austraLasia

?

Shortcut

PrevPrev Article

NextNext Article

Larger Font Smaller Font Up Down Go comment Print Attachment
Views 918 Comment 0
ALA_5267

20191205_FIS.jpg

“Do not put off till tomorrow the good you can do today.

You may not have a tomorrow.”

By Ms Dharlen O. Arnejo, SALVO volunteer office
Cebu-Philippines, FIS


Cebu, Philippines, 5 December 2019 -- I firmly believe that the mission in Phnom Penh was given to me by the Lord because He wants me to strengthen my faith in the Church, in the youth and in myself. I never had any close relationships with a priest or any religious presence before, because I did not have the time and interest to, but I was awakened by how much they have helped me in allowing myself to grow spiritually. Although they had very little time to spend with us because of some important endeavours, they always made sure to make themselves available when they could. All throughout my volunteer experience, Fr. Roel Soto has been a reliable source of spiritual and emotional guidance to me. I have seen how much he tried his best to be with us despite his busy schedule and I appreciate all the times I was able to sit down with him and share my success and frustrations without any rushed judgment. I am also thankful that I was able to be affiliated with the other Salesian priests and spend some time to talk to them and share some meaningful insights.


My experience became more interesting and significant with the presence of my co-volunteers. We had a smooth-sailing and fun relationship because we were newly acquainted with each other. Unfortunately, there were some struggles to understand each other and failure to communicate at some point of the mission. I personally went through a misunderstanding with some volunteers and it has affected me emotionally because I did not want our friendship to be stained just because of a simple miscommunication. Despite everything, I am glad that we are all able to settle some of our differences before we separated. I have learned a lot of things from them, including some unique traditions and practices that I was not aware of before. I have also learned how to understand people, more especially if we came from different countries, because attitudes really vary in every country. They have been a bittersweet lesson for me and without them I would definitely feel that my mission was not completely successful.


I give a lot of my gratitude to the teachers of Don Bosco who I spent my most of my time with while in Don Bosco. They were the reason why I was given the mission in the first place and in return they are also the reason why my experience was as fruitful as it is. We were able to achieve the goals and objectives of the program by working together and doing our best to adjust to each other’s differences. I have learned a lot of essential and significant things from them like valuing our families always and treasuring all the time we can spend with them. Those teachers have been amazing students and despite their age they always do their best to learn the lessons well and do not hesitate to clarify anything.


I also owe a great part of my amazing experience to the Khmer youth especially the boarders at Don Bosco. They taught me a lot of values in life, to being more humble to be happy and contented withwhatever you currently have. Those young people are doing their best to realize all their dreams by putting all their efforts into their study. They also taught me to give importance to friendship despite the distance. These kids have been my best teachers during my experience. I am also thankful that they have expressed how much they have learned from me academically and emotionally. Of course, since I live in the same building where the Besucco boys temporarily reside, I got to spend more time with them. Those boys are very hardworking and dedicated to their studies despite all the hindrances they face. They taught me to always be cheerful whatever problems I deal with in my life. Their innocence, especially the younger ones, has touched my heart in so many ways. They are really eager to learn a lot of things because they want to be successful and help their parents in the future. For me their presence has helped me a lot in enduring my mission.


The presence of the Salesian priests and brothers of Don Bosco in Phnom Penh has been very significant for my volunteer experience. Bro. Nary and Bro. Anthony were very helpful to me when I needed something for my works. Although we did not have so much time to interact and talk with each other, I have seen how much they love the kids they are taking care of and how much they value their vocation. I pray that they will always be guided in their profession and that God will always put them on the right path.


As a common proverb says, “There is always a rainbow after the rain.” I believe that the struggles during my experience have been this beautiful rain because it all came unexpectedly and it soaked me with all the learning and realizations such as not everyone can understand the situation and everyone has their own understanding and interpretations of things. I personally think that those challenges were a blessing for us so we can fully understand ourselves and learn to be more patient and understanding to others.


My experience has taught me so many wonderful things that I will forever keep with me. One of the most important things I learned is that we should always value the time we have with the people we get to be with because not everyone has the opportunity like us. The time I was able to spend with the teachers, students, staff and the Salesians of Don Bosco has made me a better person and made me learn a lot of important things that I can use in the future.


I look forward to how my experience will affect me in my future endeavours. I trust that I will be able to do my best with the help of all the learning I had during the program and the things I will be learning after it.



