Dearest Father Seán and staff,

Prayerful greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus! I was inspired to write after reading three issues of MISYON which my aunt lent me.

I had already become interested in obtaining a copy of your magazine after reading some stories from it in the Sunday Examiner. So it was a great blessing to have it through my aunt. I considered it as God’s manifestation of His unconditional love for me. All the contents nourish my soul. All the life stories of our dear missionaries are very inspiring and challenging. When I read the January-February 2006 issue only last May due to numerous borrowers, I was really struck by the life shared by Melissa Andrea M. Kayahon when she said, ‘I have learned the deeper meaning of happiness and fulfillment – that this can be achieved not by seeking fun and pleasure alone but by giving one’s self, including your time, talent and resources to make others happy’. This is really true for us migrant workers, especially my fellow workers who commit themselves to volunteer in religious organizations during our holidays.

I arrived here in Hong Kong on 21 March 2001 and have never been home for any vacation. It’s a great struggle on my part being away from loved ones especially from my boyfriend who patiently awaits me. Nevertheless, what makes me overcome my homesickness is my intimate relationship with God. During my first day off, my cousin brought me to the El Shaddai’s Fellowship. It was so wonderful. It made my spirit come alive and it gladdened my sorrowing heart. Later, I got involved in the Saturday choir at a Filipino Mass with the help of a friend. Finally, when I changed employment, my day off was Sunday, so I voluntarily joined one of the Church organizations at St Joseph. I asked about their particular apostolate, wanting to be involved in it. Through God’s grace, I joined the Legion of Mary.

Being in the Legion was one of the great achievements in my life because through my involvement, my devotion to our Blessed Virgin Mary deepened. In our parish in the Philippines, there was no Legion of Mary or any Marian Movement or established organization. It’s only during the month of October and May and during a novena for the dead that we pray the Holy Rosary. Here, I listened to the messages of Mama Mary and her role in our Redemption. I therefore promised to pray the Rosary everyday. Doing so is very enriching for my spiritual life.

In the Legion, we have several kinds of apostolate such as working at a home for the aged, a hospital and an orphanage, propagating the praying of the Rosary, evangelizing prisoners and encouraging people to come to Mass in the parish. Due to our obedience and commitment as soldiers of Mama Mary, everything was done smoothly with love. I came to realize that this is the continuation of my mission as a catechist in the Philippines, although in other kinds of apostolate.

Despite our heavy duties as domestic workers and instead of having our rest or being with our friends somewhere else during our day off, we feel at peace and energetic doing our Legionary apostolate. We have to have courage, for there are always ‘temptations’ around us, especially the invitations of friends who don’t like to be part of the group. Sometimes I say ‘yes’ to their invitation to join in volleyball games, depending upon the availability of my time.

Indeed, I realized that doing the will of the Father needs self-denial and there’s always inner peace and real contentment and assurance, as the message last Easter said, ‘There is fullness of life after our earthly life’s journey’.

I’m very much grateful to all the MISYON staff for this grace-filled magazine and to all those who contribute their life stories, which strengthen, inspire and comfort us who are far from home, nourishing our spiritual life and relieving our emotional pain. One thing is for sure, it reminds each and everyone that as baptized Christians, we share in the kingly, prophetic and priestly mission of Jesus. It calls us to be aware of His message and the way we respond to it. In fact, through this wonderful magazine, I felt God’s presence as I began to read so I didn’t stop till I was finally finished. I slept at 2am but it was a very restful and peaceful sleep.

A million thanks to all of you for your untiring efforts in editing my article. I really try to sharpen my mind by reading, which has become one of my habits because our situation here is mostly focused on our household duties. May God bless and reward you.

Sister in Christ and Mary,

Josephine ‘Jhoesie’ Lumbiyan