Seoul, KOR, 12 May 2021 -- After 5 years as a 'temporary missionary, 2016-2021' (agreement between two province, SDB Regulations art. 151) Fr Andrea Chang returned to his home province and was assigned to his hometown of Busan (Song-do community in the native place of late Fr John Lee). In the May edition of the Korean Provincial Newsletter Fr Chang shares his lessons and wisdom of past 5 years:

"...Looking back after 5 years of my missionary stay in Japan, honestly I share mixed feelings. Was it too long or too short? After my arrival home one senior confrere asked me: 'Your 3 years in Japan passed so fast?' - But it was not 3 years but 5 years. I spent 3 years in Tokyo, studying Japanese language (NB - but not full-time, with different breaks due to the circumstances)..."

"While studying Japanese, the first 3 years in Japan I spent in Tokyo, two years in Chofu community (formation house-oratory-parish) and one year in Meguro community (parish-oratory-kindergarten). After my Japanese language studies I started my pastoral life, but it was not an easy time to adjust to the different culture in the community and among the young people. The 'wall' of language became higher than I would image at the beginning. Although I was slowly adjusting to the language, there was a need of another extra energy to adjust to the culture in the pastoral work. Since I don't have any teacher's licence, I could not be assigned to the school, so I was sent to two different typical Japanese pastoral communities - Parish with the Kindergarten - in Meguro (Tokyo) and in Beppu (Kyushu island - South)...

..."While reflecting on the different Salesian work situation in Korea and Japan, I need to recognize that I was not able to 'enter more deeply' into this different pastoral situation due to my personal character and attitude. This is probably the main reason and difficulty, and why I finally decided to return to Korea..."

"...Although the mission in Japan province was not easy for me, I have experienced a 'province that is changing - transforming' - both in the fraternal community life as well in the effort to enter more deeply into the mission for poor young people.... If in the future another Korean confrere would like to have a good experience of Salesian life in Japan, my difficulties, success or failures may become a meaningful point of departure for him...I believe, that any confrere who has the heart and faith, would benefit from his Japan missionary experience..."

'... I am very grateful to all who sustained and accompanied me in Japan, and those who helped me with their prayers from Korea. Really I felt this wonderful support from both sides... Japan province is the closest neighbor to the Korean province, both languages are rather close to each other. If any Korean Salesian would open his heart to the Japan missionary life he would really gain a deep experience, since also in Japan there are many Salesian houses."

(Korea provincial newsletter n. 173, May 2021)

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