Asian Mission Congress, Faith Sharer: Youth

When I was first asked by Joy Candelario and Fr Saturnino Dias to share, I readily accepted the invitation without finding out more about what the sharing was to entail and who my audience would be. My first shock came when I received an email with guidelines for the sharing and script had to be submited in 2 weeks. I had a late start to work on my sharing. I did not get previous emails with the guidelines. Somehow I managed to pull through even with half my brains working on the last DRE assignment and last minute touch ups to my wood burning project. Many nights were spent toggling over the PC. I felt quite lost as the sharing guidelines seemed remarkably similar to the theological reflections that I had to do for the DRE. but I wasn't sure. What were the organizers' expectations? What did they want to hear?

I thought about the theme of the Congress and realised that if I just told the story of my life as it is.. the encounter of Christ through my mission and how it touched other youths as I had been touched then that would be telling the story of Jesus. So I typed and I typed till the script was ready. I emailed it to the organizers and convinced myself that I should not be worrying.

When we arrived at the Congress and as the speakers and faith-sharers took their turn on the large platform in front of the hundreds gathered, I slowly dissolved into a sack of rattled bones. However I put up a courageous front among the other Singaporean delegates. Everyone was so encouraging and cheering me on. I could not show them the truth of how I really felt: nervous and inadequate for the task at hand.

My turn was finally minutes away and I surrendered all I was going to say to the Lord. I remembered what Fr Terence once told me when I was not sure about going to Melbourne. "Be a fool for Christ". Esther from ICPE and Ivan from Youth Ministry Office prayed for me. Their prayers gave me the strength to accept that I was ready to be a fool for Christ.

My story was a personal encounter. Telling my story made me vunerable. Everyone would come to know of my reality and struggle. But then I realised that it was not my reality and my struggle alone. Because all these years I never walked alone. Jesus was always with me. When my voice boomed over the microphone, I knew then in my heart that this was the very thing I wanted to do. It felt so right. Because this is my story of Jesus in my life.

This Sunday's Gospel brought me back to ten years ago.. in a little schoolhouse at the dumpsite when Christ spoke to me though one scavenger boy. "Love your neighbour"

My Sharing
I live in a global, high tech society of internet, wireless network, cable TV, MSN, Bluetooth, 3G technology, podcast, blogs and so on. I am a young Singaporean. Singapore is just 683 sq km, with less than 4 million people living on the island. We have no natural resources. We buy our water. Now we evem recycle it. We import most of our food from other countries. So what do we do to survive? We work very hard. We are an urban jungle with a strong economic culture. We’re sheltered by neighbouring countries. We do not have typhoons or hurricanes. We do not have earthquakes or volcanoes. We have no mountains either, just small hills. At 19 years old, I was living a peaceful, comfortable life on the little red dot on the map. My favourite phrase then was “Life is boring!” Even today this is a common expression among young Singaporeans. They ofen say “I am bored. I am bored to death”

I had little worries in life. My life was programmed. I would graduate with a diploma in Information Technology and work as a computer programmer. Many of my friends would either be like me or became teachers, accountants, engineers or join the business sector. Singaporeans are not very creative when it comes to occupations! Also life in Singapore is always a rush. As young people who are always studying we have no time to think, reflect and discern about where we are headed in life. My life was driven by the economy. Till now among young Singaporeans life is about working hard to become an economic success.

As a Catholic I was active in the youth movement of my parish. But the days in my parish were also programmed. After youth group, I would become a Catechist preparing youths for Confirmation

How meeting Jesus changed me
One day everything changed when my priest asked me to go for a 9 day mission trip to Philippines with a group of 16 other youths. After the 9 days in Philippines, I went home a different person. We lived in a dumpsite in Manila. On our last day there we prayed with the dumpsite youths. We prayed for them and they in turn prayed for us. During this time, all the youths were crying, touched by each other’s prayers and the friendships that we been formed in the short 9 days. One dumpsite youth shared this that stirred me deeply. It was as if Jesus was speaking to me. He said, “I never thought that rich people knew we existed. I never thought a rich person would care enough to come into my life and be my friend until now.”

In Singapore, I come from an average-income household. I never saw myself as being rich until that experience. I never knew the poor existed, not even in my own country until I went for that mission trip. I have always seen beggars, starving people, homeless people on television. But I had never seen them in real life.


