I left India in the year 2003 but I reached the country of my mission in 2004. My first mission was to Congo Brazzaville. After seven months I was sent to Cameroon, a new foundation. In Congo my ministry was as Econom in our professional school. My present ministry is teaching in the school as well as teaching Catechism in view of preparing the children for First Holy Communion.

Cameroon

Cameroon is a beautiful country, stable and peaceful since its independence. As per 2005, the Cameroon population is 16,380,005. it is interesting to look at them based on their age: 0-14 years 41.7%, 15-64 years 55% and 65 and above 3.3%. The percentage of literacy over 15 years who can read and write is 79% of course there is discrimination with regard to the education of girl children especially in some part of Cameroon. Cameroon has two official languages, French and English. But 78% of the population speaks French and only 22% speaks English. Cameroon has hundreds of dialects and some 24 major African language groups. But none of these languages are used for administrative purposes. Pidgin seems one of the languages most spoken (about 80%) by the population. It is also called the commercial language of the country. Cameroon has many ethnic groups. They are very strong and very much attached to their customs and practices. Regarding religion, people belong to Christianity 40%, indigenous faith 40% and Islam 20%. The main natural resources are petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber and hydropower. The Capital of Cameroon is called Yaoundé. The church in Cameroon is young but very dynamic and fast growing.

Mission                                                                                          

I am in Cameroon now. It is a new foundation. On the 9^th April 2006 we completed one year of our presence in this country. At present my mission is teaching English in one of the diocesan primary schools. We have 300 students. Cameroon is bilingual. English and French are the two official languages. So English has become compulsory from the first Standard onwards. Though I am not a trained teacher I accepted this need of the place and I find it very interesting. Being with and forming the young minds is something wonderful and it is also a reciprocal learning. Though ours is a village and the students lack sometimes the necessary amenities, they are creative and intelligent. It is interesting to note that in the Catholic schools, majority of the students are Muslims even though they have their school in the locality. As everywhere we find that Catholic schools make an impact on the population. The place where we are is called the Kingdom of Bemoan. Basically it is a Muslim area. But there is a good cooperation and dialogue among different faiths. Catholic schools have good reputation in the area because in these schools children are given maximum opportunities with value-based education with minimum facilities. I take Catechism for Anglophone children in view of preparing them for receiving Sacraments. It is said every year in Cameroon the number of Baptisms increases from children to adults.

Community

With my limited experience in a foreign mission, I strongly believe that for us fmms the community life has a great role to play. It is God’s choice that we come together from different corners of the world and make a home in spite of all our differences. This is a strength and support for every missionary. And this is also a visible sign for people around to question their way of life where people are so much attached to their own ethnic group.

It is only my faith in the Lord who called me, sends me and accompanies me even to the distant land where I am. I know for certain that He knows every thought, word and action of mine, listens to me and with whom I can converse al all times. This confidence, which I draw during my encounter with Him, is a source of strength for me to say ‘YES’ to any eventualities and even to sudden surprises in life. It is an experience that in Him we find a home wherever we are and I strongly believe that it is the beauty and richness of a Christian missionary. The life of prayer, a constant awareness of my missionary vocation, confidence in God to say ‘Yes’ and truthfulness will keep us happy and peaceful wherever we are.

Coming to challenges I feel that sometimes our difficulty to master a foreign language can make us feel handicapped in some situations or felt excluded. Sometimes we may not get the other on line with our ways of expressions, thoughts, convictions and values. At times cultural differences can shock us. We need to be flexible at times to undo our ways of looking at situations and things and adapt ourselves to the situations.

Sr. Ancy Varghese fmm

07-06-2010