Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Isabelle McKenna, Thailand

Isabelle McKenna is a parishioner from St Francis Xavier Cathedral community in Geraldton. Towards the end of 2010 she contacted the Catholic Mission Office to inquire about the possibility of spending her Gap year on an overseas missionary placement. As a result of her inquiries, she now finds herself as a missionary volunteer with the Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition in Thailand. She recently wrote about her experience:

“…At the moment I'm in Klong Lan, a small district in the North of Thailand. It is very isolated compared to Surin (where I previously was) and my mission is very different. Three nights a week I assist Sr Marritress and Father with teaching cathecism and then every friday I go to the local government school to teach English. I have only been here for a week, so I'm just absorbing the new culture and the new way of life. Most of the people in Klong Lan are very poor and lack many basic neccessities. Many of the parents cannont afford education or basic health care. However the government has been very generous in providing public education and public health. It really is a great benefit to the community. And
it also shows the kindness of others…”

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Joe Mitchell, Ghana


Joe Mitchell is a retired naval engineer from St Vincent's Parish in Kwinana. Through the Catholic Mission office in Perth, Joe is on a misssionary placement for one year with the Diocese of Yendi in Ghana. Joe looks after a computer training centre set up by the diocese as part of its youth development programme in the small rural village of Saboba. Joe writes:

The people are so very beautiful and there is so much one can do to help here in Saboba. I would like to share with you a typical day on mission. I awake at 0430, say my daily prayers and just before five am take a cup of water from the bin we keep our fresh water in and go outside to splash a bit on my face pour a bit on my hair and brush my teeth with the remaining water. I usually boot up my laptop if the battery is charged and check for any instructions from Fr Erasmus for the day. I lay a charcoal fire in a small burner so it will be ready for warming some water after mass. We then go to 0530 mass at the school chapel which is about two miles walk. I am always pleasantly surprised to find twenty or more students up at that hour for daily mass. The mass is said by the school chaplain Fr Michael who has this beautiful perpetual smile on his face. When mass is completed, everyone present lines up in the order we leave the chapel forming a large circle. Each person in turn greets the other with either "Good morning or the local greeting of N'dopu'o to which one responds, "Naah", accompanied with a large smile. I find this very special and filled with love. When morning prayer is finished the water is ready and I usually have a small bowl of porridge and a cup of instant coffee for breakfast which gets me through to the evening meal. We head down to the site of the Computer Lab at about eight o'clock. When we have all the planned equipment we will open the Computer Lab at 0830 and remain there to teach and help those attending with reports, laminating, photocopying and internet research... Supper is prepared by a generous and wonderful local Christian named Justine. When supper is over, I draw a small bucket of water and go to the ablution room and using a very small bucket splash water over me and wash. I try to use as little water as possible so that there is enough left to wash an item or two of my clothes using soap and water which runs off to save on the amount of water which we have to carry from town, a distance of about three miles. If I have any time between evening prayer and off to bed I answer a few more emails and am in bed by nine pm for another night of exercise. That is, tossing and turning in the oppressive heat. I hope you can see our days are filled even without TV or other entertainment. I feel so blessed and assure you I want for nothing that the Lord does not provide.