ACTS 2008
On the 15th of December 2008, that a group of 180 parishioners from the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace and the Church of St Vincent de Paul, students from the Catholic group FIDES in Singapore Management University and a medical team from National University of Singapore landed in Phnom Penh International Airport
Part 1
Tiny, dusty hands reached up to wipe away the stubborn tears that refused to stop streaming down my face.
“No cry, no cry! Sabai!”
Despite the intense sadness that I felt that ACTs 2008 had come to a close, I couldn’t help but smile down at the group of beautiful Cambodian children who had clustered around, imploring me to be happy (“Sabai” means happy in Khmer, Cambodia’s official language). All over the assembly ground of Don Bosco Elementary (Phum Chreh), similar scenes were repeated- school children, small for their age but heavy with love, clung onto ACTs participants decked in their distinguishable blue shirts. Many of the older kids were sobbing uncontrollably, their tears mingled with those of the Singaporean volunteers- both unwilling to be separated. The younger kids, blissfully unaware that this was really goodbye, that we would not be returning the next morning as we had done so every day for the past week, grinned cheekily as they requested more piggyback rides.
“I don’t ever want to leave”,
Priscilla Chong, 17, youth of QOP parish, declared as she approached me cuddling two children in her arms,
“time passes way too quickly when we’re over here…”
It was just 5 days earlier, on the 15th of December 2008, that a group of 180 parishioners from the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace and the Church of St Vincent de Paul, students from the Catholic group FIDES in Singapore Management University and a medical team from National University of Singapore landed in Phnom Penh International Airport. Some like Priscilla were returnees, many were first timers; all were brimming with excitement and looking forward to their collective journey in an impoverished land quite unlike Singapore.
Over the next week, buoyed by the common understanding that we were all there with the purpose of spreading God’s love and bringing Christmas to people who were trying to make the best out of the little they had in life, ACTs 2008 descended into a full and rhythmic swing. The youths (and young at heart) from the parishes invaded the two Don Bosco elementary schools- Phum Chreh and Teuk Thla- and carried out activities that they had planned for the children. These included sports and games, art and craft, music and English lessons. The artists of the group, led by Priscilla Tey, 16, saw her colourful designs come to life in the form of murals created in all 3 schools (including Tuol Kork- the vocational school for girls). June Lee and her dancers worked tirelessly to teach some dance routines to the children, who just could not get enough of them!
There were nights when the dancers would skip dinner and return to the hotel long after most of us were sleeping soundly, because the Sisters would sheepishly request another session for the girls boarding at Tuol Kork. The adults took turns visiting Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity home to care for AIDs inflicted patients, majority of whom were just infants and toddlers. Every spare second of theirs was otherwise spent packing 100 “Love packages” (consisting of basic necessities like rice, oil, sugar, blankets, pillows, soap powder, mosquito nets etc.) for the poorest villagers in Phum Chreh and 1700 smaller packages (stuffed toys, slippers, biscuits and sweets) for the students of all 3 schools, to be given out during the Christmas party on the final day.
The group from FIDES imparted their knowledge on business and management to the older girls at Tuol Kork, coming up with a new activity every day (role plays on service and marketing for example) to help the girls better utilize their education. They also ensured that the little children at the kindergarten were not forgotten and spent hours each day teaching them dance and song (although a FIDES member confided confidentially that the children had better and louder voices than them). Likewise, the medical team from NUS, led by Dr John Lee and his wife Dr Priscilla Lim, went about their important tasks quietly and efficiently, conducting health checks on all the students and villagers within the short span of 4 days.
Part 2
“I’m really sorry kids, but it’s time to board the bus…”
We would all groan upon hearing that phrase at 5pm every day. It was an ominous warning that Shirley (or “Chor Chor”- meaning “great grandmother”- as the youths affectionately nicknamed her),one of our mission coordinator, was here with the bus, ready to tear us away from “our” children. The begging and pleading for just “five more minutes” to play with the children would begin, and usually end with Chor Chor throwing her hands up in defeat. After all, there was no way she was going to win, especially with the indomitable Fr Erbin leading the chorus of pleas.
