Joy Revisited

I slept and dreamt that life was joy.

I awoke and saw that life was service.

I acted and behold, service was joy."

The above quote is written by Rabindranath Tagore, a philosopher and reformer who lived in Calcutta at the turn of the 20th century and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.  When I saw this quote, it struck me quite stunningly how accurate this is in my life. 

When I went on my first mission to Africa, I was told that now my life would be split into two parts…life before Ghana and life after Ghana.  I didn’t believe it at the time, I thought how could one experience change one’s life so irrevocably that it would never be the same again.  But it totally did!!  It was like I woke up for the first time and saw how I should really live my life, caring for and serving others.  My path may be different from yours, but whether we move to another country to serve and care for others or do it in the town we were born in, we are all called to service.  The amazing thing that I learned on my very first mission was that when I gave myself totally in service to others, I was filled with great joy…even through difficult times and painful experiences.  It is not a joy born of earthly things, for that kind of joy is temporary.  The joy I am speaking of comes from deep within yourself, it is a brightness, a lightening of your load, a feeling of peace and of grace. “I acted and behold, service was joy!”

   

This past February, missioners from around the whole world came to Borongan City for the 12^th Annual Bulig Kablas Medical Mission through the Diocese of Joliet Partnership in Mission.  48 men and women including doctors, nurses, dentists, builders, painters, and community outreach volunteers came to Borongan traveling thousands of miles, spending hundreds of dollars, leaving their families and their work.  They worked here for two weeks without pay healing the sick, helping to restore dental health, building homes in the rain and reaching out to the poorest of the poor, from the smallest children to the senior citizens.   Why do they do that?  What could be their motivation?  I know what it is… it is the joy they feel in serving others.  It may seem hard to believe, but even in the challenging situations, the painful encounters and headaches and tummy troubles, there is joy!   That is why so many of these volunteers have been coming back to Borongan for this mission for many years now.  They acted and behold, they found service was joy.

This year for the Medical Mission, I was on the dental team.  We served the poor in the barrios of San Jose and  San Miguel, we worked two days in the provincial hospital and we also gave dental care to the prisoners at the provincial jail and at PJMB.  Three dentists came from the US along with three dental hygenists, and, working alongside Sister Michelle Ureta, one of the Oikos Sisters who is also a dentist, they saw over 650 patients and did over 1,000 procedures!!!  I was working as the dental pharmacist together with other Oikos co-workers throughout the dental mission.  It was really amazing to see all of the dentists working so hard, bending over patients, one after the other, understanding and feeling the fears and pain of their patients, working from early in the morning until late in the afternoon and treating each person with kindness and patience.  Despite the back pain, headaches, heat and long hours, at the end of the day, I could still see the joy on their faces.  Truly, there is great joy in service!  For me, it was my first time working as a pharmacist, although all I gave out were pain killers and amoxicillin!  Still, being able to offer a comforting smile, some relief from pain and receiving lots of smiles as I gave the instructions for the medicine in Waray Waray, I felt blessed to be able to do even that.  The experience at the prisons was something I will never forget.  It was the first time I did prison ministry, but I hope it won’t be the last.  I had a personal encounter with each prisoner as I explained to them how to take their medicine, offered empathy for their dental pain and gave wishes for a speedy recovery.  Each of us received the grace to look beyond the exterior of each prisoner to see the person God created, and gave them all the care and love a child of God deserves.          

There is great joy in service, and I am so thankful to God for the blessing of being able to experience this joy day in and day out with the Oikos Sisters in their mission, Oikos Ptochos Tou Theo, the Poor Household of God.  From the big acts of service like making food for 600 people and serving it to the smaller tasks like encoding a songbook for the Oikos Family to use during prayer, when I am able to put others first and truly rely on God, I am filled with the joy of service.

