The 25 or so prisoners gathered in a cell at the men’s detention center in São Paulo, Brazil, where I served as a Maryknoll lay missioner, watched me patiently, with puzzled faces. I placed four construction paper “candles” on the table and held up a yellow construction paper “flame,” asking for a volunteer. One of the men raised his hand, becoming the one who would “light” the first candle and begin the Advent season for us.
Starting four Sundays before Christmas, we prepare for Christ’s birth during a period called Advent. It’s a time of waiting and hope, and we asked the men what were their hopes. Their answers included liberty, health, their families’ health, love, peace and “an end to this situation.” When one of the men added, “Patience,” they all agreed. Then an inmate named Fabiano gave a memorable answer: he hoped to keep God’s light always before him, and never vary from following it.
Marilyn Kott, MKLM
In Guatemala, where I serve as a missioner, I lived for a time in a rural town far from the amenities of the capital city. The long dirt road was a truly rocky road in the dry season and a rutty, muddy one when the annual rains came. One rainy day our vehicle slipped into a rut that even our four-wheel drive couldn’t help us out of. I got out in the drizzle to see what we could do. As I stared at the tire — stuck in mud up to the axle — a small boy, only about 8 years old, came up and offered to help. If we couldn’t do anything, I thought, he certainly couldn’t.
The boy left and soon returned with an armload of firewood. He got down in the mud and shoved the pieces around the tires. “Try it now,” he said. I obediently got into the car, put it into first gear and roared out of the mud. As if that weren’t enough, the boy said, “My mother said to come in and get dry. She has some food for you.” At their small adobe house up the hill, we were met with the finest hospitality: We dried our clothes by the fire, enjoyed a hot meal and made new friends.
Never underestimate an 8-year-old boy.
Bernice Kita, M.M.
Her name is Hadia, and she is a 10-year-old girl of the Nuer ethnic group who lives in a U.N. camp in Malakal, South Sudan, where I served in mission for 10 years. In this camp of over 30,000 people displaced by civil war, most families have very few possessions. They keep their clothes in shopping bags.
One day when I was visiting Hadia and her family, she told me that rats had chewed up her only pair of socks. I asked if she wanted to go to the market to buy another pair. She excitedly said yes and danced for joy. Upon arriving at the market, Hadia found what she wanted. She was happy just to have a new pair of socks. Despite the difficult life of people in the camp, especially children, Hadia taught me the value of living simply and enjoying the simple things in life.
Michael Bassano, M.M.
In our ministry in Bolivia, we strive to achieve a measure of justice and dignity for Doña Benita and her son Jhon. At 13, Jhon is the size of a 6-year-old, with extremely thin arms and legs. Born with severe physical and intellectual disabilities, he cannot talk and needs constant supervision. No school exists in the area for his special needs.
Doña Benita is a single mother who works in her neighbors’ fields to earn her family’s daily bread. Since she does not have a car or motorcycle and cannot afford to hire a caregiver for Jhon, she carries him on her back, often for a mile or more. Doña Benita had been told by the local doctor that her son would never walk. Even a wheelchair would not help, as the dirt roads and trails are not passable for a wheelchair. She wondered if God was punishing her.
We had Jhon examined by our doctors and learned that there was no physical reason he could not walk.
So, with our physical therapist and the rest of our team, we started intensive treatment, including teaching the exercises to Jhon’s mother in order to double up on his therapy. We prayed that it was just the lack of muscle development that prevented him from walking. After six months, Jhon is now able to stand and walk 20 feet on his own. Jhon smiles when he walks, and his mother has regained her faith that a better tomorrow can be achieved.
Joseph Loney and Filo Siles, MKLM
Featured Image: Michael Jones/Guatemala
