I'm Evelyn from Taiwan. My two weeks missionary experience was all started by sending a message to Fr. Innocent in Taiwan and asking for any possible missionary work. Within 24 hours, I got to know Fr. Edgar in Bangkok on the phone, who guided me to arrange for this missionary trip during July 1-15, 2023.
In the first place, I didn't have any idea at all about the Xaverian missionary and expectation for the trip. But just after my first visit on the first day to the slums, time went back when I, as a middle schooler, used to tag along with the P.I.M.E. priests visiting the needy in the community. Then I came to realize I would go through a renewal of faith on this trip.
The renewal of faith came from three reflections. The first reflection is about paying visits to the slums. It made me flip open the book of Genesis, where human dignity is raised on the ground that humans are in the image of God. Ironically, in the 21st century, there is still a large population as miserable as the slum people who are living no better than household pets. Back then, I used to ask why it happened and why things were not appeared as it would be like in the Bible. It was until I got resonated by the Lord's Prayer, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done." These verses turned down my erroneous expectation in faith.
The first week passed, I got used to the routine and was sustained by the verses "thy Kingdom come and to be done." The mass and the afterwork contemplation became the important parts in a day. The more the prayers, the more I felt grateful in heart. Jesus Christ was everywhere in the tabernacle, in the missionary team, at our dinner table, in the slum houses, among us in the school playground with the kids, the back-and-forth ride to the slums. We made "Thy Kingdom come" by our visits with smiling, hugging, gaming, chatting, and wound treatment, and these must move on until "Thy will be done."
My second reflection is about living in a congregation. The book of Acts Chapter 2 came up into my mind, and it seemed like I was living in the way as the disciples in the early church. We were united in heart and mind to fulfill the Will of Christ. We had things in common. Resource wise, all materials were used for the sake of the community. We collected foods and distributed to the slums, sent educational resources to school, lived under the same roof, and had meals at the same dining table all together.
We the members from different regions of the world with different tongues of languages and capacities. But we sought to be in a communion and to be nice with each other as though we were a family. We worked together and teamed up differently every now and then. I could tell every single one striving to be less self-conscious but more self-aware to treat people and in their missionary roles.
The last reflection is about life and death. There are some people in the slums showing desperation to die. Is it because of poverty? Upon my flashing back to those visits, there are things in common -- they are old, immobile, blind or deaf, and lonely without family people living around to see. Provided that I were in their shoes, I would feel horrible being abandoned in the dark, which has been the utmost worst plight in life, which is enough for the body, mind, and soul to torture. Death doesn’t seem like as appalling as an abandoned life in their situations. Thus, the visiting of the slums is more meant to be a salvation of them from the abandoned life than a fulfillment of material needs. That explains why our visit schedule is from Monday to Sunday that makes the most of our time and manpower.
We humans, before we are born, don’t have this self-consciousness, but it grows out ahead and until the point of death. That’s it contributing to distress, discomfort, anxiety, fear, and death. As Christian we have Jesus as our salvation to let out misery in consciousness by redemption, gratitude, and thankfulness.
Below are the important life lessons I really like: 1. Kindness is the only thing that matters in the end. 2. There is always a way out and our response can be either FEAR or TRUST. 3. We must trust that life is good. Never take things for granted. People have focused too much in life on trying to control. Let go and try to be open to whatever life brings.
I am thankful for the Xaverian Missionary having me a part of them for two weeks.
I am thankful for the safe journey.
I am grateful for the awareness after the missionary trip.
I am grateful for the beautiful people I met on the trip.
I am thankful for the renewal of faith this time around.
