Br. Benedict BAEK, KOR – experience DAY 2

These are my experience of apostolate. I would like to share these.

This time I will talk four my anecdotes.

First anecdote

When I was working in the boarding house. There were 30 boys leaving in the dormitory. They were separate parents, some parents lost job and some parents patients. I think when I had the most happy time then I had with boys in the community. One day one boy hole stomach down on the stare. I suddenly drove him to the hospital. At that time he had an appendicitis then he had to be operated. I was playing the rosary for his successful operation. I was praying the rosary for his successful operation. At that time, I had remembered my father prayed for me.

I prayed for his successful operation. After three days I could go back home with him.

This case was my first experience. Through this experience I had love boys more and I had discovered fatherly love of Don Bosco. At that time that was my first driving experience. While driving I was praying. From that day I said to myself that I had proved that I can drive.

Second anecdote

Saint don Bosco said if it is not a sin you can do anything. Saint Dominico Savio said ""Rather than sin, it's better to die. Among one of our apostolate then the more apostolate it's for Juvenile delinquency. Once a day I worked for them together with confreres.

We visited the reformatory school and we met them. We had to play and conducted several programs with them. We also taught evangel to them. And we gave baptism to them at during Easter Sunday and Christmas day. We always do our activity with volunteers. The volunteers do all programs with boys specially they prepared snack to boys.

Some of the volunteers have more than ten years term. Some of the boys return to their homes, get a good job are their lives became well.

Sometimes they invited us to their wedding and their children's birthday.

Sometimes they meet us and they tell us.

I am grateful to you for everything that you've done for me when I was in the reformatory school.

They became good citizen and honest lay believer.

I thought I saw in them Don Bosco's teaching.

I think salesian is happy because they chose youth ministry in this world.

The third anecdote

It is a Korean a proverb. If a tree has many branches it sways with the wind every day.

Especially if you live many boys everyday situation happen. I was really happy when I was working in the boys town. There were so much work to do but there's no enough sleep. The boys are from different provinces.

So it was really difficult to teach them. For there adaptation in there community life. We helped them for there adaptation of there community life.

What is community life that there are 

Their lives changed slowly day by day. We always them play, pray, study with them. Through this proses I discovered the more salesian's assistance is important.

And I was happy because I was with them.

The fourth anecdote

One of the salesian's ministry for the boys. Street boys are except family, school and sociate. Many salesian provincial work for street boys.

They have street boy's house. This work is very difficult. It is great happy work to salesian. Before we worked for the street boys in Seoul.

Many boys still at station and at park. Some of them still out side their home.

They continue still they have sleeping and eating in the streets.

We are looking for the boys and we met them and we talk them and just take them our house. After we took them, we provided them with cloths, foods and beds.

One day, a little boy of them tried to steal a small store. A policeman wondered our boys. The police took them to police station. And then, the policeman checked their hands and feet. At that time the little boy's hands and feet are dirty.

The boy confessed to the policeman that his guilt. One salesian priest, he is head of street house. After he heard this news. As soon as he went to police station.

He strongly protest to him. While this proses he know The policeman is father of salesian brother. Immediately they became friendly. After some time, this incident ended well. After that day he help us.

Owner of the small store, we gave money to the owner of the store for damage.

And the owner knew about our ministry. And then he want to help us.

After he became donor. In the world many people love youth.

All of them are our volunteer and donor. Holy spirit send to us volunteer and donor. I discovered the holy spirit sent to us theses donors and volunteers through the boys.