I know that Rabindranath Tagore did not write this poem for me... but I thank him from the bottom of my joyful heart that he wrote it for it explains something I have been trying to put into words for 4 years now.  By the way, you don't have to become a missionary or travel hundreds of miles to feel this kind of joy.  The Good Lord knows there are many, many people in need right here in our city, our neighborhoods, possibly even in our own families.  Do the service...feel the joy...never stop!!! 

Dr. Terry and Dr. Mike in San Miguel

Ready to start the day!!

Dental Hygienist Laura...can you find her?

The dental team with our protectors...Thank you!!!

A Humbling Experience: Arnell

I know that I have been sorely negligent in my commitment to posting about my missionary work.  I apologize for the interruption.  It is true that I am quite busy here and that at the end of the day I seem to fall into bed with a loud sigh and drift right into sleep.  But I do miss writing, I miss the connection I have had with those of you who have been faithful readers.  I will do my best to begin again.  I had some technical issues...the computer I was using crashed, and I lost many of my pictures and posts I was writing.  So...here we go...beginning once again...I hope and pray that the fervor in which I desire to write is enough to keep my eyes open at night!!

So this is my fourth trip here to the Poor Household of God mission in the Philippines with the Oikos Sisters.  I sort of was surprised at the feeling of coming home that I experienced upon my arrival here.  But truly, it felt so natural and right.  It was a great feeling to experience!!  I have made a commitment to the Oikos Mission, this past January I renewed my status as a co-worker of the Oikos Sisters.  It is a one-year commitment, my second year as a co-worker.  I have also made a personal commitment to remain here in this mission, to look no further to where God wants me to be.  I believe He wants me here...and I am happy to be here!

I am continuing to work with the Baking Mamas.  There are now 4 mothers working, baking each day.  We have a daily order of snacks each morning delivered by 9:30 in the morning.  The mothers make pizza, empanadas, toron (bananas wrapped in a thin shell and fried), banana Q (bananas cooked with brown sugar until caramelized and put on a stick), and cassava cake (a local delicacy made from a root crop called cassava, sugar and milk).  This summer we will hopefully get a stand near the beach and sell our products each day as well.  We've also tried baking baked pretzels...quite a marvelous new treat for them!!  So much fun!!  I'll also be teaching them some new treats to make.  The mothers get paid an hourly wage along with a meal while working.  we hope this can become a livelihood program we can begin again and again with poor mothers.  Please pray for us!!  There's more information about the Baking Mamas on our website, http://www.PoorHouseholdofGod.org.  Feel free to check it out!!

People continue to come to our door for help.  Whether looking for medicine, rice or money for their needs, we see everyone who comes and try to help as best as we can.  The other day, a man came to our door with his auntie.  His name was Arnell and he was 37 years old.  His mother left the family when he was just a baby and his sister, who up until a few weeks ago had been providing for him, has now left him to work in a bigger city.  So now he really needs help, and this is why:

Arnell was born with a skin disease.  It looks like he has sustained 3rd degree burns all over his body.  Every inch of his skin looks like it has been severely burned.  He has rounded feet, so he cannot wear shoes of any kind and walks around barefoot everywhere he goes, he has no eyelids, so he cannot ever rest his eyes...they are always open and he has no protection for them.  Arnell is always hot and thirsty, probably severely dehydrated, and the heat he feels is constant, he says he never feels cool.  All of this he told us upon our asking about him and his life.  He was not complaining, about anything!!  He came because with his sister deserting the family, he and his auntie have no one to provide for their food, so they were asking for rice.

