We had such a wonderful Christmas here in the Oikos Community!!! It is always so fun for me to experience the Christmas traditions of other cultures. Here in the Philippines, daily life is rooted in traditions and customs. For instance, we just celebrated the birthday of Nina, the daughter of a co-worker here in Oikos, Joey. It was her second birthday. Joey and his wife GingGing wanted to invite all they knew to the party to celebrate the joyous occasion, but being that their home is small, they knew they were limited to who they could invite. In such cases, it is a Filipino custom to invite as many as you can, and then send large plates of food to those who you couldn't. So, after we all ate, GingGing made big plates of food and sent them with us to deliver to other friends and family. It is very thoughtful and sweet!!
Such is life here. It seems that these people are so devoted to the life their ancestors have lived, and although the physical appearance of the land may change, and there may be changes in technology and medicine, there are certain customs and traditions that remain steadfast here. People ask me all the time when we are in the midst of one of the customs, do you do this in your place? And, almost always my answer is we used to do it, but not anymore. Has America become so much of a melting pot that our traditions have melted away? Things like Christmas caroling, novenas said together as a church community, fiestas where the entire neighborhood is involved and celebrates, processions in the community and many more.
Well, I have completely gotten off topic!! The 23rd and 24th of December were busy with caroling, baking, cooking and preparing. Actually, we were not only preparing for Christmas, but also for a typhoon that was supposed to land near us!! But I was busy in the kitchen with Sister Aileen and some of the mothers preparing food for Christmas. I even made a bread that is a tradition in my family, a recipe from my father's grandmother, Irene Briem...cinnamon pull apart buns. It was really nice to have a little taste of home!!
On Christmas Eve, we went to mass at 5pm. After mass the kids played and we rested...24 hours of baking and cooking is tiring!! We had dinner around 10pm... fried chicken, fish, cassava cake (made of a root crop), ubi jam, another root crop, the cinnamon bread, and lechon...a roasted pig!! It was a feast, and all of the Oikos Angels and the Sisters were all together. Around midnight, the bells began ringing all around us and we sang "Joy to the World", cheering and hugging, celebrating the first moments of Christmas. After the singing, we went into the chapel and Sister Minerva led us in a Christmas prayer service followed by the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. After a few more songs, we each got the chance to kneel in front of the manger scene, the belen, and say a prayer to the new born babe.
It was around 1am when we left the chapel and gifts were given. There is a missionary who comes every year on the Medical Mission from the Diocese of Joliet in Chicago, Il. Her name is Diane, and her medical office sends each child, mother and Sister in Oikos a gift for Christmas. What a fun and joyful time that was...to see the smiles and the wonder on the kids faces as they received their gifts...it was a treasure to be there!!
After the gift giving, we cleaned up and went to bed...around 2:30am...and my alarm went off at 5am!! Rising from bed, I helped to prepare food for the people in the barrio where we live for after the 8am mass...fried chicken, spaghetti and hotdogs!! With the help of Sister Aileen, I had made sugar cookies with m&ms to give the kids on Christmas morning...a first time for most of them to have a homemade cookie!!! And I made pancakes with mango syrup for our breakfast.
The mass was joyful and merry!! And giving the food afterwards was fun and fulfilling!! And eating our breakfast after that was yummy!!! Also on Christmas, we went to the Bishop's residence and to the rectory of the spiritual director of the Oikos Sisters, Msgr. Lope, to sing carols (and to eat again!!)
And I took a few moments to open a Christmas gift I had received from my mother...some shirts and tictacs, some holiday jelly beans and lip balm. It was just nice even to open the card and see her handwriting. Isn't that sort of funny...but just like the cinnamon rolls, it is a remembrance of home and of comfort and love. A nice gift on Christmas!
I hope your Christmas was special and joyful!! And I pray that the love and the joy of the Christ Child enters your hearts and guides you all in the coming year. May the peace of Christmas spread to our leaders, our world and unite us as one, under God's mercy and protection. xxoo
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Christmas Preparations
On December 16th, everywhere in the Philippines, and in many places throughout the world where there is a Filipino Community, the Church celebrates Simbang Gabi. It is a 9 day novena that usually begins around 4 - 4:30am.
Around 3am, fireworks and Advent songs can be heard from the church to wake everyone up for the novena and mass. The novena is a prayer to Jesus through His mother, Mary. Included in the novena are prayers to St. Joseph and St. Joachim and St. Ann, Mary's parents. Although in Waray Waray, the prayers are beautiful...and the best part? The best part is that not only is there so many people there that there is standing room only, in the cathedral in Borongan, which is quite large, there are so many people standing, that they don't all fit in the church and some stand outside!!! If only every Sunday's masses were like that!!!
After the mass, one group in the church sings Christmas carols. One day it is the Youth for Christ group, one day it is the Handmaids of the Lord, one day it is teachers and another it is the seminarians. I know I am totally biased, but Oikos did the best performance of the carols!!! With Sister Clarissa as the musical director and Sister Ethel as the voice coach, they provide a winning team that makes great performances every time!!
