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Betty has been a missionary sister for 27 years. She spent her first few years serving in parishes before joining the Mission Home. She has dedicated her life to taking care of children for the past 25 years. Most recently, Betty has been in charge of a group of little girls, ages 2 to 12.

She is known for her gentle care and astute wisdom. Recently one of the littlest girls under her care did not want to go to school or complete any of her school work. From years of experience working with traumatized youth, Betty recognized the behavior as a result of broken family ties and fragmented identity. She made a schedule with the little girl to spend specific time with her brother every day. Betty herself spent time every morning with her to talk about what she was excited for that day and to review her homework before going to school. In this purposeful but soft manner she has been able to reconnect the little girl to learning. 

Small but mighty! Betty with one of the little girls that has been at the Mission Home since she was 18 months old.

In addition to her labor of love caring for a group of little girls, Betty is also in charge of the Mission Home kitchen. She wakes at 4am each day to open and start preparing breakfast for the 100+ children, missionary sisters and volunteers that eat at the home. She then returns to her group of little girls before the school day begins to prepare them for the day. By 8am she is back in the kitchen preparing lunch. She spends the afternoon back and forth between the kitchen and her little girls, making sure that once they have returned from school they complete all their schoolwork, have time to play, and are showered before bed. After all her little ones are asleep, she ends the day back in the kitchen ensuring that everything is clean and ready for the next day, often not going to sleep until 11pm or 12 midnight. She is assiduous in every meal she prepares, and has brought the quality of the food to that of restaurant standard. Over the past few years, there have been times when money was short due to delayed government payments. Betty always managed to find creative and nutritious ways to feed the home, at one point making bread every single morning to ensure breakfast for the next day. On top of that, the bread she baked was often crafted into adorable child-friendly shapes and concoctions…snail shaped cinnamon rolls, flower shaped rolls with jelly centers, to name a few. 

Betty’s perseverance and love is epitomized in her dedication to her Catholic faith. She is committed to cultivating her spiritual well being and often speaks about how her life and work would be impossible without the support and calling from the Lord. Her schedule may seem daunting to just about anyone else, but to Betty it is her life mission and her absolute joy. She inspires us to care for every child and person in a more loving way, and to take on all of life’s daily tasks and responsibilities with patience, love, and commitment. We are so grateful for her life! 

In addition to all the care she shows to her group of little girls, Betty somehow finds time to love Regan as well!