I looked at this man, who has no way to rest his eyes, who cannot wear shoes of any kind to protect his feet, whose skin looks extremely painful and is painfully dry, who cannot find any relief from the constant overwhelming heat he feels and who was in no way complaining about any of this, and I thought to myself... I have no reason to complain about ANYTHING EVER AGAIN!!!  Oh my goodness!!  Since meeting Arnell, I have been searching on the internet ways we can help him, and I have been in contact with a dermatologist who came on the last medical mission that we had here last month to see what disease he could possibly have and if there is any help for him.  And even though the days have gone by and many other people have come to Oikos for help, still I cannot get Arnell out of my mind.  We asked his auntie to be the one to come to Oikos when they need help so Arnell wont hurt his feet anymore, and she has returned for food.  We have also promised to visit their home as well, which we will soon do.  But how humbling was this experience???   I have come here to help people and continuously find myself being the one who has been helped/changed for the better.  Please keep Arnell and his auntie in your prayers...and us too as we search for ways to help him.  Thank You!!  xxoo

A Moment of Looking Back

Happy New Year!!!  It's 2018...hard to believe that 2017 is already over and that just a few days ago I celebrated my 4th year as a missionary!  How  my life has changed over the past 4 years!!  Incredibly is an understatement!!  This past January 4, 2018, I returned to the Philippines for my 4th mission with the Poor Household of God mission and the Oikos Sisters.  It's great how "easy" traveling half way around the world has become...how commonplace.  Me, who hardly ever ventured outside of my own community is becoming a confident world traveler!!  Pretty funny!

So, 4 years isn't exactly a milestone, but to me it is pretty significant.  My whole way of living, thinking, even just being has changed.  The way I see the world has altered irrevocably...sometimes for the worse as I can be judgmental, although I really try not to be.  I have learned over the past 4 years to live in both the first world and the third world, a balancing act that has taken some time to level out.  Sometimes I still struggle with the vast differences between the two worlds, but it is getting easier.  I have broken out of my shell more and become more outgoing.  Overall, I would say the that the changes that have taken place in me have been pretty positive.

I remember my reasons for not wanting to go on a mission trip... the heat, the bugs, the loss of conveniences, being away from my family and friends...everything familiar.  Looking back, I see most of those were excuses not really reasons.  But I've learned I can take the heat...in fact I can't tell you how many times people in the US tell me how nice my skin is, which is due to the humid climate in the Philippines and the loss of skin toxins due to sweating!  Bugs...well, what can you really say about that... whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger?  Shaking out the ants in my clothes before I put them on and becoming friends with the lizards in my room has become commonplace for me.  I'm not saying you won't hear me screaming when I see a spider that is bigger than my hand, but I've even come to not panic when there's a huge cockroach in my bedroom at night.  As for conveniences, at times I admit to a certain amount of frustration in that department, but I have become a much more patient person as a result of not having everything the moment I want it, having to do without or come up with creative substitutions.  Thanks to the electronic age, talking with  my family is really easy.  Computers, the internet and wifi make communication a snap.  Of course, here in the Philippines the signals are not always strong and the routine brown-outs and not-so routine surprise brown-outs can disrupt the regularity of  our communication, but all in all, messenger, Whats App, facebook and email make communicating a breeze.

So, Happy Anniversary to me!!  My anniversary pales in comparison, however to the anniversary we will be celebrating in May... May 3rd is the 20th anniversary of the Oikos Community!  Already we are gearing up for it...it is sure to be quite a party!

It's good to look back every once in a while, to see where you've been, where the road has taken you and how you've changed since the beginning of your journey.  Just don't get caught there, stuck looking back lest you suffer the fate of Lot's wife...she turned into a pillar of salt!!  I am happy to have this time of reflection...now, back to looking forward (no pun intended!)  Upwards and onwards to continue my journey as a missionary and as a daughter of God.  xxoo

There's One More Angel In Heaven

A while back, I wrote a post about a little girl named Lizell Jane.  You can read the post here.  The Oikos Sisters along with Mary Jane Trinkus and me were on our way to a short two-day retreat in one of the northern towns here in Eastern Samar.  We were in 2 cars because   there were so many of us and were all excited for the time away.  The car I wasn't in was in an accident on the way to the retreat.  Our driver Joey was passing a tricycle, which is like a taxi cab, when a little girl ran out in front of his car suddenly and he couldn't avoid hitting her.  She had some cuts on her face and bruises along her side, but she was ok.  After taking her to the hospital and making sure she was ok, the Oikos Sisters assured the little girl's great grandmother that they would not abandon her and her family.

