Peanut - bow wow!

Yesterday evening was a wonderful encounter with the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. It's an American congregation - see their website at http://www.fsecommunity.org/ . Sr. Monica (Filipina migrant to Canada) came to Damascus gate and drove me to Bethlehem where they stay. There're only 2 sisters: Sr Monica and Sr. Rose the Superior (Ethnic Chinese from Guam). Two other sisters cannot get a permanent visa so they travel in and out of Israel on a regular basis. By the way, Sr. Monica knows Peter & Maria Ho (Maryland, remember?). She sends her regards to both of you, says that the postulant who came to HK is now Sr Mary John, and she hopes Maria will come to the Holyland soon and visit their convent.

The convent is actually a lovely 4 story house rented from Dr Halloun (whose Arab Grammar I had to study 15 yrs back!) and they have a Chihuahua called Peanut. She was the runt of the litter and was almost dead when the owners brought her to the sisters. The sisters run a center for traumatised kids in Beit Sahour (Shepherds Field) and the dog's owner said they can also treat traumatised animals! Anyway Peanut is really cute (just a yr old and so small she looks like a rat! Not like my two boys - those are REAL dogs!). But Peanut does a good job because the sisters bring her along in the car and the Israeli soldiers love her. They ask to play with her, take photos with her, feed her biscuits ..... and that gets the sisters across the checkpoint safely and in good spirits!!!!! See, dogs are useful!

Anyway I celebrated Mass for the sisters in their lovely small chapel, then we had dinner. Wow, white rice, chicken and fried noodles (pansit). The sisters have a Filipina boarder, Rose-Ann and she cooks fabulously well. I even got to "ta bao" the noodles, rice and 2 pieces of carrot cake!!! Am actually eating the noodles now for breakfast ...... yuuuuummmmiiieeeeee! Rose-Ann doesn't work fulltime so she's free on Wednesday and said she'll come to my monastery to cook me some more food! (See me grin?????). Oh and the sisters insisted that I bring home a blanket because they have too many and can't give them away. It's freezing cold by the way! So lucky me, I've got one more blanket to keep me warm at night.

Sr Rose is very nice, and she said to come over their convent whenever I want Asian food. Nice of her, but you know that crossing the checkpoint is such a hassle and I don't have Peanut with me. Oh well we'll see. By the way I told the Dean I was going to the sisters in Bethlehem last night, and he said "Good, go and do some work!". Hmmmm it sounds like I'm staying at home too much and not working enough for the Custody. So I showed him my timetable next week - I'm bringing the Melbourne chinese to the Negev desert on Jan 15th, then the Missionaries of Charity to Ein Kerem on Jan. 24th and the Negev desert on Jan 26th. I'll be out for 3 days!! I thought the Dean would frown and say "Cut down on your going out and study". Instead he said "Good, go out and do something". Hhmmmmm is he trying reverse psychology on me? Well he looked really pleased that I was going out - and anyway I said our agency is sponsoring the Missionaries of Charity's 2 day tour as they need time to relax and pray. They work in the wartorn Gaza and Ramallah areas. Pure stress. The agency said they will not charge the sisters for the services rendered because they are doing so much good work in such a dangerous spot. Indeed the muslims all look up to these sisters (Mother Teresa's group) and so they are well protected. For their lunch and entrance fees to some places, I'm paying it with my own money that I earned. Afterall they are so good as to eliminate all the bedbugs and wash my bedsheets every week to make sure the bugs don't return. Anyway back to the story, the Dean said it's good I do some charity to the Indian sisters because they risk life and limb to serve the victims of war. So again he said to me to go out. Hmmmmm I'm trying to read between the lines. Now let me test his limit and "go out" by buying a ticket and flying back to HK...........

This morning at 5am I went out to the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Mass. But I saw that our corridor lights were all switched on - so someone got out before me. Wondered who it was. Switched off all the lights as I went out - need to save on electricity says the superior (that's why we have no heating!!!!). The Melbourne chinese group came along so we celebrated Mass in the Crusader Chapel (once part of the Crusader bishop's palace). They sang their lungs out - abit too early for me though for so much singing. Then found out that Wojciech (or however you spell his name - remember several blogs back? I'll never get his name right) was the one who left the house earlier and left the lights on. He was celebrating Mass on Mt Calvary with 2 polish friends who're here visiting.

Anyway just finished my noodles so it's sign that I'm ending my blog here. This afternoon I'm "going out" to the New City to buy some medicine, the Melbourne group wants to come along as well. Well, I'm just doing what the Dean wants me to do ...... "go out more often".