December 16th also begins the major time of decorating for Christmas, in homes and in the church. Everywhere you look you see decorations. But not only just decorations...although the stores are filled with Christmas decorations, most people make their Christmas decorations...and Oikos is no exception!! Below are pictures of manger scenes and Christmas trees made by Oikos, all homemade!!
Another thing that begins on December 16th is Christmas caroling. It really is pretty cool to be driving down the street on any given night after the 16th, and the night is alive with Christmas music! Kids make instruments to accompany them as they sing. The tradition is that when some people sing carols for you, you thank them by giving them a few pesos. It is called "panarit". Well, here in Oikos, we go to the homes and businesses of our benefactors and sing songs for them. There are two FULL cars of us in our caroling caravan, with guitars, a drum, chimes and a tambourine. We sing traditional Christmas songs in English and in Waray Waray. This year the money we made from caroling helped with our Christmas Outreach in Palo Uno, San Julian. (more on that later) Caroling is a lot of fun. I wish it would come back in style in the US!!
Although there is no snow here in the Philippines for Christmas, the preparations and the decorations make it just as special! And all of these things point to and lead up to the reason for all of it...the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!
Some pictures:
Around 3am, fireworks and Advent songs can be heard from the church to wake everyone up for the novena and mass. The novena is a prayer to Jesus through His mother, Mary. Included in the novena are prayers to St. Joseph and St. Joachim and St. Ann, Mary's parents. Although in Waray Waray, the prayers are beautiful...and the best part? The best part is that not only is there so many people there that there is standing room only, in the cathedral in Borongan, which is quite large, there are so many people standing, that they don't all fit in the church and some stand outside!!! If only every Sunday's masses were like that!!!
After the mass, one group in the church sings Christmas carols. One day it is the Youth for Christ group, one day it is the Handmaids of the Lord, one day it is teachers and another it is the seminarians. I know I am totally biased, but Oikos did the best performance of the carols!!! With Sister Clarissa as the musical director and Sister Ethel as the voice coach, they provide a winning team that makes great performances every time!!
December 16th also begins the major time of decorating for Christmas, in homes and in the church. Everywhere you look you see decorations. But not only just decorations...although the stores are filled with Christmas decorations, most people make their Christmas decorations...and Oikos is no exception!! Below are pictures of manger scenes and Christmas trees made by Oikos, all homemade!!
Another thing that begins on December 16th is Christmas caroling. It really is pretty cool to be driving down the street on any given night after the 16th, and the night is alive with Christmas music! Kids make instruments to accompany them as they sing. The tradition is that when some people sing carols for you, you thank them by giving them a few pesos. It is called "panarit". Well, here in Oikos, we go to the homes and businesses of our benefactors and sing songs for them. There are two FULL cars of us in our caroling caravan, with guitars, a drum, chimes and a tambourine. We sing traditional Christmas songs in English and in Waray Waray. This year the money we made from caroling helped with our Christmas Outreach in Palo Uno, San Julian. (more on that later) Caroling is a lot of fun. I wish it would come back in style in the US!!
Although there is no snow here in the Philippines for Christmas, the preparations and the decorations make it just as special! And all of these things point to and lead up to the reason for all of it...the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!
Some pictures:
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| Christmas caroling above in San Julian, below at the Cathedral in Borongan. |
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| Homemade Christmas tree made out of paper!! |
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| The above manger scene, or belen, is made of paper, below it is made out of coconut trunks, leaves, and the people are made out of coconuts!! |
A Whirlwind of a December!!!
I have to apologize for not posting much in December. I do have good excuses...although they are excuses. Is there such a thing as a good excuse??? Is it an oxymoron? I'm not sure. But anyways, you judge for yourself:
#1... Beginning on December 16th, we had Simbang Gabi, a 9 day novena beginning at 4am...wakeup time is at 2:30 or so because you have to get to the church by 3:15 to get a seat. Then, the rest of the day is as usual. Excuse #1...I was tired, man!!!
#2...We had flooding and typhoon warnings. Shortly after Simbang Gabi began, we had a day and night of heavy rains that caused major flooding here. We spent lots of time moving everything up to the second floor of our houses and lost power. Then, we had typhoon warnings for December 24th!! A b ig typhoon did come into the Philippines, but not by us. Once again, we had lots of extra preparations to make to be ready for a possible storm. No time for writing and no power for a few days, excuse #2.
#3...Just like you, I'm sure, as we got closer to Christmas, all of my time was spent in the kitchen preparing for the big day. I made sugar cookies for the poor people of Sohutan, empanada gift packages for our benefactors here in Borongan and lots of food for Christmas itself: cinnamon bread, pizza, fried chicken, ribs...Excuse #3...I was up to my elbows in flour and chicken and cookies!!!
#4...Aside from the "normal" Christmas goings on, which included Christmas caroling almost every night before Christmas, getting us to bed late (and then up early for the novena, don't forget), we were also preparing for our December 29th Christmas Mission Outing to a barrio up in the mountains. This took a lot of preparation, as you will see when you read my upcoming blog about it. I was more concerned about giving and preparing for 150 children who wouldn't have a Christmas without us than writing...wouldn't you be?...that's excuse #4.