The story behind the girl, Lizell Jane, is that she was 6 years old at the time and she was abandoned by her mother.  Her father went to Manila to find work.  He did find work and would send money home to the great grandmother whenever he could, but it wasn't often.  He left the great grandmother with his 3 children, Lizell and her two younger sisters, one of which has cerebral palsy.  They lived literally in a shack with no electricity or furniture and shared a bathroom with 8 other families.  The grandmother, the very day of the accident, woke up begging God for help.  She couldn't do this by herself anymore and was in desperate need of help.  Well, God did send help...probably not the way she was hoping it would come.  Having your great-grandchild in an accident doesn't seem very helpful!  But God's ways are mysterious and the encounter brought the Oikos Sisters into their lives.  From that day on, the Oikos Sisters helped the family...even to this very day.

Well, yesterday Lola, our term for grandmother, came to Oikos.  She often comes when she is in need of something and it is always nice to see her.  She always gives me a kiss when she sees me!!  But yesterday was different.  This is what Lola told me...

Lizell Jane and her sisters were sent to Manila to be with their father.  The Oikos Sisters continued to help them from afar as well as they were able to.  The girls were going to school and living with their father.  But a few months ago, the father was on a construction job and fell off of high scaffolding.  He died instantly.  The girls were sent to live with some sisters who live in Manila and have a home for children.  Well, last Wednesday, Lizell Jane was leaving school.  As she was crossing the street, she was hit by a truck and died instantly. 

It was a hit and run, no one knows anything about the person who hit her.  Lola came to Oikos to tell us and to ask for fare money to Manila so she could attend the funeral.  Oh my, she was so sad.  As no sisters were in the office yesterday, I tried my best to offer comfort and love to Lola in my broken waray waray... there's not much you can say anyways in that situation, just hold her hand and offer a shoulder to cry on.

...but I wanted to cry too... sometimes God's ways are too mysterious.  Why was she spared a few years ago only to be killed now?  How much pain can Lola take on, abandonment, death, extreme poverty...all of the things people say at a time like this are running through my head... at least her suffering is over, she is gloriously happy now in heaven, Lola has a special angel in heaven now... it's like putting a band aid on a gaping wound, it doesn't really help. 

I have faith, I have hope in the resurrection, I trust in God's promise of eternal life, but all that doesn't make this any less sad.  It didn't make sitting with Lola yesterday any easier. 

Eternal rest grant unto her, Oh Lord, and my Your perpetual Light shine upon her.  May she rest in peace.

Please pray for Lola, who is in Manila today to grieve with her family...thank you!!

ADLAW HAN MGA KABLAS (Day For The Poor)

 

This past May, I was blessed and honored to be able to travel to South Korea with the Oikos Sisters to have an immersion/retreat with a Catholic congregation called Kkottongnae through the generosity and support of the Diocese of Borongan.  There we attended the “Love in Action” school that taught the importance of loving and caring for everyone, especially those who could never repay the generosity shown them, namely the poor, disabled and elderly.  We participated in a festival in honor of the poor and homeless of Seoul called the Pumba Festival.  The Holy Spirit struck straight to the hearts of the Oikos Sisters and, almost immediately upon returning home, they began planning their own festival for the poorest of the poor here in Borongan, a barrio fiesta called Adlaw Han Mga Kablas.

The Oikos Sisters were founded out of a need they saw to help the poor.  In 2018 they will celebrate their 20^th anniversary!  Since their inception, they have been caring for the poor in countless ways.  What we participated in with Kkottongnae was a celebration of and for the poor people.  A festival where they can laugh and dance and sing and eat their fill…a day of joy for them.  That is the spark that ignited within the Oikos Sisters and fueled our Adlaw Han Mga Kablas fiesta.

