I was not born with a silver spoon and golden platter. When I gained consciousness as a child, life was not that easy. My parents had to work hard to provide for our basic needs including education where more often than not having enough was always a dream.

With this environment, there was a strong motivation to strive hard to make life better. I used to hear my mother say that the only thing that they (my parents) could leave with us is a good education. This got ingrained in me and study hard I did. Even in extra-curricular activities, I was there participating, thanks largely to my parents, who in their difficulties never wavered insupporting us.

One output though was the fact that I had the belief that with my own effort, I could reach greater heights and material success could be attained – in short, I became more arrogant. This was a pursuit that manifested in the grades that I got from elementary grades to high school and eventually college. I had so much belief in myself and in what I could do that it pushed me even harder each year to achieve success after success – and I was so proud of it.

Yes, I got the recognition in school and graduated with honors but there seemed to be a void in my life that I did not understand. Questions like “why am I me?”, “where did I come from?”, “why am I in this body?” were persistent. Something was drawing me to some spiritual source to find the answers. Programs on TV (my father sold televisions as part of his latter job and we got a second hand unit) where they would sing “nothing is impossible if you put your trust in God” seemed to touch my inner being and there was this longing for some deeper sense of satisfaction.

One summer day (either 1978 or 1979), a college colleague dropped by and by virtue of the fact that he was a school mate, was ushered into the house where normally strangers, much more with spiritual intent do not normally get to enter. I cannot remember his name now and maybe it is God's way of focusing my memories on the Lord. That colleague was from the PSALM base in Cansojong, Talisay, Cebu. He came to have a conversation and a very special one at that. He shared with me and my sister the love of God through Jesus Christ.

I cannot remember accepting Jesus Christ during that time (maybe I did) but it was an important turning point in my life. It was as if my thirst for something deeper had been significantly quenched. I no longer prayed through saints and was more to hear the word of God in the bible. I believe now that this paved the way for God's very important plan for me: to marry a Christian – one that would not have been possible if not for that PSALM encounter with the Gospel! If there was any gift more significant aside from the salvation that God has given through Christ – for me it was my wife (she died last year and it is a wonderful story particularly of God's joy & peace) who was God's vehicle to fully bringmeback to Him on my knees.

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Mr. Ramon “Monching” Tampos is the President & Managing Director of Merck Inc.