in the open air

i've never really done "missionary work" in the sense of "preaching the word," with regards to bible studies and going into neighborhoods and leading prayer services. sure, i've led bible studies in college, in high school, i have participated in numerous prayer services in those immediate communities, but i have never outwardly gotten on a jeepney/in a taxi, with music sheets in hand, bible in the bag, and heartfelt determination to lead the community in prayer.

sr. terezinha (people call her sr. theresa cause it's easier!) and i, have started to form a missionary outreach group, serving communities where they have expressed a need/desire to have prayer services/bible studies. for whatever reason, they are not able to make it to the nearest church (which is about 2 jeepney rides away, which equates to a lot of money for them and their family to attend), and so, we have been making it out to their communities. and them, as community leaders, they bring the people, and we bring, well, us. :)

it has been beautiful, in that, today, standing on the roof, having a prayer service, in the open air, the people were already assembled and waiting for our arrival, which was opposed to the last time, where we waited like 20 minutes. they were all set and ready to go this morning! it was beautiful! :) there was heartfelt desire to be there, and despite any language barriers, it didn't matter. it was just, such a good day, and it was so good to be there. sr. t has been inviting others to join our missionary outreach group, to really spread the love of God. we hear a lot about sin this, sin that, but how about the love? can we rest in that love? can we explore that love a little bit more? a little deeper maybe? what would that really feel like? we even ended with giving each other the sign of peace, by way of a hug. it is not a custom here to hug, you don't really see that around a lot - so this was a challenge for them, but by way of human nature, it is in us, and just as the Father hugged his Prodigal Son, so too, are we to hug one another. it was really nice. and beautfiul.

it has been very refreshing, and it is so good to work alongisde sr. t in these efforts. it is very inspirational, and i am looking forward to help lead these communities when she is travelling. i'm going to be leading the elementary kids in an activity this weekend too, since sr. t will be gone, and i'm excited for that also. they're so precious!

when going into these communities, i am already able to see the community involvement, see the community leaders, and see how it is that they will eventually be able to create their own structure as soon as our 2-3 years of mission, has finished here in the philippines. we don't change anything, we don't tell them what to do...we simply share, and be with them, and guide them, and empower. it's all about building up, and psalm 139, and recognizing that, in each and every person. it is, so good.

tao (ta-o) ng Dios.

i spent this morning reading a short story with a boy named ariel. ariel was in a serious car accident in the first grade, and as a result, his mental capacity is not at the level that it should be. well, he is now 17 years old, and since the rest of the students today were at a pretty similar level, they were able to be taught together, but one of the teachers here, asked me if i could read with ariel. so, of course, i agreed. how fun! last time i saw ariel, he was super shy, and he was focused on the computer game he was playing...and i'm pretty sure he did not understand the educational components in it...so the fact that i would have the opportunity to have one-on-one time, YES. however, i did notice that when i was teaching one of the girls some math, he seemed very interested. so, i was happy for this opportunity :)

and so, i helped him read, and tried to actually help him understand what he was reading. he had trouble with many words like, "choose," "check-out line," "strawberries," "aisle" (that dang 's' was throwing him off, of course! oh english language), "happened," various words. so i helped him read, and then i had him write the words, so that we could review them, then i got bored.

but before that, he was also having trouble with the word, "people." so i tried to explain to him people, by telling him the tagalog word, which is tao (accent on the o, like ta-o). the thing ariel does, is i will say something, then he will repeat it, but not really comprehend what he is saying. and so this was not the first time i kept trying to get him to elaborate on the words, so i was like, naming different people, to deliver the message, and he's like, ok, yes. tao. i was like, ok, good...so, naturally, as a teacher, i'm all about repetition, and i was like, so what are people? and he said, "ginawa ng Dios." "Ginawa ng Dios," means, God made them. and THAT, was AWESOME. :)

hahaha, so then i took him outside and made him do stretches...in the best tagalog i could, i tried to explain to him that just as much as he needs to exercise his brain, so that it becomes sharp, it is also important that we exercise our bodies. hahaha, i don't know if we quite got it, except i think he was very confused. but that is ok! :)

so then we get back, and i'm like, hmmm how do you do with math? he said he loves math! so then i started giving him math problems, and i assigned him some math problems to do at home, just simple 4+4 =, 10-3= problems, but he kept asking for more. and so, the teacher in me was more than happy to do it. :)

and then...everyone started getting ready to peace, and naturally i was striking up convos with some of the kids...the next thing you know, i'm telling them they need to come in on wednesday so that i can teach them english. they seemed excited about it, but whether or not they come, i at least got some face time with them, which means...another moment for them to learn to not be so shy with me. woohooo!

it's cherry's birthday today! one of the young women i live with at casa cabrini. woohooo!! which means...delicious food tonight, and the house full of people. YAY! :)

all on mission together!

yes, indeed, a constant reminder to me about mission. here's a video i created on my experience at the maryknoll museum on mission (sorry if you've already seen it! i made this after attending MISO - Maryknoll International Service Orientation, with about 35 other missioners through various Catholic mission programs). i shared this video with the staff at the maryknoll ecological sanctuary out here in baguio, and it was definitely one of the highlights of my time here so far. they got to see what the museum looks like, as it is in new york, at the maryknoll headquarters!

there is such a grand presence of solidarity among all the missions here in baguio city, and it was especially moving when one of the staff members joked, but it was also serious, when she pointed out in the video, one of the "dishes" that people here in the philippines, truly do eat out of...

here is a description on the first image that you will see in the video (written by the author) - Also, Orbis Books is a publication affiliated with Maryknoll, and they provide numerous spiritual books! They are who published the recent book I read on St. Therese of Lisieux. Good Stuff! anyway, read below, it's pretty awesome!:

”I have named this icon 'Christ of Maryknoll' because Maryknoll and Orbis Books mean so much to me. Both endeavor to see the Christ among the least of us, and to serve the Christ who lives in the margins of this world. Maryknoll priests, brothers, sisters, and lay people have been imprisoned in China and elsewhere for their work among the poor, the broken, the oppressed; Orbis has taken great risks to extend the Maryknoll vision. I hope this icon will bring inspiration to all those who share in that vision.

The icon does not make clear which side of the fence Christ is on. Is he imprisoned or are we? Through our cultural institutions and personal lives we all place barriers between ourselves and true happiness. We and our institutions also try to imprison Christ in various ways, to tame him and the dangerous memories he would bring us of our goals and ideals. The Christ of Maryknoll cannot be tamed.”

Robert Lentz, September 11, 2002

hope you enjoy the video! :)