A few weeks before the event took place, the Oikos Mission was in high gear preparing for our fiesta.  The Oikos Sisters called upon their co-workers to assemble gift packages for each adult, child and family who would come, to build “houses” where the food would be served and to help on the fiesta day.  They also requested help from the Borongan community for donations of food and drinks for the poor.   Invitations were made and given to poor families and Oikos scholars together with Caritas and Diocesan scholars helped to decorate our venue, the Don Bosco Youth Center.  They also helped to pack up the gifts and were an enormous help the day of the event.

On Saturday, September 30^th, our Adlaw Han Mga Kablas, the sun was shining outside and Christ the Son, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, was beaming through the faces of each Sister and volunteer .  It was an early day for all of us, and yet we were all blessed with energy and joyful spirits throughout the entire day.  We were expecting around 250 fiesta guests, but the count nearly tripled as more than 600 people came!!  We were astounded and worked quickly to make more gift and rice packs for our guests as they were singing, dancing and having such a fun time thanks to our talented MC’s and house band.  But God, our Abba Father, shed His light and His miraculous mercy on us as each child who came received a party bag and each adult received a grocery pack with rice. We had just enough! And the food?  It was like being on the mountainside near the Sea of Galilee 2,000 years ago…not only did we have enough food to feed everyone, but there was more leftover, even after all of the volunteers ate after the event!!  We were all praising God for His kindness to us!!

We were so blessed with the presence of Father Roneil Canillas, Father Roberto Picardal and Most Reverend Bishop Crispin Varquez who celebrated a beautiful mass for us.  We were aided by many of the mothers whose children are sponsored through the Oikos Sisters, the CRLJ Charismatic Community, Sister Bing of the Living the Gospel Sisters and many past and present sponsored scholars.  Truly, each person was a gift to us and not only helped to make the day run smoothly, but made it fun too!

One of the high points for me was when everyone gathered in a circle and sang “Hawak Kamay” together, which means holding hands.  Being a foreigner, I was unfamiliar with this song, however, with a friend’s help, I learned its sweet meaning…You are never alone, no matter what happens.  Not only can you look to God in Heaven, but you can always depend on me to be there for you, to hold your hand, to help you in this uncertain world.  You are never alone.  As the words were translated to me and I looked around at all of the people standing and holding hands, singing with everything they had in them, it really moved me.  To me, that is what Oikos is all about…being there for anyone who God sends their way, bringing God’s love to the poor and giving others the opportunity to do the same.

It seems that for the Oikos Sisters, and for me, it was the very fruitful trip to Kkottongnae in South Korea that led to what we hope will be the first annual Adlaw Han Mga Kablas!!  TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!

                                                              

 

 

  

 

An Amazing Day!

Do you know why I love being a missionary so much?  Believe me, it isn't because of all of the ants and bugs, the almost intolerable heat, the language barrier or being half-way around the world from my family. All of that can be difficult (and there's more too),but all of the difficulties and challenges pale in comparison to the benefits, namely the joy of truly living out the Gospel of Christ.

Now, you can pshawww all you want, roll your eyes and not believe that what I say is true.  But I tell you with absolute certainty:  in my experience, when I attempt to live my life according to the teachings of Jesus, I am a much happier and joyful person and its much harder for bad moods and grouchiness to take over.  

Example:  Yesterday (Sunday) I spoke with Sister Minerva, who asked me if today (Monday) I could make pizza...for 200 people...by 9am!  Sure I say, with a little bit of trepidation.  On Sundays many stores close early or are closed for the day here, so shopping can be a challenge.  The only grocery

store in town was open, but didn't have ground pork or flour (not a shock!)...but these are little nuisances which were pretty easily solved.  So, I woke up around 4:30am and began making the pizzas. I had some help from the mothers and together we finished making 10 sheet pizzas, with our fantastic oven, just before 9am!!  Hip Hip Horrary!!

