Sister Marcela of Jorge Mestre’s boarding school community writes: Sister Lucia, Jorge is the soul of gratitude.  He is a person who came as a volunteer to live a life of service.  He didn’t come to seek other goals.  He didn’t even come to see other parts of the world: he lives and works hard all the time in Oecusse.   He is a simple young man, without complications.

Jorge was offered work to carry out some projects in the boarding school. Jorge liked the idea, not so much in order to “have a job” or to “stay in Timor.” Rather, he saw the opportunity to keep helping the Boarding school.  Jorge has been a witness of my sleepless nights and sacrifices to seek help and improve the nutrition of the little girls. (On many occasions he also has gone out of his way to seek help.)  Here we don’t have a set amount of funds for food or for anything.

We live by the Providence of God and by solidarity with some people as well as sisters of other provinces of the congregation.  Daily seventy-four people are fed here in the boarding school.

Sister Lucia, Jorge is the soul of gratitude.  He is a person who came as a volunteer to live a life of service.  He didn’t come to seek other goals.  He didn’t even come to see other parts of the world: he lives and works hard all the time in Oecusse.   He is a simple young man, without complications.  He has adapted to our poor meals: our diet is rice, and rice – we’re in Asia, not in Europe.  We’ve never heard a word from his mouth about what he used to eat in Portugal.  He has adapted to our different personalities as women, to our different cultures and is respectful and prudent.  He has a communitarian personality and dependency; he has been a person we could confide in.  He made an effort to gain the trust of the girls and of the Sisters.  He assumed the mission and the different tasks of the Boarding school with simplicity.  We as a community have never felt he was a burden.  He does his own laundry, ironing, and so forth.  From morning to night he is involved in all the work of the boarding school, assuming major responsibilities.  He is not the kind of person who gossips to outsiders about what goes on in the boarding school or in the community.  Much less does he send photographs without first checking with us.  There are many other qualities.

It is true that he had a brief time of crisis, feeling cheated – it is normal in every human being.  This is the second time he came to Timor.  He wanted to work with the youth in Oecusse.  But, after a dialog, he was able to realize that sometimes our dreams are not fulfilled -- not for a lack of wishing – sometimes circumstances don’t allow.  After that, he kept on working as always.

The Community – I’m referring to the Sisters – have given him a positive evaluation.  We can say that we have been happy and grateful with this volunteer.  He really entered into the dynamic of the Charism of the Missionary Dominicans of the Rosary.