20191205_FIS1.jpg


20191205_FIS2.jpg


Attach

Drag and drop your files here, or Click attach files button.

Maximum File Size : 0MB (Allowed extentsions : *.*)

0 file(s) attached ( / )

  1. 6266_FIS - Youth Formation on Life: Identifying Emotional Abuse in the Family

    By ArchSOLL Youth Correspondence ArchSOLL Youth Center, Cebu City Philippines, 26 January 2024 -- The Parish Youth Coordinating Council once again facilitated the formation session on life and youth issues last Friday with the topic "Identi...
    Date2024.01.29 CategoryFIS Reply0 Views62 file
    Read More
  2. 6265_SMD 2024: Builders of Dialogue in the EAO region

    By Vaclav Klement EAO Missionary Animation Desk, 27 January 2024 -- Since 1988, our Salesian Congregation Missions sector has offered every year a resourceful occasion of the 'Salesian Mission Day' (day - week - month according to e...
    Date2024.01.27 CategoryEAO Reply0 Views77 file
    Read More
  3. 6264_Priestly Ordination of Salesians in Korea

    By Soccom Korea Seoul, Korea, 24 January 2024 -- On 24 January, the feast day of St Francis de Sales, there was great rejoicing among the Salesians in Korea. The Holy Mass was celebrated in which three confreres were ordained priests and on...
    Date2024.01.25 CategoryKOR Reply0 Views111 file
    Read More
  4. 6263_Fair Day at Don Bosco Xuan Hiep Community

    By Viet SocCom DB Xuan Hiep, HCM, Vietnam, 24 January 2024 -- On the afternoon of 20 January 2024, Don Bosco Xuan Hiep Community organized a Fair Day - a meeting of young people in parishes and the Salesian Community with the theme "The Dre...
    Date2024.01.25 CategoryVIE Reply0 Views91 file
    Read More
  5. 6262_EAO Salesian Family Dreams Together in 2024

    By EAO Region Salesian Family Team EAO and Valdocco, 24 January 2024 -- Hundreds of East Asia-Oceania Region Salesian Family members from Pakistan to Samoa, from Mongolia to Australia came 'together' in the already traditional virtu...
    Date2024.01.25 CategoryEAO Reply0 Views194 file
    Read More
  6. 6261_Striving to understand the Melanesian culture

    By Fr Ambrose Pereira, SDB Goroka, PNG, 20 January 2024 -- The 56th Melanesian Cultural Orientation Course (COC) for missionaries was held at the Melanesian Institute, Goroka from the 8 to 20 January 2024. Among the 26 participants were thr...
    Date2024.01.20 CategoryPGS Reply0 Views173 file
    Read More
  7. 6260_Pakistan – Don Bosco Quetta Embarks on a Mission for a Purposeful New Year 2024

    By Bro. Francis Nhat, SDB Hyderabad, Pakistan, 18 January 2024 -- From 28 December 2023 to 6 January 2024, Fr Sami Ghouri, SDB, Rector of Don Bosco Quetta, and Brother Francis Nhat, SDB, undertook an 800-kilometer journey from Quetta to Hyd...
    Date2024.01.19 CategoryPak. Reply0 Views83 file
    Read More
  8. 6259_EAO Region is also ready for the 42nd Salesian Family Spirituality Days

    By EAO Region Salesian Family Team EAO, 18 January 2024 -- The EAO regional team of the Salesian Family is glad to invite the Salesian Family members in the 23 countries of East Asia - Oceania region, belonging to 16 different SF groups for...
    Date2024.01.19 CategoryEAO Reply0 Views195 file
    Read More
  9. 6258_Busy December for Don Bosco Lahore

    By DB Lahore Correspondence Lahore, Pakistan, 17 January 2024 -- On Sunday, 3 December 2023, Bishop Sebastian Shaw administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 46 Hostel Boys in Youhanabad. He spoke to the young men about the importance of...
    Date2024.01.17 CategoryPak. Reply0 Views131 file
    Read More
  10. 6257_DBFC Aspirants Retreat 2024

    By Aspirant Allan Abello Jr. Lawaan, Cebu, The Philippines, 17 January 2024 -- The Aspirants of Don Bosco Formation Center-Lawaan had their Annual Retreat at Don Bosco Retreat House Mantalongon, Dalaguete, Cebu from January 11-13, 2024. The...
    Date2024.01.17 CategoryFIS Reply0 Views80 file
    Read More
List
Board Pagination Prev 1 ... 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ... 533 Next
/ 533