Here is the continuation of the excerpt of my sister’s book. Her book will be out soon and published by OMF Literature.

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Getting out of debt often appears to be a stepping stone
toward financial blessings. When my bead jewelry business
was at its peak, my priority was to pay my credit card bills.
By the time I was ready to close my store, I was debt-free
and had enough savings to get by. I did not want to become
a burden to my husband or to any member of my family —
it was my responsibility to be a faithful steward of what God
had entrusted to me. I had to use His resources wisely.
As we learned Bible principles for practical living God
taught us to set aside a substantial amount for Clarissa’s future.
Claro always make it a point to save for our daughter.
Saving for our child’s future should be the concern of every
parent of a special child. Who would want to burden their
siblings or their relatives, should their special child outlive
them? Claro has already assigned both Clarissa’s brothers,
Carlo and Paulo, as the legal guardians and administrators
of Clarissa’s savings.

We may ask, “How can we possibly save with this economic
crisis? I can’t even make both ends meet!” We found
that once we had intentionally and deliberately made that
commitment to save, we were able to leave the rest to God.
Miracles can happen. Provision will come. Sickness can be
healed. But all this will not fall into our laps automatically.
It all somehow seems to require an element of faith. And
obedience. God’s part is to provide and our job is to trust
and work.

I believe it is also a wise principle to get a medical insurance
card and life insurance for our special children. Some
companies provide this specialized insurance. My brother
Randell, a financial analyst, advised us to get a life insurance
with Clarissa as the sole beneficiary.

The fear of not having enough money to raise a special
child can be crippling. When I ask my son Carlo when he
intends to marry, he always tells me, “Not until I’m 30 years
old. I’m not financially ready yet.” I honestly think that
nobody ever feels “ready” to get married, just as we are also
never “ready” to take care of a special child. God purposely
allows us to feel inadequate to be married, or to parent a
special child, so we will learn to depend on Him for provisions.
I trust that the Lord will not put us in a situation that
we cannot handle, with His help. Jesus said,
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your
life, what you will eat or drink; or about your
body, what you will wear. Is not life more
important than food, and the body more
important that clothes? Look at the birds of
the air; they do not sow or reap or store
away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father
feeds them. Are you not much more valuable
than they? Who of you by worrying can add
a single hour to his life?”
Matthew 6:25–27

What encouraging words!
The key is prayer. I have learned to get on my knees day
and night to pray for God’s daily provisions. Claro, being
the head of the family, is at the top of my prayer list. I pray
that the Lord will bless his hands as he toils to meet the
needs of our family. Whatever we have saved from homeschooling
and from not hiring a yaya is set aside for our
daughter’s future. There are many ways to get by. It is
through prayer that the Lord has given me and my husband
the wisdom on how to manage our finances. But all of it has
involved faith.

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Below is a sample of my niece’s creative talent, a self-portrait!