A girl from Ollantaytambo

For some time I’ve carefully looked at a postcard that I brought a few years ago from Peru.
The little girl’s face on the postcard enraptures me, her smile is entrancing and the colours generally inspire me. I get up in the morning and with a cup of coffee in my hand I greet this stranger. I cannot resist her gaze; not anymore. A piece of brown paper appears on the table, I chase away a curious spider and I begin a journey into my own memories. To Ollantaytambo – maybe on the doorstep of one of the houses I’ll meet the girl from the postcard.

When did you first feel in your heart the need to go on this mission?

It is quite difficult to say when exactly. I always wanted to be an interior designer and my dream started to come true when I started my studies. I had planned my own design office; dozens of colourful pencils on my desk, tracing paper, inks, sketch pads. A truly artistic mess! I wanted to pass my driving test and get a car to visit my clients and their projects. But at some point it stopped giving me joy or satisfaction. I was overcome with anxiety and the conviction that maybe I’d taken a step too far in my dreams. My thoughts were constantly somewhere else, far beyond the limited horizons of a drawing board. In the 4th year during the preparation for my diploma I already knew that I wouldn’t be an architect in the future, at least not of walls fireplaces, furniture and carpets. So I began to invent another scenario and I was looking for my place. Somewhere deep in my heart I was accompanied with a thought…a mission. For many years this idea had been going away then coming back like a boomerang. I was biding my time with God explaining to Him at the same time that I had a completely different vision of my life. He placed in my path some people and He put me in some specific situations which more or less aroused in me the belief that my vocation was to serve others in this very concrete way. And finally I’ve capitulated. I distinctly remember that day, almost a year ago when with total awareness I told Him that I would give my all to Him and that His will is my will. If He so wishes He can send me to the very end of the World and I would even bear the spiders. And suddenly everything became brighter and made perfect sense.

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Why Peru?

A better question might be – Why did God send you to Peru? Actually I do not know. I believe that they need me there the most. Responding to His call I’ve trusted Him and let Him lead me. When I look back at my life I can see it; how persistently but at the same time gently He was preparing me for this specific task. But He never urged, never pressed…I was free in His choice. He put in my path many people who aroused in me some special love for Latin America, helped me discover its beauty and also to get to know the problems of this part of the World. It’s they who were my first teachers of Spanish.

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How are your preparations for this trip progressing?

Since September I have been preparing myself in the Salesian Missionary Centre in Warsaw. Every month I attend weekend formation meetings, which allow me to get to know more about the daily work of missionaries and volunteers and about the culture of mission countries. By participating in various workshops and training courses I have the opportunity to learn the secrets of journal writing and of taking quality pictures or to deepen my knowledge about tropical medicine and problems of inculcation. During these meetings we get to know the Salesian spirituality, we develop our emotional maturity and improve our ability to work in a group. We have the ability to test ourselves on many levels and just to get to know ourselves, our talents and passions which allow us to make better use of our potential on the mission. Through prayer, reading and meditating of the Holy Scripture, participation in the Mass and Sacraments we form our spirituality. But of course, it’s not everything. There is also another side of preparation, which includes language study, collecting ideas to play with the children, collecting materials necessary on the mission outpost, necessary vaccinations, searching for any ways to get the money for the plane tickets and lots of other small, but very important things.

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What are you going to do in Peru?

I will be working in Calca, near Cuzco, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. There is the house of Don Bosco (Don Bosco Casita) for the poorest children, who are not able to study because of a bad financial or family situation. Most of them come from the small, mountain villages that cannot be reached by bus or car. Sometimes it takes a whole day to walk to their villages. In these villages, children have only an opportunity to finish primary school. If they wish to continue their education they have to move to a larger city. Unfortunately that’s very expensive considering the cost of renting a room and the cost of living. Additionally, there are other costs associated with further education – such as books and other school accessories. Not many parents are able to send their children to a secondary school. That’s why the Don Bosco House is a great chance for these poor children. The house becomes a home for them whilst they are studying. My role will be that of an older sister who will take care of them and help with their daily duties. I will talk to them, listen or maybe just give them a smile and a hug, as older sisters do

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What are your dreams and plans for the future?

I don’t think too hard about the future. My thoughts are based on the here and now. Maybe my trip to the missionary post in Caica is just a step forward, a kind of ‘half –measure’ leading me to my main purpose. But that is still not shown on my ‘map’. Instead of planning I prefer to trust, in an infinite way…and let myself be led.

'Nasz Józefów' Nr 6 (9) June 2011