#5...We spent most of the past two weeks in Sohutan where one of our mission houses is, Providence Home. Sister Minerva wanted one of the mission houses to be sort of a retreat place, a calmer, quieter dwelling, so there is no internet there. Excuse #5...for most of the past two weeks, I have been in a home with no internet...no internet=no blogging. Can't argue with that one!!
#6...Aside from Simbang Gabi, baking and cooking, flooding and storms, outreach missions and internet availability, Christmas and New Year's celebrations...New Year's Eve is also my birthday, so that just made things that much busier and more to do, prepare for, get tired from!!...Excuse #6.
So, you see, it really isn't my fault that I have been so lax in my writing. But I am about to make it up to you by blogging all about our holidays, holy days, birthdays and goings on. so...happy reading!
And Happy New Year, by the way!! I hope and pray that 2017 will be a wonderful, peacefilled, joyful year for all of us!!! xxoo
#1... Beginning on December 16th, we had Simbang Gabi, a 9 day novena beginning at 4am...wakeup time is at 2:30 or so because you have to get to the church by 3:15 to get a seat. Then, the rest of the day is as usual. Excuse #1...I was tired, man!!!
#2...We had flooding and typhoon warnings. Shortly after Simbang Gabi began, we had a day and night of heavy rains that caused major flooding here. We spent lots of time moving everything up to the second floor of our houses and lost power. Then, we had typhoon warnings for December 24th!! A b ig typhoon did come into the Philippines, but not by us. Once again, we had lots of extra preparations to make to be ready for a possible storm. No time for writing and no power for a few days, excuse #2.
#3...Just like you, I'm sure, as we got closer to Christmas, all of my time was spent in the kitchen preparing for the big day. I made sugar cookies for the poor people of Sohutan, empanada gift packages for our benefactors here in Borongan and lots of food for Christmas itself: cinnamon bread, pizza, fried chicken, ribs...Excuse #3...I was up to my elbows in flour and chicken and cookies!!!
#4...Aside from the "normal" Christmas goings on, which included Christmas caroling almost every night before Christmas, getting us to bed late (and then up early for the novena, don't forget), we were also preparing for our December 29th Christmas Mission Outing to a barrio up in the mountains. This took a lot of preparation, as you will see when you read my upcoming blog about it. I was more concerned about giving and preparing for 150 children who wouldn't have a Christmas without us than writing...wouldn't you be?...that's excuse #4.
#5...We spent most of the past two weeks in Sohutan where one of our mission houses is, Providence Home. Sister Minerva wanted one of the mission houses to be sort of a retreat place, a calmer, quieter dwelling, so there is no internet there. Excuse #5...for most of the past two weeks, I have been in a home with no internet...no internet=no blogging. Can't argue with that one!!
#6...Aside from Simbang Gabi, baking and cooking, flooding and storms, outreach missions and internet availability, Christmas and New Year's celebrations...New Year's Eve is also my birthday, so that just made things that much busier and more to do, prepare for, get tired from!!...Excuse #6.
So, you see, it really isn't my fault that I have been so lax in my writing. But I am about to make it up to you by blogging all about our holidays, holy days, birthdays and goings on. so...happy reading!
And Happy New Year, by the way!! I hope and pray that 2017 will be a wonderful, peacefilled, joyful year for all of us!!! xxoo
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Nothing Is Small For God
Sister Minerva has shared with me a daily reflection book for Advent. In it are reflections by Thomas Merton, Henry Nouwen and Mother Teresa. Today's reflection ended with the sentence: Nothing is small for God.
It made me really stop in my tracks. I am getting ready to go to Providence Home, the mission house in the mountains, for the day and have a lot of things on my mind, but that sentence stopped me cold in my tracks. Nothing is small for God.
It is kind of hilarious to think about if you roll it over in your head for a minute. I mean, think about it for a minute. For God, the Creator of the universe, Who manages and designs all things, Who holds the stars and all of His creations in His mighty hands, Who is capable of doing ANYTHING, Who is so massive in my mind...for Him, nothing is small. He sees everything, and none of it is too small to matter.
A smile to a stranger, picking up a pen that someone dropped, playing fairly in a chess game, giving a compliment...these things seem teeny tiny, especially when compared to the awesome works of Mother Teresa...oh my!! But each one is precious in the eyes of our Lord because we are reaching out, however insignificant it is to us. And when we do these little things as a means of sharing our love for God with others, I believe it makes God smile with joy.
I might think that the work I am doing here is pretty insignificant... helping to direct a Christmas skit, typing out a song book, making an Advent calendar, to give a few examples. And when I am helping in the barrios with feedings and missions, it is so easy to become disheartened by the thought that, sure we are helping the people in this barrio, but there are hundreds of barrios just in the central part of Eastern Samar!! What kind of difference am I making here? But I am comforted by the thought that nothing is small for God. He sees everything and He treasures all of the little things I do each day for others. And the same is true for you. It all matters!
And each time I stop what I am doing to help someone else, no matter how small the task, He is pleased. Try noticing how many times a day you stop in your work, your chores or errands to help someone...even if it is just picking up a pen that they dropped. I think if you become aware of the little needs that people have and take the time to stop and help, when the big things come along it seems natural to help. And when it's done for the glory of God, all of heaven rejoices.
