As usual, our family battled about where to go for our annual vacation. We are confronted with the usual questions – should it be the east or west, a cold or warm destination, theme parks or mountain retreats, the hustle and bustle of the city or a slow and quiet getaway to the countryside. We finally settled on New Zealand.
As the vacation days drew closer, I became more unsettled. It just did not seemed right. I have been telling Gabe that we should either go to a holy site or to a third world country so that our kids get to see the other side of life. Gabe, being the well traveled one, as usual, kept telling me that they are not ready and that the living conditions in India, Cambodia or Vietnam, destinations which I suggested, may be too harsh for us. Basic necessities like water and food would be a challenge in some of these areas.
I prayed that God would direct the way in our choice of a vacation destination. Lo and behold, within a week, I read in the Holy Family bulletin that there is a retreat in Thailand. I called up the organizer and found out that the retreat would not be appropriate for Joshua as he would be too young to participate in the spiritual reflections meant for adults. Just within weeks, there was a road show held at OLPS to recruit youth for a mission in Thailand. This time, only Justin qualifies as he is a youth and the rest of us were either too young or old to join them. I cannot deny that I was disappointed.
As if by divine intervention, Carol sent us an email informing us of the Rempang trip. When I called her, she said yes, the whole family could come along and that there were other families signing up for the mission as well. Immediately I signed up and paid in full before anyone could change their minds after I managed to convince them. I must say it was no easy task and the sense of skepticism was certainly in the air.
Having read through the testimonials of my husband and children, I am indeed thankful to God for giving us this opportunity to be part of this mission. Since our return from the trip, I don’t hear the kids complaining about food too much like they used to. I was amazed that all three of them wanted to go for more of such missions. Joshua wanted to sign up for the next mission immediately – the one at Tanjong Pinang but we were not able to take leave.
After all that is said and done, my thoughts are that every OLPS parishioner should go for a mission at least once. We took away from Rempang more than we put in. I found joy as a family doing God’s work… each in our little ways. The masonry work was back wrecking as we had to carry bricks in the hot sun and I am sure the digging of trenches for drainage was even worse for the guys. My kids and I have never cemented bricks or painted walls and ceilings. Certainly we will all remember the great time we had and of course, our strained and overworked muscles.
The people in Rempang reminded me that it does not take much to be a happy person. Both adults and children alike lived in simplicity yet there is always laughter and sharing of what little they had.
I was quite appalled to see the leaking roof in the children’s dormitories, the damped and sometimes almost hollow mattresses on which the kids slept, the broken doors which barely serve its purpose, the small portion of food each kid received at meal time and the unhygienic conditions there – all thriving on the one water pump which OLPS installed during the last mission trip.
I know the money the parishioners of OLPS donated to this cause has been put to good use. What little we have done has helped improve the lives of those at Rempang. We are certainly blessed. Let us continue to be a blessing to others.
Naomi Gan
OLPS Mission Outreach 2006 - Rempang
