Sister Jessica's Journal: Pt. III
February 2, 2005 Magtandang umaga po? (Good Morning): Greetings in the New Year and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season.? It seems late for this type of greeting, but I hope we all can keep the Christmas season all year around and this is my prayer for all of you.? My last letter was at the beginning of November and the months have flown by and I've experienced a great deal.
The month of November was spent finishing school and trying to speak Tagalog to the sisters, but I found the words easier to say in English, so I am trying to find time to practice so I don?t lose the vocabulary I have gained.?
On November 15, I boarded a bus heading for Bataan with Sr. Lina (Felina Afinidad).? I was so glad to have someone who knew where I was going and when to get off.? The bus ride took a little over two hours and the trip and the company were pleasant.? The country here is beautiful -- full of rice fields, and the best place to see rice fields is in Bataan.? The sisters in Bataan live in a traditional house made of grass and bamboo.? I would call this home for the next two weeks with Sr. Maja (Mary Jane Balasi), Sr. Jo (Josephine Ignacio) and Roselle, who is doing a ?Come and See?.?
?The first week I spent my time with Maja.? She is working for the Diocese of Balanga as the diocesan youth director.? This week we were busy trying to prepare for a large pilgrimage of youth on Mt. Samat. They estimated about 15,000 youth would walk up to Mt. Samat to enjoy a Mass with Bishop Soc.?? Maja and I visited at least ten different schools to make sure they knew about the gathering.? Most of the schools were public and the teachers and staff were very excited about the gathering.?
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It is so different here.? The public schools here not only allow, but also encourage the church to have campus ministry programs in the schools.?? There is a good relationship with the church and the schools.?? The visiting of schools also allowed us to see if any of the teachers were interested in becoming a Sister of Providence.? At one school we met a woman interested in joining us for a day of discernment.?? I am learning a thing or two about being in vocation ministry here in the Philippines.
Another wonderful experience I had in Bataan was when we went to release turtles into the sea.? The turtles are taken and held in a small pool, where they wait to be released into the sea.? We released two turtles each. The first one I called ?Race,? which was a big mistake because he was the last in the water; the next turtle I released lived up to his name, ?Slowpoke?.? We had to leave before he ever made it out to sea.? Now I can say I have named two turtles somewhere in the sea. In 25 years I hope they will come back and complete the cycle of life.?
The second week I spent with Sr. Jo, wandering around the highlands of Bataan.? Sr. Jo works with the Aeta.? She is working to ensure that they have clean water, and so a group from Manila came to do some consultancy and exploring of water sources.??
Nonoy Reismundo, the social development officer of the Development Bank of the Philippines, together with a paid team of engineers from a consultancy firm, came to Bataan November 23-25 to survey water sources of five Aeta villages for the construction/rehabilitation of communal water systems.?
Nov. 23 : We visited Bangcal, Abucay, which is at the middle of the peninsula and is the most accessible of those we visited from the capital of Balanga. The chieftain is Rosita Sison, in her mid-40s, accompanied by another Aeta, Armando. There are 48 Aeta families.? Their village is competing with Bataan State College (formerly Bataan National Agricultural School, BNAS) for their water source.
We hiked for a good four hours the first day to arrive at a cement box where the water is stored.? This is a nice place to hike, but remember to bring your hiking shoes! I forgot mine, and so hiked in sandals.? I fell four times and at the end of the journey I was very sweaty and dirty.? What a good first day.? The one good thing about the day was the view.? ?
The second day I was feeling good. My legs only hurt a little and I was ready to visit another area.? This day we visited Bayan-Bayanan, Pita, Dinalupihan, found at the northeastern side of the peninsula. The chieftain is Ofelia Manuel. There are 33 Aeta families. She brought us up to Malang, where the water source is, and which they intend to be their permanent settlement area.?
This hike was a little easier, only four hours each way.? I decided to borrow tennis shoes from Maja for the day.? Big mistake there!? By the end of the day I had three big blisters on the bottom of my feet and two on each heel.? I think I was better with sandals.?
The next day we visited Bamban, Hermosa, found at the northern part of the peninsula, where there are 13 families.? The chieftain is Lourdes Francisco.? Her son guided us to the water source near the coconut plantation.?