I don't know about you, but that thought makes me really want to fill my days doing things for others, little tasks or big, for the love of God. For, as St. Mother Teresa says, "God will not ask how many books we have read, how many miracles we have worked, but whether we have done our best for the love of Him...Nothing is small for God."
xxooxxoo
It made me really stop in my tracks. I am getting ready to go to Providence Home, the mission house in the mountains, for the day and have a lot of things on my mind, but that sentence stopped me cold in my tracks. Nothing is small for God.
It is kind of hilarious to think about if you roll it over in your head for a minute. I mean, think about it for a minute. For God, the Creator of the universe, Who manages and designs all things, Who holds the stars and all of His creations in His mighty hands, Who is capable of doing ANYTHING, Who is so massive in my mind...for Him, nothing is small. He sees everything, and none of it is too small to matter.
A smile to a stranger, picking up a pen that someone dropped, playing fairly in a chess game, giving a compliment...these things seem teeny tiny, especially when compared to the awesome works of Mother Teresa...oh my!! But each one is precious in the eyes of our Lord because we are reaching out, however insignificant it is to us. And when we do these little things as a means of sharing our love for God with others, I believe it makes God smile with joy.
I might think that the work I am doing here is pretty insignificant... helping to direct a Christmas skit, typing out a song book, making an Advent calendar, to give a few examples. And when I am helping in the barrios with feedings and missions, it is so easy to become disheartened by the thought that, sure we are helping the people in this barrio, but there are hundreds of barrios just in the central part of Eastern Samar!! What kind of difference am I making here? But I am comforted by the thought that nothing is small for God. He sees everything and He treasures all of the little things I do each day for others. And the same is true for you. It all matters!
And each time I stop what I am doing to help someone else, no matter how small the task, He is pleased. Try noticing how many times a day you stop in your work, your chores or errands to help someone...even if it is just picking up a pen that they dropped. I think if you become aware of the little needs that people have and take the time to stop and help, when the big things come along it seems natural to help. And when it's done for the glory of God, all of heaven rejoices.
I don't know about you, but that thought makes me really want to fill my days doing things for others, little tasks or big, for the love of God. For, as St. Mother Teresa says, "God will not ask how many books we have read, how many miracles we have worked, but whether we have done our best for the love of Him...Nothing is small for God."
xxooxxoo
Sunday, December 4, 2016
A 2 Month Picture Post
Wow! I can't believe I have been here for 2 months!! It seems pretty crazy to me how fast time goes by. I have had a lot of great experiences here over the past two months...just wanted to share with you some of the highlights:
Here are some of the scholars I live with at the Oikos Mission. This happened to be at a farewell party for some visitors to Oikos. All of these kids are so sweet and work very hard. It is a pleasure to know them and to be a part of their lives!!!
Here are some of the scholars I live with at the Oikos Mission. This happened to be at a farewell party for some visitors to Oikos. All of these kids are so sweet and work very hard. It is a pleasure to know them and to be a part of their lives!!!
Here we are preparing for the immersion in Conception and the surrounding barrios. We prepared food, clothes, school supplies, water filters, shoes, toys, blankets, rosaries and homemade diapers!!
And here we are in Conception at the Immersion, working hard but having fun!
Our Immersion Team:
Here is the Oikos Livelihood team led by Sister Clarissa. They run the FAITH program and the Piglet Recycling and Fattening programs. They do an awesome job from presenting the programs to helping the people begin to monitoring the beneficiaries progress throughout the program. The pictures of the pigs are from the Oikos Pig Farm.
The following pictures are from when I went to Tacla-on and Sta. Cruz to see the progress of the Piglet Recycling Program that I helped to start off the last time I was here. Now, the sows that we gave out last November are grown and have had their piglets!! How fulfilling it was for me to see the completion of a program that I had a hand in starting!! Not every beneficiary had a successful liter of piglets, but most did. On this day, we collected our payment from the beneficiaries: either 2 piglets or php3,000. It was totally awesome!
These pictures are taken from the launching of the FAITH Program (Food Always In The Home) in a town called Sabong. The pastor of the parish in Sabong, Msgr. Pepe, invited the Oikos Livelihood Team to teach people in his parish to begin the FAITH program. Currently, the Livelihood Team has running FAITH programs in 3 barrios, and 5 have completed the one-year program and are still going strong. Awesome!!!!!
Also in November, I went with Sister Ethel and one of the mothers, Nanay Bebe , pictured below, to cook meals for retired priests on their retreat. It was at a beautiful place in the mountains, Suiginon, and it was sssooooo quiet and peaceful there! When we weren't cooking, I read a book, sat outside in the cool air (yes, it was cool on the mountain!), and took some naps! It was like a mini retreat for me. From our house, we could see the ocean on one side and higher mountains on the other. Simply beautiful!!!
So, that is my past two months in a nutshell...now, onto December!! Our new project is the Good Wish Tree. We painted these branches and cut out 200 stars!! On each star is a name of a child in a new barrio we have never been to! The Oikos scholars, co-workers and people in the community are invited to choose a star or two and buy a gift for that child. Then, we will go to this barrio on a day close to Christmas and bring games for the kids, food for the families and the gifts for the kids. We will bring Christmas to the barrio!!!
