Last night we had a lovely dinner with the Jesuit community which includes Sr Rita, a 75 year old Australian Good Samaritan Sister, Fr Bong a Filipino Jesuit who is medical doctor and looks after the health clinic in the district of Railaco, Fr Phuong, a Vietnamese priest who is the parish priest for the area, Fr Bert another Filipino Jesuit who is the Director of the school, and JP an East Timorese scholastic. It is an interesting community committed to serving the needs of the people. The Jesuits came in the early 2000s and have established a good community development project in social, health and education work.
We spent some time journaling which was done in companionable silence. We then had some time sharing together facilitated by Fr Peter. We reflected on our days so far. Some spoke with gratitude about the welcome we had received. We are aware of people who have so little being so open and kind to us. Relationships matter so much more than things here. It is a good reminder for us. Some shared their sadness at what has happened to the East Timorese and their reactions in visiting the Resistance Museum and Dare monument. The East Timorese have experienced great suffering over the years in WW2 and during the Indonesian occupation from 1975 to 1999. We also spoke of what our coming here means and giving to the people our gifts. It engenders some shame about what we have and how we share. Others noted the change from the developments in Dili including big buildings and the inequities with the simple living in the countryside. We have much to ponder and know there are no easy answers to some questions.
As we prepared for bed we sang some songs. Tom Mahony we soon discovered has a great voice and it was so enjoyable just being together. The girls are in one classroom and the boys in another. We have mosquito nets hanging all over the room in what will be our home for the next four nights. It is a peaceful evening. Sleeping in old classrooms, on concrete floors and under mosquito nets meant it was somewhat restless. It was quite warm and humid until about 3am and then the cold snap hit with a vengeance. Tossing and turning and then scrambling for warm clothes to beat the cold. Some of us chose to rise at 6am to accompany brother JP and three local women to the markets where fresh produce is purchased. Lisa, Vanda, Emily J, Oscar, Tom M, Jess, Anabel and Nick visited the local Gleno Market, to shop for the food distribution programme that the Jesuits run in rural areas. The harrowing 45 minute trip to the market was a 4wd experience we will not forget. We realised the incredible culture and lifestyle of the local people walking around the market. We filled our pockets with delicious bananas, bread rolls and sweet doughnuts before heading back down the mountain to prepare for the adventurous day ahead.
Dust flew and the rocks protruding off the ‘elegantly’ man-made road, speared the tyres as our convoy entered Taraco. Fr Bong invited a couple of people to take the blood pressure of some of the local people and test their basic health levels in a mobile medical clinic. The remainder of the group proceeded to the primary school further down the road armed with heaps of donations for the children. Seeing the gratitude and bright smiles on the faces of the young children was incredibly fulfilling - even a pen and a sticker on their shirt could make their entire day.
After heading back to Railaco for lunch, Sr Rita escorted us to the local convent where we met 20 aspiring sisters all at different stages in their formation to be Sisters. We were greeted with flowers and a singing presentation where we responded by singing ‘Come as you are’. Each student and teacher was then paired with an aspiring Sister to help plant a tree. Planting this tree asked us to look further than just putting something in the ground. It symbolised our relationship with the sisters as Christians and furthermore the bond we hold with mother Earth as it is centre of all life in our world. Through this, we cannot forget our belief that “In all creation nothing can separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8: 37-39). This is an element of our faith which was clearly expressed today.
We quickly returned to the school where we have been staying to play a bit of a soccer match with the same local Timorese boys as we did last night. Each of us in turn then raced through the fantastic bucket showers before donning our best skirts and sarongs for mass back at the convent with the sisters. It was amazing to experience the mass said by Fr Bong and Fr Hosking in both Tetum and English. There was a strong community vibe, especially when the roof nearly blew off from the sheer volume of the beautiful voices of the Timorese sisters and locals during the songs.
Our fantastic day came to a conclusion with a scrumptious dinner graciously prepared by Sister Rita and her team of hardworking men and women. A portion of time was spent reflecting on the day with journal writing before a moving examen by Anabel. She quoted Marcus Aurelius: Remember that we live only in the present, in this fleeting instant: all the rest of our life of our life is either past or gone, or not yet revealed. This mortal life is a little thing, lived in a little corner of the earth; and little too, is the longest fame to come – dependent as it is on a succession of fast-perishing little people who have no knowledge even of their own selves, much less of one long dead and gone.
