OLPS Mission Outreach: August 2009

Monday, August 3, 2009

November 2008 - Rempang Update by Alex

All:
I went to Rempang and Shalom resort today with Alvin, Pheck Choo and 10 other people who were part of the group invited by Andrew Kang to stay in Shalom. We had a great trip! The highlight was relaxing and exchanging ideas in Shalom. We also visited Rempang. I got lots of insights from the group who includes farming experts and importer/distributor of crops in Singapore. One thing we all had in common was the desire to do mission work.
Here are my notes from the trip:
Rempang:
- Fish farm is going well. The first harvest was consumed by the kids and asrama members. The 2nd group is almost ready for harvesting. Lots of catfish! They are working to be self sufficient with creating the starters. They plan to start selling the catfish in the future. It takes about 4 weeks to reach the stage where they can sell them in the market. The potential is promising.
- They are planning to raise chickens in the area behind the pond. They received donation of chicks from Surabaya but unfortunately they all died because the infrastructure was not ready. The chicken huts are almost complete. It is unclear how they plan to get the chicks. Andrew offered assistance with the chicks. I will discuss this with William. The agriculture experts pointed out that the droppings would be excellent source of fertilizers for the plantation. I relayed the tips to Gerardus on how to utilize them.
- Boys dorm almost complete. Need to install doors and finish the wing adjacent to the existing dorm. They expect to move in by the end of the month.
- There is a training plot for farming by the teachers' quarters! This is a government sponsored project. We were impressed by the set up! It looks like a real farm, neatly arranged and separated. This project only got started in the past month but the progress is really impressive. Different crops are being planted: chili, long beans, melons, even durian! It is very obvious the project is led by someone who knows farming. The government put a banner in front of the plot indicating this was a government (dept iof agriculture) nitiative to assist the local community to be more self sufficient. The farmers under Fr Yance' CU scheme are being trained there. The goal is to scale up the farm and utilize the Agrilindo land. I was in disbelief how much progress they made in so short time.
- I learned from Gerardus that the CU was going well. There 30 farmers split in several groups. They got the first harvest done and were successful in selling the crops. The demand for the crops was strong which was encouraging. If this is indeed true, the farmers will be motivated to take on the Agrilindo land. They did mostly corn.
- Another surprise: the government is building 3 classrooms. The structure is about 50% done. The plan is to move the classrooms from the wooden structure to these. The budget as indicated in the project board is Rp.3,850,000 or over $50k. It is clearly stated that the owner is St Ignacius school. I found it to be uncommon for the government to finance the construction of a private (and Catholic) school but let's praise the Lord!
- Myo is leaving in January. They are expecting a French married couple to replace her.
- The Agrilindo land is not exactly adjacent to the Asrama. It is about 200 meters and through challenging terrains. I am not sure we are better off taking this plot or the original plot by the front entrance (by the road). The plot behind the asrama will be tough to clear. I told Gerardus and the Agrilindo team that we needed to think about this. I would like to discuss with William and Fr Yance.
Shalom:
- Not much progress on the boarding home. They have funding to sponsor the kids but have not hired any teachers.
- The agriculture expert decided not to stay.
- They have planted 12k tapioca plants in 2 hectares. The first group will be harvested soon. They plan to use for self consumption and chicken feeds.
- The chicken farming is going well. The group would be having ayam kampung goreng for dinner! I think they can help Asrama with the chicken farming.
- They have cleared another 1 hectare by slash and burn. Andrew was asking the experts for what to plant. The suggestions were: seedless guava, sweet corn, sweet potato and tomatoe.
Andrew and I discussed the potential synergy in crop selection, purchasing seeds and selling the crops. He is also interested in the CU model. We agreed to continue the discussion and possibly meet with Fr Yance.
I still need to contact Fr Yance about the MOU. I will keep you posted.
I had to return back tonight but wished could stay with everyone else in Shalom.
Thanks to Pheck Choo for the trip.
Regards,
Alex

Why it is more blessed to give than to receive

Saint Vincent de Paul once gave an instruction to his religious community that sounded something like this : "When the demands of life seem unfair to you, when you are exhausted and have to pull yourself out of bed yet another time to do some act of service, do it gladly, without counting the cost and without self-pity, for if you persevere in serving others, in giving yourself to the poor, if you persevere to the point of completely spending yourself, perhaps someday the poor will find it in their hears to forgive you. For it is more blessed to give than to receive, and it is also a lot easier!"

That might sound curious. Why do the poor need to forgive us? For what do we need to be forgiven? Shouldn't we feel good about serving others?

All of us, I suspect, have a pretty good sense of what he means. We all know that there is a certain humiliation in needing to receive, just as there is a certain pride in being able to give. The things we often complain about are really our greatest blessings: What is worse than being too busy? Having nothing to do. What is more painful than having to give away something we own? Having nothing to give away. What is harder than being dragged out of bed to minister to someone in need? Being the person who is in bed and who needs someone to help him or her. What is harder than being brought to our knees asking someone else for his or her time and energy? It is more blessed to be able to give than to receive, and it is easier. But there's more.

There is a certain divine power, literally, in being able to give. The one who gives gets to be God, or, at very least, to feel like God. That's not an overstatement. God is the source of all that is, the source of all gift. When we are in a position to give, we mediate divine power and we get to feel that power. Whenever we act like God we get to feel like God.

Yet, the irony is that our very gifts and strengths, if not given over with the proper attitude, can easily make others feel inferior. It is important to understand this so that we are more careful to not serve others in ways that demean them. It is not automatic, nor easy, to give a gift in a way that does not shame the recipient. Vincent de Paul's counsel highlights this caution.

But there's a second lesson here as well. Vincent de Paul meant this too as an antidote to self-pity. For anyone who is in a giving role (a parent, a minister, a teacher, a nurse, a social worker, an advocate for justice, a philanthropist, a politician) there is the temptation to fall into self-pity: "Look all I am doing! I do all this for others, but nobody is doing anything for me! I am so tired! Is there no end to this? Am I the only one who cares? This is asking more of me than is fair! I have my own problems that I should tend to!"

It is easy, especially when one is tired and frustrated by lack of support, to lose heart, to begin to feel sorry for oneself, and to eventually feel that we are being unfairly used by others, that we are being asked to give more than our share.

That is very common. Care-givers often feel victimized by those to whom they are giving of themselves. We've even coined some terms for this: "Compassion fatigue", "Compassion burnout". Not surprisingly, many good people resent the demand of the poor: the welfare system, the push by various groups for their rights, the pressure for more immigration, the drain that the sick put on the energy and money of our society, the cost of repairing the damage done by youthful vandals, and so on. The temptation is to give up and give in; give up on going the extra mile and give in to the temptation to resign and take care of ourselves.

And so Vincent de Paul's counsel should be told and retold: If we do not continue to serve the poor, despite our tiredness and self-pity, the poor will never find it in their hearts to forgive us. We need to remember that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and it is also easier.

Written by Father Ronald Rolheiser

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Monday, August 3, 2009

November 2008 - Rempang Update by Alex

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