Always doing something new for the poor!! Never a dull day!!! God bless the Oikos Sisters!!
Here is a picture of me and some of the kids celebrating my 2 months here in Borongan:
So happy to be here!!
Thank you for the prayers these past few months!! Keep 'em coming!! I'll be praying for you too!!
xxooxxoo
Friday, December 2, 2016
A World Without Hope
Laum. In Waray Waray it means hope. As I look back on my life, I have really had a life full of hope. As a child, during the winter I would hope for a snow day with no school, and as Christmas neared I would hope for a certain gift from Santa. I can remember hoping that I would do well on tests...and that my teacher wouldn't call on me!! As I grew older, my hopes changed from being focused on me to focused on the world around me and the people in it. I hoped my grandmother would survive breast cancer...twice (!), and she did! I hoped my sister Margaret would be able to smile again after she lost her baby...she did too, a different but always beautiful smile! I've hoped for peace in our country and in our world. There is no end to the hopes I have had. I have seen a lot of hope in the Philippines, particularly in the eyes of those whom the Oikos Sisters help. But I have learned the harsh reality of life in the barrios...not all of it, but regarding hope...it seems there is none.
When we were coming home from the re-immersion in Conception, Sister Minerva, Sister Clarissa, Sister Aileen and I had a frank discussion about life in the barrios. It started because I was mentioning how many children there are in Conception and in the surrounding barrios. It seems that because of the high price of fares to leave the barrio, few people travel from the barrio to the city and back for work, so they stay where they are. Many are not educated past grade 6, some have no education beyond grade 2. And as they grow up, they have no hope for a different future...there is no money to provide for something different, so they just live.
Many people are "married" by the age of 15 and begin having children right away. But because they need a "live birth record" or birth certificate to get married, (civilly or in the Church) many don't bother with a ceremony as to get the record, they must pay a fee and travel to a far city to get it. Another hindrance to a marriage ceremony is the shortage of priests in the barrios. Many only have mass said in their barrio once or twice a year! There have been times when a priest will go into a barrio and marry a group of people all together. He has a marriage preparation seminar for the people, and then marries them in one ceremony...it could be 10 or 12 couples or more. So, people just forgo the ceremony and begin their lives together. But they have no hope for a better life.
There are only so many jobs for people in the barrio, and even if they are lucky enough to own land to plant on, getting food to the city market is so expensive, sometimes no profit can be made. And the others? It is a devastating thought that these capable people do not work, cannot provide for their growing families, have no hope for something better. I cannot even imagine a world without hope...I don't want to even try.
So what is the answer? The government's answer is to do nothing. They say that if you give them help for nothing, the people will begin to feel entitled and will just take and take and not move forward. The government frowns on organizations like the Oikos Sisters, but they are slow to do things that would improve the chances of people finding work like build a road to the far flung barrios, create programs that help people pay for the travel fares, create jobs or encourage businesses to enter the barrios. Some might say give the people birth control, but first of all, all life from God is a gift and each life has a purpose and the possibility of making this world a better place. Secondly, these people have no access to doctors to help them deal with the medical issues that come with using birth control, not to mention the money to pay the doctors for care. It is a grim and dark life, a very hard and painful one.
I don't even want to think about living in a world without hope. It seems to me to be the saddest existence ever. And yet, day in and day out, the people in the barrios wake up, go through their days without enough food, without help, without hope for anything that transforms their bitter existence.
You must know me well enough by now to know that I cannot leave this blog on this dour note. The thing I love about the Oikos Sisters is that they don't just hand stuff out to people...well, they do, but they do so much more! They give the people hope. They teach them how to grow vegetables and fruits organically, on risers so they are not digging into land that isn't theirs, they teach them how to raise piglets for breeding and fattening, they send their children to school and bring doctors and dentists right to them. They provide medications for them so they can hope to be healed. They listen to these people...like Jennifer and her son John Mark that I wrote about a few blogs ago... the Sisters paid for the fare for Jennifer and her son to return to her family in Manila. They are amazing!
Even now, they are planning a Christmas Giving in several barrios...we made a giving tree and received names of children from several barrios. We have 200 names of children!! Some of the gifts will be bought by the Oikos kids, some by Oikos co-workers and some by people in our parish. A few days before Christmas, we will bring Christmas to the barrios. Every year they do something like this for the poor. Last year we fed over 300 people on Christmas day, a few years ago the Sisters made Christmas food packs of rice, sugar, coffee, noodles, ingredients for pancet and some fruit. They traveled toward the south and stopped at every small house they drove by, knocked on the door, sang a few Christmas carols and gave the family a food pack. This year we will bring gifts for the children, games for a Christmas party and food for the families for Christmas to a few barrios. They are always finding new ways to help the poor, to bring them hope.
