First days of ministry

It's a beautiful (and rainy) Monday afternoon in Camiguin! We've been here for 2 weeks now.  Everything is strange and foreign to us, so we are learning quickly how to be both humble and patient with ourselves as we grow accustomed to this new world.

Children are anything but shy about coming over to our house to play! They are so friendly and eager to teach us Visayan words.  

  
This is Mary Grace, one of our favorites.  She visits us nearly every day and enjoys reading Gospel stories from our English/Visayan Bible. The first story I read with her was about Jesus welcoming the little children.  I told her, “Jesus loves mga bata (children). Jesus loves Mary Grace.”

One of our ministries is visiting barangays or mountain villages with Fr. Joe.  The past two Sundays we have attended special Masses celebrating children’s first communions. What a precious opportunity, to share in this special moment, to remember my own first communion, and to appreciate even more the amazing gift of Jesus in the Eucharist!

Last week, walking along the beach, we met two older women, Nini and Virginia.  They asked us for money to buy bread. We gave them some pesos and offered to pray with them - both are sick with a cough. Nini said, “You heal me.” I told her no, it is God who heals us. Both women were grateful for the money but much more visibly moved by our prayers and the love we showed them. Our encounter with them reminded me once again that my primary job is not to give money to the poor but to bring them Christ.

I have many more stories to share but the internet connection is very slow here. Thank you for being patient, and I hope to write again soon!