"All over the world people are saying that Mother Teresa is spoiling the poor by giving them things free. At a seminary in Bangalore, once a nun said to me, ´Mother Teresa, you are spoiling the poor people by giving them things free. They are losing their human dignity.´ When everyone was quiet, I said calmly, ´No one spoils as much as God himself. See the wonderful gifts he has given us freely. All of you here have no glasses, yet you all can see. If God were to take money for your sight, what would happen? Continually we are breathing and living on oxygen that we do not pay for. What would happen if God were to say, ´If you work four hours, you will get sunshine for two hours´? How many of us would then survive?´ Then I also told them: ´There are many congregations who spoil the rich; it is good to have one congregation in the name of the poor, to spoil the poor.´ There was profound silence; nobody said a word after that." -From Mother Teresa´s book, Total Surrender
Hello to one and all!
Peace and blessings to each of you. I hope that all is well for you in whatever adventures you are in the midst of!
Wow, I now realize that it has been just about two weeks since I have last posted, although it seems that much time has passed! Not wanting to be too verbose but still wanting to share sincerely a bit of what my life is here, I will try to pick out a few of the highlights.
One of the most beautiful experiences in the past few weeks was visiting the sick in their homes in a few of the surrounding villages. In one very special visit, we met a dear elderly man so full of light. He is blind and lives alone. His wife and sons passed away years ago, and he has no family in the area. With the obstacles he has encountered, he is not a bitter man. Much to the contrary, he greeted us warmly and before he received Jesus in the Eucharist, he prayed one of the most beautiful prayers I have ever witnessed. I hope to return to his side soon, to learn at his feet and to alleviate the pain of his solitude. Visiting and caring for the sick in their homes will most likely become my morning activity.
Hello to one and all!
Peace and blessings to each of you. I hope that all is well for you in whatever adventures you are in the midst of!
Wow, I now realize that it has been just about two weeks since I have last posted, although it seems that much time has passed! Not wanting to be too verbose but still wanting to share sincerely a bit of what my life is here, I will try to pick out a few of the highlights.
One of the most beautiful experiences in the past few weeks was visiting the sick in their homes in a few of the surrounding villages. In one very special visit, we met a dear elderly man so full of light. He is blind and lives alone. His wife and sons passed away years ago, and he has no family in the area. With the obstacles he has encountered, he is not a bitter man. Much to the contrary, he greeted us warmly and before he received Jesus in the Eucharist, he prayed one of the most beautiful prayers I have ever witnessed. I hope to return to his side soon, to learn at his feet and to alleviate the pain of his solitude. Visiting and caring for the sick in their homes will most likely become my morning activity.
Another very special experience was our trip to an isolated oceanside village this weekend. We are in the middle of many, many days of rain, and, therefore, the countryside is mud. There is a road to enter the village by car, but the terrain being as it is, we had to enter from the ocean. We donned great black mud boots (FUS missionaries to Ecuador, you know what I speak of!) and marched along the beach at low tide, meeting many families out on this Saturday morning catching crabs and other such creatures in the tide pools. The ocean is their life. Arriving at the village - called Rinconada because it is in the corner, or "rincon" of the province - we met some of the people and were invited to lunch, where I ate my first prawn. :) I have much to learn about this place, but what I know is that they just built a new little chapel a few years ago and are eager to learn more about their Catholic faith. It is to this village that I will most likely be returning to a few times a week, getting to know the people, helping with catechesis classes, and caring for their health in the ways that I can. I love this little village.
The other major development of the past weeks is that I have started helping the doctor who cares for our children who live at the base. He sees patients three afternoons a week, and I will be working with him to take care of the health of our little ones.
Well, this and many other things (such as dealing with a monster spider in my room, learning to wash my clothes by hand, experiencing the hilarity of learning Spanish, etc) have been my life here thus far. As ya´ll probably have much to do, I will draw this post to a close. Thanks for your love and prayers from afar...they carry me through the work I am called to do here.
Be sure to check out Maribeth´s blog as well for more details! www.missionarymb.blogspot.com
LOVE, LOVE,
m
PS: Family, I am excited for your visits! I am constantly thinking about sharing this place with ya´ll. Little Sammie, I am praying for you today on your day of Baptism!
PPS: I posted my mailing address and phone number in the sidebar. I can receive mail here, but I must send from a bigger city...so hopefully I can work that out sometime soon.
PPPS: I hope to update my blog and check my email every Sunday, on my days of rest :)...FYI.
Mariya!!! Such joy fills my heart to hear of all the exciting things God is doing in your life. I wish so much I could be there!! Hopefully in the near future, I'm working on it! I love the stories thank you so much for sharing, please share more!!!!! God Bless, Love you!
ReplyDeleteMelanie
Dear, beautiful, Mariya,
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful it is to have a glimpse into your work! Know that Brian and I hold you and your work in our prayers every day. We love you and look forward to seeing you in April!
Dear one!! I am thinking of you, and praying for you always. I check your site often and am so happy to hear all the good that you are doing. You and the work you do are so close to my heart.
ReplyDeleteLove!
Mallory K
ahh mariya,
ReplyDeletefirst: i love you and carry you in my heart always. also...you went to la rinconada!?? did you know that is one of the villages we worked in when i was in olon last summer? i love it there. i miss you very much and you know i long to be serving with you. in due time... call me again sometime! con todo mi amor