But they are only 5 Sisters. This Advent, please pray for vocations to the Oikos Sisters' Mission. They need more workers in the field... not only sisters, but missionaries and co-workers too. And if you would like to help the Oikos Sisters bring hope to the poor here in the Philippines, you can make a donation at http://www.PoorHouseholdofGod.org. Unbelievably, 100% of your donation goes directly to the poor here in the Philippines...and I am witness to the careful usage of your donations here. Lastly, please pray for the Oikos Sisters. They carry the burden of the hopelessness here.
Laum...Hope...It is something that is often taken for granted, and it shouldn't be! Hope is what gets us up and out and on our way. Hope is what drives us and what encourages us on when the situation we are in seems full of devastation and despair. I remember in the great movie Shawshank Redemption, Morgan Freeman's character was without hope, and he was pressing his fellow inmates to let go of hope. But in the last scene he began to hope, in fact, I think the last line of the movie is "I hope..."
I hope for so much for the poor here...I hope they no longer feel the bitter pangs of hopelessness and can feel the love of God through all of us. I hope... xxoo
When we were coming home from the re-immersion in Conception, Sister Minerva, Sister Clarissa, Sister Aileen and I had a frank discussion about life in the barrios. It started because I was mentioning how many children there are in Conception and in the surrounding barrios. It seems that because of the high price of fares to leave the barrio, few people travel from the barrio to the city and back for work, so they stay where they are. Many are not educated past grade 6, some have no education beyond grade 2. And as they grow up, they have no hope for a different future...there is no money to provide for something different, so they just live.
Many people are "married" by the age of 15 and begin having children right away. But because they need a "live birth record" or birth certificate to get married, (civilly or in the Church) many don't bother with a ceremony as to get the record, they must pay a fee and travel to a far city to get it. Another hindrance to a marriage ceremony is the shortage of priests in the barrios. Many only have mass said in their barrio once or twice a year! There have been times when a priest will go into a barrio and marry a group of people all together. He has a marriage preparation seminar for the people, and then marries them in one ceremony...it could be 10 or 12 couples or more. So, people just forgo the ceremony and begin their lives together. But they have no hope for a better life.
There are only so many jobs for people in the barrio, and even if they are lucky enough to own land to plant on, getting food to the city market is so expensive, sometimes no profit can be made. And the others? It is a devastating thought that these capable people do not work, cannot provide for their growing families, have no hope for something better. I cannot even imagine a world without hope...I don't want to even try.
So what is the answer? The government's answer is to do nothing. They say that if you give them help for nothing, the people will begin to feel entitled and will just take and take and not move forward. The government frowns on organizations like the Oikos Sisters, but they are slow to do things that would improve the chances of people finding work like build a road to the far flung barrios, create programs that help people pay for the travel fares, create jobs or encourage businesses to enter the barrios. Some might say give the people birth control, but first of all, all life from God is a gift and each life has a purpose and the possibility of making this world a better place. Secondly, these people have no access to doctors to help them deal with the medical issues that come with using birth control, not to mention the money to pay the doctors for care. It is a grim and dark life, a very hard and painful one.
I don't even want to think about living in a world without hope. It seems to me to be the saddest existence ever. And yet, day in and day out, the people in the barrios wake up, go through their days without enough food, without help, without hope for anything that transforms their bitter existence.
You must know me well enough by now to know that I cannot leave this blog on this dour note. The thing I love about the Oikos Sisters is that they don't just hand stuff out to people...well, they do, but they do so much more! They give the people hope. They teach them how to grow vegetables and fruits organically, on risers so they are not digging into land that isn't theirs, they teach them how to raise piglets for breeding and fattening, they send their children to school and bring doctors and dentists right to them. They provide medications for them so they can hope to be healed. They listen to these people...like Jennifer and her son John Mark that I wrote about a few blogs ago... the Sisters paid for the fare for Jennifer and her son to return to her family in Manila. They are amazing!
Even now, they are planning a Christmas Giving in several barrios...we made a giving tree and received names of children from several barrios. We have 200 names of children!! Some of the gifts will be bought by the Oikos kids, some by Oikos co-workers and some by people in our parish. A few days before Christmas, we will bring Christmas to the barrios. Every year they do something like this for the poor. Last year we fed over 300 people on Christmas day, a few years ago the Sisters made Christmas food packs of rice, sugar, coffee, noodles, ingredients for pancet and some fruit. They traveled toward the south and stopped at every small house they drove by, knocked on the door, sang a few Christmas carols and gave the family a food pack. This year we will bring gifts for the children, games for a Christmas party and food for the families for Christmas to a few barrios. They are always finding new ways to help the poor, to bring them hope.
But they are only 5 Sisters. This Advent, please pray for vocations to the Oikos Sisters' Mission. They need more workers in the field... not only sisters, but missionaries and co-workers too. And if you would like to help the Oikos Sisters bring hope to the poor here in the Philippines, you can make a donation at http://www.PoorHouseholdofGod.org. Unbelievably, 100% of your donation goes directly to the poor here in the Philippines...and I am witness to the careful usage of your donations here. Lastly, please pray for the Oikos Sisters. They carry the burden of the hopelessness here.
