To give Hope

Written by Sister Maria Cana, Argentinean religious sister who, together with three companions, works in the centre for rehabilitation of lepers in Sishan, Minguan, Province of Anhui.

In March of 2010 we celebrated the third anniversary of our arrival, three years in which by pure grace, Jesus could be served in the persons of these patients.

    In our center life around 40 patients that suffered of are suffering from leper and all its consequences. Some can no longer walk, others became blind, others suffered injuries, wounds in their hands and feet; and so we are helping and assisting in all we can and in the measure they allow us to. We take care of their wounds, wash and mend their clothes, clean their little rooms. For ourselves, besides giving material assistance we also try to give them joy and love. They themselves told us our God must be good because if we that are His daughters are good, He must be good too. In this way they slowly get to know God, His love and His providence for each of His creatures through our activity and gestures. On Sundays and feast days we prepare special activities like games, singing and even some sport. Who could imagine that someone in a wheelchair, that has lost all the fingers of his hands and is already more than 80 years old, would wait so enthusiastically the arrival of the next Sunday so that he can play ball!

    Life in a leprosy center is not easy at all. When someone has been excluded from society, separated from his or her family, compelled to live alone and without any support, life seems not to have the same value anymore. The patients that we assist say that, before we arrived, every year 2 our 3 would die, and in most cases it was suicide. Finding themselves in this state of abandonment, with no help and unable to help themselves, humiliated for such a long time, they decide to end their own life. When we arrived one of them had already decided to do it soon. He himself told us that, having lost his legs, and suffering what he believed where incurable wounds for more than 20 years, he thought he would not have much more time of life and so decided to end it. These are his words: “The sisters arrived just in time. They healed my wounds and here I am!”

    These few years we have spent among them we have accompanied the dying trying to relief their sufferings if when can. The first one was an old lady that, already without the two legs and blind, could not help herself. Still, for us, it was unbelievable to see how much she could still do by herself. During her agony, that lasted for a week, we tried to help her in all we could, in spite of the contrary opinions of the other patients. This dedication impressed them and help, little by little, to change their way of thinking.

Before our arrival no one would assist these dying people… simply because the others had no way to do it. Taking care of someone in a final state requires great energy and, of course, you need the ten fingers in your hands and to be able to move without crutches or wheelchair.

    One day one of the sisters heard a strange conversation: “When I reach that state”, said one of the patients, “I don’t want them to take care of me.” To this, another one said: “I want, they came from so far… I do want them to assist me in that moment”. Others were of the same opinion.

    We understood that, because of the long time of solitude, the abandonment and all sort of needs made them gradually lose the conscience of their own dignity. And that is why we should, with our words and actions help them understand how valuable and important each human life is, and how much we should care for it. We believe that it is growing in them the certainty that someone will take care of them when they reach their final moments, that they won’t be alone, and this gives them a little bit of hope.

    We trust God will bless abundantly what we are doing and, the same way a seed becomes a tree, one day (and even if we won’t see it ourselves), this will give its fruit. Our part is to sow generously.

Sister Maria Cana
September, 2010

A first trip to the world of casa Ricci

Written by Francisco, Jesuit scholastic who is doing one year of service and learning in Casa Ricci.


    My name is Francisco, I am a Jesuit scholastic (still in training) and I will be with Casa Ricci for one year of service. A few days ago I arrived from my first trip to places that Casa Ricci supports. After one meeting about leprosy service, where I could listen to some sharing about what is being done for the people that suffer from leper, we took a night train to another place in Yunnan. There I had the chance to meet two lovely sisters, one equally lovely lady that works with them, and especially 5 wonderful children that, not having a change to live with their own families, have here their new home.
   
Of the children there the youngest is 4 the oldest 8 years old, and the moment we arrived two of them immediately jumped to say hello to us. They had never seen me, but smiled and hugged me with their little arms and hands. One of them called me shushu, that is, uncle or informally a sort of older brother. I was so moved. I was never called like that before, because I don’t have nephews or nieces. Now I have 5! I spent the afternoon playing with them, trying to make myself clear in my still poor mandarin… But with the children is so easy, they only need someone to laugh with them, to make funny faces, to hold them tight when they cry, or to sit next to them while they make a beautiful “abstract drawing” to offer you.
    The sisters, that are full time professors/mothers for them, have a delicate and essential role. Their mission is to love, and love means to care for the greater good of the other. While I can play and make the children laugh, the sisters have to make sure these little ones learn their first characters, eat their vegetables, wash their hands, take their medicine, etc… I had the impression the sister that is responsible for them there has the gift of being tender and strong at the same time. She will make an angry face if someone doesn’t want eat, and the next minute she will be holding the same child in the most joyful and kind embrace. I was impressed by that and also to see how the children are so polite and capable of performing their little daily tasks, and yet so much like any other children, always jumping and calling all attention, and playing and crying and being children…
    I must confess that on that first day I was a little bit distracted. Before going I already knew that many of the children we serve suffer from AIDS. Maybe on that first day I was so happy to be with them, so much enriched by their joy and simplicity, that it didn’t come occur to me they were sick. Only on the way back we talked about it and suddenly I realized I had just spent the whole afternoon in the middle of children that have a very serious health problem. I don’t want to talk about it now, but it is clear that they suffer much more than they had to, due to the unfair look with which society tends to look at them, not to mention the fact that they also have complicated family stories where love often is not as abundant as it should.
    The next day I came back to “my” little ones. I was happy on the way there, eager to meet those beautiful smiles (some of them already lacking a few milk teeth) again. I confess that in the first moment, and in spite of all the information that tells us AIDS is not contagious just by being friends with someone, I was still a bit unsecure about touching the children, hugging, cleaning, and breathing with them. The problem was in my mind, it was my problem, as it is society’s problem, not the children’s problem. The children were just like the day before, happy and jumping, and crying, and asking for attention and care. And so I let myself become their shushu again, and, even if I am the one who is supposed to help, I was the one who left with an enriched heart and a happy spirit. The little ones might be sick, and they might even not live many years, but it seemed to me they are as full of life as any other child. Under the loving care of the sisters, and with God’s eyes looking on them, they are certainly children beautiful future.

    Finally we went to another place, a much bigger house for children and young people. The children were not there yet, because now if vacation time for them. But I did had the chance to meet the sisters and also two volunteers that will spend one full year serving there. I was very glad to meet them, and to see how joyfully they are willing to give their time and energy for those children. I returned to Macau with a feeling of consolation. It is true that there are many unfair and said things in our world. It is sad to think that, one day, those little ones will not be there anymore to receive us with shouts of excitement. It is sad how we and our society sometimes can’t see the value of those that are sick, and the importance of giving them equal changes to be happy. But to know that there are so many good people out there that want to do good, is a wonderful sign of hope, and a reminder to us that there is nothing happier than to make others happy!


Francisco
August, 2010