with Adna and she was amazed when she knew that the name of the driver is Mar, just like Papa Mar’s name. Then he started sharing about the goodness of the young Bishop. One time, as he was driving going to the province they passed by a man whose motorcycle was hit by a big vehicle.  He was still lying on the street wounded. The young Bishop asked him to stop. He stepped out of the car and went near to the man and when he would carry him to be brought to the hospital, the man hit his fist to the face of the young Bishop. He was drunk while driving that is why he had met an accident.  The young Bishop still continued to carry him and brought him inside the car and they bring him to the nearest hospital. He told the admitting staff of the hospital, ‘’please take care of him, and i will pay all his bills.’’ there was also an old woman who can hardly see, so the young Bishop brought her to an EENT doctor and when the doctor advised for an immediate operation of the old woman’s eyes, the young Bishop brought her and personally took care of her in the hospital.  When the money of the young Bishop could not suffice all the hospital bills, he asked help from his rich friends. Adna was overjoyed with what she heard about the young Bishop.

Adna who heard one of the benefactors of the church who does not like that the young Bishop would replace the monsignor next month, her comment that the young Bishop is not approachable, and somewhat strict, Adna just kept silent and said to herself, ‘’if you only know him there is no way you can say that.’’  It is always true that, ‘’it is only through the heart that one sees rightly, what is essential is not visible to the eyes.’’

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Todays chapter~