Mission In A Smile

An Interview with Ana Belma Flores, CLM

By Mary Joy Rile

Ana had the chance recently of visiting Misyon in Bacolod City and Joy, our Editorial Assitant interviewed her. Here she shares the story she got through the interview.

Let me start with a quote from Mother Teresa, ‘Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.’ You can only guess how we started… Yes, we started with a smile, as I eyed her for an article, believing that there is one beautiful story from this simple, beautiful woman.

L to R: Mary Joy Rile, Ana Flores, Richelle Verdeprado, Marisol Rojas and Bessie Palma at the Misyon editorial office in Bacolod City.

The best lessons in life are not learned within the four walls of the classroom. But rather from the many actual experiences in day to day living. Experience is the best teacher. And Ana Flores, a Columban lay missionary from Peru, finds the same. Working with people, with the needy, with the poor – they seem to be her teachers in life. Recognizing that their experiences are very different from hers, she’s affirming the many things she has learned from others.

At the start, she could hardly adjust. But when asked now what is good in the life of a Columban lay missionary, she finds everything good. There are a lot of challenges but she’s happy to have many friends. Her life was very different before where she just kept herself busy with family and work as a grade school teacher. She only had to wait for her mom to cook for her but now she has to do it herself.

Working with the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP) in Cagayan de Oro is helping her in the makings of her missionary life. The daily unfolding is giving her a grasp of what life is all about, beyond what she perceived. What she really appreciates most is seeing the poor mothers being the ones helping other poor families with their time and skills through the Massage Clinic, an SSVP program for the mothers wherein they are being trained for massage service. The earnings of the clinic are used to feed and help other poor families. She is happy to have witnessed that if others are contented with simply asking, there are those who work harder, aiming to better their lives for their children.

‘There were times I worried and even cried because I felt helpless that I couldn’t help them with their problems. ‘ It is truly heart-breaking to see people suffering and heavily burdened yet we can do nothing. It is out of our hands. ‘Until now I just pray for them. And listening to their stories in my every home visitation is my way of helping them.’

Ana, second from the right, with friends in Cagayan de Oro City.

But the hardest thing for Ana is visiting cancer patients. She feels something of their pain and suffering. Her father died of cancer of the stomach in March 2000. Her aunt died also of cancer just last October, which was the most difficult time for her on mission.

Her aunt was like a mother to her, an elder sister and a friend. ‘I asked God why does she have to be sick? Why does she have to die?’ Ana loved her mission work in the Philippines but she also wanted to go home to Peru to see her aunt. She was torn between the two.

Talking it out to Columbans and some friends, she was able to discern. ‘Your aunt wants you to stay in your mission. She doesn’t want you to leave it.’ She could surely affirm it when this was said to her for it was her aunt who encouraged her to pursue her dream to become a missionary. ‘Ana, your Tita is maybe not here because she’s with you there,’ was a comfort when this was uttered over phone conversation by a good friend in Peru. Her aunt had been very supportive of her mission. ‘So I stayed here to continue with my ministry. Even if it was painful, I stayed and continued. Maybe she’s closer to me now, together with me on my mission.’

For the time that she’s been in the Philippines, Ana finds Filipinos patient, friendly, hospitable. Moreover, she finds them to be gifts from God. Anywhere she goes, there will always be Filipinos to help her, as she sincerely shared.

‘Life is good. It is full of blessings. Even if I don’t have my family with me, I still have people to help me. Many also listen to my story. There are bad times but there will always be good times – with the kids, the youth, the mothers. Maybe God is giving me another mission. He is preparing me to be stronger.’

L to R: Richelle, Joy, Marisol, editor Fr Seán Coyle, Ana, and Bessie.

God must be speaking in the small details of our lives. He manifests himself in many things, in many ways. We have our own images of God. We deal with Him depending on how He comes to us, in a very personal way. We see Him with our own eyes, with the eyes of faith. For Ana, God is her support, her help, her very companion in all circumstance. In times of problems and whenever she feels alone, she is comforted with the belief that God is just around, accompanying her. ‘He is in my house, near me, with me.’

Just like any of us who sometimes feel too distant from God, she also has had a share of sulking moments. At the time when she didn’t feel like talking to Him, God sent Ana people to talk to. ‘If God is not with me, what could have happened to me? I might have given up, I might have left for Peru already. Sometimes I leave God behind but He won’t let me go. He has never left me . . . never.’ She believes that the Lord is in each person whom He sends to her. He is one with that person. Whenever anything big happened to her during in trying times, it made her come closer to God. Greater is her bonding with Him.

‘In the smiles and laughter of the children, I see God in them. A baby is indeed a grace to every family, with its innocence.’ I can see the fondness in her beautiful eyes which also makes me imagine the cuddliness of a child, the innocence of a baby, those sweet looks that are so heart-warming, so powerful, melting the heart of every child-loving human. I guess this is how it feels for every parent finding relief after a long and tiring day through the simple and innocent smile of a child.

We tend to see the life of missionaries as more beautiful with the many challenges they encounter. We appreciate their works and their commitment to crossing borders in the name of mission. But I think that one doesn’t have to travel to make a difference. In many little ways, a sweet and beautiful bud of life can spring. Just as we opt to see the beauty of a life in the smile of a child, we can also share a smile for others to live by. ‘Just give me a smile in your heart’ as the song goes.

In Ana’s smiles, I have seen the tenderness of her heart, the generosity of sharing a life and the openness to God’s many surprises. For Ana, wherever God leads you, may you grow in His bountiful graces and never hesitate to drink from the overflowing generosity of His heart. May you live the life God wants for you as He comes to fulfill the very desires of your heart. And may you continue to see God in the simple smiles of every child.

You may contact Ana at anaflohua@hotmail.com .