It was 9:30 a.m. when the airplane to Colombia left Mexico City.  I could not imagine the experiences awaiting me.  After many hours, passing over Central America, the others and I arrived in Bogotá – Colombia’s capital – at two in the afternoon.  There, we began our trip to Barranquilla, located on the Atlantic coast, where Fr. Mariano Fernandez, S.T., from our mission in Guamal, was waiting for us.  He welcomed us with a smile and an open heart.

The following morning we headed out for the mission that would be our home for the next 50 days.  The terrain was vast – plains surrounded by lakes, dirt roads, and little towns.  The heat was stifling and the dust unbearable.  The sheer excitement of being in a new place kept us going.

After a long trip we arrived at our mission parish in Guamal, on the shore of the Brazo del Mompox River, where Fr. Gilberto Rodriguez, S.T., the pastor, officially welcomed us.

This is a place with many material and spiritual needs.  It is a big territory with more than 22 communities comprised of rural neighborhoods that must be visited and ministered to full-time by three Trinity Missionary priests.  Our missionaries have only been present in Guamal for two years – long enough, though, to begin making a difference in the lives of the people.

As Novices, our duties consisted of visiting the sick, teaching catechism for Confirmation; celebrating the Word in some of the smaller communities, and most importantly, sharing our life and faith with the people around us.

It was difficult for me at first but eventually I adapted, thanks to my brothers in mission and the people of Guamal who showed me the way.

A great missionary once told me, “Missions are not places; missions are the
people whom we serve.” These words echoed in my head during the days I lived at the mission.  I tried to share my life and faith with as many people as possible, especially with the sick we visited two days a week.

It was through this firsthand contact with people in pain and suffering – people who had plenty of faith and hope but very little else – that God spoke to me.  He repeated the words I heard three years ago: “Follow me, and share the gifts I have given you with others through service.”  Hearing and remembering these words brought me to tears.  I finally understood what they meant.

Our time on the missions passed quickly.  I consider myself blessed to have shared this experience with the people of Guamal.

The vivid images of children smiling, looking to a better tomorrow despite being surrounded by poverty and despair, will remain forever in my heart.  They are a reflection of God who invites me to leave everything and follow him.