Finding Family

Yesterday we traveled around the north end of Negros Island and then up and over the highlands to return back to Bacolod - all of this to help five boys find their families for brief reunions.  We are always amazed when a boy tells us, "Turn left here," and we find ourselves driving down a muddy path through a sugar can field.  At the other end is a small village of people living from day to day, hoping to find work, hoping to provide meals for their families and at least one family anxious to see their son again.  Unless you are looking for these villages, you will never see them.  They are out of sight of most travelers, and out of the minds of most who live in more comfortable surroundings.

Accompanied by social workers, and sometimes by family members who find us looking for their home, we often end of hiking down muddy paths or through hilly areas to bring the Pag-asa kid to their home and family.  When we arrive we almost always here the same thing from these families.  They ask to to come in out of the rain, even though it is raining in corners of their house.  They apologize for not having any food to give us as they have almost none themselves.  They thank us for taking care of their son they tell us about the difficulties that they have faced.  Sometimes the reunion is joyful and neighbors come by to greet the boy who has been away for so long.  In other places, the families are quiet and reflective, trying to imagine how good things might come out of the trials they have faced.  We the staff and volunteers, are the witnesses of these moments.

Sometimes there are moments of pain and sadness.  We visit some villages where the boy traveling with us is no longer welcomed by his neighbors because of his reputation as a problem.  Some families we visit are wounded by addiction, violence or infidelities.  Boys visiting home will often find a grandparent, parent or even a sibling affected by disease or health problems.  They also realize that they are eating much better at Bahay Pag-asa than their family members are at home.  But there are also family members that demonstrate the strength and resilience that always humbles us.  In one home yesterday, the sister of a resident told us that she wanted to give us a gift for taking care of her brother - but having nothing else to give us she sang us a song - "Ten Thousand Angels Cried."