By Josefina Evidente, DC
I am Sr. Josefina Evidente, a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. I am working with three other Daughters of Charity, (one American, and two Filipinos) in this tiny island of Quemoy or Kinmen. Since this is a strategic place and because of the tensions between the two Chinas I have to limit my description of this beautiful mission to our apostolate here.
Eleven years ago, the Daughters of Charity came to this mission doing pastoral work in the towns and many villages of this island barely 150 square kms. Its nearest point to mainland China is merely 1.8 kilometers away. The Nationalist government took over the control of this island in 1949 when they left China in defiance of Communist rule. The island was developed into a modern tourist spot after martial law was lifted last 1992. This island was a place of mystery for any people of Taiwan. Only the natives of the place, soldiers, trainees, and official of the US Department of Defense entered it. This is why people of Taiwan now came by the hundred thousand to see this once –forbidden Isle.
The first Sisters assigned to come over to this island had a lot of trouble working on their permit entry. Their movements were under the surveillance. Thanks be to God our coming here last 1992 was not that difficult. Now, we go around the island with great freedom and we are always welcomed by the villagers and the government authorities.
Kinmen is a haven of peace where peace loving people live frugal lives till old age. Their houses mostly built hundreds of years and hundreds of years ago and handed down to them by their ancestors fascinate the tourists who come to the breathe fresh air and the sweet scent of tall eucalyptus and pine trees lining the avenues and lanes of the whole island. Thanks to the hard labor of farmer soldiers who came 47 years ago and of those who followed their footsteps in this island. We are now enjoying the shady and well- paved streets and lanes of this historical island. It’s a pity that many modern houses are built to meet the demands of families whose house are crumbling beyond repair. The sense of the antique is getting less and less as modern architecture is introduced.
Several days a week, we Sister go by two’s to visit the sick and elderly in the home for the Aged and in the two big hospitals. We also help some poor students who need tutorial lessons in English. Through we are busy doing our household chores, we still find time to entertain friends who visit us. The people here are very kind and generous. They share with us anything they have – cooked food, products form their farm or delicacies they make for any occasion. A good lady used to gather sea shells or crabs in knee deep sticky mud even in cold winter months to give to us instead of selling these for a living Many acts of kindness such as these truly overwhelm us. They tell us that they do this because we are so good to the poor and to all who need our help. This is a good chance to them that we are good because God has sent us here to help them. They worry about us because we don’t get married like every woman in the island and who will take care of us when we become old and helpless. Well, we always take advantage to their concern for us to speak about God’s bountiful mercy and care for us. They shake their heads.
We ask you and our readers of MISYON to pray for our safety and special protection because we are very much exposed to danger of war between two fighting lands. Only a MIRACLE can save us from the powerful enemy at the other side of the Strait. We try to remain calm and cheerful to boost the moral of our handful of Catholics and non-Catholic friends. When we go to retire at night, we pray to our Lord to be with us and allow us to see the new dawn. When we wake up, we ask him to be with us again and let us see the end of the new day. Now, more than ever, we think of an impending death and we place ourselves in God’s loving hands... in life or in death.