A Few Heartwarming Stories from the Field

A short story from Susanna A.

A few months ago, I was teaching a poor parish high school on an island in the Philippines. Some of the ‘bad’ kids would repeatedly disrupt my classes, ignore the assignments, refuse to participate, fall asleep in class, and wait for me to write them off. But I refused to do it. Although I struggled with patience, and I sometimes came close to tears, God gave me the grace to keep trying.

Again and again, I would include them, encourage them, tell them through my words and my actions that they too were loved, were as valuable in my eyes as the ‘good’ kids who always had their hands in their air. I taught them about a Loving Father who wanted their hearts, but I had to SHOW them that love, or I would have been nothing but a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And I was rewarded—by the end of the three months, I saw huge changes. Kids who had been failing classes began to participate and get good grades. Kids who had mocked everything we said, opened up and shared their family problems so we could pray for them. Kids who wouldn’t meet my eye at the beginning began to smile at me in the hallways. Love really does change everything.

An update from the Alvarez family:

On Christmas Eve morning we drove high into the mountains to a little village of about 20 families to hold a Communion Service and to give them gifts of food and small toys. The people were so happy to see us. They are rarely able to come down to the city for lack of funds; and because of the great distance and lack of available time; they are rarely visited by a priest. We hope to be able to visit them at least monthly to share the Sunday Gospel readings.