I hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving in the States. Mary Jane and I toasted our families and spoke of the traditions we have with our respective families. Sr. Clarissa received a Magic Jack telephone from one of her friends in the U.S. It connects to the internet so all of your phone calls are free. There is an annual fee, but I think it is under $40.00 a year. Pretty cool, huh? So Mary Jane and I were able to connect with our families on Thanksgiving, and I am looking forward to calling my family more often. Thank you, Magic Jack... you are quite magical!
So, Lizell Jane was in the hospital here in Borongan for about 3 days. If you remember, her home is about 2 hours to the north. Her lola, grandmother, stayed with her during those days. Since the hospital here will feed the patients, but not the visitors, the Oikos Sisters brought breakfast, lunch and dinner to Lola. Sometimes the scholars would go too, and Joey was a frequent visitor as well. On Wednesday, Lizell and her grandmother came to Nazareth Home from the hospital. Lizell had some bruises and brush burns on her face, but she was talkative and eating a caramelized banana. Her grandmother looked well too. She is really cute... short and a little chubby with a sweet grandmotherly smile.
Sisters Minerva and Clarissa then took Lola and Lizell home. Upon returning, they told me that the house was barely a home... one single room, no kitchen, no bathroom (there is a shared bathroom, or comfort room as they call them here, for 5 families), no furniture, no place to do homework. They said it was really sad. They also met the other children. Lizell has two other sisters. One is 4 and Sister Minerva believes she has a mild case of cerebral palsy, and a two year old. All three children were abandoned by their mother and are basically abandoned by their father, who only occasionally sends money home to them for help. The grandmother sells vegetables on the street, but doesn't make enough money for all of their needs. She told Sister Minerva that she was praying desperately every day for God to help her.
You may not think this is true... that perhaps my brain is melting or I am being ridiculous, but I still contend that God sent us there that day under the guise of having a small vacation only to drive into the path of that family, quite literally. Lizell will be fine and it looks as though she will have a good recovery. Joey is driving again, although not on the longer trips, but that will come with time, and now Lizell and her family are in the healing radar of the Oikos Sisters. They will never let them go. It is in instances such as this one where I find it difficult to believe that anyone could read this story and not believe there is a higher power, God, looking out for us and making impossible things happen.
Despite our lost vacation, we have had a very good week here with Mary Jane!! We have been helping out with the livelihood piglet program, we have done catechesis in the barrios, religion classes with the Oikos kids and scholars, we went to see fish cages in the open sea and got to go swimming in the deep tide pools in the Pacific Ocean. By the way, a fish cage is just that. It is a cage that is kept underwater. The fishermen put fingerling fish into the cages and feed them until they are big and ready to sell at the market. They can make quite a tidy profit. I am told that before Typhoon Yolanda, there were many fish cages in the southern part of Eastern Samar, but most of them were lost to the typhoon. Rebuilding has been costly and difficult, but they are rebuilding. On Friday we had lunch on a cottage built on a fish cage. We took a boat out into the open sea and ate fish, crabs, pasta, rice, barbecued chicken and cake on one of the cottages. It was like our Thanksgiving feast a day late. Marasa!! (Delicious!!)
Today is Sister Minerva's birthday! All of the scholars came over here to Nazareth Home around 4am this morning to sing to Mita, as she is called here. It was fun...early, but fun! The kids have so much love and respect for Mita. It really is beautiful to see. Then we ate bread, eggs and buckeye cookies. Those are peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. Not only am I tired right now, but my tummy is wondering what I could have possibly been thinking when I ate all that so early!
Happy Birthday to Sister Minerva!! Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks!! xxoo
