Columban lay missionary Arlenne Villahermosa carrying the Kachin basket in the traditional way - Photo: Arlenne Villahermosa
“A life unlike your own can be your best teacher.” - St Columban
This wisdom becomes real when we allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit, working through people, creation, the universe and the everyday events that unfold before us.
Often, we become comfortable with the familiar - familiar words, ways of thinking, customs and routines. When we remain fixed in our perspective, we block opportunities for grace and growth. We miss out on seeing life through deeper lenses and on experiencing God’s vast and boundless love in new ways.
This truth becomes especially profound for those on cross-cultural mission, where each encounter becomes an invitation to deepen faith, broaden horizons and recognise that God is already present in the places we are sent - long before we arrive.
During my mission with the Columban Missionaries, I experienced many “firsts”.
LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION
It was my first time formally learning a foreign language - first in Korea, then in Myanmar. But in the process, I remembered that I had already been speaking other languages: Cebuano, English, Tagalog and some Spanish I learned in college.
What I discovered is that learning a language within its native culture gives words a deeper meaning. Language became more than just words - it became about listening, observing and understanding what lies beyond speech. It connected me with people and brought me closer to God.
CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS OF KINDNESS: ROUGH GESTURES, GENTLE MEANINGS
In Korea, I found that kindness can take unfamiliar forms. Once, while walking through the snow, an elderly woman living on her own, through the generosity of the community, beckoned me into her home without many words. She gave me a winter coat - one she had received from charity. When I tried to decline, she gently insisted, “You need it more than I do - you’re not from Korea.”
Her gesture, though silent and even forceful from my cultural viewpoint, moved me deeply. I held back tears as I hugged her in gratitude. Her kindness transcended language.
On another occasion, a volunteer affirmed me by giving me what felt like a slap on the shoulder. Though surprising to me as a Filipino, it was actually a sign of encouragement. I smiled and bowed in thanks - learning again that kindness wears many faces.
LEARNING ACROSS CULTURES
Justice in Kachin Culture: In the area I served in Myanmar, I saw how justice was practised differently. When a group of children committed a minor theft, the community did not call the police. Instead, the village elders were consulted and the community took part in helping the children correct their actions.
It was restorative, not punitive - deeply rooted in compassion and shared responsibility.
Good Intentions, Cultural Missteps: One day, our group assigned in Myanmar received a gift of food from the villagers - a sign of their deep gratitude to the Columban Missionaries. Not wanting it to go to waste, we shared the extra food with others in the village - especially with larger families who had little to spare.
Soon after, the village chief visited. He kindly explained that our gesture, though well-intentioned, offended some villagers. In their culture, sharing the excess of what was given as a gift suggested we did not value their gift.
I was the one who received the message, as I was the only one in the house at the time of the visit. I sincerely apologised and thanked him for helping us understand. He recognised our intention but gently reminded me: “What may seem right in your culture may not be right in ours.”
That moment taught me we were walking on sacred ground and that respecting the culture meant honouring the divine presence already there.
A FINAL REFLECTION
The words of St Columban echo in my heart: “A life unlike your own can be your best teacher.”
We are not better or worse than others. We are all good and beautifully created. Just as God intended, with each life carrying stories shaped by our own cultures, faith, families and histories. When we listen to others - especially those different from us - we learn truths not just spoken but lived. When we approach others with humility, we begin to see the sacred in our differences. When we listen deeply, we allow God’s Spirit to teach us - through gestures, customs, silence and story. And in doing so, we come closer to the heart of what it means to live in mission: to love, to learn and to walk gently with others on the holy ground of their lives and of their land. And in those sacred encounters, we experience the divine.
Columban lay missionary Arlenne Villahermosa lives and works in the Philippines.
Listen to "On Holy Ground where cultures meet and God speaks"
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - November/December 2025
