Kurt Zion Pala is a Columban seminarian from the Philippines. He recently returned home after participating for two years in Fiji as part of his First Mission Assignment (FMA). He speaks with The Far East.
What happens now after your FMA in Fiji?
Before going to Fiji as a seminarian, I had studied philosophy and some theology and had passed through our year of Spiritual Formation. I had had various exposure experiences and had participated in a lot of pastoral work. So when I went to Fiji, I thought I was ready for mission. I can now say that nothing can prepare you for the missionary life.
I will continue my studies in theology for another two years and then I hope to be ordained a deacon and soon after a priest. After living in Fiji, I see my life as a missionary priest. It was in Fiji that my decision was confirmed. It was tough but I was happy. Life on the missions is full of challenges that you will not really experience back in your own country.
What was it like starting off new in another country?
Everything was strange when I first arrived in Fiji. I was like an infant. It was back to zero. I had to learn everything again: language, food, practices, customs and habits of the people. In order to survive in the mission field you have to be like a child: curious, open to all possibilities. I was able to somehow get over my shyness.
As a ‘newbie’ you would normally wait for others to initiate the conversation, but in Fiji they’re not like that at all. This was especially true in the community where I lived, which was with the Indian community (the Indo-Fijians). They’re different from the ethnic Fijians. They’re more conservative and reserved, especially the women. What made it even more difficult for me was the fact that they are not confident with their English so they choose to be quiet and timid. In the villages the women don’t have access to higher education.
Was it difficult learning another language?
It was difficult but not impossible. I learned Hindi, the language of the Indo-Fijians. Hindi is more complicated than Fijian and uses a different script and has some different sounds. I was like a grade one student, learning how to write the letters, the sound of each letter and its pronunciation. As a missionary this is where your patience is really tested.
Many people would like to become missionaries but they are afraid of the hardships and the unknown. They wonder whether they will be able to cope. What do you think?
You really have to be adventurous. You shouldn’t be afraid to take risks or make mistakes because that’s how you’ll learn.
Back in Fiji there were times when I found things so difficult and would just find myself asking questions like: "Why am I here?" "What am I doing here?" "Why am I forcing myself into a culture so different from my own?" "Why bother bringing myself into this situation when I could have done mission in my own country?"
So you reached the stage when you wanted to go home?
Yes, I reached that stage but what encouraged me was the people themselves. One of the hardest times for me was when I got dengue fever. I spent five days in the local hospital. I was there in the ward with no privacy. I could hardly rest and I was lying there alongside Fijian and Indian patients.
But that’s when I was able to practice my language. The other patients were surprised that there was a foreigner among them who could speak their language. Indeed it was hard to be sick and alone in a foreign country but that’s when I realized I wasn’t actually alone.
On my second day at the hospital I was visited by a Korean priest, three religious sisters-one Fijian, one Indo-Fijian and one Tongan and by a lay missionary from Peru. We were like a United Nations forum.
God provided me with people to take care of me. I experienced their genuine concern. They told me they understood what I was going through and assured me, ‘Don’t worry, even if your family isn’t here, you can always consider us your family’. I was just new to their community but that’s already how they had accepted me there.
If you are determined in your mission, God will grant you the grace to face whatever challenges you may encounter along the way. That was when my decision to be a missionary priest was really confirmed.
Read more from The Far East, April 2014