This quote from Blessed Mother Teresa may not be true for everyone, but it definitely was true for me. Now, "small" is a relative term... I have parents and grandparents, 7 brothers and sisters, 6 loving sibling in-laws, 40 nieces and nephews with one more on the way and 6 angels in heaven...that is just my immediate family!! Not too many people would think of the word "small" when considering my family. But here is the thing... the scope of my love for the world consisted of my family. To me, that seems pretty small.
Looking back on my life, I can see places where God tried to nudge me to life in the missions. However, my love of family and fear of the unknown, great big world kept me safe and sound at home. Don't get me wrong, I think I've had a missionary's heart for years...giving to others and availing myself to those in need, but it didn't really stretch far beyond the border of my own community. Now for some people, that is just what God is asking of them. But for me, He was asking that I stretch out the arms of my love to include more...many more, far away more!
In 2013, my very good friends Tom and Paula Radel asked me to go to Africa to a mission in Ghana with Paula. I think God chose Tom and Paula because they didn't give up asking me when I said no!! Every single roadblock I constructed to keep myself here was easily moved out of the way until my path was free and clear to go. The only problem was my lack of courage. A curious thing that I have discovered is that the more I cling to tangible, earthly things, the more fear and caution I find bubbling inside myself. However, when I am able to summon the courage and faith to let go of my surroundings and offer myself to God, the more freedom and joy I feel. So I did just that... I said yes, put myself in the Hands of our Loving Lord, and since that day, have never regretted it!!
I traveled to Ghana, West Africa, twice to a mission called the Nazareth Home for God's Children, an orphanage where children are cared for who are abandoned by their families because of disabilities, the death of the mother at birth or any number of other reasons. I spent two weeks there in my first mission and three months in my second. Without a single doubt or hesitation, my arms widened to include the beautiful children at the Nazareth Home within the scope of my family. It just took that first child I saw crying, lifting him into my arms and, in that moment, seeing his smile and feeling his tiny arms encircling my neck...he, along with the rest of the children, seeped right into my heart.
A few months after returning from Africa in 2014, I traveled to a mission in Peru called The Missionary Servants of the Poor of the Third World with a group of students from the Children of Mary Homeschooling Group of Buffalo. This mission trip was a short one, just a few weeks, but the priests and sisters who care for the sick and abandoned children of Cuzco, Peru, educating them, loving them and tenderly caring for them taught me how to see Jesus Christ in every child whether they are cognizant or not...each one is Jesus. When I look at a person and can see Jesus, no matter his or her state of health, beauty, size or mental acuity, he or she becomes infinitely precious and worthy of every tiny bit of my attention and care...a most important person in my growing family.
My latest mission trip was to the Philippines, to a mission called The Poor Household of God. This mission is run by a small group of Sisters, the Oikos Sisters, who live their lives according to the teachings of St. Francis. Although only 5 in number, the Oikos Sisters serve the poor people living in province of Eastern Samar, providing them with catechesis, food, livelihood enrichment programs, educational sponsorships, construction of new homes, medical and dental care and so much more. Here, in this mission where I spent 6 months, I learned that the work you are able to do and the amount of people you are able to help is not based on how much you can carry or how far you can reach, but on the size of your trust in God. It seems impossible that these 5 Sisters could reach so far and help hundreds and hundreds of people, quite literally, until you realize that the amount of faith they have in God is immeasurable. They trust in the Lord with every bit of their being and He comes through for them every single time. In this mission, I finally learned that if I believe with everything I have that God is indeed my Father, then all of His creation is my family.
"I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things." Mother Teresa
Certainly, all of us cannot leave home to go work in the foreign missions. In fact, Mother Teresa was famous for saying that we need to find the needy within our own communities, within our own homes. But together, we can do amazing things! I plan on returning to The Poor Household of God Mission in the Philippines and continuing my work there with the Oikos Sisters. Before I go, however, I am holding a fundraiser to help fund all of the amazing work that the Oikos Sisters do. I wish I could take a ton of people with me to help us...certainly if anyone reading this feels any nudge to work in the missions, my contact information is below and I would be happy to speak with you. But anyone can be a part of the Oikos Sisters' mission to bring God's love to the poor in the Philippines. The information on the fundraiser is below. Please come and meet one of the Oikos Sisters, Sister Clarissa Abella, and be a part of the fun and love!! Together we can do great things...Amen!!!
Fundraiser for the Poor Household of God Mission in the Philippines
Saturday, July 9th...5:30-9pm
St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parish
157 Cleveland Dr. in Cheektowaga
Spaghetti Dinner, Theme Basket Raffle, Elite Basket Raffle
games, music by the Apen Family Band and more!!!
To donate a basket or for more information,
contact Sarah Noonan
(716)479-2498
sarahen6@gmail.com
To read more about my missionary experiences, visit my blog at www.godsgloryamongthepoor.blogspot.com
