Posted On 2017-10-05 In Schoenstatt - Reaching out

A world without borders

TANZANIA/MEXICO, Arturo Martínez

Why come so far if there is such great economic need in Mexico? It was one of the first questions that I was asked when I arrived in Africa to begin an experience that would mark me for life.

I left for Africa in June, along with three other friends and members of the Schoenstatt Boys’ Youth, seeking to share experiences, to learn about different cultures, to grow as people, and to see how to continue to support the development of our country. Throughout almost two months, we worked in a community in the center of Tanzania, call Mzumbe, Morogoro, in two main areas: we taught English and mathematic classes in a school with children ages 2-5 and in the community health center.

In this kind of social volunteer work, where religious subjects are not brought up, it is where we challenged ourselves to be that irresistible question; it was quiet but clear and efficient.

 

We learned a little bit from everyone

Throughout our stay, we had the opportunity to live with volunteers from all parts of the world, where we shared a myriad of personal and cultural experiences that supported and leveraged our experience in Tanzania. During this exchange of cultures, questions such as: what is the real situation in Mexico? Why did you come? Is Mexico the same? These made us reconfirm the objective of our adventure in that remote country.

During the last ten years of my life, serving in the Blessed Mother’s name has been a fundamental part along with the encounter I have had with her has caused me to seek an experience that was beyond what I had known until that moment.

Realizing borders do not exist among human beings; we can all learn a little bit from others; independently from where we were born or the culture we have inherited, we have more similarities than differences. These were the greatest things that I learned this summer. And now part of my responsibility is to share this.

Really, there are no borders for the MTA!

 

Original: Spanish. 16 September 2017. Translation: Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, TX USA. Edited: Melissa Peña-Janknegt, Elgin, TX USA

Tags : , , ,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *