Our morning started out with a Change of plans from attending Mass at
Missionaries of Charity becuse the service was moved to then walking to a tent
service that could be found purely by sound. We then loaded into our
TapTap bus for a 2 hour bumpy, winding road up to Reiser Heights, a school
supported by Reiser Relief, located in the farm village of Les Pinnese. It was
incredible to watch our surroundings Change from the noise & chaos of the
city to beautiful lush green rolling hills with hibiscus blooms hanging over the
rocky, dirt road/path. There were times when we actually seemed to be above the
clouds and actually in them as the fog clouds would suddenly Change the stunning
view from the mountaintop .
Seeing the exchange between the schoolmaster
who knew & loved Fr. Reiser as he met 4 of Father's nieces was
priceless! Although we weren't able to see the school in action since it
was Sunday, it was clear to see what they saw as their "needs" was quite
different from what we judged to be their "needs"! The school has no
electricity, flushing toilets or running water, computers or internet access.
All they said they "needed" would be continued support for teachers and fabric
to make school uniforms and some simple school supplies.
Listening to
their list of what they "needed" was a good reminder to me that we must
respectfully listen to their needs and Not try to Change who they are or their
culture by trying to impose what we think they Need Changed.
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