By Sr. Angela Jamola, fmm

Landing at Port Moresby airport, seven months ago, I thought I was in Awang airport in Cotabato City, my home province. The scenery looked familiar- the majestic coconuts, nipa palm trees, beautiful clear waving seashores which greeted me joyfully. The view changed as i bounded towards our mission station in Seim. It was just breathtaking, with the winding brown Sepik river, mountain ranges and thick rainforest.

Newcomer

It is a standard-operating-procedure in our Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) region here in Papua New Guinea that a newcomer has to visit and observe the community life and apostolate in three different mission stations within the two Dioceses. Seim belongs to the Diocese of Aitape under the Franciscan Friars (OFM). Within this period of orientation I also learned the Pidgin language and the culture of the people. After three months I finally settled down in Seim which is right in the bush.

Greatest Security

Life in the bush depends so much on nature. Brother Sun supplies us with light. When rain comes, Sister Water assists us in our household needs. Sometimes we feel insecure when Sister Rain fails to come because our water tank runs dry. Another insecurity is at night: How to protect ourselves from break –in. the parishioners are very kind to protect us at night. They volunteer themselves as security guards. They patrol around our compound at night with their bows and arrows. All of them in the village are sharp shooter hunters not farmers. We put our trust in God’s loving care and protection. After all He is the one who brought us to this strange mission land, so our greatest security is Him!

No Priest

At present Seim mission station is priestless. The parish priest is on study leave. We have no daily Eucharistic celebration and sometimes not even on Sundays when there is no visiting priest who arrives from the other mission station. Most of the Church activities are run by the lay ministers and FMM sisters. Regardless of the absence of the priest, parishioners come to church in great number, and participate in Sunday liturgy enthusiastically. On big feasts, they usually wear native decorations or leaves, paint their faces and wear Birds-of-Paradise feathers as headdresses. They have ‘singing’ dance liturgy with the beating of the ‘Kundu’ tamtam and clapping of hands.

Different Races, One Goal

Our FMM community in Seim is composed of seven sisters with four nationalities: Malaysian, Indians, Sri Lanka and Filipino. Though we are all Asians we still vary in our cultures. The FMM charism we live binds us together giving witness to the people we minister to. Two of our Sister nurses take care of the “Huas Sik” hospitals, another three sisters staff the Girls Vocational School preparing young girls to be efficient future mothers. I do the Pastoral Work with another Filipino sister where we focus on formation of lay leaders and family life apostolate. I am involved with the Literacy Program as a response to the need of the people to learn reading and writing, 85% in the area illiterate. We were able to train 20 volunteer Para-teachers who are now actively teaching in their won villages in ‘tokples’, the local language. Thanks to the Education Forum in Cubao where I learned the methods two years ago. My only feeling of frustration is that I can’t still fully communicate with the people my compassion and joy to be with them in their struggle to liberate themselves from being illiterate.

Eager Students

I was deeply touched at how thrilled they were to hold pencils and paper for the first time in their life. With glowing eyes and shining faces and trembling hands they write to vowels on the ground or the blackboard and on their paper. How happy they were when they heard the encouragement of the teacher, “Now you can write.” This indeed is the greatest joy I ever shared.

“So they patrol around our compound at night with their bows and arrows. All of them in the village are sharp shooters.”

“With glowing eyes and shining faces and trembling hands, they write the vowels on the ground or the blackboard and on their papers.”