No hasty decision

Our decision to serve overseas came after years of prayer until we recognized God's call

By Anne Harty
November/December 2008

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Upon our arrival in Thailand as new missioners, we were fortunate enough to attend the Asian Mission Congress. We came to know many who have chosen mission as their vocation, committed to be a witness of faith, spreading the word and love of God.

The Hill Tribe village of Ba La, high in the mountains in Northern Thailand where Scarboro missionaries Anne and Glenn Harty go to celebrate mass with the villagers whenever the road there is passable. The people’s peaceful farming existence and their warm acceptance make these visits a privileged experience for Anne and Glenn. The Hill Tribe village of Ba La, high in the mountains in Northern Thailand where Scarboro missionaries Anne and Glenn Harty go to celebrate mass with the villagers whenever the road there is passable. The people’s peaceful farming existence and their warm acceptance make these visits a privileged experience for Anne and Glenn.

At that gathering we were showered with kindness and small tokens of friendship. One gift was a bookmark entitled, “Mission is Leaving”. It read, Mission is leaving, walking away, abandoning everything, going out of oneself, breaking the shell of selfishness which imprisons us in our “I”.

Discerning the call to mission

My husband Glenn and I did not make a hasty decision to serve overseas in mission. Unlike the disciples who literally dropped everything to follow Jesus, our decision came after years of prayer to determine whether we were in fact called to be missioners. Over time we realized that obstacles were being removed to create a clear path for us. It was then that we recognized God gently nudging us, calling us.

I believe I had been pruned over the years for mission. Some of the greatest pruning occurred when I volunteered in youth ministry and parish ministry. In latter years I was a Hospice volunteer where I witnessed how quickly one’s health can change future plans.

It was in volunteering that I came to a greater understanding of giving myself to others and that I was called to reach beyond our parish community, to live in a new land and culture.

Being a missioner in Thailand has had its challenges, but I have been blessed along the journey. God has brought people into my life and I have been humbled by the caring and support that I have received.

Mission has allowed me to be open to all possibilities to show my love and to share the love of the Jesus with everyone that I meet even if it is simply with a word of greeting in English, a “Wai” (Thai greeting), or a smile and a nod when I am riding my bike. Each is an opportunity for a communion with others.

Attending Mass at a remote Hill Tribe village is another such opportunity. The people live a simple farming life. Being with them, I experience a sense of calm and acceptance and it is an opportunity to get to know some of them as parents of the students that I teach.

Sharing my thoughts and values has been a challenge at times to be sure, but love and caring can be shown using only a few words, if any.


A Pilgrimage

In our youth we face the future, hoping to discover the path we are called to follow

By Glenn Harty

vocation, n. — a) an occupation; b) a profession; c) a calling; d) a strong impulse to follow a particular activity.

I began working in a fruit-growing orchard at the age of 11, earning 25 cents an hour. Over the years I learned a lot about orchards and enough to know that I did not want to make a career of working in one. Another summer in a manufacturing plant helped me realize that I was not to work on an assembly line.

Arriving in Thailand, October 2006. Arriving in Thailand, October 2006.

After graduating and trying a few other jobs I settled down in the construction industry focusing on concrete placement. It was there that I was most comfortable and found myself surrounded by honest, hard working individuals.

Then came a career in real-estate sales and development followed by 10 years in the laundry and dry cleaning industry. Those 10 years were also wonderful—the hours were long, but the people I met and the customers we had, made going to work everyday a welcome experience.

The next eight years were spent in the investment and insurance business, combined in part with providing health care to a married couple who were physically restricted.

Today I find myself living in Thailand, working at a Catholic Mission in a school atmosphere surrounded by about 1,800 students ranging in age from three to 18 years. One of my roles is to assist the students in the speaking component of the English language. I also give advice and oversee the construction of multiple building projects at the Mission.

Being a Scarboro lay missioner means I am away from my native surroundings and all things familiar, residing in a country on the other side of the world, with different foods, a different language, and a much different culture.

Aware of the inner beauty and goodness possessed by those entering my life helps me to expand my boundaries with complete confidence that God is near. I am never alone, for my God is always with me, making me fearless of the unknown.

I could not have predicted my journey any more than I can predict my future travels. I am so fortunate to have a courageous partner, my wife Anne, who has been willing to accompany me in this life of continual change. I am fully aware that this life is only temporary; all I have has been a gift.

Ultimately, I ponder the question: “What is my vocation?”

I think of my life as my vocation, filled with times of struggle, recognizing my faults and failures while basking in the overall times of joy shared with others who enhance my pilgrimage. So I continue travelling, going home, listening to that ever-gentle whisper in my ear, “Do you love me? Have no fear... Come follow me.”

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