MY MISSIONARY AND PASTORAL EXPERIENCE IN GUATEMALA

It gives me great joy and enthusiasm to share with you on what my pastoral experience has meant to me being in Latin America, specifically in Guatemala (where I am continuing my formation in the Congregational Juniorate). I have come to understand that the place where we encounter God is in all the experiences of human life. We need to be attentive in listening and sharing with the “most in need” of their dreams, their joys, and their difficult moments which lead us to contemplate God’s presence in our history.

Among the pastoral activities I carry out is that of our school, the “Nueva Vida” (New Life), where I enjoy knowing and sharing with the smiles of the children in catechism classes.  I learn from them as they do learn from me, sharing ideas, knowledge, and experiences about God and our neighbor. Young people, former students of our school are also there despite they that continue their studies at other schools. Some young people and teenagers can sometimes be or feel shy or even embarrassed to express their ideas and participate in the meetings. Yet, together with them, we strive to learn and strengthen values and virtues for a better future as they wish to  become good people in society, especially in their own homes.

I also collaborate in pastoral work with migrants, most of whom are dreaming on to be North America, seeking better living conditions or as refugees due to the situation in their countries of origin. Their journey is coupled with hardship, danger, and insecurity, as they cross forests and rivers in search of a better life in the United States. We carry out our mission with them through the Jesuit Migrant Network at the Myrna Mack House, where we provide services in the kitchen and help with house organization. Most of them do come in search of first aid and, above all, for something to eat. Listening to their stories and life experiences is not easy as they are suffering and are homeless people who wander without knowing what awaits them in the future. For them, sharing these experiences with us is also a way to alleviate their suffering, feel heard and welcomed with respect. What deeply impresses me is that, despite their difficult situation, a smile is never absent from their faces, a joy that springs from the very essence of life. I am learning a lot from them; I see the face of the suffering Christ, who chose to live with us on this earth, taking on our human condition.

Living in an intercultural community and sharing life as sisters within the congregational family is deeply motivating, because it allows us to enrich ourselves with our diverse gifts, qualities, and the cultures from which each of us comes. Furthermore, I feel nourished all the nore by my university studies in Theology at Landívar University..

I conclude here, in sharing this brief experience of missionary and pastoral life in Guatemala, asking Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, to never turn her gaze from our lives and never leave us alone in this great mission entrusted to us by our founders.

A BIG HUG!

Guatemala

Noella Manongo Amana