Challenges ahead
Back home, I struggled with all that I had experienced. The scene at the dumpsite… the child scavenger… the parents who were too sick to work… the homeless family… and so on. For the first time I a young Singaporean Catholic was faced with a challenge to my faith, my way of life. Jesus was saying to me, “Love one another as I have loved you… Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”

For the next two years I struggled on and the dumpsite was always on my mind. Finally when I was 21, I decided to return to the dumpsite once more with a few friends. The experience of living with the people and being with them also had a great impact on my friends. They too went home just like me. Challenged and troubled. Jesus was also saying to them, “Love one another as I have loved you. Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”

All this time, we had been living our lives thinking only for ourselves. We were only looking out for ourselves and our family. We thought only of what was best for us. We hardly considered the needs of others, our neighbours and the marginalized.

During this time I began to question where I was headed. Was I going to follow the crowd blindly and live for myself? Or would I bravely discern the plans God had for me trust in Him fully and live for him? I decided that I wanted to live for God more than for my own selfish reasons. In the meantime, I decided to study for a diploma in teaching.

I returned regularly to the dumpsite regularly, each time with more youths. I went on my 1st mission trip wanting to be of help. But in the process I experienced the unconditional love of God through the Payatas people. The other youths also wanted to be of help. But they too experienced the selfless love of God. The people in the dumpsite have so little to give us materially. Yet they welcomed us strangers into their lives and adopted us as their child, their brother, their sister.

When I encountered them, their lives, their suffering and also their dreams and aspirations, I encountered Christ. I am inspired by their courage and their strength and determination to keep on going despite the setbacks, the landslides, the typhoons. One of them has become a brother to me. He is Julian Donarie and he’s 23 this year. Julian’s grandparents passed away when he was 10. They were his only relatives. He lived by himself in the dumpsite, working every day just to earn some money for food. When his grandparents died, he made a promise to himself that he would go to school like the other kids and he would finish his education. This is not a difficult challenge to a 10 year old in Singapore. But for Julian it was making the impossible possible. And he knew that only God could make the impossible possible. Julian ended up going to a non-formal school which eventually supported him through to high school. He graduated in maritime studies. Julian and all my brothers and sisters in the dumpsite have inspired me to trust in God. In their lives I hear this song, “God will make a way where there seems to be no way.”

Through these brothers and sisters, I found the courage to say “God shall supply all my needs according to his riches and glory”. I left a stable and secured job in teaching. Not long after, God did make a way for me. I am now working in 4 Infant Jesus schools where I conduct faith formation and mission orientation sessions for secondary students. These students serve the marginalized through local and overseas projects.

After much reflection, a few of the youths and I who had been touched by the experience of the dumpsite decided to commit to mission. We decided that the poor will always be a reference point in our lives and in our decision making. We started a group called acts29. Acts means A Call to Serve and 29 refers to the continuation of the works of the apostles (the book of Acts ends at chapter 28). We invite youths to live a life of simplicity in solidarity and mission while making Jesus known to others.

I realize that the goal of life across the multi-religious and multi-culture milieu is not to become perfect but to love. My experience with the youths whom I have come to know from various countries in Asia has taught me that to be a human person is to be essentially directed towards others. I realize that there is no point in being global but my faith and my way of life must be global too. I am no longer just a Singaporean Catholic youth but I am also an Asian Catholic youth. I want to continue to invite youths to build bridges from Asia and to share in the responsibility of being an Asian Catholic youth for their country, for their family and for the Lord their God.

1st Asian Mission Congress: Telling the Story of Jesus in Asia

The 1st Asian Mission Congress took place in Chiangmai from 18th Oct to 22nd Oct. Almost 75% of the participants were religious. 5 Cardinals, 80 bishops, 300 priests and many Srs and Brs. The remaining 25% were the laity.

What I loved about the Congress was that servants of the Lord from all over Asia had gathered at one place to celebrate the Story of Jesus. I was deeply touched and humbled to have met the men and women who have dedicated their lives to proclaiming the Good News in foreign land, in adversity, in persecution, in calamity. These great people have surrendered their lives fully to God. The Congress reminded me that mission is about laying my life down for Jesus. Am I ready to lose my life, sacrifice my life for Jesus? I do not know and I cannot say for sure because we can never be 100% sure of anything. But I trust that if such a time comes Jesus will give me the grace and courage to do so.

