“Hola a todas y todos, saludos muy cordiales desde Lima, Perú.”
"Hello everyone, cordial greetings from Lima, Peru."
Iowane Naio enjoying the fruit of his labour. Photo: Juan Diego Torres - Communications Team Peru
Peru has been a challenging but rich experience for me despite the pandemic limiting our participation in parish activities and closing our churches. Many people are suffering because they do not have jobs and, whilst it is not possible to help them all, we are trying our best to do something for those most in need.
I want to share a little of how I have been coping with this situation. In the beginning, I was quite calm, because I thought that the coronavirus would be quickly overcome, just like similar threats. But after three months of lockdown, I began to worry about my health and the value of my first mission experience, as the churches were closed and I was not having much interaction with the people. I was worried about how I would experience Columban Missionary work.
More than this, the sight of the vulnerable people suffering around us frustrated me. I began to ask myself: As missionaries, why are we not doing more to help these people? I reasoned that this was the time the people really needed our accompaniment. I tussled with this question and, as usual, offered it to God during my prayer. I could not keep this tension within myself, so I shared it with two of my companions. I found out they were feeling the same way.
This brought me to a deeper reflection, and I came to realise that the situation was new to all of us. None of these priests had ever gone through an experience like this. All of us were trying to make sense of it. We began to talk about the situation and then decided to meet once a week as a group to reflect on our experience. These weekly meetings helped me reflect on my missionary vocation and identify new ways of being Church. Most of all, I knew I was not alone. I understood that this situation was deeply challenging, but I trusted that God was inviting us to be more practical in our faith; maybe we had been focusing so much on loving God that we had neglected to love our neighbour.
The pandemic invited us to find a middle ground, a balance between our love for God and our love for our neighbour. I realised that we cannot separate these two great commandments that define true humanity; they coexist in nature just like the two sides of a coin. It is impossible to love our neighbour without experiencing the love of God ourselves.
As restrictions gradually eased, we could at last move around the community. With the help of the chapel coordinators, we identified the vulnerable families and, following all the safety precautions, began to distribute grocery packs to them. These activities enabled me to adjust to this new situation and to accept new routines. At this stage, I began to feel more content as I realised that not everything was out of my control - now, at least, I could control some of my simple routines, unlike at the beginning of the pandemic when I had felt so helpless.
Working at the Manuel Duato Special Needs School has been one of my favourite experiences during this pandemic. At one of our Zoom formation meetings with Columban Fr Ed O´Connell, I was surprised when he suggested we create a garden at Manuel Duato. Hearing this, I joined together with Antonio, another Fijian seminarian here with me, and set to work. The space was big enough, but dusty and dry; however, a water tap installed nearby gave us some hope that things would grow. We began digging a few plots, laid some manure, and planted. The first three plots yielded disappointing results, but we did not give up, and after more planting, composting and watering, potatoes grew.
I love working on the farm and with soil! The soil is significant for me because, before the seminary, I spent most of my time on a farm. Some of the characteristics of the soil can be compared with God. For example, God is so loving and never hates or neglects us regardless of how sinful we are. In the same way, the soil accepts everything we do to it, good or bad. Even if we spit or pour hot water onto the soil, it never gives us stones. When we plant potatoes, we get potatoes. If we relate closely with God, we are always at peace despite the usual ups and downs of daily life. Similarly, if we relate well with the soil and remain closely connected with her, we know we will have something to harvest despite the ups and downs. The soil never takes revenge on us and it is the same with God.
Working with the soil also teaches us patience because time is always needed before we can harvest. It teaches us to be mindful of the seasons and the resources available to us before we start. It makes us more sensitive to things around us. Relating with the soil requires commitment, and we need the same attitude when relating with God. Working with the soil helps us let go of the things that are out of our control, accepting what is there and moving forward with it.
We missionaries need to have the attitude of a farmer. Farmers are always full of hope and are people of commitment. They are considerate, do not surrender, are humble, generous and full of patience.
For me, gardening is a kind of therapy because it has inspired me to look into my own “soil” and work on it while cultivating the actual soil.
Columban seminarian Iowane Naio is from Fiji and is currently on his first mission assignment in Lima, Peru.
Listen to "A fertile dig"
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - August 2021
