Dumaguete Diary
Vol. III, No. 1
Dear Sisters, Associates, relatives, and friends, We are finally writing after a long period of silence. You are never far from our thoughts, love, and prayers. After our visit and vacation, life resumed with its usual fast pace and depth. As you know, Dumaguete is “the city that never sleeps and is always celebrating.”
Brick upon Brick, a Great House is Built We try to contribute some small “brick” so that, as in the Italian song: “brick upon brick, a great house is built.” This is for what we dream and hope. Our desire is to share our life with you. So what follows are some examples of our little “bricks.” • We are convinced that one way to fight against poverty is education and sending as many children as possible to school. So we answered ‘yes’ to help a school in the mountains with about 200 children. Sr. Maria shares her experience: “We arrived in the town of Bayawan and then continued by motorcycle toward the mountain for about two miles. Families and children were waiting for us. We received a very warm welcome. It was moving to see these children so well behaved and attentive to our greetings and wanting to hear the story of my vocation. We distributed our gift package of ‘flip flops,’ school supplies, pens, pencils, colored pencils, and notebooks. For many, the flip flops are needed to get to school, which is a few miles away from home. The gratitude, joy, and excitement of the children and parents were clearly visible. “Lord, that I may see . . . ” We wound up competing in generosity! Dr. Donovant refused to be paid for the visit. He suggested that Rustica have surgery immediately and told us that he would perform the procedure free of charge. (She would only need to pay for the lens and the operating room.) So, with funds that were donated by a friend in Italy, we were able to get the operation done. Rustica went back to lead a joyful, normal life. Here is a thank you note from her husband, Precioso Vilas:
Rooted in Jesus’ words: "I was sick and you healed me” “One morning, after the 6 a.m. Liturgy, Eddy arrived at our center with a very high fever. I tried to care for him, but he began vomiting, so I decided to bring him to the Emergency Room. After various tests, they put an ice bag on his head and an IV and ruled out Dengue fever. He had serious intestinal and kidney infections. Eddy is one of many young people who live by searching through garbage, where they catch all kinds of viruses. Caring for Eddy did not come cheap, so we decided to get the social workers involved. It was a difficult undertaking. Thanks be to God, I was able to receive a small reimbursement. I also created awareness among the local social work offices who need to become more aware of the pitiful conditions of these youngsters. These are experiences that prompt me to live the present moment rooted in Jesus’ words, ‘I was sick and you healed me’.” So here are some highlights that we find the time to write down when the daily work slows down a bit. Our days are filled with unforeseen events and emergencies. Thankfully, we are surrounded by people of good will who volunteer their time to help us. [Click to hear about the experiences of our volunteers.] We carry all of you in our hearts and daily prayers. Thank you for your love, prayers, and support that you give us in so many ways. With you, we believe that suffering is the most precious “capital” to build God’s works. With love and gratitude, Our email is: Many ask how you can send your support to us:
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