MY APOSTOLATE WORK IN KONTUM

MY APOSTOLATE WORK IN KONTUM

On Monday, April 4, 2016, I left Ho Chi Minh city (HCMC) to go to Konscoi village in Kontum province doing apostolate work. This was an ethnic village, so I was very eager to be there to experience my apostolate work there. Therefore, after finishing my class at SJ school, I prepared many things to bring there. I thought that I would teach English, catechism, some subjects for poor students and go to work in the rice field with them. Because the first time I went to work, to live and to help ethnic people, so I was really worried and nervous. However, I believed that God will be with me in anywhere and any situation.

After 15 hours moving from HCMC to Konscoi village, I arrived safely there. A priest of Vincent de Paul who is my Godfather picked me up to his community on a hill. When I went there, I experienced a new life with many difficulties, but I had a meaningful journey.

First, I met many difficulties with government. I could not register to live and work there. Government officials did not want me to work and reach out the poor in the village. They did not believe that I went there only to help the poor and teach for students. I tried to explain, but they were very stubborn and “stupid”. I knew they need money, but when I went there, I did not bring much money, so I could not give them. Therefore, the first week, I only stayed at home, do some housework, go to market buying food and cook for the poor who came community to ask the help of priest there. I have to say that there were many people who came there everyday to ask the help. They needed money, medicine, food and education. Because charism of Vincent de Paul is “your asset is the poor”, so when the poor came there, the priest always gave them breakfast and lunch because their house was very far. They lost 4 or 5 hours to go to the priest’s house. So the first week, I was very busy to cook and “talk” with the poor. However, that was a good chance to reach out and to know more about their life.

However, I did not want to stay at home everyday, so I asked a priest who has been living there 14 years to help me. So I could go to the village to help poor students, but I had to go there in the evening and could not live or go to the field with them. I lost 30 minutes by motorbike to go to the village and I went there from 5 pm to 8:30 pm. Because in the village there was a community of Missionary sister, so I asked sisters there to help me, to gather children. They welcomed and were willing to help me. Therefore, I had a good place to teach for student.

The first day, there were 54 students who went to class to study English from grade 5 to 11. So I divided to two groups : on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, I helped for students grade 5 to 8 and on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, I helped for students grade 9 to 11. However, I recognized that they were not good at Vietnamese, they could not read and speak fluently in Vietnamese. Because they communicated by their language in the village. Therefore, I had to help them to study both Vietnamese and English. I helped them to know how to write a Vietnamese writing, how to pronounce correctly word in Vietnamese and English. Moreover, I practiced them some Vietnamese and English songs to pray. They studied very hard, but after two weeks, some students did not want to go to class any more, because they had to go to the field with their family. They wanted to go to river and the forest to find food. Although, I tried to give them candy, they still left class. I was very sad, but I could not do anything. They needed something to eat, to help their family.

When I was there, I not only wanted to help them to study English, but I also wanted to help them grow in faith, have some life skills to know and love God more, so everyday, on Saturday and Sunday, I went to village to teach catechism, some life skills and share Gospel for students. They were very lovely and simple. They did not know anything about dream, future, how to respect what they have, why we have to focus on education, how to take care themselves, even sexuality. They only knew to work, to find food and only need a peaceful in the village. Moreover, some young people did not want to receive Holy Sacrament because of shyness. So although they really wanted to take part in the Mass, they did not want to receive Holy Sacrament. I tried to share, explain, and advise them to come to Holy Sacrament, so they were more confident to go to confess and receive Holy Sacrament.

Moreover, I spent my time to go to some ethnic villages Kontum to visit the poor. In my place there were 7 catholic villages and more than 10 non-catholic villages, but I could not go to non-catholic villages because Government officials did not want me to reach out and talk the people there. However, with only 7 catholic villages, I recognized that the same thing in their life are: There were many people in their family - from 6 to 12 people. They had no good education. They did not care for education because of life, so they only know to work hard to earn a living, to have food. They did not how to say “thank you” or “sorry”. If you give them something, they will say nothing, only receive and go. They did not care for tomorrow. If they have 100 hundred, they will buy wine and beer to drink together at communal house, from morning until evening. They were very afraid of government officials. They did not know why but if they see them they will hide or escape. Especially, they were very poor. In their meal, they eat rice with some leaves. They needed only two spoons and two bowls for 8 to 10 people. They had no much clear water to cook, drink, take a shower and to do personal hygiene. There were many difficulties which they had to face everyday and many challenges which their children generation had to cope in the future such as food, water, land, culture... I wonder how can their children generation live in the future and if they can develop and their life can improve?

After 43 days, I lived and helped the people there, although I had not much time to be with them, I tried my best to share and do something for them. I experienced a meaningful journey through my work. I had a wonderful opportunity to reach out and understand their life more. I used to want to be a teacher to help poor student and now my dream became true. But, it was not easy as I thought. If we say that we want to go to ethnic people and do something to help them, we also have to prepare many things to face with difficulties and challenges in ahead such as government, weather, knowledge, food, especially we have to learn to accept their culture and thought.

Thanks be to God for keeping and blessing me all the time I was there. I learned many lessons from my work and people there. I will attempt to be better. I will learn and improve more for next apostolate work. Next time, if I have chance to do apostolate work, I still want to be there.