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Mission & Global Solidarity . . . What does it all mean? A reflection by Sue Heath. Sue, from St. Anne Parish in Kimball, was a member of the July 2006 delegation to our St. Cloud Partner Diocese of Homa Bay, Kenya. The following are some of her thoughts following the trip. If you look in Webster’s dictionary you find: For me it meant helping support organizations monetarily so they could do their work. This was a hand’s off approach that took little to no effort on my part thanks to “automatic withdrawal.” Not to mention that it also had very little effect on me personally. After all, I didn’t really even know who I was supporting. Thanks to God I received an upfront and personal call to Mission and Global Solidarity this past summer. In July, I was privileged to be part of the delegation to Homa Bay, Kenya. For me is was a life long dream fulfilled. As part of the Kenyan experience, I was lovingly placed at the convent of the Blessed Virgin Sisters in Karungu, located in the southeast corner of Kenya. The Sisters operate a boarding school where they care for and teach about 270 girls ranging in age from 4 to 16. When I packed my bags I thought “Mission” meant teaching or helping those less fortunate than ourselves. And in part that may be true. But I thought I was going there to be the teacher – never in my wildest imagination did I think I would be the student.
During the two week visit I saw and experienced many things – kind, loving people who, by the standards of this American girl, lived in very poor conditions. Some of the children we saw had little or no clothing. The majority of the homes in the Karungu area were made of mud, with grass roofs. There was no shopping mall, and the grocery store was about the size of my bathroom. As we drove in the little Toyota truck, I couldn’t help but notice all the people along the road. Some walking, some riding bike, some just standing and visiting with others, while others tended to their slow moving cattle. There were a few cars, slightly more bicycles, and many walkers. But the consistent thing I saw no matter what road I was on, no matter what the weather was, or no matter what the worries of the world were, was HAPPY, smiling, singing, dancing people. I watched in awe, wondering: What was there to be so happy about? Maybe they didn’t know they were poor? Maybe they had something to teach ME ! ! I wouldn’t fully understand, until being back home a month or two, that I really had learned MY meaning and understanding of Mission and Global Solidarity. And while Webster’s definition of mission and global holds true, for me they also mean changing myself and my family, so that we live fully and real. It doesn’t mean living beyond our means, collecting more debt, or filling our closets, cupboards and shelves with more stuff. The second day after getting back from Homa Bay, my daughter said, “Mom, we need to go to the grocery store.” When I asked why, she replied “we don’t have any food.” Knowing our cupboards and freezer had plenty of food in them, I asked her what she meant. Her response was that “we don’t have any Yogurt Burst Cheerios.” Looking in the cupboard, I found at least 5 other boxes of cereal, but to her not having her favorite, meant we had “NO” food. It was a 2 minute conversation that left me thinking the rest of the day. What are we teaching our children about Global Solidarity if all we do is fill their lives with stuff? My children are very good, kind, loving children, who sponsor a child in Ethiopia through their monthly donation, but I wonder how I can help them learn their meaning of Mission and Global Solidarity? Sometime I forget that Global means the United States too. Sometime I forget that Mission should start in MY home. Sometime I forget that Solidarity should include my husband.
For me having the opportunity to journey in Africa was life changing. Today I strive to get out of debt, to spend time visiting with family and friends, to sharing a meal with my husband and children with the TV off, and to finding the joy in all of God’s blessings like the African people, who were so kind in helping me open my eyes to what is really important in life, do. It is my hope and prayer that the changes I make will allow my children to learn the meaning of Mission and Global Solidarity – that spending less on things I can do without will allow my family more money to help support those in need – that I will ACTIVELY participate in helping others and making change. For me Mission and Global Solidarity mean changing ME.
Photo Highlights from the 2006 delegation
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