News from Mill Hill, Kitale (3)

 

About Being a Missionary – Response from a ‘Field Hospital’

Asked about her missionary work and involvement of many years with the Kitale Community Advancement Programme (KAP) in Kitale, Kenya, its joys and frustrations, Dutch lay associate missionary, Jacinta van Luijk MHM, gave this honest response sharing her inspiration, concerns and critique around these key signifiers – (what is) meaningful, inspiring, difficult and disappointing.

Meaningful

Our work, my contacts and opportunities to share at a deep level in the lives of people here. That we may work as a ‘field hospital’. That I may be a connection between the Dutch and Kenyan world, to do what I feel born to do.

In doing so, my stay is a great learning process: About cultures, languages, ‘development’, faith, beliefs and religions, how to translate Jesus’ urgent invitation into action, management, finance, corruption, politics, how to live life, trauma, violence, all kinds of illnesses, the resilience of people.

That things go well despite everything, and it often strikes me how vulnerable people are and remain, in contrast to the self-importance that is instilled in us.

Inspiring

That our activities are going so well, that we get such a happy and ‘involved’ response, from which we see that what we do really makes a difference.

Our enthusiastic, humorous and caring team, with whom it is good to be.

The resilience, perseverance and art of living that I often encounter and that also gives me the necessary push.

That we have found new funds (for now)!

Difficult

To trust.

And the ever-present suspicion of donors, while ‘proven big crooks’ are often allowed to continuously pocket bags of money.

The attention of ‘important people’ (for example again the donors and many others) give to ‘the outside’ and to ‘presentation and PR’, instead of the essence and truth.

The inevitable heavy time pressure and deadlines and endless requirements that have to be closely monitored in order not to fall off the ‘money boat’. The lack of time for (very) important other matters because the day simply does not grow in hours.

The impossibility of helping people who really need to be helped. That, if you want to tackle injustice properly, you cannot immediately talk and tackle it head-on, but rather have to work ‘smart as a snake and meek as a dove’.

Disappointing

It is very difficult to find capable and honest professional staff in Kitale – most of them prefer to work in the big cities.

That our request for a much-needed new car was immediately rejected by a large Catholic organization because they said that in this time of great need they only sponsor real pastoral activities that are carried out by priests (and sometimes by sisters).

That in the church, prayers are mainly said for the Bishop and the Emeritus Bishop and the Priests and ‘the Religious’, and only a little ‘for everyone else’.

That it has been so difficult for our Foundation in the Netherlands to find new members, while the current members are clearly getting tired. That so many people in the Netherlands seem to be tired anyway, and are difficult to get moving. (I don’t know if that is true, of course).

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 I saw a lot of work done by Mill Hill missionaries on my many visits to Kenya, much of it wonderful and necessary .... but I always remember the words of Hans Burgman (Jacinta's uncle !) who often said that if you want to change things, changes have to be instigated and solutions come from within the community you want to serve; they cannot be imposed on communities.   Here in the UK, I observe that church communities and congregations are rapidly dying, because the communities don't want churches and religion any more.