Come and See!

Jesus once again invited those who asked him where he lives to, “come and see.” This time he made the invitation to four young people from the city of Nampicuan in the Philippines.  They spent the last week of June with us to learn more about the community and following Jesus.  All of them had the certainty that what God wants for them will make them happy. We met the girls who are aged between eighteen and nineteen in their parish where we have been working for two years offering schools of evangelization. The idea of the invitation to spend this time with us was for them to get to know us more closely by sharing in our daily life and mission. It was an opportunity for them to open their hearts to God so he could tell them what he wants from them.

The days spent praying, sharing and participating with us, were both simple and intense. We had a lot of fun both organizing activities with children and laughing and sharing together. All this helped the girls to see us as we are and not how they imagined us to be. They used to think we are very serious and silent all the time and they even thought that we don`t eat rice. Here it is normal to eat rice three times a day. This week they were able to verify that we are both “happy” and “normal” and that it`s possible to follow Jesus and to be both things.

The young women had the opportunity to become more aware of the question about God’s will for them and they eagerly set out to discover it. It was wonderful to see young people open to God, asking themselves: what does God want from my life? What is God’s will for me?  There was a little fear and a lot of hope because they really want to please God and to serve him.  It will take time to discover what God is calling each one of them to. They know it is a process and that they will need help with this discernment.

We cannot help but thank God for this undeserved gift that he has given us through these girls. Having them with us has helped us to enculturate ourselves a little more in the ways and customs of Philippine life and to enjoy encouraging others to follow in Jesus` footsteps.

Manoli Sanchez