By Scholacrystal Suale
Oct 2 2023
ON the first day that I arrived at Penang Airport, to be honest, I was really afraid to participate in this program. I was afraid that I would not be able to get used to being around to new people. I was afraid that I would not be open to communicate with new people. But praise the Lord, my first day went well, and I met a lot of new friends.
Penang have unique old buildings, especially the churches, I fell in love with its designs. On my second day in the MCYMC Initiative, the MCYMC team and I went to the Church of the Assumption on foot for the Holy Mass. Tired and sweaty, but it was all gone when I arrived at the church. The church is so beautiful with the landscape that is full of trees and free from rubbish.
After Mass, we went to Diocesan Museum and Gallery. When I visited the gallery, personally I was really impressed with all the paintings that were painted by late Fr Reutens. His paintings are different from other painters because they are full of reflections of the Bible to the local people. The painting that I fell in love most was the painting called “The Unfinished Painting”. Personally, I felt that it is not a finished painting because the faces that are not colored yet means that other people and myself included are still alive on earth and have not yet gone to heaven. And I personally interpreted it that God is waiting for us to be with Him in His kingdom.
Next, we went to the Lighthouse Mission, a place to help the homeless people around Penang Road. In this mission, I was allocated to a group that was tasked to talk with the guests in the Lighthouse. Nevertheless, I faced difficulty because I don’t speak Chinese nor Tamil. But praise the Lord, even though I couldn’t communicate with them but what really touched me in this mission was that I can serve the homeless by distributing food. This action reminded me of the word of God “Share your food with the hungry” – Isaiah 58:7. This mission personally hit me hard to be more generous to other people.
We continued our day with sharing session with Caritas and ended with Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
On the third day, we went to Sg Batu for the Mass at Immaculate Conception Chapel, followed with a visit to the Minor Basilica of St Anne. I was really impressed with the landscape and its building structure. After that we went with our own foster family. I am thankful to God because my foster family was very generous and friendly.
The fourth day was the day that really striked me hard. We went to Vincent’s Orphanage Home for children in Taiping, Perak. What touched my heart was even though they are orphans, they still welcome us with smiles and love; it melted my heart.
I still remember, during an activity where we need to make a meaningful structure that will positively impact the group, one of the boys in my group sugested to make a house. When I reflected, the house means that he misses a home that has a complete family.
I also reflected that I need to be more grateful because I still have my parents, and I need to love and appreciate them.
On the fifth day, we went to the Orang Asli village. What striked me most here is that they really take care of the earth. Moreover, they also value education, for their young generation are mostly educated. This has really opened my eyes that education is very important for all people both in the city and in the villages. I was also impressed with a young Orang Asli woman who spoke fluent English but is still very humble in character. This really hit me hard to learn from that woman to always be humble towards others.
On the sixth and final day of our mission was to the Old Folks Home at Kg Simee, Ipoh, Perak. Personally, the visit has really touched my heart, I missed my parents, and I reflected on myself; of whether I can take care of my parents when they are old and sick. I pray to God that He will give me good health so that I can take care of my parents, full of love and care.
My overall experience – God’s love was really present in the people that I met during the MCYMC Initiative in Penang. I am more grateful to God. I became more flexible in my action during the mission. It was like an informal English class to me also because all the participants speak fluent English and this motivated me to improve my English language.