But I haven't told you the best part yet... we took the pizzas to the provincial jail to feed the inmates and the guards.  We also took with us our water filtering system, Water With Blessings, and did a demo on how to use them.  There is one part in the movie "Walk The Line" where "Johnny Cash" holds up a glass of water that the inmates drink during a concert at Fulton Prison, it is yellow and a little foamy at the top.  The water at this prison wasn't quite as bad as that, but almost.  We took that water and poured it through the filter, and in just minutes, it was clean, pure water.  The guards drank it and were amazed.

We served the prisoners pizza through a small hole in the wall, and...oh my, it was quite an amazing experience.  They were so grateful to receive a little piece of something new and different.  We made ground pork and garlic pizza because they are rarely served meat.  I can't even express in words the feeling I had, standing facing a wall with a tiny hole in the center, handing pizza and kindness to these men who are locked up.  I remember feeling sad that the pieces weren't that big...in fact, I only gave the big pieces to the prisoners and saved the little ones for  the guards!!  Well, most of the guards had 2 pieces while the prisoners could only receive one, so it evens out!!

After I was finished handing out the pizza to the prisoners, guards and family members who were there to visit someone, I saw Sister Minerva at the wall collecting pieces of paper.  She was looking at the prisoners' prescriptions, seeing if it was medicine we had at the Charity Pharmacy.  If we had the medicine, she kept the script and would have the medicines sent over later.  That is something Oikos does routinely, but I had no idea of that.

That part of our day ended around 11am...It seems like it should have been 5pm, it was so jam-packed with feelings, emotions and work!! 

Visiting prisoners... it is something I have never done before.  I totally could have, Buffalo has prisons too, but I never did, never thought to.  These Sisters and their mission do, they've brought their dental clinic there, they try to see to the prisoners medications, they want to have a group go in to take care of the prisoners' hair and nails, because nobody does that for them.  It's amazing, isn't it?  and yet, to the Oikos Sisters, it is just a "normal day" of giving and loving.  See?  Living the Gospel, loving others...the frustrating shopping, the getting up early, the sweating over a big oven...every single minute of that was worth it to be able to show love and kindness to some people who probably haven't seen that in a while. 

I am filled with gratitude to be shown the way, once again, to love and give to others regardless of who they are.  NO ONE IS OUSIDE OF RECEIVING LOVE.  No one.  What an awesome day!!! xxoo

Messy kitchen, as usual, but see the pizzas in the oven?? :)

Thank you, Nanay's for the help!!

 

Sister Ethel and me

Every single prisoner said thank you or God bless you to me.

That's not lemonade or juice...its their drinking water!!

Sister Ethel gives a demonstration on how to use the filters.  They last for 5 years!

Collecting prescriptions.  love in action!!

 

Ok...Now My Head Is Spinning!!

No, seriously... it is literally spinning!!!  So, after the fiesta and all of the partying and all of the recuperating (I did get a little sick after the fiesta- stomach issues and a bad cold, but I am on the mend!) the Sisters had a one day retreat.  It's been a little slow-ish here.  Going to people's houses to eat and then going home to rest...I've kind of gotten used to the flow of party mode, and I guess I forgot about mission mode.  Well, today, it hit me in the face like a frying pan!!

When the Sisters got home from their retreat and began speaking of what is going to be going on in the coming weeks, I got the feeling that they were like bulls scratching the ground with their hooves before attacking...seriously!!  Today I woke up and it has been go! go! go!!!  So, here's what's going on:

...We have been waiting for permission to take down coconut trees in the Charity Village to build a road.  This week permission was given, so this morning we went there and walked the property, marking the trees that need to come down.  Next week, the deforestation (not really, but, you know) will begin as will construction of the road.