This was an easy hike and the reward was to eat coconut right off the tree.? The taste of a fresh coconut can?t compare with anything you get in the states. After all the hiking we did, I was glad for the refreshment.
The last day was another easy hike.? We visited Saysain, Bagac, found at the western side of the peninsula.? Perlita, the niece of Chieftain Bayani Salonga, accompanied us to the water source. This was the last hike but the view was awesome.? I was so thankful I was in shape or else I couldn?t have made all the hikes.
I really enjoyed my stay in Bataan and hope I can go back to visit again, but I have to say it will always hold a special place because I walked most of it.
Thanksgiving happened but it was not a celebration like I was used to.? There was no special meal or gathering to remember the day.? It is interesting how we take for granted that holidays are the same everywhere.? It is just not true.?
In December, when I returned to Paco, I arrived very sick and with a high fever.? The sisters in Bataan were worried a bug had bitten me, but that was not the case.? I recovered quickly and enjoyed my time back at home with all the sisters returning from the four corners of the world.?
Lucy (Sr. Lucila Mamales Vasquez) had just finished her 30-day retreat in preparation for her vows and Julie and Margaret (Sector Councilors Sr. Julia Macasieb and Sr. Margaret Ann Bischoff) were just getting home from Seattle.?
This would be the first time we were a whole community.? Everyone was back just in time to start preparation for Lucy?s and Josie?s (Sr. Josefina R. Lerios) final vows.?
The time just seemed to fly by as we worked together on the ceremony and last-minute arrangements for our guests.? Kitsy (General Superior Kathryn Rutan, SP) arrived on the 10th and it was good to spend some time with her before the ceremony.
The day of Lucy and Josie?s vows was a busy one.? Everyone was racing around, trying to put the finishing touch on the arrangements.? I was put in charge of the PowerPoint presentation for the Mass.? I had only two hours to put it together.? What a lot of typing I did!?
The one thing wrong with putting me in charge of the presentation was that it was in Tagalog and I was not able to tell where the presider was in the ceremony.? Thanks be to God for Sr. Jo, who came to my aid during the celebration to direct me when to change slides.? The vows were beautiful and both sisters looked great.? With the celebration over, the young sisters went to Star City to celebrate. It was the fist time to be with the sisters having fun at a fair.? What a memory!
Here is an interesting fact about the Philippines.? The Christmas season starts with the ?ber? months:? September to December.???The Christmas novena Mass is a tradition for the Filipino family.? It is offered at 4 a.m. for nine days.? Wow, is it hard to wake up so early, but it allows for the farmers to go.?
On Dec. 22, Sr. Liz Cole arrived for a short visit to the Philippines to see how I am doing.? She arrived at 11:30 p.m. and we were able to meet her at the airport with no problems.?
The days leading up to Christmas were filled with celebrations, food distribution and touring Liz around Manila.? The time went quickly and the visit with Liz helped my holiday blues.? She brought with her a part of home, which made Christmas easier for me.
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The Christmas season here in the Philippines is not one of materialism, but of giving to the poor so they can have food to celebrate the season.? The food is given by individuals and is done on a local level without government aid.? Only a few large organizations help distribute food, so small groups of people and families hold parties for the poor.? You can see the gospel lived out though this type of help.? You are personally involved in the lives of the people you help.? The families that receive food and other things are very grateful and you wish you could do more for them.
This Christmas is one I will remember my whole life.? I saw the true meaning of Christmas through the Filipino people.? My heart has truly seen the Savior in our midst -- one hand, one heart at a time.
The Philippines knows how to throw a New Year?s Eve party.? It sounded like a war zone.? The fireworks were amazing, but I am not sure I would want to go through another one too soon.
In January my sister and mom visited for nine days.? I took my vacation and enjoyed this time with family.?? The Philippines are a wonderful place to see and we did our best to see the sights.? We had time to visit the 100 Islands (Baguio), the Rice Terrace (Banaue), Highlands( Tagaytay), Pangasinan and Manila.? We kept a fast pace the whole time.
I want to thank all of you for keeping me in your prayers and sending all the e-mails.? It sure is nice to hear from all of you.? It has been a great experience so far and I continue to rely on your prayers.?
In our loving Provident God, Jessica
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