Elmer Garcia
Just like how we have honoured our moms in May, we are ecstatic to highlight our super dads in Greatway! For this week’s feature, we want to highlight one of our Executive Vice Presidents (EVP), Elmer Garcia. He shares his journey to Greatway and how this has made a significant impact on him and his family.
“I teach my kids to have Integrity in everything they do. Just like Earl Nightingale said, “Integrity is the seed for achievement. It is the principle that never fails.” I encourage them to be a blessing to others and make a significant impact in the lives of people they know.”
Elmer (Right) with wife and business parter Letty.
I left the Philippines in 1988, after graduating from university for the sole reason of finding a better opportunity in another country. I was still single at the time and my first stop was in Paris, France where some of my family lived. A month after I arrived, my widowed mom left for Canada because of an opportunity to come to Toronto as a caregiver. I stayed in Paris for almost 2 years with my older brother until he followed her to Canada. In November of 1990 I left to join them in Canada as a caregiver. It had been my dream to come to Canada ever since I was in elementary because almost all my relatives from my father’s side were already there. That time I said to myself, “I want to go to Canada and live there. I want to see snow.” And here I am after 30 years, still enjoying snow every year. I am grateful to God for fulfilling my dream.
After staying in Toronto for a month, I was encouraged by my relatives to move with them to Winnipeg. There, I stayed as a caregiver, working for a couple. Being a Christian, I looked for a church to attend to as soon I moved to Winnipeg. That’s where God led me to meet my wife, Letty, and started a family on July 11, 1992. We were blessed with 3 children Kim, Micah, and Leymer.
I transitioned to working as an IT Professional and doing odd jobs on the side. In 2005, we decided to move to Calgary with the hope of finding better opportunities. I genuinely believe that God is the one orchestrating everything in our lives. We were praying that He will give us a job, a place to stay, and a smooth transition to Calgary. Letty was able to keep her position in CIBC and was transferred to a Calgary branch. We were able to sell our house in a brief period and I was able to get Employment Support. Afterwards, I got a job as an IT Support Technician for the Calgary Police Service.
Elmer Garcia with wife Letty Garcia
My wife finally received her Life License after 3 years of pursuing it. However, she had to leave CIBC because it was a conflict of interest. My wife encouraged me to get my license as well, so I did in 2007. At the time, we were doing the business with another company. We had a lot of challenges because we did not know a lot of people in Calgary. After 2 years, I decided not to renew my license because we weren’t making a lot of money.
One morning, I saw Letty crying and I asked her why. She didn’t want to tell me, but I insisted. She said that she was having palpitations because of the stress with our finances. She told me that sometimes, she didn’t know where to get the money to pay for our bills. That hit me so hard. I believed that God was telling us something. I acknowledged that sometimes we make decisions that aren’t according to God’s will. We asked for forgiveness as we continued to sob. I remember on the last part of my prayer, the passage in Jeremiah 29:11 “I believed that He has a plan for our lives. Plan not to harm us but to prosper us. Plan to give us hope and a future.” I specifically asked Him if He could send us someone who could help with our situation. A week later, a friend and a colleague called my wife to come with her to meet a mortgage client because at that time, Letty had also Mortgage Associate Licence.
This was the breakthrough; Letty was invited to go to the Greatway office (GreatLife then) in downtown. Our friend told her that she was just going to pick something up, not knowing that she asked Marlon Antonio (Founder & Lead Mentor) to meet Letty for a presentation. After the meeting, Letty invited Marlon and Elsa to come to our place so they could present to me. I remember Marlon asking me for a couple of pieces of bond paper in order to present with some help from flip charts and his laptop for illustrations. While he was showing me “How Money Works” I truly felt like a big burden was lifted from my shoulders. I whispered to God, “Is this the answer to our prayer that one time?” I felt so much peace in my heart.
The rest was history. Greatway was God’s answer to our prayer! My whole family have seen and tasted God’s goodness through Greatway. With fullness in our hearts, we are tremendously grateful to Marlon, Elsa, and family for showing us this Great Opportunity.
Elmer with Wife Letty and their 3 children, Micah, Leymer, and Kim
Greatway helped us understand the practical side of life and finances further which I am applying to my family now, specifically to my children. This was something my parents weren’t able to do. It gave me the chance to change the course of my family’s life in order to have a better future. Just like what our lead mentor Marlon Antonio always say, “We love our family so much, and we would do everything for them.” Second, the financial rewards of Greatway have made an enormous impact in the quality of our lives. We were able to achieve and experience things that we never experienced before - like travelling around the world and many more.
Putting God in the center of family is important in our life and this is what I appreciate about Greatway. It is the only company I know that puts God in the center of business. Integrity is another Greatway value. I teach my kids to have integrity in everything they do. Just like Earl Nightingale said, “Integrity is the seed for achievement. It is the principle that never fails.” I encourage them to be a blessing to others and make a significant impact in the lives of people they know. Since they have experienced the blessings themselves through Greatway.
Put your trust in God all the time. Always put Him in the center of your business and family. Make sure to have the time to educate your kids about the importance of saving for the future. Most of us never had that education from our parents. Please do not deny your children that opportunity to have a better future. We don’t want them to be part of that 67% of Canadians who did not reach their retirement goals. You may face adversities along the way but do everything in your power to give your best to achieve your goals and dreams for your family. God is always with you because He is good all the time.
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