Merry Christmas

Dear family, relatives and friends,

Merry Christmas from Timor-Leste!
I had hoped to spend Christmas in the Philippines this

year. Unfortunately, I could not go home to celebrate the season with family and friends, as I have just arrived here last July 2, 2013. Im sending this note to let you know that you will be remembered this Christmas Season in my prayers and masses. Also, I would like to share with you what has been going on with me in the past year since ordination, just in case you are wondering. =) So here goes . . .

Presbyteral Ordination:
Mga Pasang-Awa . . .
Last April 13, I was ordained a priest together with five other Jesuits. Cardinal Chito Tagle presided over the ordination and in his homily, he reminded us that we are all pasangawathat we are being ordained priests by the mercy of God! I cannot but agree with the good cardinal. I believe that I got this far in my formation by Gods mercy and the prayers of family and friends. . Towards the end of the ordination mass, Fr. Jojo Magadia, SJ, finally announced our places of assignment. Actually, three days before ordination, he called for me and warned that I might be sent to East Timor. I was surprised about the plan that I asked to pray over the matter since I had hope to go back to Iloilo for some pastoral work or to go to Davao to work at the school. There was a time that I had wanted to be a missionary although my talks with my superiors never indicated anything about the possibility of being sent abroad for mission. . And pray I did. And as is always the case, when one prays, he ends up saying yes to it. And so I sent a text to Fr. Provincial: Yes, you may send me. I was hoping that he would take the word may to mean send me but kung puedeng hindi, huwag na lang. hehehe And this was my prayer until the moments before Fr. Jojo finally announced my assignment. . So, here I am in East Timor. Even if I did not get my dream assignment, I am nevertheless grateful for the gift of ordination. And I thank all my friends and relatives who came to our ordination to pray with us and to join us in thanking the Lord for this gift for which we have prepared ourselves for for years. I will never be able to thank you enough for your support. I would have wanted to share my priesthood with my friends & relatives. But being sent here to Timor-Leste is a reminder that this is not my priesthood. It is actually Christs and I am simply allowed a share in it. Hence, I must go where He wants to go. And at this point, He wants me to be with Him here in TimorLeste. But rest assured that I continue to keep you in my prayers and mass intentions. As has always been said, if I cannot be with you physically in the important moments in your life, I will at least be with you in spirit. And this Christmas season, you will definitely be remembered.

July 2, 2013: Finally, in Timor-Leste . . .

My last few days in the Philippines were spent having despedida lunches and dinner with family and friends. These days were hectic as I had to pack up my things30 kilos of luggage and a 20-kilo balikbayan box which I sent to Timor through mailand clean my room. I left the Philippines on June 23 and spent a week visiting friends and former students in Singapore. Sadly, the days spent in Singapore were the tail-end of the haze from Indonesia that covered Singapore. Despite the thin haze and intermittent showers, I sill had a great time with former classmates, students and friends. I arrived here in Timor-Leste on July 2. Some Timorese Jesuit friends whom I have met in Manila while they were doing their studies in Philosophy at the Ateneo de Manila gave me a warm welcome and showed me around the place. It is very hot and dusty here in Dili; however, Timor-Leste still offers a lot of opportunities to take a peek at the wonders of nature. Its good that Mama bought me a good camera that is water-proof, dust-proof, and shatter-proof. Perfect for use in Timorese terrain. Aside from studying Tetum, the national language, I also had time to visit many of the so-called tourist spots here. Done with the Tetum language course and right now I am trying to learn Portuguese.

Right now, my tourist days are over. Started work last October. Basically, I have been asked to lay the groundwork for the teacher education institute that we intend to open in January 2016. I have two years to work on this but I am not sure if this is enough time. The work entails that I go around the country by car through rough terrain to visit the many secondary schools around the country to observe and be more familiar with the education context in the country. I also intend to study the different education programs offered here and in other Asian countries and come-up with one that will respond to the needs of the country. This Christmas break, I intend to take a break from work every now and then. I have planned a couple of trips to see the other districts (provinces) outside Dili. I guess this is the best way that I can know the country and the people better. I also intend to review my lessons in Tetum and Portuguese para di makalimutan. I am now reading The Little Prince in Tetum and when I finish i might start to read the same story in Portuguese. As of now, ito pa lang ang kaya kong basahin!

And to celebrate the Christmas Season, I have started to listen to the Christmas songs I brought with me from the Philippines. I have also some small figurines on my lamp para naman may Christmas spirit sa room ko. I have also put some Christmas dcor on my door to spread the Christmas spirit in our community. However, kami pa lang ng Pilipinong paring kasama ko dito ang merong dcor.

Maligayang Pasko!
I guess this is all for now. Sharing some of my latest pictures taken here in Timor-Leste. I have been wanting to post this on Facebook but the veeeery slow and unstable Internet connection here in East Timor has not allowed me to do so. So what I could mostly do is to stay connected through FB messenger, Viber, Whatsapp, and Line. I use my phone most of the time. But sometimes, I get lucky that I am able to at least update my status on FB. A Meaningful Christmas to a Blessed New Year to everyone. I will remember you in my prayers and masses this season. Hopefully I get to visit the Philippines sometime in April kung payagagan ako ng superior ko. Please help me pray for this!

Rahun-kmanek Natl nian!

Residncia Santo Incio de Loyola Residncia Jesutas

Taibesi-Cinarate P.O. Box 209 Dili, Timor-Leste