Laum...Hope...It is something that is often taken for granted, and it shouldn't be! Hope is what gets us up and out and on our way. Hope is what drives us and what encourages us on when the situation we are in seems full of devastation and despair. I remember in the great movie Shawshank Redemption, Morgan Freeman's character was without hope, and he was pressing his fellow inmates to let go of hope. But in the last scene he began to hope, in fact, I think the last line of the movie is "I hope..."
I hope for so much for the poor here...I hope they no longer feel the bitter pangs of hopelessness and can feel the love of God through all of us. I hope... xxoo
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Re-Immersion in Conception
Earlier in October of this year, the Oikos Sisters, their team of volunteers, Mary Jane and Vic Trinkus and I went on an immersion in the northern-most barrios of Eastern Samar. We brought food, doctors, medicine, dentists, clothes, shoes, Water With Blessings water filtering kits, food packs along with a few prayerful reflections and catechesis for the children and the adults there. We served 4 different barrios, the medical and dental mission helped over 200 people and over the 3 days we were there, we served over 1,000 meals. It was awesome!
But, we didn't finish. So on Saturday, November 26th we went back to finish the job. But the story begins before that...
In my last blog I wrote about my Thanksgiving Day and about the typhoon that was coming into the Visayas region where I am. We originally were supposed to go to Conception on Friday, Nov 25th and stay over until Saturday. However, with the weather so bad, the threat of flooding and the roughness of the river (part of the trip to Conception involves riding on a boat) the mayor of Conception and the Oikos Sisters decided that it was not a good idea to go at that time. However, Friday was an absolutely beautiful day, so we decided to go on Saturday, just for the day.
We left bright and early, around 3am...dark and early is more accurate!! Packing food for our volunteers and more medical and dental equipment (some we left in Conception as we knew we were coming back) we filled up the trucks and were on our way. I didn't think much of the walk to the river before going on the boat... it is about a 15 minute walk...it starts with a steep hill and ends with a steep hill, with a few twists in between. But I have boots and pants, a jacket...I was all ready with my little day pack that had a change of shorts, water bottle and a few other things.
But when we arrived at the unloading spot, I saw the results of the storm the previous night... wet, soupy, slippery mud and lots of puddles of standing water. We had some strong young men who were helping us down the first hill. I have to say that Filipinos are, generally, very graceful and have awesome balance. I feel like Bozo the Clown around them in situations like this!!! Trying to climb down a steep, muddy, slippery hill with nothing to hold on to, and everyone watching is no fun, let me tell you! But conquer the first hill, I did!! I was thinking as I approached the second hill, covered in water and mud from walking along the side of the muddy road in the high grass, that I looked like I fell in the mud...nope. I didn't at all. I realized that after I fell in the mud!! I was trying to get down the second hill and stepped on a place that wasn't firm...and down I went, like on a slide! I was mortally embarrassed...even more so after seeing that hardly anyone else had even as much mud on them as I had before I fell! On the boat, I watched the male volunteers on our team carry heavy boxes of medical equipment on their shoulders while easily climbing over the hills and the muck. Wow!! I mean WOW!!!!!
However, once we got to Conception, and I changed into my shorts...gratefully, we got all set up, had some breakfast and a beautiful praise and worship session, I was in the mode for working! I was on a team with Sister Aileen, who is a nurse. I learned how to take people's blood pressure, how to administer the nebulizer and how to test people's sugar. I had a good day, spending some of it with the kids, who are always so drawn to me...it's so cute! We sang a few songs and I spoke to them in my broken Waray Waray, which they understood, thank you very much!! It was a good day!! With three doctors, two dentists, a few pharmacists and nurses...we were very busy!!
At about 4pm, when I assumed we were leaving, I learned that the priest, Fr. Arci, was asking us to stay one more day to finish up with the people who weren't seen by the doctors yet. One doctor and one dentist could stay, so the Sisters said ok. However...I had just packed a day pack...no pjs, toothbrush or paste, soap, change of clothes for the morning...nothing! Actually, I thought I was so smart because we were going to our mission house in the mountains directly after Conception on Saturday, so I had my big bag sent there the night before so I wouldn't have to carry it all day. No, not so smart!! Although the plan was to stay just for one day, almost everyone else had back ups just in case we stayed. I was a little distraught at first, but I quickly brushed off that mood for one of a lesson learned and enjoying the adventure of it all...and I did!
Over the two days, the doctors and dentists helped over 600 people with health care and free medications from the Oikos Charity Pharmacy!!! All were so happy to be helped, so, so happy that we came back and so relieved to have had seen a doctor. The amount of money it takes to travel from Conception to the nearest city, Arteche, is just about equal to a day's food for a family. It is a dear cost and isn't made often. And of the 4 barrios we helped, Conception is the closest to Arteche, from the other barrios, it costs more. Also, there is not signal in Conception or the other barrios surrounding it...no phone or computers...no way to call or email a doctor for advice. It is a grim reality.