...at the same time...the Baking Mamas are baking almost every day and have a steady client.  They want to grow their business so we will be meeting to discuss how to do that and get more clients...maybe a Baking Mama's menu!!

....at the same time...there are nanays that are interested in the baking project but don't like to bake, so they want to form the Cookin' Mamas.  They need a start-up plan and materials to begin...there is even a small canteen available for them to start cooking and selling.  They want to start yesterday. I'm looking into Filipino health codes for catering and taxes and stuff like that.  We'll be meeting with them.

...at the same time, there are quite a few bakeries in Borongan City, but in the small villages or barrios, there are none.  The sisters want to take the baking project into the barrios and teach mothers how to bake there to sell to the barrio people who don't get fresh baked bread really ever because of the difficulty in getting to Borongan.  So, the plans for that are starting and I am working on simple baking recipes to teach them.

...at the same time... On September 28th is the fiesta in our home barrio where Provedince Home is  called Sohutan.  The saint we celebrate there is St. Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint.  The 28th is his feast day with a big mass, a bigger dinner and the biggest dance party!!  So, the children are practicing songs and we are preparing our house and the barrio for the fiesta.

...at the same time... The people in Sohutan want to build a new chapel.  Ours is too small for the number of people we have attending...a good problem to have!!!  But it will be expensive.  So we are planning a dance on the day of the fiesta to do some fundraising for the chapel...making a presentation for the new chapel and decorations.

...at the same time...on October 4th is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.  He is the patron saint of the Oikos Sisters, so we celebrate his day in a big way.  The Novena begins on the 25th and there is a mass each night at our home in Sohutan.  We are preparing music sheets for the mass and menus for the meals after each mass.

...at the same time...remember in May when we went to South Korea and had a retreat there?  Well, a part of that was a festival celebrating the poor and homeless people.  The Sisters totally loved that idea.  So we are having our own festival for the poor...on September 30th!!  We are preparing food packs and prizes, music and decorations, food and logistics planning...

(Is your head spinning yet?)

...at the same time...the Faith program (Food Always In The Home) is wrapping up in a barrio called Surok.  Early in October we will have an awards ceremony for the people who participated.  Then, shortly after that, the piglet program will be started there.  In fact, right now assessments are going on there while the Oikos Livelihood team assesses who will be a part of the piglet program there.  It is based on prior piglet raising experience and participation in the FAITH program.  For instance, if someone has no experience in raising piglets but had shown hard work and dedication during the FAITH program, they may be eligible to be in the piggie program.

....at the same time...the Oikos Education Dep't is in full swing and the formations and help for the kids is ongoing.  We are going to be working on Christmas letters for the Oikos sponsors soon as it always takes a while to get done.

...at the same time...next week is vocation week here in Eastern Samar and a pretty large group of sisters are going all over the region speaking about vocations in general and their particular order in particular.  That will be every day next week.  I hope to be able to go a day or two.

....but at the same time, I have to get to Tacloban, about 4 hours away, to extend my passport.  I'll probably be going next week on Tuesday and will stay overnight.

....at the same time, when I arrived, I stayed in the mission house in Sohutan, Providence Home, because there was a visitor using my room in our mission house in the city, Nazareth.  Well, the visitor is gone, so now I am packing my things up again to move to the other house.

...at the same time, people are coming to our door for rice, for money for fares, they are coming to the pharmacy and Sister Michelle's dental clinic is open for the poor, boxes from caring supporters full of great things for the mission are arriving and have to be gone through and organized, the students are in constant need of help and love, and so life goes on....

I mean, can you believe it???  Now, I'm not involved with everything listed above, but enough that, yes, my head is spinning!!  And, most likely, because I usually am the last person to find out anything, there are even more things going on.  Yikes!!!

Anyways, this is my life for now.  It's busy, and it can be crazy, and it can be overwhelming...but it is fun and these are such great people to go crazy with!!!  God is good, Sabu!!!!  Xxoo