Inside Story for Friday 13th of March 2026
Rene Tucaldo is chief financial officer of the 1000 Missionary Movement, whose headquarters in Silang, Philippines, were constructed with the help of a 1996 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering. Read the rest of the story next week.
On the Sabbath that Rene chose to go to church rather than to the office, he returned after sundown to the building where he lived and worked. A coworker handed him a letter from the boss. He had been fired.
Image © Pacific Press
Rene was shocked. He didn’t know what would happen next. As a foreigner working in a country hostile to Christianity, he wondered if he could stand firm for God if he were sent to prison or faced death.
He prayed, “Lord, is this the time for me to go home to the Philippines? If You want me to die here, it’s fine with me. Many people know I’m fighting for my faith.”
Early the next morning, he went to the office and emailed his boss. “I respect you,” he wrote. “You are my friend and big brother. I know we need to discuss the problems that I have caused when you come to the office.”
That night, his boss came to work. He seemed upset. Rene prayed, “Please help. Let my boss calm down. But if it’s Your will that I die, I accept it.”
Then the boss summoned Rene. Rene tried to stand up but couldn’t. His knees wouldn’t support him. He felt like he was dying.
With all his strength, he lifted himself out of his chair and walked awkwardly, hunched over, to his boss’s office. As he raised his hand to knock on the door, he heard a voice whisper, “Don’t be afraid. I am the true God. I am faithful to My promises.”
A moment later, he opened the door and saw his boss’s stern face. As he walked in, the voice whispered twice, “I am the true God. I am faithful to My promises.” With each repetition, the voice grew louder.
The boss handed two pieces of paper to Rene and said, “Choose one.” When Rene expressed bewilderment, the boss said, “One is a work contract. The other is a plane ticket.” Relieved, Rene prayed silently, “Thank You, Lord, it isn’t prison.” He chose the plane ticket.
But the boss said, “Read the contract first.”
Rene saw his pay would be doubled if he worked one hour on Saturdays. He chose the ticket again. As he wondered how he would pay for it, he heard the voice again, saying, “I am the true God. I am faithful to my promises.”
Rene returned home to the Philippines. On the plane, he prayed, “You say, ‘I am the true God. I am faithful to My promises.’ What is Your promise to me?” The voice whispered, “You won’t be able to use up all your money before you find a new job.”
