I will start at the end. It was our last prayer meeting before going back to Canada. A fellow missionary led the prayer meeting and asked us about our vision, mission, expectations and the lessons we learned. Looking back to the week before going to Philippines, I was trying to get myself ready for my trip. I expected it to be not only physically draining but spiritually also. I prayed to the Lord to watch over and guide each of us missionaries. I expected myself to give my best and to share all the blessings that I have through my mission work. I also hoped to use my knowledge as a dental assistant to teach the people I will be meeting the importance of taking care of not only their teeth but their health as well.
Finally stepping into the Philippine airport, I felt nervous. To completely dive into the unknown – since I’ve never done this before – is uncomfortable. Building houses is one thing, but building communities is something different altogether. My first day on our first building site in Tarlac was nerve-wracking as I saw the unbuilt houses and the strangers we were to spend 3 days with, but someone told me to be a fool for God. When I decided to just offer everything up to God I found that with the help of other missionaries and the rest of the community, building houses turned into a fun activity that we all bonded over. Then for the next three days after every building activity, I found myself looking forward to spending time with the lovable kids in Tarlac. Their happiness in playing such simple games with us was infectious. Our group found ourselves forgetting our tiredness and being the best role models we can be. Leaving Tarlac and the people we’ve grown to admire was definitely difficult and I dreaded having to do the same in the Avanai building site.
Although the environment was more cramped, Avanai was not much different than Tarlac. The older men, mostly workers, showed great patience in teaching us how to properly build houses. I remember when I sifted fine sand from the gravel but kept missing the spot to where I was to throw the rocks and one worker who was helping me tirelessly picked it up after I kept missing. The older women were welcoming and gladly cooked us delicious meals. The kids were loving in their own little ways. I was sharing my blessings with them but they seemed to share so much more of what little they had with me. Not only did they shower me with sweet letters, gestures and beautiful loom bands but they gave me a wonderful experience I won’t soon forget.
As we wrapped up our mission trip, I looked back at the two wonderful weeks that seemed to go by so fast. My experiences taught me that I was the one being taught and not the other way around. I’ve received so much more than I had to give. I hope to apply what I’ve seen and learned on my trip to my life back in Canada and hope to inspire others to do the same and more.
[This reflection is written by Nicole Corcuera, one of the young missionaries who participated in ANCOP's Great Adventure Tour.]
Finally stepping into the Philippine airport, I felt nervous. To completely dive into the unknown – since I’ve never done this before – is uncomfortable. Building houses is one thing, but building communities is something different altogether. My first day on our first building site in Tarlac was nerve-wracking as I saw the unbuilt houses and the strangers we were to spend 3 days with, but someone told me to be a fool for God. When I decided to just offer everything up to God I found that with the help of other missionaries and the rest of the community, building houses turned into a fun activity that we all bonded over. Then for the next three days after every building activity, I found myself looking forward to spending time with the lovable kids in Tarlac. Their happiness in playing such simple games with us was infectious. Our group found ourselves forgetting our tiredness and being the best role models we can be. Leaving Tarlac and the people we’ve grown to admire was definitely difficult and I dreaded having to do the same in the Avanai building site.
Although the environment was more cramped, Avanai was not much different than Tarlac. The older men, mostly workers, showed great patience in teaching us how to properly build houses. I remember when I sifted fine sand from the gravel but kept missing the spot to where I was to throw the rocks and one worker who was helping me tirelessly picked it up after I kept missing. The older women were welcoming and gladly cooked us delicious meals. The kids were loving in their own little ways. I was sharing my blessings with them but they seemed to share so much more of what little they had with me. Not only did they shower me with sweet letters, gestures and beautiful loom bands but they gave me a wonderful experience I won’t soon forget.
As we wrapped up our mission trip, I looked back at the two wonderful weeks that seemed to go by so fast. My experiences taught me that I was the one being taught and not the other way around. I’ve received so much more than I had to give. I hope to apply what I’ve seen and learned on my trip to my life back in Canada and hope to inspire others to do the same and more.
[This reflection is written by Nicole Corcuera, one of the young missionaries who participated in ANCOP's Great Adventure Tour.]