Many women in the world are not lucky in marriage. Among them, Veronica who lives in Aima village in Kyonpyaw township in the Ayeyarwaddy Region of Myanmar is one of them.

She was nineteen-year-old when she got married to Justinus. When she reached the age of 25, her married life was harder not because of poverty alone but of her husband’s misbehavior.

 Justinus was a gambler and an alcoholic. He got drunk every evening. He came back home drunk in the evening and used to treat his wife violently at night.

Throughout her married life, Veronica experienced domestic violence. She underwent marital rape even if she was sick when her husband was very drunk at night according to her.

Her husband sometimes pointed at her with a knife to kill her. She used to run away from home and hide at her relative’s house very often.

She eventually could not bear the violence of her husband anymore. For this reason, she fled to Yangon, the second capital city of Myanmar, and searched for a job with the communication of her niece.

Unfortunately, no employer in Yangon gave her a job because of her thin body like a dry garfish. Her body structure looked very weak.

Then, she decided not to return home even though she did not get any job in Yangon. Instead, she went to Pathein four hours’ drive from Yangon. In Pathein she had a cousin sister who was a Catholic nun.

With the help of her cousin nun, she got a job as a domestic worker in Pathein. At that time, she left her children with her husband at home. No child was with her.

But Veronica was a pious woman. She would recite prayers every night. She believes in God. To her belief, her children received help from a rich Catholic woman who lived in Pathein.

Later the rich woman helped her in bringing her children who were left with their father at home to the city where she worked.

With her car, the rich woman accompanied Veronica to her village to secretly bring the children to the city.

 “God’s grace is amazing. He always provides us with a better way. I do thank God for his providence. She inspired the rich woman to assist me and my children,” said Veronica.

“My youngest child even did not recognize me when I went back home secretly,” she said.

Her young children were taken care of by a religious brother. She could not stay together with her children although she worked in the city. They lived in separation in different locations.

However, with the contact of her cousin nun, she got a new job in Yangon. She could somewhat save money for her family. But her husband was still bad to her. He did not change his misbehavior.

Unexpectedly, one day, Justinus got a stroke and could not work anymore. As a result, he is lying down on his bed every day.

But Veronica, a devout wife, did not forsake her husband. She takes care of him every day.

She said, “I cannot leave him alone while he is getting paralytic. In the face of God, I look after him at home.”

Currently, Veronica is living with her husband and children in her village. Amazingly, one of her daughters is working in Singapore although she could not finish elementary school. But she is a good learner according to her mother.

Although her husband changes his misbehavior, her eldest son follows in his father’s footsteps. Consequently, Veronica is experiencing another trouble.

But she never gives up her faith in God. She is faithful to God. She believes God will never give her the cross that she cannot take up.

Veronica is a Catholic woman with great love, faithfulness, forgiveness, and faith.

By Raymond Mahn Kyaw