The Birth of a New Community (1)

“Oh, it’s the founding day of the community! Wow! I like it! I’m excited about it!” Only after hearing these words from someone who was running away from being a member did it dawn on me… ‘founding day’. I never used these words when I was inviting people to come for our annual launching. I used to say, “We will be launched officially” without any feeling. It has been eight years since Charles (Bertille) and family came here. I arrived in 2006, and every year we would launch the community. I got used to the rhythm of ‘preparing as usual’ at the start of the year. So what is the difference this time? Suddenly, I felt God was telling me, “This is a moment of grace and blessing to acknowledge the fruits of your work.” That moment was like waking up from a dream.

The journey we had in Myanmar was quite different and challenging. We started here by giving intensive formation to these young people before we invited them to become members. They are bright young people, having their own unique strengths, but for some reasons most of them refused to become members. Last year, when we opened the membership, only one person said ‘yes’ to join the community. I had pressure from the outside to start the community, but there was peace inside me, believing that one day, in God’s time, it will happen. I made a discernment and chose to stay in Myanmar.

‘The sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep and leads them out.’ (Jn. 10:3). This is how I grew in my relationship with Christ since the moment I started my mission here. I felt that this was also the same way He is calling me to take care of his flock. One by one I journeyed with them, I learned to meet them where they are, in their personal condition, and we learned to walk together as a flock. We laughed together, we cried together, we learned how to take care of one another and to correct attitudes like brothers and sisters.

Last November 2008, during our discernment weekend, God fulfilled His promise. Fourteen local people expressed to walk with us in Fondacio as members of the community. It was touching to see how God worked in their lives and changed their hearts. And before the community launching, some twenty persons, including graduates of the Youth Leadership Formation Program (YLP) and members of the business group expressed to be friends of the community, that is, to join us in some of our activities.

The launching was a series of events in three days. The most significant was the sending-off Eucharist falling on the 11th of January 2009, the feast of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus.

Carol Daria
Fondacio Myanmar