Being a missioner for me is a tremendous BLESSING and CHALLENGE. One travels and works in far away lands that display such contrasts of beauty and poverty. Sights such as Lake Niassa, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Serengeti Plains, elephants and lions to small colorful birds, and rural villages with children full of smiles and energy, are truly some of the displays of God's goodness in Africa. A missioner struggles to learn new languages and to communicate with people of a different culture and customs. He or she observes poverty such as people living in huge slums, villages that do not have access to health care or clean water, children that die because of malnutrition, lack of vaccines, and medication. The following are just a couple of my experiences among many that have challenged and blessed me as a Maryknoll missioner.

The first experience took place in Bura, Tana Kenya where I was a Maryknoll Lay Missioner. One of the many activities that occupied my time in Kenya was to help the staff in our parish health clinics. One day a nomadic herdsman, who had been treated in our clinic and was often seen accompanying others from his village to our facility, asked if the nurse and I could visit some sick children in his village. Of course we agreed and made arrangements to visit the children later that afternoon. Upon arrival the family placed a dried cow skin matt in front of their hut, for all of us to sit on. It immediately became obvious to the nurse and myself that the beautiful children, who were smiling and enjoying our visit, were very malnourished and underweight. What took place next was very precious and an emotional moment for me. The Kenyans will often offer guests tea upon arrival, but since the man who was accompanying us was not near his house to make tea, he and the family, who are very poor, presented us with two eggs. It was difficult not to say that the malnourished children should eat the eggs, but we knew that according to the culture and custom we should accept the gifts. In the context of this poor family these eggs were that most precious gifts that I have received. These children were assisted at our clinic and it was a joy to see them return to good health.

The second experience took place here in a village called Michenga in our parish in Metangula, Mozambique. Fr. Ken Thesing was visiting the workers at one of the parish's corn grinding machines, while I took the time to visit some families in the neighborhood. One family was resting in the shade avoiding the afternoon sun. As I walked by their house they invited me to join them. After some time they introduced me to Azama their grandson who was seven years old and had not yet started to walk. He had learned to crawl and use a big strong stick to help him move around the house. The Parents of Azama have died and the grandparents are taking care of the child. With observation it seemed to me that there was no reason why the child could not walk. He had some weakness in the back but it didn't seem severe. When I held both of Azama's hands the child could walk. I showed the grandparents some exercises to do and we built gymnastic bars out of tree sticks for Azama. It was a blessing to see the child's enjoyment with learning to walk and to see him greet me on subsequent visits.

It is a challenge to see the struggles that people face in our missions, but it is a blessing to accompany them as well as work with them to improve their physical and spiritual lives. I would recommend to anyone considering becoming a Maryknoll Missioner to give it a try, the life is truly a challenge and full of blessings.

Mark's Ministry             Mark's Biography

Visit the other Maryknollers who were in Mozambique