Defying the Odds

by De La Cueva, Urduja S.

• ISBN13: 9781426924927
• ISBN10: 1426924925
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-02-28
• Publisher: Trafford on Demand Pub

Summary

In the memoir Defying the Odds, Urduja Dela Cueva chronicles her fascinating life story, opening with her journey from the Philippines to America where she begins a new chapter with the love of her life.After meeting Ralph, a handsome Navy Officer, at the United States Naval Base in Subic Bay, Urduja made the agonizing choice to leave her three children and extended family behind in the Philippines and immigrate to the United States in 1969. After she marries Ralph in a simple wedding ceremony at City Hall in Norfolk, Virginia, Ralph lands a new job on Wall Street that promises a bright future for their family. As Urduja encounters challenge after challenge, she tells the story of how she obtained a permanent visa, found steady work, and took courses at New York University, all while experiencing frightening, foretelling nightmares every night while she slept.Urduja's true and fascinating story proves that one woman can defy all odds and still win in the end through the power of faith and God's word.

Excerpts

Everyone have fallen in love one way or another, as the saying goes, "it is better to love then never to love at all." This could lead to heaven or hell. In my case, it led me to America.I was married, worked on Wall St., New York City and resided in Staten Island, New York, until my husband and I bought our first house in Princeton, New Jersey.I thought I had everything I wanted in life until I had nightmares. My husband promoted to a Vice-president and therefore had a secretary that kept him emotionally busy all day. I tried to save our marriage; maybe I did not work hard enough to save it. It was a dying ember. Impossible to save our marriage, we were divorced.Aggrieved exceedingly, devastated my family and I felt the consequences and the agony. My head was bloody but unbowed. I became destructive including to myself.Bitter and vowed revenge, I searched for witches, to put curse and hurt my ex-husband, instead I found God.I started a new life without a husband, without a credit card, without bank accounts, just a job on Wall Street. Having a degree in Engineering, Computer Programmer and Systems Analyst, gave me enough knowledge to generate an excellent credit until I could buy old houses, renovated them and sold them at almost 100% profit. Making much money in the late seventies and early eighties made me addicted to gambling, until I lost everything.Losing all my money and my priceless collections were the lease of my losses. All my children were married, had their own lives to live and went their own ways. The most tragic, my parents died one after the other. Going home to the Philippines to bury my father, the last one to die gave me another chance to live a new life. My parents left me inheritance, which amounted to almost two million pesos. I invested my inherited money in Manila thinking that this would give me a decent life for the rest of my life. However, swindled and bad investments, I lost again. Spellbound, walking away from the swindlers' offices, I saw a Christian church entered it, sat down and listened to a preacher. I learned more about God and His Word.My eldest son invited me to my grandchild wedding. After almost ten years, I returned to America. At the age of sixty-three, I searched for job again, although very reluctant. Getting a job during a collapse economy and at sixty-three seemed impossible. However, I got a full time job, and later requested, for part time job to give me time for activities that I love and enjoy.I felt the beauty of life again. There were no more nightmares only beautiful dreams.Living in God's Word, is the only sure way to live healthily, abundantly, peacefully and joyfully.1 Corinthians 2:12, "12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.