Missionary work

Churchill Aguilar

I AM currently working on a publication that would share stories of missionaries from all over the world. And so I asked my religious friends to share their experiences in a foreign land. The first to submit is a good friend, a newly ordained priest from Iligan City, Fr. Kurt Pala. Here’s what he wrote:

“Mingalaba!” This is how Burmese the majority of the people of Myanmar greet each other. Myanmar is a huge country with over a hundred more other ethnic groups. Buddhism is the majority religion but a good percentage of Christians, Muslims, Hindus and other faiths call Myanmar home.

It has been almost three months now since I arrived here. Currently I am learning Burmese, the national language, and for the next 10 months this will be my life. I am living in Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar which was known for a long time as Burma.

Myanmar has been for quite a long time under a military regime. It held its first democratic national elections last Nov. 8, 2015 after 50 years of military rule. As the country opens up to the world, getting into the country as a missionary is still very tricky and complicated. Tourists are generally welcomed in most parts of the country but there are still restricted areas because of conflicts with local ethnic groups specially in the north and border states. I have to leave the country every 70 days to renew my business visa. The longest I could get is a one-year business visa. It can be quite a hassle to get out and back again. The country is divided into states and divisions. States are mostly under the minority ethnic groups while divisions are under the Burmese majority.

What am I doing in Myanmar? That is the same question I asked myself. I once had a conversation with a Burmese seminarian of Indian descent (South Indian). It dawned on me what my purpose is. I shared with him that I come here to Myanmar on business visa but I do not have a real business. The only work I take part in is in the building of the Kingdom of God. If the immigration officer asked me what my business is and I begin with that I would probably confuse him or get myself thrown out of the country.

Yes, we are all called to be workers not bosses in the building of the Kingdom of God not tomorrow or the life after then but in the here and now. I spent my first Easter in Myanmar meeting wonderful people and being adopted into a family. In Kalaymyo, Sagaing, a division of the country, I was introduced to what the Kingdom of God is all about. As a student of theology, many times I have read authors and experts talk about it but here in Myanmar, I have seen and tasted what it is. The makings of the Kingdom of God is the family–a home where we all look after one another. No one is left behind. But there is no perfect family as Pope Francis once commented. He said what is important is forgiveness. Further, he said in a speech in Cuba: “That is why the Christian community calls families “domestic churches.”  It is in the warmth of the home that faith fills every corner, lights up every space, builds community. At those moments, people learn to discover God’s love present and at work.” The family then plays a great role in the formation of Christians not fanatics but faithful Christians for again Pope Francis reminds us that the only fanaticism pleasing to God is charity. Charity begins at home.

So I return to my question: What am I doing in Myanmar? I help in God’s work of building His Kingdom by getting to know and being with the people of Myanmar, learning the Burmese language and also Burmese Sign Language. I reach out to the different faiths particularly the Buddhists who the majority but also the Muslims, Hindus and Christians. In some ways I enter the homes of every individual I meet and encounter them there.

Now I invite you to pray for us your missionaries that we maybe able to stay faithful to our call. But most especially, I also invite you to help in building the Kingdom of God through your prayers and generosity. “We are all called to be missionary disciples of Christ.”

Unsa pay imong gihut tara na! Apil na sa Columban Partners in Mission! Be part of the Columban Mission. Be a Columban partner in mission!

For those interested, we can be reached through columbanmindanao@gmail.com. God bless!