By Loowee Bo-ot
MMP Missionary

Serving the poor with Jesus is like half-drowning on quick sand while eating fruit cocktail.

One year and seven months had already passed since in our church planting located in Las Pinas garbage dumpsite. A drunk elderly man in his 60s went berserk on me while taking pictures with kids living under the bridge, kids I taught how to read and write.

At the top of his voice and in front of many people he was cursing me, being a pervert charging that someday I would sell the pictures to foreigners thru internet and make a profit out it. When done with his monologue, he slammed his bamboo door and threw a basin of stench water thru his dirty kitchen. It barely missed me. And again he shouted, “Even before you came all the people under the bridge could eat three meals a day, so what are you doing here?”

(a reflection during a silent retreat)
by Ely Cotanas
MMP missionary     

I am used to sleeping on a hard bed. Since I came from a rural poor family, we never had a soft bed ever since, so my body knows what a hard bed feels like. Sometimes I also had opportunities to sleep on a soft bed.  But my experience last Mission Ministries Philippines' (MMP) silent retreat in Tagaytay, is something very meaning full and touching.  I desired to sleep on a soft bed all my life.

January 27-29, 2011, MMP missionaries went to Tagaytay for our regular silent retreat.  Regular silent retreats allow each missionary to rest physically and at the same time refresh spiritually.  We stayed in Daughter of Charity, a Catholic retreat house, a very nice place to relax and to commune with Lord, to pray and enjoy the soothing touch of a cooler air because of its higher elevation.

In my room at about 11 o clock one morning , I laid my back on my soft bed.  I felt so comfortable and began to whisper a prayer to God,  “Thank you Lord for my soft bed. ” Suddenly I felt relieved from my aching back, caused by my flat and hard bed back home.