MISSIONER NEWSLETTER – Fall 2024

Hang Tran, Cambodia

Children from the nursery of the Missionaries of Charity who are now in the elementary school of the Salesians, pictured with Salesian Br. Roberto. The kids, he reports, are flourishing, and some have won awards for their studies.

CAMBODIA—Recently during our Cambodia regional retreat at St. Michael Church, I was pleasantly surprised to run into some young kids who used to be with the Missionaries of Charity when they were babies. They had a challenging beginning in life. Some were abandoned at the hospital soon after birth or sent to foster care later because their families were not able to raise them. Through the social welfare department, these children were fortunate to have been placed in a loving environment. By 5 or 6 years of age, the children went from the nursery of the Missionaries of Charity to the elementary school of the Salesians. 

At our impromptu reunion, the kids were busy introducing me to the Salesian brother in charge of them, Br. Roberto, and updating me on news of their peers. Br. Roberto told me how well they are doing, some received awards in their studies. I was overjoyed to learn that they are flourishing.

Throughout the retreat, people gave me sketches of the social landscape. In the last few years, new establishments were built rapidly for the tourism and hospitality sectors. That offers job opportunities for Cambodians and attracts waves of migrant workers from China, Indonesia, Philippines. However, along the apparent economic boom are the pricing increases in food and housing rent. Some locals are more than happy to do business with the foreigners, but blame the foreigners for the rising costs of living and various ills of their society, such as drugs and prostitution.

The Cambodian parishioners, the priests of mission groups from France and Italy, and the Dominican sisters from the Philippines and Vietnam collaboratively take care of parish needs—first communion, confirmation, vocations, the sick, the poor, overstayed visas, and addressing human trafficking, to name a few. There are two Sunday Masses—one in the Khmer language and the other in English. Churchgoers are encouraged to seek and/or extend support to one another, as the church is open to all.

Another Salesian brother, Br. Tai, who oversees the teenage students, told me about his ministry. Their school’s basketball and volleyball courts are accessible to everyone free of charge, including the students, locals, and foreigners. A number of Chinese migrant workers have been visiting the school to play sports with the brothers and students. Some visitors were in the habit of littering trash freely on the courtyard. They were informed that if littering went on, the guard would close the gate! Since then, the visitors have been keeping the place clean, even refraining from smoking cigarettes while at the school. 

Being far away from home and loved ones, migrant workers might fall in with the wrong crowds, or squander their earnings. Among countless recreational choices, these workers opted to spend part of their free time playing sports with the brothers and students. They choose to be healthy and around people who recognize their dignity. Br. Tai is currently learning Mandarin Chinese to be able to communicate better with the Chinese migrant workers. 

These encounters nourish my spirit. Kindness and prejudice coexist in the process of becoming, and are transmittable. The far-reaching causes and effects continue for the foreign migrant workers, the foreign mission volunteers, the local folks, and especially the young children and students. Their stories truly enliven for me the verses in Luke 6:36-38:

“Jesus said to his disciples:
Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”

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