Inside Story for Friday 27th of February 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 more next week.
After losing two jobs because of his Seventh-day Adventist faith, Rene prayed to God again in the Philippines. “Lord,” he said, “it seems that being Adventist is only for the rich. I can’t find a job that doesn’t require me to work on Saturdays. How can we survive?”
Image © Pacific Press
Even though he had a university degree, Rene took odd jobs at construction sites. The pay, however, wasn’t enough to feed his growing family. He now was the father of two young children. He prayed again, “God, can You help me find a job that will support my family?”
Then he saw an advertisement for an accounting job in the Middle East. He would have to leave his family in the Philippines. He applied for the position and, after an interview, was hired. It was a challenging time.
When Rene arrived, he learned that the national weekend was on Thursdays and Fridays. That meant people were required to work on Saturdays and Sundays.
While Rene had to go to the office on Saturdays, he didn’t actually have to work. He read the Bible and Ellen White’s writings. His boss only came in on Saturday nights, so Rene didn’t work during the day. But he still felt bad. He was at work on Sabbath. He felt as though he was compromising his faith, and he longed to go to church on Sabbath. “God,” he prayed, “if You give me a chance to go to church on Saturday, I will keep the Sabbath holy until I die.”
For two years, he prayed this prayer. Then he spoke with his boss.
“Please give me Saturday for my Sabbath rest,” he said.
“No, I can’t allow you,” his boss replied. But he allowed for an exception, saying, “If my king declares Friday and Saturday to be the weekend, then you are free to rest.”
Rene prayed, “You heard what my boss said. Can You please help?”
Three months later, Rene’s boss was in Europe when the king signed a decree that the country’s weekend would be moved to Friday and Saturday. Rene, who had been praying the whole time, didn’t hear the news and went to the office as usual at nine o’clock on Saturday morning. After sitting down, he checked his email to see if any important messages had come in. It was then that he saw the message from his boss. He read, “Rene, I heard the news from my king. I remember my promise to you that you are free to rest if my king declares Friday and Saturday to be the weekend.” Rene closed the office and went to church. He was so happy that he cried.