The keynote address by Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines stirred me deeply. My heart goes out to young people who have no stories to tell because they have not been given the opportunity to talk about school, their friends, their lives, their faith to others, especially to their familiies who have little or no time to listen. Every story-teller needs a listener. Among the youths I know, many have no stories to tell because their memories have long been buried deep within. Many young people in Singapore carry memories of shame from their childhood. The day they were put into TAF club or EM3, when they failed their exams or scored just only a B instead of an A. Also they carry the shame of the broken family, father and mother are divorced or are fighting everyday. The shame of being caned or hit in public by their parents, the shame of verbal abuse. Some carry the shame of an acloholic parent, a gambling addict parent or an abusive parent. Finally the shame of having never been recognised as a gift to anyone, not even to the family. So these memories are painfully buried, to be forgotten and never to surface again.

I recently discovered that many of the youths I know do not even know their family's history. They hardly know anything about their grandfathers. More often they know a little more about the grandmother. Even fewer know about their great-grandparents. Not many know about their own parents' childhood, how their parents first met, etc. I sense that even in the previous generations, memories carry shame and the memories too of the previous generations have also been buried long long ago.

I may be wrong but I think that many of our young people need to dig up the memories, yes, even the memories of shame. Because memories say something about who we are; our identity and these memories point us towards the future. St Paul calls us to praise God all the time, in good times and in bad times, in times of sucess and joy and even in times of failure and shame.

In Singapore young people are the best evangelists to other young people. Young people who have experienced God's love can rise above the memories of shame to tell the story of Jesus in their lives. Yup, and that includes you! :)

Being poor…by John Scalzi

(abridged)

Being poor is not enough space for everyone who lives with you.
Being poor is feeling the re-glued soles tear off your shoes when you run around the playground.
Being poor is your kid's school being the one with the 15-year-old textbooks and no air conditioning.
Being poor is relying on people who don't give a damn about you.

Being poor is making lunch for your kid when a cockroach skitters over the bread, and you looking over to see if your kid saw.

Being poor is hoping you'll be invited for dinner.

Being poor is six dollars short on the utility bill and no way to close the gap.
Being poor is crying when you drop the rice on the floor.
Being poor is knowing you work as hard as anyone, anywhere.
Being poor is people surprised to discover you're not actually stupid.
Being poor is people surprised to discover you're not actually lazy.

Being poor is a six-hour wait in an emergency room with a sick child asleep on your lap.
Being poor is never buying anything someone else hasn't bought first.
Being poor is picking the 10 cent ramen instead of the 12 cent ramen because that's two extra packages for every dollar.
Being poor is having to live with choices you didn't know you made when you were 14 years old.
Being poor is getting tired of people wanting you to be grateful.
Being poor is knowing you're being judged.

Being poor is people who have never been poor wondering why you choose to be so.
Being poor is knowing how hard it is to stop being poor.
Being poor is seeing how few options you have.
Being poor is running in place.
Being poor is people wondering why you didn't leave.

17th Oct - World Day of Eradication of Poverty

We stand here proudly as members of the generation that intends to defeat extreme poverty, the greatest challenge of our times.

We stand up now because we do not wish,
years from now, to stand in front of
the next generation and say,
‘We knew that millions of people were dying unnecessarily every year –
and we stood by,
doing nothing.”

We cannot stay seated when a child born in a poor country today will die 30 years earlier
than a child born in a wealthy one.
It is time to end all this heartbreak.

And we stand up because we are asking
not for charity
but justice.
We know that in our names,
world leaders have already made promises to bring this yearly tragedy to an end – they are called
the Millennium Development Goals.*
What is needed is the political will to achieve
– and to go beyond these goals.

So we, hundreds of thousands of concerned individuals from over 100 countries,
are on our feet to say –

To the leaders of the wealthy countries
– BE GREAT - fight to keep your promises on poverty: debt cancellation, more and better aid,
and trade justice.
You know what needs to be done.
Do it.

We also stand before the leaders of
poorer countries to say
– BE GREAT – make it your first responsibility to save the lives of your poorest citizens.
We ask you to tackle inequality, to be accountable to your people, to govern fairly and justly and to fulfil human rights.
You know what needs to be done.
Do it.

Every generation has mighty battles to fight against evils such as slavery and apartheid, which seem as though they cannot be defeated. But history proves time and again they can,
if enough people stand up against injustice.

