It is so hard to believe that our time here in the Philippines with Mary Jane is already over. Even as I write this, she is flying across the world back to her husband, her mother and her home. It never ceases to amaze me how fast time goes by. At one point in our time together, Mary Jane commented that she couldn't believe her time here was half over, and I realized that my time here is more than half over... and I was filled with a feeling of sadness, even though I am still here. I know already how fast it will go.
However short it was, Mary Jane's visit was awesome. She knows many of the people here very well, oh, how they love her so!! You can tell in the smiles she receives, the long hugs, the conversations and the way Mary Jane could so easily tune herself into each person she encountered that the friendships she has with these Filipinos is deeply woven into who she is. Mary Jane is filled with love and concern for these people. I was able to witness each day the benefits of being committed to one particular mission, as opposed to being sort of a nomad missionary, traveling from mission to mission. The love between this devoted missionary and the people involved with the Oikos Mission, which are many, especially the sisters, was tangible.
I was able to spend some quality time with Mary Jane myself. We walked the boardwalk along the Pacific Coast, we went to lunch one day, just us two, and had a few other meals with her with a few of the Oikos family members. We talked quite a bit about my mission here, and where I think it may be headed, and Mary Jane shared a lot about her experiences with missionary work in general and this mission in particular. I think my favorite moments with Mary Jane were the times we commiserated about traveling, working in the missions and trying to live in both the first and third worlds. Just to be able to empty my heart and head of worries and concerns, of problems or even just sharing the many sad stories of the people here and praying for them together was great.
But my absolutely favorite thing about Mary Jane's visit was being able to get to know the people here better through her. You know, I see so many people each day, and many of them I've just had time to say "hello, how are you" to. But I've almost had the chance to meet these people all over again as Mary Jane encountered each of them and shared with me a little of their stories. It's not as though I have been here staying close to the surface... I have become deeply involved in certain parts of the mission and with the people working alongside me. But the mission here is massive and has so many different avenues of reaching out to the poor. Mary Jane's visit opened my Oikos view, got me involved with more of the people here and showed me more ways of opening myself up to them.
Mabilik pa ak means "I'll be back." It is a phrase Mary Jane knows well, having been involved with this mission for about 10 years, first as a part of the medical mission and for the past few years she has added a second trip here during the year, and each time she leaves, she always promises to come back... and she always does. That is why she is loved so here. Everyone knows that they will see her again, she never forgets about her second family here in the Philippines.
Many, many thanks to Mary Jane for coming, to her husband Vic for helping to work out the details to get her here, and to God, who indeed has a great love of the poor for He sent them a rare gem in Mary Jane.
Please keep Mary Jane, her family, and the work she does for the non-profit charity The Poor Household of God on behalf of the Oikos Sisters in your prayers. If you would like to support this mission and all of the work the Oikos Community does to reach out and help the poor people here in the Philippines, you can visit the website, www.poorhouseholdofgod.org. Thank you, God, for the gift of Mary Jane! xxoo
ps... we have been wifi-less for more than a week now, which is why I am unable to post pictures, but I am hopeful that by my 3 month post, in just a few days, I will be able to post pictures of what we've been doing this month. xxoo again!!