As we left Conception, me in my dried muddy pants (!), we were sent off with smiles and gratitude. Despite the troubles I had, it was a great trip and I am so, so grateful to have been a part of it. So grateful to have had another learning experience that helped me to grow as a person and as a missionary. Growth is often painful...whether physical, emotional or spiritual, there can be a lot of pain in growing. But always, I keep in mind what my brother-in-law, John, likes to say..."Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger!" So, there I was...dirty, smelly, a little embarrassed and a lot tired, but stronger...and more knowledgeable about being a good missionary. That's what it's all about, folks!! Living and growing, loving and giving, and most importantly, trusting in the Good Lord that He has me in His mighty Hands. xxoo
A few immersion pictures:
But, we didn't finish. So on Saturday, November 26th we went back to finish the job. But the story begins before that...
In my last blog I wrote about my Thanksgiving Day and about the typhoon that was coming into the Visayas region where I am. We originally were supposed to go to Conception on Friday, Nov 25th and stay over until Saturday. However, with the weather so bad, the threat of flooding and the roughness of the river (part of the trip to Conception involves riding on a boat) the mayor of Conception and the Oikos Sisters decided that it was not a good idea to go at that time. However, Friday was an absolutely beautiful day, so we decided to go on Saturday, just for the day.
We left bright and early, around 3am...dark and early is more accurate!! Packing food for our volunteers and more medical and dental equipment (some we left in Conception as we knew we were coming back) we filled up the trucks and were on our way. I didn't think much of the walk to the river before going on the boat... it is about a 15 minute walk...it starts with a steep hill and ends with a steep hill, with a few twists in between. But I have boots and pants, a jacket...I was all ready with my little day pack that had a change of shorts, water bottle and a few other things.
But when we arrived at the unloading spot, I saw the results of the storm the previous night... wet, soupy, slippery mud and lots of puddles of standing water. We had some strong young men who were helping us down the first hill. I have to say that Filipinos are, generally, very graceful and have awesome balance. I feel like Bozo the Clown around them in situations like this!!! Trying to climb down a steep, muddy, slippery hill with nothing to hold on to, and everyone watching is no fun, let me tell you! But conquer the first hill, I did!! I was thinking as I approached the second hill, covered in water and mud from walking along the side of the muddy road in the high grass, that I looked like I fell in the mud...nope. I didn't at all. I realized that after I fell in the mud!! I was trying to get down the second hill and stepped on a place that wasn't firm...and down I went, like on a slide! I was mortally embarrassed...even more so after seeing that hardly anyone else had even as much mud on them as I had before I fell! On the boat, I watched the male volunteers on our team carry heavy boxes of medical equipment on their shoulders while easily climbing over the hills and the muck. Wow!! I mean WOW!!!!!
However, once we got to Conception, and I changed into my shorts...gratefully, we got all set up, had some breakfast and a beautiful praise and worship session, I was in the mode for working! I was on a team with Sister Aileen, who is a nurse. I learned how to take people's blood pressure, how to administer the nebulizer and how to test people's sugar. I had a good day, spending some of it with the kids, who are always so drawn to me...it's so cute! We sang a few songs and I spoke to them in my broken Waray Waray, which they understood, thank you very much!! It was a good day!! With three doctors, two dentists, a few pharmacists and nurses...we were very busy!!
At about 4pm, when I assumed we were leaving, I learned that the priest, Fr. Arci, was asking us to stay one more day to finish up with the people who weren't seen by the doctors yet. One doctor and one dentist could stay, so the Sisters said ok. However...I had just packed a day pack...no pjs, toothbrush or paste, soap, change of clothes for the morning...nothing! Actually, I thought I was so smart because we were going to our mission house in the mountains directly after Conception on Saturday, so I had my big bag sent there the night before so I wouldn't have to carry it all day. No, not so smart!! Although the plan was to stay just for one day, almost everyone else had back ups just in case we stayed. I was a little distraught at first, but I quickly brushed off that mood for one of a lesson learned and enjoying the adventure of it all...and I did!
Over the two days, the doctors and dentists helped over 600 people with health care and free medications from the Oikos Charity Pharmacy!!! All were so happy to be helped, so, so happy that we came back and so relieved to have had seen a doctor. The amount of money it takes to travel from Conception to the nearest city, Arteche, is just about equal to a day's food for a family. It is a dear cost and isn't made often. And of the 4 barrios we helped, Conception is the closest to Arteche, from the other barrios, it costs more. Also, there is not signal in Conception or the other barrios surrounding it...no phone or computers...no way to call or email a doctor for advice. It is a grim reality.
As we left Conception, me in my dried muddy pants (!), we were sent off with smiles and gratitude. Despite the troubles I had, it was a great trip and I am so, so grateful to have been a part of it. So grateful to have had another learning experience that helped me to grow as a person and as a missionary. Growth is often painful...whether physical, emotional or spiritual, there can be a lot of pain in growing. But always, I keep in mind what my brother-in-law, John, likes to say..."Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger!" So, there I was...dirty, smelly, a little embarrassed and a lot tired, but stronger...and more knowledgeable about being a good missionary. That's what it's all about, folks!! Living and growing, loving and giving, and most importantly, trusting in the Good Lord that He has me in His mighty Hands. xxoo
A few immersion pictures:
The steep and muddy hills:
Sister Michelle and, my partner, Sister Aileen working hard!
The doctors seeing their patients:
Some of my fans!!!
Some beautiful scenic views:
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