Reflections: CMM 2003
Msg. Gerald L. Lewis

It was at the end of our last 2003 mission in the town of Agoo that we had a period of reflection and sharing. I had just said that while 30 pills might not really be much help to the people we serve we at least bring them hope. To which Joseph Ng responded ‘there is no expiration date on Hope and this has become the Mantra of our mission – there is no expiration on hope.

And such, I feel, is truly our mission. We have received the notifications for the 2004 Mission to Ilocos Norte, W. Pangasinan and Puerto Princesa, Palawan; requests are being heard for volunteers and for donations – volunteers to carry on the mission and money to provide medications and surgical and dental supplies for the people who come to us. How do we approach this mission?

I believe that it is in Faith with great Hope. I refuse to believe that we are there simply to meet the needs of the body – although we certainly do that, last year in our three venues we treated over 9000 people in our medical, surgical and dental clinics and this is something we can rightfully be proud of – rather I believe that we are there because we believe. Because we believe that we who love God can best serve our God by serving the least of our neighbors and, most often, the Filipinos we meet are the most needy.

Our mission is a mission of prayer, the doctors and nurses and other assistants worked 12 or more hours each day, yet they were up and in Chapel for Morning Prayer at 6:00 each morning. This was purely voluntary, yet the majority of our volunteers were there most of the time. While Morning Prayer was usually Catholic Mass it was truly an ecumenical affair with people of other faith traditions leading the choir and proclaiming the scriptures. It was an inspiring way to begin our day. Yes because our faith prompted us to reach out, we were able to bring Hope to so many.

We did this in Bataan, Bulacan and in La Union provinces; we did this in Dinalupihan, Hagonoy, San Fernando, Luna, Bauang and Agoo. At each of these towns we would set up our medical and dental clinic while the surgeons would go to the local or regional hospital. We each worked according to our talents and everyone, everyday joined in the counting of pills. It is a great saving to buy our medications in thousand pill bottles but they have to be distributed in 3 to 36 pill prescription –this requires many hours of counting, often our evening were spent counting for the next day.

It was not all work. The local coordinators and town and province officials hosted us with fine meals and great entertainment interspersed with cultural presentations. We were proud of the Philippine nation for what they have accomplished in the former Subic Bay American Naval Base.

There is now more industry and more employment in this special area than when the Americans were there. We saw the shrines of the Bataan ‘Death March’ and the National Bataan/Corrigator monument. We had a demonstration of jungle warfare and learned how the indigenous mountain people had contributed to the war effort.

In Bulacan we saw the church in which the modern Philippine Nation was founded in 1898 by vote the Philippine Congress before American intervention in the Spanish American War. We were given a day of rest at the Pantabangan Resort Hotel high on a scenic mountaintop overlooking a modern dam and reservoir. Here we had our ‘Day of Reflection’ and our first sharing period. In the evening we were treated to a festive dinner hosted by the Hon. Tommy Joson, Governor of Nueva Ejica featuring a roasted pig. Needless to say, we all enjoyed it greatly.

In La Union we had our first experience working with other American groups. There we joined the mission organized by the Indiana Philippine Medical Association, the Indiana Philippine Professional Association and the Couples for Christ of Indiana. Our job was to help them in their first mission experience. It seems a formidable task to bring our groups together, but our leaders did and our missions went smoothly until finally on the last day we could sort of sit back and let the Indiana group do all the work.

There were high points in our work – certainly nothing more inspiring than the appearance of the AETAS people from the mountains of Bataan. It was about 2:30 in the afternoon of our first day in Dinalupihan that they began to appear. The Aetas are one of the Aboriginal mountain tribes of the Philippines. They have dwelt in the mountain throughout history but in recent years have been forced by volcanic eruptions to desert their ancestral homes and move further down the mountains. It is only this generation that has abandoned the g-string and sarong and has begun to adopt western dress.

The Philippine Government is trying to help these people by providing education and employment, but this is a slow process and today they remain basically uneducated and live in abject poverty. Today, the Aetas, old and young had walked three hours down the mountain. Many were carrying babies in arms or had toddlers. One was a girl of 14 with her 2-year walking and her six-month-old infant in her arms. We did what we could for each – which was little, but even here we gave that un-expiring Hope.

Our Carolina Medical Mission volunteers are a talented, good and generous people. Each pays his/her own way to the mission and together they donate enough to cover the expenses of the local Filipino volunteers. More than that again and again I would see our volunteers sharing their food with the patients or stepping out of line to push a small amount of pesos into the pockets of the most needy.

Yes, Mission 2003 was a great experience, an experience that neither the volunteers nor the 9000 people assisted will forget. But now it is time to turn our eyes, our hearts and yes, our pocket books, to the 2004 mission. The Carolina Medical Mission needs the help and support of each of us that they may reach out to the thousands who will call on them for assistance in just a few months.

As I reminisce on last year’s experiences I regret that I cannot be with them in 2004. But I will be with them in prayer and in spirit and most of all, in the HOPE that they will give to so many.

Msg. Gerald L. Lewis residential address:
P.O. Box 4280,
Emerald Isle, NC 28594