On the day I left for Chile from Korea, I really didn’t feel that I was going to Chile, even at the airport. Chile was too far from Korea, and it was a country I had seen only on television. I arrived at the end of February 2022, finished studying Spanish in Santiago, and by July 2022 arrived in Alto Hospicio.
Here in Alto Hospicio, I wasn’t sure how to start because I didn’t speak Spanish well and didn’t have any relationships with anyone. But with God’s help, I found places one by one where I could work. Sisters, Brothers and a parish coordinator gave me a chance. I understood that it was also not easy for them to accompany someone who did not speak their language well. I felt bad but was grateful at the same time. During this short missionary journey, I experienced very surprising things.
I have already seen God’s presence through the minds of those willing to help me with the things I need as a missionary. Moreover, the Sisters were already with the refugees, the parishioners living together with the poor, and the Brothers were providing educational opportunities for the poor so they could draw a bigger picture for their lives. Two priests and l lived with all those people. Their solidarity shows the poor that they are not alone and that God is with them. I had just come to where God was already.
Two priests and l lived with all those people. Their solidarity shows the poor that they are not alone and that God is with them. I had just come to where God was already.
The situation in refugee camps is very difficult. Refugees cannot find food in their own country, so they come to the place where there is no water or electricity, but where they can buy food. And they are working hard for a better life.
It is strangely heartbreaking to see a woman selling drinks with her daughter on the roadside near my house. All I can do is go buy some drinks and say a few words in Spanish that I don’t speak well and remember her family in my prayers. Basically, what I can do right now in Alto Hospicio is to participate in the mission that other people are doing. I don’t know if that’s enough. I can’t do anything but prepare myself for God to do His mission through me. Gradually, I am learning what it means to know there is nothing we can do but prepare ourselves to participate in God’s mission.
Meeting children at school is an amazing experience. There is a child with Down Syndrome who touches my head twice and hugs me as an expression of affection. We do not speak, but I can feel her affection. The love I receive from children is so big that I wonder if I have ever received so much love in my life before.
This reminds me of Jesus’ words, “Unless you repent and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3) Adults are often hesitant to show themselves openly. When they meet a new person, they use their head to think of what to say. But children seem to follow the voice of their heart. Children have a lot of questions. The energy of children who open themselves up to curiosity is so pure and beautiful. When I meet them, I am comforted and healed.
I smile a lot because I cannot express myself in words. The downside is that people might get me wrong and think that I don’t want to talk to them or that conversations with me would not be fun. Just imagine. Someone tells you something funny, and the answer they receive is, “Oh, yes?” It’s hard for such a conversation to last! The advantage is that I can stay in the situation rather than make judgments about it. I can see something as it is. And I try to listen rather than speak. I could do what I wanted without difficulty in Korea, but I can’t do it here in Chile. Through this experience, I have also learned that I am a person who needs help from others. Knowing that I am also a person in need reminds me that I am a person who needs God’s love.
Adults are often hesitant to show themselves openly. When they meet a new person, they use their head to think of what to say. But children seem to follow the voice of their heart.
Letting go of what I have is not as easy as it sounds. There is a limit fool means being able to live humbly as well. I hope to keep this precious experience in my heart and live it without forgetting it.
I have been thinking about what mission is. Mission is the breath of God and His existence. I believe that when I live in the love of Jesus that the breath of God — that is, life and love — will be delivered through me. This is because we do not only meet and talk to each other but also exchange energy with each other.
I heard a lot from other Columban missionaries that they felt like a child when they first started on mission. But I didn’t know that it was not easy for an adult to become a child again. Opening one’s heart means an attitude of accepting both joy and pain. To do that, I have learned about humility again and asked for it.
The missionary journey isn’t just beautiful and happy. I also feel a lot of difficulties and despair. I have learned that mission is not about living in hope of certain visible results but about living with hope in the invisible God. I think it is through a life of faith that God’s will is accomplished through us. I ask for the wisdom and strength to be constantly humbled so that mission becomes God’s work, not mine.
There is an idiom “first penguin.” It originated from the fact that penguins in Antarctica are afraid to jump into the sea to hunt because there are predators in the sea - but if one penguin has courage and jumps in first, a group of penguins will follow it into the sea. It refers to a member who challenges with courage and has a great influence on others. In the English-speaking world, this word is used as an idiom for a “pioneer” who takes on uncertainty and challenge courageously.
The children, the Sisters, the Brothers, the parishioners, the priests, they’re all “first penguins” to me. Looking at them makes me hope I can become a first penguin too. Instead of running away from fear, I hope that I can trust God and dive into the sea that he opens before me.
Yo Sup Park is a Columban FMA (First Mission Assignment) seminarian living and working in Chile.