We wish to set a record today of the number of people standing up to demand action on poverty
– but the record we really want to break
is the world’s record of breaking promises
and just ignoring the poor.
We in Singapore acknowledge the existence of resignation, indifference and powerlessness in the way we live.
We hear the world shouting out for an extraordinary change in our way of being that will create the possibilities for making a profound difference in an unprecedented way.
We in Singapore are taking a stand that these possibilities are possible.
ONE by ONE,
ONE act of kindness,
ONE voice of concern,
ONE letter of love,
ONE stand for possibilities…
together, we can make a difference and inspire others to do the same.
We are SIX BILLION VOICES in the world.
We want justice now.
No more excuses.
We will not stand for them.


*THE MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
• Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
• Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
• Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
• Goal 5: Improve maternal health
• Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
• Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
• Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
http://www.onesingapore.org/blog.php/campaign/

Who is my neighbour?

...Monday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time

My sister's 7 year old god-daughther, Nicole, told me recently that she's making her Christmas list to Santa and she'll be posting out her list soon. And I asked her, "So Nikki are you going to have your own Christmas list? You list down all the people you want to give presents to." Nikki looked at me thoughtfully and with great love in her heart for all the people she knows, Nikki said, "Yes I will make a list and prepare presents for everyone!" Then reality set in and a frown appeared, "But Aunty Sherlyn I don't have money to buy presents for everyone!"

"Well, Nikki, you don't have to buy. How about making something for everyone? What can you make? What are you good at?" Nikki looked at me excitedly, "Stars! I can make stars for everyone!" So this Christmas if you know who Nikki is, you'll probably be receiving stars from her as a Christmas present.

October has arrived and in weeks to come, Advent will be here. I'm thinking now about my own Christmas list. In the past few years since volunteering at Galilee, I realise that there are poor people around me. Down the street where I live, in my parish and youths whom I know. I know now that the poor is present when I choose to look closer and see them with my eyes opened and heart opened too. The poor do not exist when I choose not to see them.

Since opening my eyes and heart, I know youths who have rice and hotdog or ikan bilis for lunch and dinner everyday. I know youths who have had scabies. I know youths who can't afford the bus fare to school. They wear their school uniform to the shops and even to church because that's all they have. One boy used to attend Mass in slippers. After getting to know him, I realised he did not mean to be sloppily dressed for mass. He just didn't own a pair of shoes and this pair of slippers was his only footwear.

So this Advent I'd like to do the same thing that Nikki is doing. But I'm lousy at making stars. But I do know how to wrap hampers and I do know how to buy canned food and cookies. I also know how to ask my friends for canned food and cookies... haha
If you know of three people or more who are in a bad shape this year (I don't mean body size... I mean financially) and you know 3 other people who can give something... why don't make a list like Nikki and I are doing? make a list of people you want to help this Christmas... and the rest is easy... use your talents and gifts..

The people whom you and I are thinking of.. people who could do with a bit of encouragement... let us be a neighbour to them.. Not physical neighbour.. don't shift nextdoor to them.. But let us be a Christian neighbour to them.. when we give there should be no "whys" and no "Should I?" but only "freely i have received, freely I give".

Followers of Christ

3 weeks ago on the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.” Matthew 9:30-37

As I am preparing for the year end mission trips I am reminded of this Gospel text. Jesus does not ask us to imitate him or copy him. There cannot be a Jesus version2. There is only one Jesus. I acknowlegde also that there is only one me. I am not called to copy Jesus but I am called to follow Jesus. There is a difference between being a Jesus copier and a Jesus follower. There are many copiers of Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley etc... but Jesus is not asking us to be His copiers. Jesus invites us to be his followers and thus enter into a relationship with Him. People who copy Michael Jackson can probably dance like him but they do not know him. I can copy the words Jesus spoke in the Bible, but if I do not know him personally I am not His follower.

So where does this leave me as I prepare for the upcoming mission trips... Acknowledge that I am me, uniuqely me and I am following Jesus... Jesus enables me and empowers me to continue on His mission, the work of proclaiming His love to the ends of the earth.

Payatas dumpsite relocation

It's been finalized... we've been expecting it to happen soon... the residents had attended meetings. But for some time now the authorities gave no concrete plan of action. But the confirmation has come. The dumpsite is expanding and the authorities are relocating the people on Zamboanga street! Even Paaralang Pantao has to go!

