WE HAVE so often heard faith can move mountains. But people find it hard to believe this in a world of the Internet.

Two survivors of life's uncertainties have kept the adage alive, however. They related their stories during the launch of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Center for Women and Children.

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"Ashley" (not her real name) related her experiences with her estranged husband. She divulged her marriage was planned without her knowledge and she could do nothing except follow the wishes of her parents. Their marriage was smooth-sailing during the first years and they had three children.

"Our problems begun when we had lots of money," Ashley said. Vices came with the wealth, and her husband become addicted to alcohol, cigarettes, and women. She recalled there was a time when her husband didn't come home for a week. She searched for him and found him in a bar with four ladies beside him.

After that night, Ashley's husband begun hurting her and her children. She recalled that her husband once kicked their petroleum gas tank, causing the whole kitchen to burn and then locked her and her children inside the kitchen. She added there were also times when he threw their children against the wall. This act was repeatedly done by her husband and prompted her to leave him.

Seventeen years later, her daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor. This was caused by repeated banging of the child's head when she was little. Ashley didn't allow doctors to operate on her daughter and instead turned on the prayers to the Lord. She added Father Manny Castro helped her by offering nine consecutive masses for her child.

Her daughter is now well and the tumor had miraculously disappeared.

The second survivor, Alex, shared his story about his wife's abandonment. He related his wife was persistent in going overseas to help in the financial constraints. They had a little baby at that time. He reluctantly allowed her to do so after three months of endless debate.

Days, months, and years passed by without a single call from his wife. Their child was beginning to ask for her mother, and Alex would instantly say that she is abroad.

To make his child believe that his wife is really overseas, he would often employ the services of LBC to deliver packages that belonged to him to their house. He also asked the help of other people to pose as the child's mother through cell phone calls.

However, there came a time when he discovered his wife married overseas and was abandoning all her responsibilities to their child. Alex's biggest challenge came when his daughter contracted dengue and wanted to die. His daughter would often say she wanted to die so her soul will travel to her mother.

Such was the longing of the child to her mother, she wanted to take her life. Alex called his wife and his wife replied by saying, "That's your problem now, not mine." At that instant, Alex lost consciousness and remained so for nine days.

Doctors thought he was dead because he wasn't reacting to medicines and his eyes were always closed. He related during his nine days of unconsciousness, he would always see her daughter making a thumbs-up sign and telling him to hold on every morning and evening.

This act made Alex "live" again. However, he couldn't walk because of the hypertensive attack and he was diagnosed as having a hole in his heart. His daughter pushed him to walk again and he would often crawl from Quezon Hill to the Lourdes Grotto.

The two survivors advised people not to lose faith in God and to look at things in a positive way. They said in every trial, heavy or light, there is only one recourse and that is to turn to God. (VC)