MELBOURNE: July 1 2011 -- Some Volunteer programs
call themselves - volunteers. Some call themselves not
volunteers but lay missionaries. The Australian Salesian
Missionary Project (aka Cagliero) is precisely that, a lay
missionary programme, and the following reflection by a
recently returned lay missionary in the Project, Michael
Walter, is clear evidence of the depth of commitment and
reflection that the programme engenders:
"My time in Cambodia was short; I spent 6 months
volunteering at Don Bosco Technical school in Phnom Penh. It
was life-changing, not in a cliché sort of way, as a
nice thing to say upon returning, but it has genuinely
affected the way I see the world and my place in it. These
are some of the lessons I learned:
1. West isn’t necessarily best. I remember during my
first few weeks in Cambodia, I was really frustrated when
I’d see people driving new glamorous cars, when so many
people were sick, hungry and uneducated. Then I realised
that there are more glamorous cars in Australia, and we have
the extra resources to help. It’s easier to judge someone
else before looking back at yourself.
2. We are all the same. Sometimes it’s easier to
assume that people are starving, poor, uneducated because
they are different. This is wrong. While I was working with
my students, who were from very poor backgrounds, I realised
that in many ways we are the same. We all want to live life
to the full, support our families, and fall in love. This
made it harder to accept poverty; and then I realised I
shouldn’t accept it.
3. I am accountable. Before I arrived in Cambodia I
assumed that because I was a student I couldn’t make any
difference. While I was there, I saw the lack of resources
in the school, particularly English resources, DVDs etc. I
also realised how cheap resources were. Before I left, a
friend of mine donated $300 for my school. I donated it all
to better the English program. $300 in the scheme of things
isn’t that much money. In Cambodia it’s a small fortune
which can greatly help build up educational resources. There
are many people willing to help and give their time poorer
countries, but they lack resources. Often people in richer
countries have more resources than they can handle. It seems
to make sense to share.
4. I am not a messiah. Being a missionary was an
incredibly humbling experience. It was like becoming a baby
and growing up again. Learning the culture, language, what’s
appropriate and inappropriate. I learned a lot about how to
handle stress, and that I had a lot to learn as a teacher.
This realisation has been imperative for my career as a
teacher. If you think you’re the best, you can’t grow. But
if you’re aware of your weaknesses, you can only get better.
Going to Cambodia was just the beginning.
6 months was a short time, but I am so grateful that the
Salesians gave me the opportunity to go. There’s so much to
be done. I feel a real passion for Salesianity and since
returning, myself and three others decided to live as a
Salesian community. We named our community, “The Rinaldi
Community” after Blessed Philip Rinaldi, the third successor
of Don Bosco, who formed the “volunteers of Don Bosco”. In
this community we pray together, help create a Salesian
atmosphere in the hostel, and coordinate activities in the
youth centre.
As Christians it is crucial to be active in our faith. It’s
not enough to just reflect upon the world, and think about
doing good things. We have to take charge and work towards
making the world, around us, a better place!"
Michael spent 6 months in Cambodia as a Cagliero Missionary
in 2010. He is currently studying to become a teacher. _________________ AustraLasia
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