Months ago, one of our properties in the Philippines was supposed to be turned over to us. That means… we had to start another mortgage.
But this season has been tight.
With our child’s therapy needs, we’ve become extra cautious about expenses. So we made a practical decision: let’s sell the condo before the turnover date.
Despite our efforts, we couldn’t sell it in time.
So we were faced with two options.
Option 1: proceed with the mortgage and take on another monthly commitment for years (on top of everything else we’re already managing.)
Option 2: surrender the property back to the developer, knowing we’d lose a big portion of what we already paid.
Under the Maceda Law, the most we could possibly get back was 50% of our down payment. In numbers, that meant, out of the 2 million pesos we had already paid, we would only receive 1 million back – IF APPROVED.
Neither option felt easy.
The first meant tighter months ahead. The second meant letting go of a million pesos.
So as we prayed, we were led to a peaceful decision… TO SURRENDER THE UNIT
Not because it’s less painful, but because it was wiser not to commit to another long-term expense. We chose to let go of the money we might lose and trust God instead.
Our hearts weren’t clinging to the 1 million siempre. But we were clinging more to God’s provision. He always provides – proven and tested na namin.
Surrendering the property unit
So we wrote to the developer explaining that we couldn’t proceed anymore because we needed to prioritize our son’s needs. We weren’t sure if that would be considered a valid reason to be honest.
Their response came after some weeks. It was positive! All we were hoping for was the 50%. But they showed compassion and approved a 60% refund easily.
So instead of losing 1 million, we “only” lost 800,000 pesos. Still a big amount. But we’re already thankful for the money gained back.
And then… a few days later, something unexpected happened.
Months earlier, we had asked for reconsideration regarding Cedie’s therapy coverage – it’s very costly. We hadn’t heard back on this request for a long time.
And when we received the reply, it was an approval for one full year of therapy coverage.
The amount is a little above 2,000,000 pesos in value.
We broke down in tears.
Just days after being told we would lose 800,000, God made a way for nearly triple that amount, AND in exactly the area we needed most.
What we let go, God returned multiplied, in His perfect timing and His perfect way.
God knew our hearts were never after money. We just wanted to do what was right for our child. And seeing how faithfully He showed up reminded us again that, WHEN YOU LET GO IN OBEDIENCE, GOD STEPS IN WITH GRACE.
He is truly faithful. And He never wastes a surrendered season.
Thank you Jesus!
