Sunday

One more first – our first Sunday here. Today was the third Sunday of Advent (the season of spiritual preparation for the birth of Christ that takes place in the four weeks before Christmas every year). This Sunday is special and is supposed to be a time of special joy, because Jesus is almost here! Well, today lived up to that expectation.

We were able to sleep in! That was wonderful, because we’ve been waking up at 5:45 am everyday to get to 6:30 Mass, so it has definitely been early mornings. And Bernadette made banana pancakes for breakfast (except I was informed that in Australia this type are called something else), so we woke up smelling those.

We went to English Mass together at 10:30 which was filled by people of all nationalities and many Timorese. I believe many of them are here working with the U.N. and the many non profits in our area. Just in our area we’ve already seen the Canossians, Austracare, Oxfam, Mercy Corps, and others. Many non profits are here helping the people recover from the violence that came with their independence.

Mass was so beautiful though. The people here sing with such life! It’s like listening to a gospel choir singing their hearts out – it’s like the music comes out loud and strong from somewhere deep inside them, even from people who speak very quietly. Oh, and they’re bringing the tambourine back : ) Everything was great and the readings were perfect for preparing our hearts for Christmas.

But while the readings led to some great reflections, they didn’t touch me the most. Before going up to receive the Eucharist we say “Lord, I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed” in an act of faith that Jesus will cover our sins with grace so we can be in communion with Him in the Eucharist. As I was kneeling I was overcome not only with how much I need to grow in my faith, but how unworthy I am to be living in East Timor with these people.

I can’t express to you how generous they are and friendly beyond reason. We take the twenty minute walk between our house and the Canossa school several times a day. Even if you wanted peace and quiet you couldn’t get it - every few feet of the way you are saying hi to someone because everyone is interested in each other (and especially us newcomers). Dili is their capital city, but it’s more like small towns in Iowa. Big city, small town feel : )

Anyway, the Sisters, the students at the Canossa school who we have been teaching, and the people on the streets that we have met have really impressed me with their love. And they have suffered so much; more than I will ever understand having grown up in safe area with good options for education and access to all the food and clothes I might need and more! And the past few days we’ve heard them singing songs about peace. To a country where peace has been regularly disrupted every few years by more violence, “let there be peace on earth” (the song of St. Francis) takes on a whole new meaning,

So I was contemplating this right before getting up to receive the Eucharist. Jesus, as always, was amazing, and I got back and was kneeling down when something caught my eye. A girl coming back up the aisle was walking very slowly and I wondered why. Then I saw the man who was in front of her on the floor. His legs were very small and malformed, looking like they may have been like that since birth. He was pulling his body along on his hands and knees.

And my eyes brimmed with tears at the witness of this man. I can’t imagine what rejection and suffering he has faced in his life by no fault of his own, but he was here at the table of the Lord. He knew where to find Love and healing and hope. And I wondered if I were in the same position would I drag myself up the aisle for Communion. Could I go on with life with the same confidence that Jesus loves me? This man’s inner strength I will probably never match…

After Mass was over I told Brendan what had happened and we looked for the man on the way out so we could meet him, but no luck. But I’ve made a promise to myself that I will meet him soon.

It’s interesting. There are so many people here… you would think it would be overwhelming to try to help each one. We know we can’t help each one personally, but we’ll do what we can. More importantly they show us that what really matters is our witness of coming here and living with them. They know we come from America, which is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, where many of them would love to live. A man at Mass the other day said that volunteers are a mystery to him, because they give up so much to come to the poorest countries in the world. But if only he knew what we receive… the encouragement, friendship, and growth of our faith. Then he would know that the scale is balanced heavily in our favor.

Recently Sali asked Brendan what effect his experience in India had on him. He said that the experience made his heart expand. You meet so many people, have to use all of your skills, and have many demands on your time. You think that there won’t be enough of your heart to go around, but somehow there is. Because when what’s humanly possible stops, God starts and it is enough : )

But anyway, back to Sunday. Later on that afternoon, we were picked up to go to the Balide Convent of the Canossian Sisters – fifteen minutes drive from our house. Bernadette was teaching English to the girls there that she knew, so we helped her, and then we played a giant game of basketball! Their two favorite sports here are soccer and basketball (which is awesome because those are Brendan and my two favorite sports), so they have a b-ball court that doubles as a soccer field at the convent for the girls. We played for probably an hour and a half with no stops, until everyone was soaked with sweat and exhausted. But it was nice to play and a great way to get to know the girls.

Then we had prayer and dinner with the Sisters before going home. All four of us have been very impressed with the Sisters here, just like in Rome. To be around so many Sisters or religious in general (priests, brothers, and sisters) is really a transforming experience. But we’ll give more specific examples as they come up. It’d been a long day and we finally went home with a few of the Sisters accompanying us. We all sang some Christmas carols like Feliz Navidad and Silent Night – all the classics : )

This is a good example of a day here. It’s jampacked with people to meet and things to do. Everything is new and there are so many shocks and changing emotions throughout the day. So if this entry is all over the place it’s because we are too : ) I’m sure things will become more clear as we get more settled and time to put things in perspective, but until then…this is what’s going on in our heads. Hope you enjoyed it!

Love always,

Brendan and Rachel