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2004 Philippine Mission Reflection
By: Simon Lobo, Companions of the Cross Seminarian/Missionary

One of our teammates, Nick Simoni, would regularly remind us: "Brothers, we are in the Philippines!" I, too, needed to pinch myself on occasion, having trouble realizing that God had selected me to be a missionary of His love to a people and country that I knew not.

It didn't take long for me to warm up to the culture and to find out that Philippinos are most famous for eating 5-6 meals a day, and for singing Karaoke.

Seriously speaking, I have never met people with such a genuine gift of hospitality. We never met a single person, in our month-long mission, who made us feel as though we were a timely or a costly burden to them.

A simple example is that one day I was by the beach at low tide contemplating whether to walk out and get my shoes wet or to go barefoot. One of the local townsfolk overheard me and ran home to get me a pair of his slippers. It really appeared as though my using his footwear filled him with joy. They love to share the little they have.

Another powerful experience that I would like to share occurred at the high school in Lemery, where we were building a new classroom. Our job was to carry bags of dirt and gravel from the front courtyard about 150m to the spot where the foundation was being laid. We did most of our work during school hours; so, at any given time, there were 13-year old students lining the way during class changes or on their lunch break. I believe that I was blessed with a greater insight into the experience that Jesus had on the way to Calvary.There I was, carrying this heavy weight on my shoulder, every part of me soaked in sweat, and I was surrounded by onlookers. Some of the teens made jokes to each other in Tagalog that I did not understand. Others were shocked and couldn't figure out why anyone would put themselves through this ordeal. Still others were deeply edified to see that someone was trying to make a difference. All were changed, especially me.

Throughout the mission, many people would ask us why we would raise money just to work in a hot country to help people that we didn't even know. I never had a profound or an articulate answer, but I just knew in my heart that I was doing what God would have me do at that moment. My prayer is that you also would ask God to show you the way that you can be used by Him to help others.

Statement of Clarification Regarding The Healing Ministry of Father Fernando Suarez (Companions of the Cross)
Posted: February 6, 2008
[view full statement]

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