“O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The Everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight”
This Christmas carol proclaims that “the hopes and fears” of all human history met when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Each year, the hopes and fears of the Subanen crafters meet at our annual Christmas gathering.
I have been working with Subanen crafters for 25 years, and every year we gather at Christmas time to share food, fun, and simple gifts. Our yearly gathering brings to mind our Christmas cards, whose images depict how Mary and Joseph cared for each other and for Jesus. Our cards show the Holy Family experiencing the same hopes and fears that Subanen families face.
One fear faced by Subanen parents is the likelihood of having to leave their families and homeland to find work. The major cause of that fear can be traced to the plunderous exploitation of their forested habitat by unregulated logging operations. Without their forest and its streams, the Subanen people were deprived of a steady source of food, housing, water, medicines, and income.
One of the Subanen crafters is Janelyn Musdan. She has two daughters, Bebe, age 10, and Chenchen, age 8. Two years ago, Janelyn made the hard decision to leave her children to become a domestic worker for a family in Qatar. During her stay there, she worked 18 hours a day, every day, with no days off. She came home for Christmas but will return soon to Qatar.
Like Janelyn, many Filipinos work overseas as nurses, caregivers, and domestics in the hope of giving their families a better future. In two years, Janelyn was able to save enough money to buy a tiny plot of land in her barrio. Over the next two years, Janelyn hopes to make enough to build a small house on that plot.
Jemuel Rote also came to our Christmas gathering. In 2017, he hoped to help his parents and siblings by working in Marawi Cityin Mindanao, Philippines. Soon after Jemuel arrived in Marawi, his hope turned into fear for his life. He found himself caught up in the conflict between a violent jihadist group and the Philippine Army. He was shot in the leg while trying to escape that conflict. His wounded leg became so deeply infected that it needed to be amputated. Fortunately, the Columban Sisters and their staff found a good doctor who was able to save his leg. He is now helping his family by working as a Subanen crafter.
Juvelyn Vargas has been a Subanen crafter for 16 years. In 2019, she gave birth to two tiny girls long before they were due. Juvelyn then spent weeks in the hospital watching her babies struggle for life in an incubator. During her anxious vigil, her fellow crafters provided Juvelyn with food and clean clothing. Upon their release, Juvelyn and her husband Raffy finally got to hold their two tiny girls.
Juvelyn attended our latest Christmas gathering with her daughter Angel and her healthy twin girls. Her twins are fittingly named Rhea Faith and Rhea Hope.
During our gathering, we remembered Andonie Balives, one of the four original Subanen crafters. Last year, Andonie died with her unborn child during a difficult childbirth.
Twenty-four years ago, Andonie hiked for hours from her remote hillside home to attend our first crafting workshop. It was during that workshop that I noticed her smiling in front of an electric fan. She was surprised by a device that could create the wind.
Andonie’s children, Barnebe, 9 and Melanie, 14 are now cared for by their extended family, which includes Subanen crafters. Andonie was building their tiny hillside home when she died.