Born and bred in a tiny village
I never thought of leaving my village. I was very contented and happy with my people seeing things and reasoning on the same line of thought. The language that connected us was the sweetest thing I ever enjoyed.
My reality changed drastically when I joined the congregation of the Daughters of St Paul who are missionary by nature. The shocks were just too many, encountering people from all over the world with different backgrounds and cultures, among others. Fortunately interacting with them moulded me to be a balanced person as I learned a lot from different missionaries and I became a very strong and open person who can adapt to every part of the world remembering vividly novitiate we were eight nationalities living under one roof that was a great sign to me that I was capable of going out and enjoy my missionary experiences.
I have moved from one country to another, such as Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. My experience in each country has been amazing. Each human being is a loving being, and I have experienced a lot of joy and love expressed in different ways in these countries. Each place yearns for the word of God, and it’s the word of God that has made us missionaries.
Therefore as a community, we have moved with books all over trying to reach those seeking God through our apostolate it’s encouraging to carry the missionary mandate. Jesus invited all of us to go to the whole world and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).
There is a challenge of being a missionary that is being away from your people, but this challenge can be easily overcome by loving one’s vocation and purpose for being a missionary. Making a home away from home has been my secret of joy all the time. I feel comfortable and happy wherever I find myself. May the Lord continue to sustain me and many others who find joy in their missionary experiences.
By Sr. Merceline Oduor Fsp