Sunday, June 30, 2013
Day 6
Sunday is a day of rest.
The group began the day weigh prayer and adoration at 6.45am. A quick breakfast followed and then it was off to the apostolate where the group prepared the young ones for Mass. They took them to the chapel and then kept them entertained for about 45 minutes until mass began. They were helped by the brothers leading the community in song.
The mass itself was magnificent, aided by the fact that our group spent over an hour in choir practice last night.
Following mass, the group fed the young residents.
We finally returned to the house, changed clothes, packed bags, loaded ourselves into buses and headed for an afternoon at nearby hot springs... Magnificent... What a glorious afternoon... Hard to believe that it was blowing a gale last night.
It's now off to dinner at a restaurant owned by a benefactor.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Day 5
We woke up to an incredibly wet day. Apparently, there's a typhoon hanging around... The warning was at level one at breakfast and level two at lunch. It's not really clear what that all means.. It's a little bit windy but that's about it, though the airport has closed today.
All of the ladies except for Rita slipped on dry weather shoes and spent the morning in the apostolate. The bubbly chatter after their return gave clear expression to a positive experience.
Rita joined the men on the building site. She learnt first hand how the brothers operate according to a less organised schedule than us. The morning was spent mixing cement, laying bricks, filling bags and then waiting over an hour for three of the brothers to return with more cement. Not very much was achieved.
Due to the weather, we were told to spend the afternoon resting. This was a great disappointment to most. I enjoyed the pause. Tonight, we will have shared supper with the brothers. They are madly preparing the meal - Michael helped by killing two of the ducks. I still prefer not to see my food while it is still alive.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Day 4
Roberta joined Corrie, Santina and Rita in the apostolate. Apparently, the children were waiting for them and greeted them with great joy... They also played up on the ladies a little bit more.
Building progressed apace... One wall is six rows high and another is seven rows. The building is definitely taking shape and Melvin and his family could not be happier.
After lunch we visited the psychiatric hospital. As with last year, this was a very confronting experience. The patients were definitely glad to receive from us the gift of a small snack, but there conditions are unimaginably miserable... Even the paying patients stayed in substandard conditions.
In the late afternoon, we went to the scavenger village next to the residents. We made quite an extensive tour of the village and encountered many residents and as variety of housing conditions. Eventually, a bit late, it was time for Mass. The Mass was heavenly - even though the chapel is just a shack, the worship was pure joy...
After mass, the group distributed cooked meals, juice and buns to the people. We ran out of food even though many were still awaiting.
Building or caring for the disabled, distributing food in the psych hospital, mass at the dump... It was an amazing day.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Day 3
A very full and satisfying day....
After our very early start, which for most of us was even more difficult today, we headed off to our day's activities. Corrie, Santina, and Rita weren't to the apostolate. They had a tiring, emotional but fulfilling experience. They spent the day casting for the children. This involved bathing them, playing with them, feeding them, and keeping them entertained.
The rest of us spent the day building. We dug trenches, moved materials, mixed cement, bagged up sand, and helped lay bricks. The walls are starting to go up. The home owner's name is Melvin which made our own Mrs Melvin very happy... His family was delighted with the progress.
We've just had dinner and are awaiting night prayer so that we can go to bed and sleep the sleep of the just.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Day 2
It's been a long and rewarding day.
Three of lads joined the brothers for morning exercises at 5.15am. Jim picked a brother for them to follow, only to discover that he was a very fast runner. They have decided to follow a chubby one tomorrow.
Mass with the brothers was very moving. All were touched by their passionate singing. It was a heavenly start to the day.
The morning was spent visiting the brothers' works. First stop was the kindergarten - 160 children from the poorest families whom the brothers feed and teach and give every necessary thing. The kids were mostly terrified of us... Some started to warm up towards the end.
Next, we visited the apostolate, the brothers' residential care facility. This was very confronting as we met the severely disabled children and the abandoned elderly. It was also a very graced moment as we responded to their simple needs for care and attention.
Finally, we visited the brothers' building projects and walked through the areas where the poor live. Building will begin tomorrow.
In the afternoon, we visited the important religious sites of Naga City. It was a nice way to end the day.
Most of Naga was without power for most of the day... This has meant no lights and no running water.... Apparently brown outs are becoming more common.
After rosary, dinner, sharing time and night prayer, it is time for cold showers and bed.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Arrival Day
After a very long time in transit, including a too brief few hours in a hotel and a plane running one hour late, we finally arrived in Naga.
Today has been dedicated to rest, even though there's been more time spent eating than sleeping. We thought that the snack when we arrived was lunch, only to be given lunch an hour later.
We are simply settling in... Looking forward to our upcoming timetable... The brothers have organised a building project for us as well as time in their apostolate, visits to the psychiatric hospital and to the scavenger camp at the rubbish dump. We have a very full schedule ahead of us...
Today, between our first snack and lunch, we assisted with the turning of the soil for a new visitors centre for the brothers. Within three months, the brothers will no longer have to move out of their house to accommodate guests... The house will sleep twenty. Our group was most impressed by the way I wielded a spade.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
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