From Brokenness to Joy: Nanay Shana’s Story of Transformation in Purok Nanon

Before the Gospel reached Purok Nanon, life in their community was painfully difficult. There was no nearby church, no regular place of worship, and no spiritual guidance. For Nanay Shana, who was already physically weak and sick at the time, the hunger to worship God became stronger than the hardship of the journey.

She would leave their home as early as 5:00 in the morning, walking—and at times even jogging—just to reach a worship gathering in Sapang by 7:30 AM.

Her heart cry was simple yet powerful:

“I cannot live if I cannot worship.”

One day on that difficult walk, she met our man of peace from Datal Salvan,  Gidion, a fish delivery worker and pioneering minister. He noticed her traveling alone and asked where she came from.

When she told him she was from Sitio Nanon, he was surprised by how far she had traveled.

Then, with tears in her eyes, Nanay Shana poured out the burden she had carried for so long.

Her younger siblings were trapped in vices and destructive living. Their family was broken. Their parents had already passed away. Conflict filled their home daily.

She told him:

“Please help me. I cannot bear it anymore.”

But more than asking for help, what she truly longed for was this:

a church in their own community.

A place where her family could know God.

A place where her people would no longer walk in darkness.

A place where worship could rise from the very mountain they called home.

Gidion then shared the news that changed everything:

Pastors Jeff and Malen would soon come to their place.

Nanay Shana described that moment with overwhelming gratitude. It felt like the answer to years of kneeling prayers.

She had no resources.

She did not know how to write proposals.

She did not know how church planting worked.

But she knew how to kneel before God.

And God answered.

A Life Completely Changed by Jesus

Looking back, Nanay Shana says she barely recognizes the woman she used to be.

Before knowing the Lord, her life was consumed by anger, conflict, and pain.

She openly shared:

“I always picked fights everywhere.”

The brokenness in her family, the weight of poverty, and the darkness surrounding them had shaped her into someone known for aggression and harshness.

But Jesus changed everything.

Today, the church in Purok Nanon, now a little over four years old, stands as living proof that the Gospel transforms not just individuals, but entire communities.

Nanay Shana now says with joy:

“I am no longer the Yana they once knew.”

The woman once known for fighting is now known as a woman of prayer.

The same people who once feared her now see the visible evidence of God’s grace in her life. Some even began helping them with rice and practical needs—not because they were asked, but because they saw genuine transformation.

This is the beauty of the Gospel.

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”

— 2 Corinthians 5:17

Jesus took a story of pain and rewrote it into a testimony of joy.

Now, despite still living with little in material things, Nanay Shana says they continue to rejoice, pray, and pursue God together as a church family.

And her heart overflows with gratitude—for the Lord, and for the missionaries God sent to answer her prayer.

A Call to Believe for Your Community

Nanay Shana’s story reminds us that no place is too remote, no family too broken, and no heart too hardened for Jesus.

A church now stands in the very place where hopelessness once lived.

This is what missions do.

This is what prayer births.

This is what happens when someone says yes to go.

Because somewhere, another Nanay Shana is still praying for someone to come.