Brother Guia and his stories

Brother Alfredo Guia

We have been blessed to meet so many good people here.  It’s rewarding to build new friendships, and fascinating to hear their conversion stories, and humbling to know the struggles they endure. 

Brother Fred Guia is a very enthusiastic and friendly 73-year-old brother who works in the temple.  His family lives in a neighboring city, but he stays at the Patron House during the week, since travelling is difficult for him right now.  He has had serious diabetic sores on his feet that has led to partial amputations on both feet.  The sole of his right foot has some deep sores that were being treated by another missionary sister, but when those missionaries got transferred, we volunteered to help with dressing his feet twice a week.  For almost three months, we have been blessed by his faith and humour and friendship, and we have met and adopted all his wonderful family.  We are so impressed by his faith and his dedication to keep working at the temple despite his health problems.  His can-do attitude is inspiring. He has told us fascinating stories of his life, and Ron has typed as Brother Guia talks. Here are some of his stories:

My mother used to wake me up at about 4 in the morning to take the carabao to the meadows.  There were so many mosquitos when we ride on the carabao back.  Sometimes we let it wallow in the mud so that it can protect from the mosquitos.  We do not ride any more because it is muddy.  We only wait until the carabao is full and its stomach is big and then I will go home and eat my breakfast.  After 4:00 in the morning I would take the carabao to eat in the meadow.  Then at about 6 we would plow the field.  Then after that we would rest at noon.  Then we would eat for lunch.  Kamote, dried fish or rice, banana and also sometimes we cook chicken.  During the lunch we rest for a while and then at about 2:00 we would plow again.  We would check that the water is not coming out of the field – check the dikes that the water is not coming out – the grass rots and is a fertilizer for the rice plants.  Then we would plow until 5 o’clock and then we would bring the carabao to the meadows and we would leave it there.  The meadows are in the hills.  After that we would go to sleep in the evening.  And then the same routine.  When I was in the High school I was not able to plow the field because I was going to the school.  We were walking about 6 km one way to the school in Dipolog and 6 km back (barrio Gales). Then I finished high school in 1961. 

Story of one carabao that was part of the family.  My father was 78 when he died.  We called the carabao Tagilon.  He was a very obedient.  He would bring the palay (rice not yet thrashed).  He would take it to the mill (by himself) and then after the rice was milled they put the milled rice on the sledge and he would pull the sledge back home.  (No thieves then). When Tagilon died, my father cried.  The Carabao was very old.  Our neighbor wanted to slaughter it, but my father would not let them.  My father said we could not eat it because he helped us for so long.  We buried it.  My father and mother was a very industrious farmer.  And they were very religious too.  When they had a harvest, every January 1 we would have a thanksgiving for the harvest.  There was a miracle in our life.  We had a field already for harvest.  There were many rats eating rice and the rats did not eat our field.  Our neighbors asked why the rats did not eat our field.  My father said I do not know.  Every January 1 we would have a thanksgiving.  We let our labours come.  We would slaughter 2 pigs, each about 100 kg.  Our workers and neighbours would like pancit and we would make it.  They enjoyed the pancit.  At that time, we only planted one time per year.  Now they plant 2 or three times.  Coming June is planting  season. 

Not Brother Guia, but similar

We feel so blessed to have his example in our life.  
I think the Lord sends extra-strong spirits to the Philippines.