On hindsight, I realize that incidences such as these serve to highlight the many difficulties the ACTs committee- notably the mission leaders Gerard Koh and Shirley Yap- had to face to ensure a smooth running trip for the entire participating cohort. As if coordinating groups coming and going to 4 different locations every day, making sure everybody was back in time for evening mass, and feeding 180 hungry people was tough enough, they also had to deal with trivial problems and flexibility issues that a mission trip of such a scale and character as ours was bound to throw up. Yet, through all these tribulations, they never displayed a hint of despair or anger, instead going about their tasks uncomplainingly in God’s good Grace.
The ACTs committee, made up of youths and adults from Queen of Peace, Church of SVDP) was established months prior to the trip to Cambodia itself. Meetings often took place late in the evening, to accommodate the working and schooling schedules of the members, and there were inevitably conflicting ideas over how certain members wanted certain things done. After one particularly heated meeting, I was seething to ACTs coordinator Leonard about being unable to complete all my tasks as other people were uncooperative (I don’t even remember the details anymore, it was something trivial in the larger scheme of things although I was really upset about it at the time). What I vividly remember is how he turned to me, refused to entertain my complaints, and gently said,
“I know you’re trying your best, but never forget your motivation for doing what you do. Mother Teresa never said that we have to accomplish big things to please God, instead do little things but with great love.”
Despite occasional disagreements over many issues and being tired from a full day’s work, the fact that the entire committee prayed about and worked out the problems together eventually and there was usually full attendance at all the meetings is testament to the common Catholic commitment to serve the will of God and not our personal agendas.
Part 3
9AM. That was always the happiest time of our day. We would stick our heads out of the window as our minivan made its way slowly (well, too slowly for our liking anyway!) through Phum Chreh, hoping to catch a glimpse of the green school building that stuck out proudly amidst the wooden huts in the village. The minute we walked through the school gates, the children would stop whatever activity they were doing (usually it’s peering longingly through the gates in anticipation of our arrival) and rush forward to engulf us with screams loud enough to rival hoards of teenage girls at a pop concert.
Once the mayhem had been controlled (the UN peacekeeping forces could take a page out of the Salesian nuns’ manual), we’d settle into the day’s activities. The children would hang around us constantly, even during breaks, stopping only to have lunch, which for many of them was their only meal for the day. School ends at about 4pm. That’s when the children would stack their chairs on the table and run down to continue playing with us, except for a few who were scheduled to mop and clean the classrooms and assembly area. After school we’d play with the children and even walk some of them home.
One of the kindergarten boys invited me into his “home”, which consisted of a plank of wood- no larger than my dining table back home- wedged in a tree with a makeshift shelter. He lived there with his grandmother, with their entire collection of worldly possessions displayed for all to see: a couple of dirty pillows, a sheet masquerading as a blanket, some clothing stacked neatly in the corner and a couple of pots and pans. I did a visual sweep of the surroundings, convinced that this couldn’t be all they owned. The little 4 year old just sat there grinning, proud to have visitors to his humble abode. After taking a guided “tour” of his home, I trudged back to the school, the clothes on my back and the handphone in my pocket seemed to weigh down heavily, as did the dull ache in my heart.
The reality is the entire village is made up of many such families. The lucky few children live with both their parents. Many of them have lost their parents and older siblings to AIDs or work in a far off place. Children we have come to love and be familiar with drop out of school in order to get a job to support their families, and the Sisters even regale horrific tales of some of the school girls being sold off to work in brothels.
Back home, we often look at the negative side of things- why can’t I get the latest Playstation, why are taxis so hard to come by, why are taxes continually increasing? And yet, what are our problems compared to those faced every day by our village friends in Cambodia? It took a week in a foreign land to help us appreciate our blessings from God, and open our eyes to the real troubles afflicting the many beyond our comfort zone.
Part 4
Having participated in both ACTs 2007 and 2008, I realize that although the trip last year was fulfilling in many aspects, it rather lacked a spiritually formative element which we were able to fill with the presence of Priests and Brothers this year. It really helped the participants to have Fr Erbin Fernandez, Fr David Garcia, Fr Joseph Yao and Br Cornelius Ching around, people whom we could relate to and seek spiritual guidance from.
Many of the participants did not get the chance to see each other during the day as the group was split into four different locations. As such, daily mass was the only opportunity that the entire ACTs community had to come together as one body to celebrate the beautiful sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Although we were all tired by the end of the day, mass was such an essential feature in the ACTs programme as it allowed us to pray together and appreciate that we were all there for the common purpose of spreading God’s love. This rejuvenated us everyday and gave us extra energy to face the tasks ahead.
