Countless Blessings

Learning that mission is a time of receiving as much as it is a time of giving

By Sylvie Sabourin
October 2002

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article

Scarboro lay missioner Sylvie Sabourin with some of her students. Sylvie does volunteer teaching while in Bolivia for language training.

"Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3-4)

Simple words would not do justice in expressing the kindness of the Bolivians or how grateful I am to be among them. Since I have been here, the blessings have been countless. I sometimes ask myself, "Who is the missionary?"

Since May I have been in Cochabamba, Bolivia, at the Maryknoll Language Institute, studying Spanish and now Quechua (the language of many indigenous peoples of Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador). In December I leave to join Scarboro's mission team in Ecuador.

On Wednesday afternoons, I work with children who are sponsored through Compassion International (an international child sponsorship program). After attending school in the morning, the children come to the centre for a meal and then participate in special classes and activities.

I am considered a Christian Education teacher, but in reality, I learn far more from these children than I could possibly teach them.

The classroom is tiny with cement floors and walls, and no electricity. With 15-30 children in these surroundings, and with my limited Spanish, teaching can be a challenge. At the same time, it is incredibly rewarding.

I am given liberty in choosing the topics I teach. Once I have presented the topic to the class, we do activities such as looking up related bible verses, singing songs, reading children's stories, playing games and doing skits on gospel themes. We talk about God's love and the miracles of Jesus.

On September 11, we talked about peace and shared ideas on how a confrontation can turn into a peaceful situation. Forgiveness was a common answer with every age group. Through skits, the children were able to express how they feel when someone makes them angry, and they came up with peaceful conclusions. One child said we should just be nice to everyone, as simple as that. Children can teach us so much.

On that day, the older children (11 and 12 year-olds) did puppet shows. One of the shows taught us that everyone is special, created and loved by God, and so we should love and respect each other. The show concluded with every child suddenly joining in singing the Bolivian anthem. What a precious moment.

Every day before snack, the children take turns leading us in prayer. They thank God for their parents, their teachers, their school and what they learn, their food, and even the weather.

It would be easy for me to say that these children have nothing. But that would not be true. After spending three hours each week with 90 children, I learn so much from them, and leave feeling energized and experiencing an increase in faith, hope and love. They have so much to give.

My experience in Cochabamba has been absolutely amazing. I feel blessed working with children each day. I feel blessed taking part in a five-hour walk with thousands of people at one o'clock in the morning to attend an early Mass in a sacred place in honor of Our Lady of Urkupe¤a. I feel blessed being invited to attend an adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at a local seminary. I feel blessed being with my Bolivian host family, my Bolivian friends, and with the teachers and students at the language institute. I feel blessed speaking to the kids who entertain drivers by doing cartwheels on the streets, hoping to receive a few cents. In everyone I meet, God gives me opportunities to see the face of Christ.

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article