by Jason and Jessica WildeWe grabbed our two backpacks and stroller from the luggage carousel and looked around the baggage claim with excitement for someone who might be waiting for a half dozen Americans. No luck, but maybe we had to go farther. The airport at Cagayan de Oro isn’t exactly overwhelming - we literally walked in the back door from the tarmac, and it would appear that the front door, not more than 40 feet away, opened to the driveway. So, we gathered up the kids, put a pack on each of their backs, and headed outside. The doors opened to a few waiting families and two smiling faces holding a sign that said “Welcome” in both English and Vasayan. I took a leap of faith and headed toward the sign to find our first fellow local missionaries, Genevieve and Kring. While we waited at the curb for the rest of our missionary group to arrive on the next flight, we introduced ourselves and enjoyed some bread and bananas from the back of their van while our the kids ran around on the grass. Genevieve, Kring, and Kring’s husband Ramon were full-time missionaries living in Malaybalay, a smaller city about four hours away by car through a mountain pass, a few mudslides, rice and corn farms, and according to Brecklyn, 278 “four-legged animals, not counting dogs”. A few more introductions were in order after the rest of the missionaries arrived, then we piled luggage and jet-lagged souls into the three missionary vehicles. “Wow, they moved that rock from the middle of the road”, Ramon interjected as we avoided the deepest mud puddles on one of the switchbacks. Between the amazing conversations with Kring and the twisty path through the mountains, we were there before we knew it. We pulled into the Canossa retreat center and were welcomed by a sister with the most loving smile - a smile that just draws you in like a mother. The center is run by the Canossian sisters in Malaybalay, and it appeared to offer youth retreats with housing, worship and fellowship. We were given our family’s room assignments upstairs and instructions for taking showers (which included a bucket of water from the cold faucet and a scoop), dropped off our packs and then rested for a few minutes in our quaint rooms, each of which held 4 beds bunked next to a desk on either side, some sheets and pillows, a closet, and a crucifix with glow-in-the-dark Jesus. The hallways were buzzing with chatter until the time came for prayer and dinner downstairs in the common areas. Every meal was preceded by group prayer and song, which was a great way to bring us all together and surround ourselves with God’s word. The food was a welcome treat - a variety of local dishes of chicken, pork, and fish, bowls full of white rice, soup, fruit, and the sweetest white bread I’ve ever had. The kids had Milo (malted hot chocolate) with every meal. That evening, the sisters welcomed us and told us that this was our home during our stay. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. (Matthew 25:35) The nuns were smitten with Chi Yu. One sister told me that they used to run a home for handicapped orphans in his country, but they were kicked out of the country by the government. Chi Yu figured out that if he knocked on their study, the nuns would come out and reward him with bananas or more Milo. He was just a little spoiled that week. There was also a small prayer room upstairs. It was the fanciest room at Canossa with couches, a large crucifix and a rainbow of bright colorful light. With a bright smile on her face, the nun told us a story of Chi Yu walking in on their prayers and turning on and off the colorful lights. Their eyes were closed in prayer so they didn’t notice until Chi Yu started giggling. From then on, they called him their little electrical engineer. Later that week, our venue for the medical clinic in Isla, a nearby village, fell through. The missionaries asked the sisters if they could hold the clinic in the parking lot at Canossa. With loving hearts, the nuns opened up their home to the poor. Later, a sister told one of the missionaries that it was a blessing for them to host the clinic. She recollected that the founder of the Canossian Order was know for bathing the poor, and said it brought them joy to see us washing the kid’s hair and treating them for lice. The lice station was my job. At first, the Mom in me panicked. I thought...Lice!!! No!!! But the missionary heart listens for where God’s calls us to serve and serves with joy. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. (1 Peter 4:9) Within moments, I began to look past my fear of lice and saw the beauty in this small act of service. The lice station ended up being a lot of fun. Grace searched the crowd for kids who hadn’t been to our station. The kids were shy and nervous at first, but before long they were laughing and giggling as we poured buckets of cold water over their heads. They left our station joyous, and their joy was contagious; it filled us with joy. There was also an intake station with vitals, a diagnostic station, a pharmacy, and a prayer station which distributed goodie bags filled with vitamins, water, crackers, a rosary and a toothbrush. There was even a local barber cutting hair in the garden. But, what struck me was the transformation in Grace’s heart. It started raining and she asked us for an umbrella. She gave herself the task of helping people get between the different stations without getting wet. She even went so far as to walk them all the way out of the gates of Canossa. Later that night during evening prayer, she reflected on the joy of helping others and prayed that everyone made it home dry. Jason and Alex were gone for the first half of the morning on a roofing assignment for a home in Isla, but when they came back, Jason helped out with prayer over the families before they left Canossa. Then, it started raining and his assignment was scrapped due to lack of shelter. Thinking there was nowhere left to help, he sat down in the chapel to rest for a minute and in no time had three little girls fighting over horse rides around the chapel. Later, he said this time playing with the girls was one of his best experiences of the entire mission and a great lesson that we don’t have to be outgoing to be a good missionary of presence - you just have to be willing to see God in whomever comes to talk to you. When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. (Luke 14:11-14) This is how hospitality works. You give of yourself, your personal treasures, you open your home, and that kindness manifests and spreads itself to others. They in turn spread their hospitality. Instead of being homesick, can I be Canossa-sick? (Brecklyn)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
On a MissionTwo passionate parents and their four children are excited to bring His Word to everyone in need while living a life of Gospel poverty as missionaries. They invite you to join them on a journey to encounter our global neighbors that Jesus commands us to love through works of charity and service. Archives
April 2021
Categories
All
|