Danielle Alio

Today we got to celebrate mass with the Filipino migrant workers we met last night at the dinner and Father Joyalito. In addition to those we met there were many more migrant workers in attendance for mass. The church was packed so much so that there were many people who had to stand. I would say that there was about 200 people.

The mass was so interesting to be a part of. The choir sounded great and everyone in attendance participated by singing and reciting all of the prayers. I don’t think I ever saw a mass with this much participation. Father Joyalito has an amazing connection with the migrant workers that is very visable at mass. They listened to everything he said and they all responded to him when he spoke to them during the homily. You can definitely see that faith in God is what keeps the people strong.

We were introduced at the mass and then afterward we ate with some of the people in the back of the church. I can not describe how friendly these people are and how welcomed I felt. They were very kind and I was really touched. What impacted me the most was when one of the migrant workers approached Joseph and I because she wanted to tell her story. She just came to us on her own and asked if we wanted to hear what she has been through. I listened to every word she said and was deeply moved.

She is only 20 years old and has been trying to take care of her family since the age of about 5 or 6 when her father passed away from cancer. Many of her other family members were not in good health so she decided that she must migrate to find work. She arrived in Taiwan 3 months ago and was placed at a job in a factory making spare auto parts for the vehicles we drive. She was paid very little and was expected to do extra work outside of her contract for no pay. She was constantly called things like “stupid” and treated as less then a human being. She showed us scars left on her hands from this factory job because everything is manually put together and there are no machines to help.

This young woman is extremely intelligent. She knew her rights by the law from day one and stood up for herself. She was not going to be undermined because she wanted the respect she as a human being deserves. She is now at the shelter because she left her job which means it is up to her to now find a job on her own (a very diffuicult task without a broker). She told us that she misses her family very much but she will not give up on her goal to earn money for her family. She has a very strong faith in God that is her rock and her ultimate support. Her hope is that other women will be inspired by her and fight for their rights as well. She is the perfect example of a very strong independant woman who is already a role model to many.

Later in the afternoon, we drove with Father Alfonso to a small town near the ocean where we visited a confucius temple. There were many people walking in and out to pray and worship. It was very interesting to watch others worship in a very different way to a power greater then ourselves. They offered incense and burned fake money because it is said that the more money you offer the quicker you will get to heaven. There are many temples around the area where we were and they are open for worship anytime. Alot of the ones we passed were small and even inside of gift shops or on a street corner. I am very excited to visit other temples on our journey.

After visiting the temple we met up with a few sisters who are stationed in this town for a mission. They took us to a small Taiwanese restaurant for our first taste of Taiwanese food. I have to say it was delicious. What I didn’t know about Asian food (in particular Chinese, Filipino, Taiwanese, Korean, Japanese, etc.) is that a lot of it is spicey. So far I am really enjoying trying this new food.  

For a look at some pictures of our journey check out the Explore My Mission Blog. More updates to come as we continue.