Never going to forget mission to Asia
The past two weeks I have been posting about my mission trip to Asia with the Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers. I am now back home in Pennsylvania and can not be more thankful about what I learned and experienced on this trip. The different experiences in Taiwan and South Korea that I have been privileged to experience have touched me and transformed me into a better person. I feel more aware of issues in the world I had no clue about otherwise. I got to experience and absorb cultures completely different from my own.
The Maryknoll religious I have met along the way have inspired me to keep learning and keep sharing my experiences with others. I can not say how much I admire and respect each of them. They dedicated their entire lives to serving others. Some of them even risk their lives doing what they think is right. I’ll never forget the passion and love I saw in their faces when they interacted with the people they minister too. They serve as a solid foundation their people can rely on. I heard countless times from the people they serve how much they love and respect the Maryknoll religious who help them.
The people who have touched me the most on this journey are the people who the Maryknoll religious serve. Each group of people was from a different culture and background and faced many problems in their quest for a better life. These people put their families first and will do whatever it takes to make a living for them even if it means they risk getting mentally, emotionally and physically harmed at work. I’ve been inspired by the Filipino and Vietnamese migrant workers because even though they are going through so much pain and suffering they have smiles on their faces and an unshakable hope that things will get better. Even while they are suffering they still think about their families and are more determined then ever to accomplish their life goals and dreams. I can not stop thinking about these people and I am eternally grateful for what they taught me.
This trip has showed me that a little faith and prayer goes a long way. I have heard through some of the migrant workers I have been in touch with through social media that a few have received job interviews and two are starting new jobs next week with better employers. I am very proud of them and even more inspired that they did not give up. I hope that I can continue to stay in touch with them.
Because of my time in these foreign countries I have a feeling that is hard for me to describe. It is almost like a feeling of fulfillment. I have learned so much and seen so much that my faith is stronger and I have more hope. I have hope that each of the migrant workers will accomplish their dream and be able to move back home to the families they care so much about. I have hope that South and North Korea will one day have some sort of unification or peaceful coexistence.
One of the last things I want to mention is how thankful I am to have traveled with an amazing group of people. Joseph, Father Dennis, Karen, and Francisco were the best people to share this experience with. Most of the time, we had similar feelings about what we saw or what we learned and were always open to discussion with one another. It really helped solidify what we were experiencing together. I hope to stay in touch with them since they also had an impact on me.
I am blessed to have had this journey and I look forward to traveling again in the future to keep learning and cultivating knowledge about the world we live in.
To see some pictures and read posts by the others I traveled with, visit the Explore My Mission Blog site.
