A difficult ministry made worthwhile
Filipinos in Fiji might be amazed to hear their language, Tagalog, being spoken by Fijians. But it isn’t strange at all.
Sainiana (Sai) Tamatawale is a young woman, a Fijian lay missionary from Tamavua parish in Suva. Lusio Navelinikoro is also a lay missionary, a young man from the Rewa delta, one of the magnificent rivers in Fiji. They minister in the Philippines with the Columban Lay Missionary Programme and have been there for two years. Their appointment is for three but can be extended.
Sai lives in a poor area of Malate parish in Manila, administered by the Columbans since 1929. Her apartment is down a lane where people are crowded in makeshift houses. She does not have the luxury of a shower or a ceiling fan and said, "It is noisy living where I am, but the people are friendly and the community supports me." A Korean lay missionary was also in the area but was re-appointed to Korea; now Sai is there alone. "Some people are up at 2:00am preparing food to sell on the footpaths and roads at breakfast time," she said, "This is how they live."
Above her room is a second floor used as a nursery for three year olds which is run by Sai and Rosalina from the Basic Ecclesial Community in Malate. The nursery is a difficult area to access due to the tiny spiral stairs where 30 children are carried up and down for the two sessions held each day that enables mothers to get a break.
Lusio lives in a small parish in Barretto, a part of Olongapo City, run by Columban Fathers and works in prison ministry. He has been involved for eight months now.
He works for the diocese.
He explained, "The prisoners appreciate my visits and treat me as a friend. But the overcrowding in prison is a problem with some prisoners sleeping during the day so others can use the bunks of a night time." He added," The prisoners need lawyers so they can get their cases heard. They can be in prison for months on minor charges. If you have money you can improve your lot and get better food and treatment." He is conscious of the words of Jesus Christ, "I was in prison and you visited me" (Matt 25:36). It makes this difficult ministry worthwhile.
They meet up sometimes in the Columban headquarters in Singalong, Manila, when the Columban lay missionaries and other Church workers come to the house for a good meal and a laugh, to exchange stories and have an evening of camaraderie.
While she can walk to the Columban house in 25 minutes or if she takes a tricycle only 10 minutes, Lusio lives in Olongapo City about three hours from Manila. 
Sai comes from a former Columban parish in Suva. You might say she has Columban credentials. Baptised by a Columban, her father’s family had a long association with the Columban Fathers in Tamavua parish where she was parish secretary herself for three years. After her orientation and formation as a lay missionary she left for the Philippines on 1st June 2007 with Lusio and three other lay missionaries.
Lusio admitted that things were not coming together for him and he was applying to go to the USA to work but after consulting his father who is a good Catholic he decided to ‘take a risk’ applying to become a lay missionary. Being the only man in the group of five lay missionaries was not easy but he has settled down.
Sai said, "Learning Tagalog, the Filipino language spoken in the locality was like being in grade one again." She smiled. "After six months language school I chose this ministry from among others offered. She laughs at the mistakes she makes.
"The people speak a lot of slang, they speak fast and cut off the end of words. When I make a mistake, they laugh. But now I speak Tagalog everyday."
Lusio also found learning Tagalog frustrating. "The Filipinos use American English and pronounce words differently to us," he said, "It is hard to understand them sometimes even when they speak English."
They do miss their food and drink: tavioka, dalo and yaqona to mention a few. They also miss the wide open spaces of Fiji. But both Sai and Lusio admire the Filipinos for their patience - they are even more patient than Fijians!
