With great enthusiasm and high spirit we came back from our first mission exposure in Occidental Mindoro last 2010. The same thing happened this year when we had a second chance to go there for another exposure from April 26 to 29, 2012. In cooperation with the Daughters of the Immaculate Conception of Charity and a number of volunteers from Italy and Cavite we were able to undertake a successful medical mission to the Mangyan people and the local Tagalogs. The first day we had to transport all the relief goods to the little village of Udalo which is accessible only by boat. We had to prepare our camp and our makeshift clinic in the local elementary school. The second and third day we had medical mission. The four volunteer doctors from the Philippines, Italy and Cameroon were able to check and treat hundreds of people for free.
Thanks to the marvelous work of the supportive staff (nurses, pharmacists, Immaculate Sisters, Salvatorian Brothers) everybody who was seeking help could be accepted. Of course, not all sicknesses can be treated in an outdoor clinic, but at least everybody could get an assessment of a trained doctor, and many could be helped with donated medicine. Through the generosity of the Immaculate Sisters two patients could be taken to Cavite for better treatment. These are a 1-year-old boy with an ulcer that needs to be operated and a blind girl with eye infection. The doctors are saying, there is a chance that her eye sight may come back with proper treatment. Parallel to the medical mission we arranged an adjoining program which was teaching, singing, entertainment, free haircut, bathing the children, distributing cloths and 1 meal per person. The local Tagalogs were very supportive, especially with the cooking. At the end of day three everybody was tired but happy. Day four was a Sunday. We thanked the Lord in the Holy Eucharist for all the good experiences and made ourselves ready to go home. Three nights we slept outside under the coconut trees next to the sandy beach. The place looks like paradise, but the poverty of the local people was beyond dispute as well. It filled our hearts with great happiness and satisfaction that we could bring some help to the people of Udalo and the adjacent settlements. It was help straight to the person without any detours. That makes you happy, if you see the smiling face of a person you just could provide some relief. This mission exposure in Mindoro was a great inspiration for all the participants and even for those who just listened to our experiences. May it give us a good push forward towards our Salvatorian apostolates in the future!
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