This afternoon, Kay and I went to Marikina to visit Jerome Barredo, an alumnus of the PNU English department and a former artist of The Torch. We have been wanting to see him since June (the time that we learned about his health condition). However, due to busy schedules, Kay and I didn’t have the time to check on him.
Last Saturday, while praying in church during the Encounter Retreat, Jesus, for some reason, reminded me of Jerome. Clearly, it was the work of the Holy Spirit; it’s kinda odd because we were praying about families and friends during that time and to be honest, we weren’t friends. I just had a connection with him because of Kay. (He was my student though, in Foundations during the 1st semester of SY 2008-2009. He was an irregular student who joined section II-10.)
Because of that reminder, we decided to visit him. My heart was crushed upon seeing him almost paralyzed. He was just lying down in a sofa (which he uses as his bed, I suppose) full of pillows. His upper body was so thin but his stomach is bloated, and he can barely lift his swollen feet. We asked what his disease was, and the family said that the doctors didn’t find anything. (There are really some things that happen to us which cannot be explained by Science.) When we asked if he’s taking any medicines, the sister said he doesn’t want them anymore.
After the little talk, we proceeded with our mission. Kay and I asked for the family’s permission for us to pray for Jerome. We bowed down our heads and laid down our hands on Jerome’s frail body, and we prayed to Jesus. While praying, Jerome fidgeted and tried to move—to no avail. Later on, he was mumbling “…kaya ko to…” because during the prayer, I constantly reminded him to have faith in God and to focus on Him.
After the prayer, I saw a slight glow in his face. He smiled thinly to us and said, “Salamat”.
We can’t really contribute so much regarding the expenses of Jerome’s family, but anyone who trusts Jesus’s healing power can do a lot. I have full faith that He will do something good to Jerome and his family.
I invite everyone to include Jerome Clark Barredo and his family in your prayers. Thank you very much and God bless.
