MIF Board Meeting: A Reflection
By Dolly Banzon, MIF Secretary
Thank you so much for gathering us all together in a meeting of the officers and board of directors of the Metro Infanta Foundation. Looking back, it was not at all just a meeting, but also, a spiritual experience for me.
I was reflecting on those who were able to make it to that meeting. We were people with varied careers, interests and causes, but have one thing in common: our love of God. Some also just drove the distance and had to drive back the same day due to work. There was a writer/columnist of a leading Denver newspaper, a medical doctor (internal medicine), a communication and stewardship director/author, a civil engineer, a restaurant supervisor, and an artist. Each person in that meeting is involved in different charitable social programs and spiritual causes, and yet, has been willing to get involved in the Metro Infanta Foundation.
It was evident in the discussions that our concern for people is not limited just to Filipinos but also to all peoples as a whole whom we view as our brothers and sisters. The boundaries of race and regions did not exist - we only saw the people of God, and in this respect, our brothers and sisters in the Philippines, particularly the people of Infanta.
I am also pleased with the fact that the attitude of the attendees did not reflect their desire to be gods who can make this world right and livable, but that their love of God motivated them to be channels of his graces. No one conveyed the idea that they are powerful, but that God is; no one felt that they are materially endowed, but that God provides for them; no one felt that they can make the world right, but that God eventually makes things right for his people. Hence, the Metro Infanta Foundation is a paradigm of what it takes to support God's people who are in need, because it encourages the people to see and tap their own resources and giftedness, and work together as a people of God. In other words, the Foundation does not look at the less fortunate people as pitiful objects of their benevolence, but that they see in them the dignity and integrity of their beings as people who bear the image of God. It is a clear manifestation of the Beatitudes: Love of God and neighbor. Through this, we can see the wisdom of Jesus' commandment: our love of God enhances our love of neighbor; and our love of neighbor cannot but enhance our love of God!
The Metro Infanta Foundation is blessed not only with the support of the people of Infanta here and elsewhere, but also of the Infantahins themselves in the Philippines: the local leaders and people, and most especially, the religious order of the Discalced Carmelites. The working of the Holy Spirit is very evident in that even the non-Filipinos, here in the States and other parts of the country, are generously donating to and supporting the Foundation's projects.
The PowerPoint presentation was a very effective tool in updating the officers and board of directors on the minutes of the meeting and the progress of the Foundation's activites. I also appreciated the transparency in reporting the income through donations, as well as, the disbursements of the funds. It makes the whole meeting/gathering very satisfying.
Lastly, what was the most powerful for me is the realization that all of us carry that same feeling which you verbalized during the meeting when somehow you stated that you are not seeking any personal glory in working hard to make the Foundation work, but merely to give back to what Infanta had given you. For us, who have never even been to Infanta, we are there solely because we feel that God has called us to the task. Overall, I can only praise God for the way he looks upon us with love, for the ways he transforms us by his love, and for the ways he entrusts us to minister through his love.
Thank you again for inviting us serve with you and be a part of the Metro Infanta Foundation. Happy Mother's Day. Don't get too spoiled today, though. Blessings always......
Editor's Note: Dolly Banzon is the new secretary of Metro infanta Foundation