04/10/2026
We’re so glad you chose to move to Cebu! 🥹 What a beautiful reminder that when we trust the Lord, He can lead us to places and opportunities we never imagined. And we’re especially grateful that your journey brought you here because we were blessed to have you both serve as the SDCs for FSY 2025. Your service, faith, and love for the youth touched so many lives. We’re grateful for the blessing you and your family have been to us. ❤️
𝐖𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐝’𝐬 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧, 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐎𝐮𝐫𝐬
Early in our relationship, Mitzi and I promised to let God guide our lives, even when it meant sacrificing our own plans.
That promise was tested when we felt prompted to marry while we were still undergraduates. Our decision faced opposition, and we had very little money. But with the help of kind friends, we held a simple, meaningful wedding near the Cebu Temple.
A few months later, Mitzi became pregnant. I was still studying, had no full-time job, and was selling fishballs to get by. I wondered, “Am I ready for this?”
But we moved forward in faith. Mitzi worked while I studied, cared for our son, and took side jobs. It wasn’t easy, but I eventually graduated, earned my engineering license, and found work.
Years later, another difficult choice came. My job was in Manila, while Mitzi and our two sons stayed in Pampanga. I missed my family and prayed for a way to be together.
When an opportunity came to move back to Cebu, I struggled. Pampanga was my home, and leaving meant saying goodbye to my parents and the life I knew. Even when better-paying jobs in Pampanga came up, Mitzi and I sought the Lord’s guidance.
At the temple, the answer came clearly: we needed to move to Cebu.
I cried. I tried to negotiate with the Lord. But then I remembered the impression I had received months earlier. With a heavy heart, I finally said, “Not my will, but thine be done.”
After moving, I found a job that provided for our family. Later, I also had opportunities to work with the Church and serve in stake and FSY assignments. Those experiences brought our family joy beyond the financial blessings we had hoped for.
Looking back, I’ve learned that letting God prevail isn’t always easy. Sometimes His direction asks us to leave behind what feels familiar. But as Mitzi and I chose to follow Him, He led us to blessings we couldn’t have imagined.
— Jonniel Culala
Tacloban 1st Ward, Tacloban Phils Stake
