Dear Corazon

Gifts received are for sharing, and the sharing brings joy

By Sr. Mary Gauthier, O.L.M.
May/June 2008

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Many, many thanks! The big box of goodies that you sent us arrived just before Christmas. Within a very short time we discovered that there were many people with whom we could share the contents of the box. Yes, and even have some for ourselves as we are still enjoying the peanut butter.

Srs. Lorie Nuñez and Mary Gauthier and other members of the interfaith dialogue group take part in gift giving on the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.

It was lunchtime on Christmas Eve when a mother, daughter and her child unexpectedly dropped in. For a moment I wondered what I would prepare but remembered your box, so quickly opened one of the cans of meat and served it with rice and vegetables. Our visitors, speaking to each other in the dialect, were exclaiming how good the meat was, so I told them it was a gift we had received. The little girl just did not seem to be able to get enough. Since they would not usually have meat it was a real treat. You would have been happy to see how much they enjoyed it. Really, I was filled with gratefulness to be able to share this meal.

Earlier in December, Sr. Lorie Nuñez and I were invited to a Christmas party at Santo Niño School. It is part of the literacy program for out-of-school youth, which Sr. Christine Gebel helped organize while she was missioned here in the Philippines. Since Sr. Christine is serving on the leadership team in Canada I have been happy to do follow up visits to the various schools now and again especially for parties. Of course we wanted to bring gifts, so Sr. Lorie made 29 gift bags from old Maclean's magazines. The bags contained pencils, pens, crayons, soap, and toothpaste all from your box, and candy that we added. Seeing the delight on the children's faces filled us with much gratitude.

Sr. Lorie with Muslim friends during their celebration of the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha.

Once again your box came in handy when we received a request from the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro for money and clothes to be given to two groups. The Mapalad farmers comprised the first group. Do you know their story? Quite some time ago, under the Agrarian Reform Program, they were given land to farm cooperatively. But shortly after, the government rescinded its decision and the farmers were forced off the land they had been given. During the latter part of 2007, these farmers walked to Manila from Mindanao in order to draw attention to their plight and to speak to the president of the Philippines face-to-face. The walk took them two months. They were able to meet with the president and promises were made. Please God may their hopes for land be fulfilled. In the meantime, they needed help. We were able to give them some clothes and coffee, again from your box.

In the second group that the archdiocese asked us to help were evacuees forced to flee their homes because of fighting between the military and a rebel group called the New People's Army. We shared your gifts with them as well.

Because of our involvement in a Muslim-Christian dialogue group, we knew that the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) this year fell just before Christmas. This is a time when Muslims are encouraged to give gifts to the poor, so our interfaith group went to an impoverished area where there are Christians and Muslims, to hold a joint celebration. It was a fun day of giving our gifts, once again from your box. Sr. Lorie was the emcee. The children were asked questions and if they answered correctly, they received a prize. No child left empty handed. One question was, "Where was Jesus born, in Nazareth or in Cogon?" Cogon being the name of our local market. The child's answer was Cogon. What came to my mind was that God is certainly everywhere. Let us see God in our Cogon markets.

Sr. Mary Gauthier (centre) and members of the interfaith group lead the Walk for Peace at the Mindanao Week of Peace celebration 2007. Philippines.

Finally, there is the Landfill. People live right next to it and make their livelihood from collecting and recycling garbage from the dump. Sr. Margaret Walsh has had a ministry there for many years. She was delighted to see the baby clothes, the rolled blankets and other things in your package that she was able to bring to the people of the Landfill. What precious gifts to share with the children and their parents.

As you can see, many people have benefited from your generosity. They felt your concern and caring for them even if they do not know you personally. They are so grateful and so are we.

Our Lady's Missionaries in the Philippines have a new email address:
olmphilippines@websprinter.net

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