Part 5
For the Sisters and children of the Don Bosco elementary schools, Christmas was celebrated on the 19th of December, a Friday, and also our last day there. They had a simple yet beautiful celebration. The programme kicked off with performances from all the levels, and there was as much variety as there was enthusiasm in the performances. Each level interpreted the Nativity story a different way- the kindergarten kids did it through dance, while one of the Elementary school classes transported the story into a Cambodian setting- but all had retained the crux of the story: Joseph and Mary went through trials and tribulations to give Jesus Christ, who would become our Saviour. Following the nativity plays, they sang Christmas carols, which we heartily partook in, and the youths from Singapore put up a surprise item- a Christmas play done in Khmer. While the children were busy laughing at our sometimes comical pronunciation of Khmer words, they were engaged in the play and seemed to appreciate its simple meaning that spiritual wealth is more important than material wealth, and that we could always turn to God as a friend in times of need.
After the performances, the cooks prepared an extra special lunch for the children- each student had a baguette and a bowl of curry, which was very different from their usual meals. They were also given a special treat- a can of soft drink and an apple each, and we were allowed to sit and have our meal amongst the students. Michelle de Deyn, 14, recounted an experience which touched her heart deeply,
“I saw one of the girls open her can of soft drink, hold it up to her face, and closed her eyes as she enjoyed the ‘fizz’ of the gas against her soft cheek.”
Dr Priscilla Lim also related a humbling encounter, in which she saw a boy consume some of his drink and baguette and instead of finishing it, carefully place the half-opened can and bread in his pocket. Initially bewildered, she asked one of the teachers why he did that, and the lovely reply she received was that he was taking the items back home to share with his family.
When every one finished their meal, it was time to give out the goodie bags that the adults had so painstakingly assembled as well as the ACTs t-shirts. Br Cornelius, dressed as Santa, was a hit with the children as he gave out sweets and treats. A few of the children danced about waving their slippers in the air, as one of the teachers chuckled,
“See how happy they are? Some of them have to walk barefoot to school because they have nothing to wear on their feet. Now they do.”
After all that, the teachers brought out the large stereo to the assembly area and played popular Khmer songs as the children danced and shrieked in excitement. It was hard to tell whether the Cambodians or the Singaporeans, who had never experienced such an unbridled display of festivity before, were having more fun as everyone danced and laughed together. Midway through the dancing, Sr Ophriini, the principal, announced something in Khmer over the microphone. We stood there stunned as the children suddenly whipped packets of powder out from the pockets and started smacking handfuls of the white powder on our faces. This was their tradition of wishing one good luck and prosperity for the coming year! The atmosphere was breathtaking, so hard to describe and is best experienced.
Part 6
“Come on, you’re the last one.”
Shirley came over as I was saying the last of my goodbyes. As I was walking reluctantly towards the school gates, a tiny figure crouched next to the flagpole caught my eye. It was little Sambo, who seemed to forever remain in Grade 1. It was unusual to see him sulking as he always the happy one, always the one leading the mischief. He never liked to cuddle or be carried, he never listened to any of us, and instead found inexplicable enjoyment prodding and poking us then running away. The teachers said he was one of the naughtiest boys, but he was always one of our favourites.
“Bye Sambo!”
I called out, and was disheartened when he refused to respond, or even look up at me. As I turned back to continue the long walk towards the gates, I suddenly found him wrapped around my leg, sobbing furiously. Baffled, I asked Kunthea, one of the teachers why he was crying, did he get bullied by the other kids or something? After an exchange with a barely comprehendible Sambo, Kunthea stood up and smiled,
“No, he is not bullied. He is just very sad that you are leaving. That is funny, he doesn’t get attached to people.”
Unable to contain my own tears, I picked him up- the first time he had allowed me to do so. A tsunami of bittersweet sadness and love hit me at that moment, and the words of John in Chapter 13 never rang truer: “Love one another as I have loved you.” This mission trip was never about feeling good about ourselves or erroneously thinking that we have done anything at all to change the world. What the participants of ACTs 2008 have accomplished however, is doing little things with great love for the glory of God. Mother Teresa once said that she was just a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world. In December 2008, 140 parishioners from Queen of Peace and Church of SVDP- people from all walks of life- together succeeded in writing a beautiful love letter to the children and villagers of Phum Chreh.
Reflections