Back in 2000 there was a landslide which killed quite a number of people. The dumpsite that collapsed is just behind the school. The few years following the Payatas Tragedy, the site was left alone. There were bodies that were never recovered. But 2 years ago, dumping on the newly greened hill had resumed. The hill is back to its former status as a dumpsite, bigger than before. The school used to have a backyard and there was enough space for the kids to have their PE or play their games. There used to be a basketball hoop and the kids loved a quick game of basketball during recess. But the dumpsite has moved right up to the school's backyard and there's no longer a play area for the kids. We used to have art and karate lessons out doors but now that space is gone. Ate Baby's little hut, just beside the backyard, is leaning right against the dumpsite. At times I worried for her girls and her. If another landslide took place, they would have no way out. Thankfully they have since moved to Erap.

Ate Marj and Kuya Dave have to leave. Kuya Bebot and family also have to leave. and sadly Paaralang Pantao. I don't know who else has to go. The families are given very little compensation and not even a place to go to. But knowing Tita Letty, she will not give up so easily. She and Fr Aldrin from the Vincentians are negotiating a better deal for the other families and also for the authorities to provide a place for Paaralang Pantao within Payatas.

At this point of time, I'm not sure where I'll be come December 6. The younger acts29 youths will be in the Paaralang Pantao at Erap. If Paaralang Pantao still operates in Payatas then that's where I'd like to be. I'm told by Jay thay maybe we will only have a tentage shelter up for the kids at that time. But I guess that as long as the kids come, the school wil go on.. and so will our food project and so will our mission. Never mind that we are short of a school building. For the sake of the children, we must not give up. Giving up is to give up on their dreams.

At the backyard of the school:

art lesson in progress


karate kids in action


Singaporean laundry services

Purpose of Human Activity

I attended a talk recently which was interesting and got me thinking. What is the purpose of reading the newspapers or feeding my fish or making breakfast? Often I try to find God in the big picture.. like God in my mission project... God be with me when I give this talk, God be with me in my exam or in my job interview... But how often have I said "God be with me as I fry this egg?" St Teresa said, "God is among the cooking pots." How clever of her to notice God even among the cooking pots. The next time I take out my pot to cook Maggi Mee I will bear in mind that even in that 3 minute "fast to cook, good to eat" experience, God is with me. Perhpas to many Christians this may seem silly. Why not? When we have become a generation of Christians who have split our profession from our daily lives, including even the little details of our daily lives.

Often I find myself dividing my activities into categories. Church is a catergory and work is another category. Family is yet another and so on... I have compartmentalized my life like an Ikea closet! An Ikea closet is cool but I realise that I don't need to have different compartments in my life. I've got the meanings and goals in my life mixed up and I'd like to undo this mix-up. Our work should be our means but often we make it our goal. Our Christian life is a goal. And our work and Christian life have become goals but separated from each other.

Well it's not too late for me to know that the purpose of human activity is to be in communion with God. This makes life alot simpler, less complicated, less compartmentalized. My prayer should not be separated from my daily life. My prayer should flow into my life.

Paaralang Pantao Good News

I forgot to share some good news. Jay informed me at the end of May that the Swedish volunteers returned to Erap City in April/March. And they were happy with the progress of the school building. Initially I think there was some miscommunication with them and Tita Letty. Think they were expecting a larger school area and Tita was also planning the same thing just that due to problems with labour they saw only a small space when they came so they withdrew their continued donation. But they came back again in April and finally saw what they had wanted for the school. So now everyone is happy. Miscommunication has been resolved and the volunteers have given the money needed to top up the 3rd floor of the school. Finally the school will soon have a roof and the kids can use the 3rd floor for lessons too.

The school was quite desperately in need of financial help at the beginning of the year and I was going round also trying to get help for them. But many people whom I approached are not willing to help in the completion of the school, simply beacuse they had heard of fly-by night charity organizations that make off with the donations. The cost needed to complete the building is less than SGD10 000 which is not much when converted to euros. In pesos, it would be near impossible for the school to raise that kind of money. Also Jay has made a wise decision to engage the services of qualified buidlers rather than rely on help from distant relation. When relatives help out of their goodwill, it's difficult to say no to them, they may not be as experienced and it would be difficult to get them to meet datelines.

So now we can look forward to setting up a clinic on the 3rd floor and perhaps a library for the kids.


a daiily scene. scavengers young and old working on this mountatin of rubbish earning what they can to get by for the day.


Children of Paaralang Pantao (Erap City) looking their best at a school gethering where a wealthy Chinese lady has prepared staionery to give away.