Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Marlena Brabent, The Philippines


Marlena, of St Francis of Assisi Church in east Cannington is a civil engineer who works for a large engineering consultancy in the city. She always had a strong desire to experience overseas missionary work and contacted the Catholic Mission Office in Perth. Because of her heavy work schedule it was arranged for her to spend just 10 days with a community of missionary sisters working amongst the poor in the outskirts of Manila in the Philippines. Here she recounts her brief but powerful experience:

My mission experience in the Philippines in June was an eye opener. I experienced a way of life very different to my own. The city of Manila is full of noise, children, dirt and smiles. The Sisters of St Joseph of Apparition showed me Jesus’ love in every act of kindness they performed. The sisters made me feel at home and showed me their communities.

I visited the St. Emilie Learning Center. This is a nursery & pre-school (year 1 to 3). The children were beautiful and the class rooms were colourful and happy. During my time at the school I learnt about some of the struggles faced by the sisters and the community at large. Many children can not afford schooling. The Philippine government provides free eduction in government schools but children are still absent for many different reasons. Some reasons might be they have transport problems, no money for books or they feel embarrassed because they have no food to eat at lunch time like the other children or they feel better staying at home helping their parents earn money for the family. Some students at St Emilie Learning Center have been sponsored to go to school. The sister work tirelessly to ensure their students get a good education.

I visited Bani, Pangasinan where two sisters stayed and helped the farming/country community. One of the works they do is they bring communion to the sick. I participated in this one morning. Talking about poverty is different from seeing it affect real people. Visiting people in their homes and experiencing their lifestyle truly showed me what family, hardship and poverty can mean. The first family we visited had just lost their relative. A mother of two had died that morning of liver cancer. She was still in her early 40s and left behind a boy in year 9 and a girl in year 4. We shared in their grief and prayed with them. There were other families we visited. Their life is hard. I can’t imagine how I would cope if I had to take care of a sick mother and my four small children. My life in Australia feels so very rich that it seems unfair. But looking at these families showed me that although it is hard, they still smile.

The Philippines is a wonderful country. I was also shown its great beauty in the time I was with the sisters. They took me to One Hundred Island which is literally one hundred islands off the main land which you can take a boat out to and swim at one of the island’s many beaches. The sisters also took me to Baguio, a city in the mountains with amazing views. The hospitality and warmth I was shown in my short stay I will never forget and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to experience all I have.


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