Four days ago, 20 strangers came together to form a team aiming to make a difference. Today, together as 20 brothers and sisters, we managed to touch the hearts of the Timorese people…words cannot begin to express how humbled and blessed we all feel.
Emily Harwood and Emily Jackson
We spent some time journaling which was done in companionable silence. We then had some time sharing together facilitated by Fr Peter. We reflected on our days so far. Some spoke with gratitude about the welcome we had received. We are aware of people who have so little being so open and kind to us. Relationships matter so much more than things here. It is a good reminder for us. Some shared their sadness at what has happened to the East Timorese and their reactions in visiting the Resistance Museum and Dare monument. The East Timorese have experienced great suffering over the years in WW2 and during the Indonesian occupation from 1975 to 1999. We also spoke of what our coming here means and giving to the people our gifts. It engenders some shame about what we have and how we share. Others noted the change from the developments in Dili including big buildings and the inequities with the simple living in the countryside. We have much to ponder and know there are no easy answers to some questions.
As we prepared for bed we sang some songs. Tom Mahony we soon discovered has a great voice and it was so enjoyable just being together. The girls are in one classroom and the boys in another. We have mosquito nets hanging all over the room in what will be our home for the next four nights. It is a peaceful evening. Sleeping in old classrooms, on concrete floors and under mosquito nets meant it was somewhat restless. It was quite warm and humid until about 3am and then the cold snap hit with a vengeance. Tossing and turning and then scrambling for warm clothes to beat the cold. Some of us chose to rise at 6am to accompany brother JP and three local women to the markets where fresh produce is purchased. Lisa, Vanda, Emily J, Oscar, Tom M, Jess, Anabel and Nick visited the local Gleno Market, to shop for the food distribution programme that the Jesuits run in rural areas. The harrowing 45 minute trip to the market was a 4wd experience we will not forget. We realised the incredible culture and lifestyle of the local people walking around the market. We filled our pockets with delicious bananas, bread rolls and sweet doughnuts before heading back down the mountain to prepare for the adventurous day ahead.
Dust flew and the rocks protruding off the ‘elegantly’ man-made road, speared the tyres as our convoy entered Taraco. Fr Bong invited a couple of people to take the blood pressure of some of the local people and test their basic health levels in a mobile medical clinic. The remainder of the group proceeded to the primary school further down the road armed with heaps of donations for the children. Seeing the gratitude and bright smiles on the faces of the young children was incredibly fulfilling - even a pen and a sticker on their shirt could make their entire day.
After heading back to Railaco for lunch, Sr Rita escorted us to the local convent where we met 20 aspiring sisters all at different stages in their formation to be Sisters. We were greeted with flowers and a singing presentation where we responded by singing ‘Come as you are’. Each student and teacher was then paired with an aspiring Sister to help plant a tree. Planting this tree asked us to look further than just putting something in the ground. It symbolised our relationship with the sisters as Christians and furthermore the bond we hold with mother Earth as it is centre of all life in our world. Through this, we cannot forget our belief that “In all creation nothing can separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8: 37-39). This is an element of our faith which was clearly expressed today.
We quickly returned to the school where we have been staying to play a bit of a soccer match with the same local Timorese boys as we did last night. Each of us in turn then raced through the fantastic bucket showers before donning our best skirts and sarongs for mass back at the convent with the sisters. It was amazing to experience the mass said by Fr Bong and Fr Hosking in both Tetum and English. There was a strong community vibe, especially when the roof nearly blew off from the sheer volume of the beautiful voices of the Timorese sisters and locals during the songs.
Our fantastic day came to a conclusion with a scrumptious dinner graciously prepared by Sister Rita and her team of hardworking men and women. A portion of time was spent reflecting on the day with journal writing before a moving examen by Anabel. She quoted Marcus Aurelius: Remember that we live only in the present, in this fleeting instant: all the rest of our life of our life is either past or gone, or not yet revealed. This mortal life is a little thing, lived in a little corner of the earth; and little too, is the longest fame to come – dependent as it is on a succession of fast-perishing little people who have no knowledge even of their own selves, much less of one long dead and gone.
Four days ago, 20 strangers came together to form a team aiming to make a difference. Today, together as 20 brothers and sisters, we managed to touch the hearts of the Timorese people…words cannot begin to express how humbled and blessed we all feel.
Emily Harwood and Emily Jackson