“The words of the Lord are true, and all His works are dependable. The Lord loves what is righteous and just; His constant love fills the earth.” Psalm 33, verses 4-5.

God’s endless love touches us all in many ways. It is hard to understand how some people in our world are not blessed with what we have. Many of us have been granted the gift of taking course through the perilous journey of life with everything, and everyone that we love standing behind us, all the while supporting us. Others aren’t so blessed. In the least, they weren’t previously.

Salvation is one wonderful work of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and we must follow in his footsteps, as it is the key to eternal happiness in Heaven. We mustn’t be boastful when comparing ourselves to Jesus. However, when you save someone’s life, in whatever way which you do, you have performed an act in His name. That is why all of us are here today—to follow in the footsteps of our savior, and to fulfill our duties to the church, now, on World Mission Sunday, just as our brothers and sisters have done for 83 years before. Because, World Mission Sunday is about helping our brothers and sisters of the church. World Mission Sunday is about committing to what is right. And World Mission Sunday is about being a true catholic.

To save, by definition, is “to rescue from danger or possible harm, injury, or loss”. While most would interpret this definition as something dramatic, or something of rather large importance, I like to think of it as anything from the love in your heart, or from what you feel with the connection you create between yourself and another.

My name is Samantha Reilly and I found myself saving others when I came to love The Chosen Children Village, and everything about it when volunteering there this summer. This village, located in Cavite, Philippines, is a real savior of children who are in need. They house and school kids who have been abandoned and suffer the challenges of a mental or physical disability. It was a dream of Maria Fullerton’s, the founder, which became a reality in 1989. She not only spoke of her dreams, she pursued them, and made a difference. And while it has become such a cliché over time, actions truly do speak louder than words.

It takes great courage to accept the responsibility of so many kids with so many needs, including a loving family and a safe home. In the Philippines, along with the people, the climate, and most importantly, the culture, behaviors towards disabled children, and adults, are very different. Sadly, the government there is not very supportive of programs needed to help those suffering from a disability. While here we have special education classrooms in nearly every school, the Philippine government has not made it a priority to help those kids anymore than a child with full comprehension capabilities. And that’s what the village aimed to change.

My sister, Chelsea, and I had a full schedule there every day we volunteered. After spending a week there prior to my visit, she was accustomed to the schedule. At 5:45am we would wake up for breakfast. But we weren’t the ones eating. Instead we would help to feed the babies or the severely handicapped children, depending on the day of the week. Only after then would we go to our own breakfast, with all of the other kids, who generally were a bit older. The meals changed every day, but the attitude never did. The kids always seemed happy, and were eager to set the tables and say grace. Their way of giving thanks to God for the blessing of food varies from our version. They would sing, actually. This song of thanks was sung at every meal, every day, and was lead by a different child each time. We would sing along with them, and expressed our feelings through the song of prayer. It was very simple yet perfectly meaningful, “God is good and God is great, thank God, thank you, for this food. Amen”.

It was a real pleasure when we then moved to the school to begin lessons. I usually assisted in all three classrooms, wherever I was needed. I did the best I could to teach them, and the lessons were small things each day; Sentence structure, spelling, simple addition and subtraction. But that’s what I mean by saving someone. When these kids grow up, they can use this knowledge. This knowledge not only gives them what they need to fulfill their dreams, it gives them the tools for the journey. “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” –Albert Einstein. My teaching has not only helped them to understand now, but it has opened the doors to what they dream of. What truly puts me in a positive mood is how they will not give up their dreams, regardless of their chances.

Charlie, one of the children, has a walking disability and wears a helmet most of the time. He is a teenager still struggling in fourth grade. But Charlie maintains his view on life as something to be accomplished. He always asks questions, and always shares his hopes and goals. Charlie often speaks of the U.S., and is eager to learn more about it. As one of the older kids, he understands that when the chosen children are adopted, it is usually by a family in the U.S. He would tell Chelsea and me that when he grows up, he will go to the U.S., he will eat McDonalds, and he will play for the Boston Red Sox. It is true that these are some far off dreams, and some very possible ones as well, but Charlie is okay if they aren’t fulfilled. He is okay if he doesn’t get the opportunity to play for the Red Sox. All he wants is the chance to live, how he wants, and how he deserves to.

Charlie is most definitely not the only one with dreams to accomplish. Paul, a boy not much younger than me, is in the first grade. He suffers from Cerebral Palsy, a disorder which involves involuntary movement. His goal is to write, to serve himself, his own meals, and to have the control he has never obtained. Paul has worked through the difficulty. Paul has helped himself. Paul now walks on his own two feet, not needing anyone but himself. Just last year, Paul was in a wheelchair. And soon, he won’t need help to write simple letters. He won’t need someone to help him get a drink of water. He won’t need to fight against his disability anymore. But that is because he refuses to give up. And once again, he chose to take action, and discover what it means to save someone. That someone is himself.