There was nothing particularly unusual about the night Kevin Olarte’s life would change forever. It was a hot and humid evening in June on the island of Papua New Guinea. Kevin was 2 years into his tenureship as an accountant, working abroad to provide a better life for his wife and child back in the Philippines. How could the young father have known that the desire to sustain his family might cost him his life?
Despite being an accomplished accountant, Kevin had been forced to travel around the globe in order to support his family due to the lack of employment opportunity in the Philippines. His commitment to providing a comfortable life for his wife and child had taken him to Dubai, the UAE, Papua New Guinea and finally, thanks to OnlineJobs.ph, back to his family in the Philippines.
But Kevin’s journey back home wasn’t an easy voyage. The bookkeeper, husband and father would have to stare death in the face before finding the opportunity to make ends meet in his homeland.
And in the Philippines, that is no easy task.
Before that fateful night in June, Kevin had spent his time in Papua New Guinea unaffected by the nation’s notoriously high crime rate. He had performed his job dutifully, with the sense of honesty and integrity that he committed to every aspect of his life.
In fact, prior to Kevin’s employment in the Micronesian island state, he had worked for a Chinese-run corporation in Dubai, where his honesty had cost him his job. Merely 6 months into his bookkeeping work in the Middle Eastern city, Kevin discovered a corrupt manager in his employer’s company. Unfortunately, rather than being rewarded for his honesty, Kevin was threatened and ostracized for trying to expose a corrupt employee.
Left without a job in Dubai and unable to find adequate employment in his motherland, Kevin had travelled to Papua New Guinea to continue making a sufficient income for himself and his family.
The sun was setting as Kevin was finishing up some paperwork with a local coworker. He had been employed as an accountant for a small store in New Guinea, and despite being separated from his family, Kevin quite enjoyed his job.
Just as Kevin and his colleague were wrapping things up in the shop, 6 armed men forcefully entered Kevin’s place of work. Despite complying with the raiders’ demands, Kevin was tied up and watched helplessly as his co worker was stabbed multiple times with a machete.
Kevin was held at gunpoint while men ransacked the store. Having an astute mind, Kevin had picked up the local language, and attempted to petition for his life in their native tongue. But his desperate pleas went unnoticed, and Kevin was stabbed in the back.
In an attempt to save his life, Kevin feigned death and fell motionless on the floor. Luckily, his ploy worked. The men exited the store with their loot, leaving Kevin and his co worker for dead.
Once the assailants were out of sight, Kevin mustered up the energy to crawl over to his companion and call for help. Miraculously, his heroic courage saved both his own life, and the life of his friend.
Soon after his nearly fatal experience, Kevin made the difficult decision to return home, knowing it would leave him jobless and unable to support his family. However, being close to his loved ones seemed more important than money or prestige.
Luckily, Kevin learned of OnlineJobs.ph shortly after returning home, and within a month of creating a professional profile, he was hired. This opportunity marked a turning point in Kevin’s life. For the first time since earning his degree and starting a family, Kevin was able to make a decent living while remaining close to his family. He and his wife even welcomed a second son recently, a joyous blessing that Kevin attributes to being able to work safely from home.
Kevin will never forget the night where working abroad nearly cost him his life, and he relishes the opportunity to take charge of his career from the comfort of his own home, safely surrounded by those he loves.
About John Jonas
John helps business owners learn to outsourcing to the Philippines and replace themselves with virtual assistants.
He founded and owns OnlineJobs.ph.
He currently employs 14 amazing Filipino workers full-time and loves every one of them. He lives in Utah, has a wonderful wife, 4 amazing kids, and golfs 4-5 times/week.
Find John at JohnJonas.com and Facebook.
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