Raiden

"Kinakabahan ka?" Napatingin ako kay Joanna na asawa ko. Hinawakan niya ang kamay ko at saka siya ngumiti. "Nanlalamig ang mga kamay mo."

"Hindi ko alam ang sasabihin ko. Bakit ba ako umoo?"

"Because someone needs to hear what who have been through. A wise man said to me, 'Ngayon ka nga dapat hindi kabahan. Imagine mo kapag nagkamali ka, mapapatawad ka agad nila.' "

"I said that, didn't I?"

Joanna smiled at me and kissed my cheek. "I believe in you."

I watch her, still mesmerized how she sings. With so much love and faith. Her one hand is up in the air. Eyes closed and singing at the stage. My wife... my wife that I don't deserve yet God has given me.

I'll sing to You, Lord, a hymn of love

For Your Faithfulness to me

And I'm carried in everlasting arms

You'll never let me go through it all

Nang matapos na ang song praise and worship, tinawag na ako for my talk. Can you believe this? Ako— si Raiden Fujihara— ay magbibigay ng talk about faith for the first time. Sino ang hindi kakabahan?

"Good afternoon brothers and sisters in Christ," bati ko sa audience. Though I can't see all of the people from the stage because of the lightings, I can feel my wife's stare. I just can feel her.

"I am Brother Raiden Fujihara and the woman who sang so beautifully earlier is my beautiful, loving wife, Joanna. We are married for ten years now and have three kids. My daughter Sophia, and my sons Shin and Sachi. I will start my talk with this phrase... I didn't I was lost until I found."

Joanna is praying. I know it is her. I can feel her. I can feel... Him.

"I was a non-believer. Not Justine Bieber's beliebers. I don't sing baby, baby, baby o. Like baby, baby, baby no, yeah I don't sing those songs." Nagtawanan ang mga audience. Naririnig ko ang tawa ni Ken at Lego. Ang lakas makatawa ng dalawa.

"I wanted to be called free thinker before," I continued after the laughter died. "And one fateful day, a woman named Joanna Fate came. It started with a bet and end up with my faith being restored. Why did I lost my faith in the first place when I was raised as a Catholic? Here's the story, my dad was kidnapped when I was a teen. And I prayed 'Lord, huwag ang daddy ko. Huwag sana siyang mapahamak.' You know what happened? Nakidnap pa rin siya. The impact of the situation questioned my faith. I questioned His existence." I used my forefinger to point above. "My mom was shot at that time and everything is in chaos inside me. I thought I will lose my parents. And so the doubt begins. My vision was clouded with doubts that I didn't see that God answered my prayer. My dad was saved by the Knights of the Leaders and my mom was saved too. I was focused on my disappointment with God that I didn't see how He used other people to save my parents. I was too focus on what I want to have at that time that I didn't see the whole picture. The plan that God has for me and for my family. There's a reason why my dad has to be kidnapped at that time. And I realized all of this just recently when my wife retold the story— this same story that I told you— to me. She just inserted a question in between for me to answer. She asked, 'Sa tingin mo, kung hindi nakidnap si daddy mo, buhay pa rin ang Triad sa Japan ngayon?' "

Huminga ako ng malalim to clear my thoughts. "The Red Dragon Triad in Japan was destroyed and their illegal works were stopped by my brother in law when my Dad got kidnapped. So God's plan was there, I just don't understand it at that time."

Sobrang drama na ng kwento ko. Nagkakapasahan na ng tissue sa unahan.

"Another story of faith that I can share with you, there's a newlywed couple that wanted to go on a honeymoon. The guy wanted to go to the Caribbean but the woman wanted to go to the holy land. And since ladies are always right, they went to the holy land. To Jerusalem." Natawa na ng kaunti ang mga sisters. 

"But the problem now is that, when the couple is inside the aircraft, the mother in law, the woman's mother is in there. Napamura ang lalaki. Hindi sila bati ng mother in law niya. That mother in law followed the couple every time. Pinag-awayan na ng mag-asawa ang pagsunod ng mother ng babae. Photobomber pa kaya nag-away na ang mag-asawa. Then one morning, sad news was given to the couple, the mother died. And it is very expensive to bring the corpse to their hometown. It's either the mother will bury in Jerusalem or cremation. The husband didn't hesitate to reply, 'Iuuwi namin ang bangkay sa amin.' Napaluha ang asawa niya at kahit paano ay nabawasan ang lungkot. Inayos ang katawan ng mother in law and was sent to their hometown the first flight they can find. Their savings were emptied because of this. Then the wife asks his husband, 'I really appreciate what you did to my mom. Buti pumayag kang iuwi natin si mommy kaysa ilibing sa Jerusalem. Mas magiging mura ang gastos kung doon siya ililibing.' "

Narinig ko agad na tumawa si Lego. Wala pa ang punch line, excited naman.

"The husband replied, 'Meron kasing patay na muling nabuhay after 3 days noon sa Jerusalem. Ayaw kong mangyari iyon sa nanay mo.' " nagtawanan ang mga audiences. "That's faith brothers and sisters. The guy didn't saw Jesus came back from the dead but he believed it happened. I will close this talk with a saying my wife used to me before, faith will not make things easy for you but faith will make you strong enough to face the difficulties. And with that, may God be praised."

I went to my wife and hugged her. My strength...

"Kinuwento mo pa ang kwentong barbero ni Tito Marcus," bulong niya sa akin.

"You should invite him to talk next time."

"Noooo...." mariing tanggi ni Joanna na ikinatawa ko.

Naka-thumbs up ang mga kaibigan ko sa amin. Sino ang mag-aakala na magbibigay ako ng talk about faith? Kahit ako, hindi maniniwala sa iyo kung sinabi mo sa akin ito noon.