Cameroon Revisited

It took me four years before I was able to open and reread my journal of my Cameroon mission experience and write something that I hope will inspire other lay missionaries and Misyon readers. Reading and writing made me remember the place and become present again as vivid flashbacks set in. Joy filled me for the awesome blessings received in the mission.

‘Bon jour!’, ‘Good morning’, the customary greeting, certainly signaled a new sense of hope to each new day in my mission place, Baham, a village in Bafoussam. Life there was one of contrasts: simplicity and complexity, joy and sadness, pleasure and pain, the cross and resurrection, a series of doubts and hopes, a seemingly unending experience of life and death. In the end, after much reflection, a feeling of contentment and peace came because of the knowledge that I was never alone in this journey, as God was with me all the way.

Starting anew

In the first few months it was more like rediscovering myself and nesting in the mission place. I realized that it’s very important to be at home with myself and then to open my senses to the new environment, people and culture. So, I set my pilgrim clock and adjusted to the new structure of time, lifestyle and work.

Baham is in the Diocese of Bafoussam, Cameroon, situated in Central Africa, its capital Yaoundé. The Religious of the Assumption run a vocational high school for girls. Violeta Villaraiz and I were sent to help the Sisters in their work at the school as well as in the catechetical ministry.

In our day-to-day encounters with the girls in the school and the children in the community, I saw how fortunate we Filipino Catholics are. We have practically the best facilities for a Christian education. Seeing this, we tried to give what we could so that they too could have the same feeling of belonging and an experience of God who is loving, rich in mercy and compassion.

Bearing fruit

If there’s one virtue one must have on mission, it’s patience. I taught art, English and caring for the environment. Life is slow and a little backward in the village. It takes some time for children to learn new ideas and let them eventually sink in to become part of their system. Passing judgment is a mistake and questioning their lack of willpower to learn easily doesn’t help. They can’t change overnight and so I put myself in the slow-paced mode, which was really needed.
It took a while for Violie and I to understand the cultural symbols and signs of the people because of the language barrier. After recognizing them we became more creative in utilizing the elements of their local culture in our teaching style. The struggles of the people in Baham became ours and we became more sympathetic to the students we encountered each day and their problems.

Arrogance, pride and the desire to change the people without lifting a finger to change myself is one good lesson I have learned on mission. The temptation to dominate is a trap and before you know it you are crushed. Sometimes we are chained by expectations and ideals and think we can play God and offer comfort and then make the people an easy target of our own desires to achieve something for a short span of time. I thought I could give a lot to the people in my mission. But after much reflection, I see that they have given me more than what I have offered them.

Doubly blessed

The experience of those two wonderful years in Africa is something that I have never had in regular school. Yes, many are called but few are chosen to end up on mission, especially in a remote village called Baham. It’s a place where one could truly say, ‘When reason ends, faith begins . . .’ because it was a journey in faith, with a better understanding of culture and people, of rituals and religiosity. And more than this, it was an encounter with an awesome God, a courtship of life and love. It was also an expression of how nature becomes man and of man in nature. Seeing and living everyday in the mountain was like being in a sanctuary of birds and butterflies and trees of every kind. As I was raised in the city, I had never really experienced this sense of quiet and peaceful serenity.

The challenge on mission is to have such understanding and selfknowledge that we know when to speak and when not to. Sometimes what is needed is presence, to be sensitive and to find words, sincere and humble, that affirm and encourage the persons revealing themselves to us. Jesus, in His proclamations and teachings, always spoke the needed words. It takes time and wisdom to have fidelity to the truth, to be contemplative and receptive. It’s a process, but it’s good to start somewhere.

Joyful invitation

It’s nice to reread and to come back home to the mission place and experience. I would like to invite people who have the desire for such to experience going on mission. All it takes is your ‘yes!’ when asked, then everything will be given unto you. I guarantee you that you will come back a better person and more than what you have desired. God and mission are always the best choice, a leap of faith, a leap of praise to God!

Now everyday for me is an experience of thanksgiving despite the fact I am in the mission of caregiving for my parents at this point in my life. I feel blessed, and each and everyday I experience the same joy which the mission has given me. Truly, an amazing grace! I thank my Assumption community for the opportunity to be there in the mission as well as those whom I have encountered along the way. All for Jesus!

You may email the author at
liitjav@yahoo.com or write her at: 83
M.H. del Pilar St, SFDM, 1105
Quezon City, Philippines