Volunteering on a mission trip changed Maru Joshua's life
A life changing experience was when I was volunteering on a mission trip to the Philippines with
the members of the MGL Young Men of God Australia led by Fr Daniel Serratore MGL. There
were three Filipinos in the team and we served as translators for the people of Occidental Mindoro (where our English proficiency was tested) and it happened that we helped out in building some houses for the Gawad Kalinga Village. Even though there were some language barriers, we deeply felt the hospitality of the community every time they greeted us with a big smile. You will not see in their faces the hard work and sweat of the entire day, and in their simplicity of life, we could see the joy in their eyes.
I was happy in my first volunteering mission trip experience but when I went back to Manila, I carried the memories in my heart and had a desire to be on mission again. I was able to get an opportunity to share that experience with Alex Nolasco, MGL. I told him, “Father, it would be a happy moment if we will do missions in different places but it seems that the fare is quite expensive.”
I still remember his response to me: “If the Lord wants it to happen, He will provide.” True enough, in the summer, Fr Alex announced that there will be an all Filipino mission trip for the first time to Gawad Kalinga, Victoria, Oriental Mindoro. We didn’t have enough funds but remembering Fr Alex’s words, “God will provide,” we offered our prayers for it. When we had Dinner for a Cause to raise funds, it was really nice to see that many people supported us and gave the necessary financial assistance and prayers for us.
To everyone who helped, who will be helping, and continuously help our parish to fund these mission trips, thank you very much. Our dreams and our faith that the Lord would provide for us was enormous and since then I have been on many more mission trips to the different villages in Mindoro to serve the people there. For some, they think that when they do a mission, they are bringing Christ to the place where they go, but in reality, Christ is already there. You will be able to see and feel the Lord in the way you serve the people and deal with them. It is never about the
programme, it is all about the people of God. I thought that if I do missions in these places, the
lives of the people whom we visit are the ones who will change. Rather, it’s the opposite. Our experiences reshape us in our mission. We become the better version of ourselves that God calls us to be. It helps us to stay grounded and grateful for the things we do have.
I remember someone asked me before, "Why do you still serve? You are very busy, do you not feel tired?"
What I said is this: "I am more alive here. If I don’t serve, I don’t know what I am. The Lord never
gets tired of me. He loves me and chooses me every single day despite my shortcomings and
imperfections."
“I thought that if I do missions in these places, the lives of the people whom we visit are the ones who will change. Rather, it’s the opposite. Our experiences reshape us in our mission.”
All of us are called to the mission. We are called ‘misyonero’ - missionaries. It can be in your family, your community, your church, your workplace, here or abroad. Knowing your mission in life gives you purpose, and it keeps you moving forward.
You never retire from helping people, big or small. Sometimes, you will feel insufficiency in life, so we need to go back to the Lord to rest, recharge, ask for guidance and grace to continue serving.
We cannot give what we do not have. You can only share God's love with others if you've experienced it. And it can only change you from within if you allow it.
My life hasn’t been the same since.
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