Freely Do All That Charity Requires: Being Formed

As I prepared for mission, I looked forward to our Formation/ Service Camp in San Antonio. I knew it would be important to attend the 2.5 week formation, but I didn't realize all the blessings that would be showered on me as well.

Our time at the Provincial House for the Salesians of the US Western Province was filled with daily Mass, discussion, meals (and lots of hot chocolate), reading and bonding with fellow volunteers. My main take-away from formation was the inspiring example of St. John Bosco & St. Mary Mazzarello, the co-founders of the Salesian Sisters. Their commitment to loving young people was beautiful; they believed that we must show confidence in youth, so that they may respond by being trust worthy. The preventive system of Don Bosco focused on reason, religion and loving kindness, meeting each individual where they are and engaging them in friendship. St. Mary Mazzarello similarly led youth by walking alongside them, in accompaniment. These two are really such bosses!!

The other main component of the FSC was a 5-day Bible camp in a refugee camp for teens from Central America. I was totally unprepared for how that time would impact me. My 5 years of Spanish education seemed completely insufficient, thus the language barrier was almost tangible. Since the muchachos aren't able to interact outside their houses, we split up by threes and led individual camps in our houses. I was paired with the wonderful Whitney and the grandmotherly Sr. Carmen. Together, we tried to connect with the 12 guys in our house and lead them through the story of Joseph. We sang songs, tried to act out the story, did crafts and played games. It was challenging, but it was fun.

Their faces are burned into my memory. Although there was a language barrier, I used all the facial expressions and body language at my disposal to convey that they are loved and noticed. On the second day I passed out name tags, but I had tried to memorize most of their names already. One boy was pleasantly surprised when I handed him his name tag and it was correct. It seemed so small, but I could tell it meant a lot to him. He felt like someone cared.

It is difficult to accurately convey how much those boys inspired me. I have no idea the suffering and struggle they endured in their home countries or on the journey to America. I don't know if their attempt at finding a fulfilling life in 'the Promised Land' will be fruitful or futile, but I know they have so much goodness in them. It was almost heart breaking to see these teenage boys try their hardest to sing complicated songs and complete crafts that may have been childish to them. I have a story for each boy. Whether they were shy or musical or a helper or a leader or artistic, they were children of God and their humanity demanded to be recognized.

Please join me in praying for them and all migrants. Pray for the situation in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico, that the people of these countries may feel safe and are able to flourish at home. There are children (the youngest in the camp was 9) who are making a very dangerous journey to the US, in search of opportunity, only to be degraded and exploited. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

My final tidbit from San Antonio is that God places such amazing people in my life! From the sisters to the muchachos in the camp to my fellow volunteers, I was overwhelmed by love and hospitality--now I am ready for mission.