Category: Mission Journal

There are many poor people who live in the Boeung Tum Pun area around the Church of the Child Jesus. At the St. Ambrose Center at the church, the Maryknoll Sisters work with some of these children and their families. These families had little money before the COVID-19 pandemic, but now because of the closing of so many small shops and because of the economic downturn, these families are in very difficult situations.

The sisters sometimes give rice to families to help them survive, and, knowing the families’ problems, the sisters developed a plan that will give more help to the families without anyone knowing about it or without the families feeling they are beggars. The sisters know the owner of a small rice shop in Boeung Tum Pun. Many poor families go to her to buy rice. To make sure that they get enough rice to feed their families, the sisters buy a 50-kg bag of rice and leave it at the shop. When the poor people come to buy 1 kg of rice, the owner of the rice shop doesn’t say anything but gives them 5 kg of rice instead of 1 kg. The sisters check with the rice shop each week, and when their bag of rice is empty, they buy another one.

The poor family is happy, the rice shop owner is happy, and the sisters know that these families will have enough to eat.

“Where two or three (but less than ten) are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Matthew 18:20 (revised)

So many countries are talking about re-opening businesses to counter the downturn in the economy because of the coronavirus. This woman never closed down her little rice shop. She’s open every day or her family doesn’t eat.