Jaroslaw Dabrowski, SVD

A few months ago, I returned from Ecuador where I spent almost two years doing my Cross-Cultural Training Program (CTP).  This program allows a student to spend time in a foreign country or a place inhabited by people of a culture different form the student’s culture.  Ecuador, the place of my CTP experience, is one of the smallest among Latin American countries. Located in the Northwestern part of South America, it is a home to some 14 million people.  Rich in its cultural and ethnic diversity as well as abundant natural resources, Ecuador struggles with many socio-economic problems. In 1999, the country suffered a severe financial crisis. Due to hyperinflation and the change of the national currency from sucre to dollar the following year, many people lost their jobs and significant amounts of money.  Nonetheless, the country strives to improve the conditions of its citizens by implementing many social and economic reforms.

 

After arrival, I spent a few months in the capital, Quito, studying Spanish.  During this time, I was also trying to get to know the culture, the people, and various interesting places.  Quickly I realized that it is impossible to talk about “the Ecuadorian Church” or “the Ecuadorian culture” as an entity. Visiting the places where Divine Word Missionaries minister, I became more aware of the complexity of the Church, cultures, and social/economic differences of Ecuador.  I realized how different the religious practices and the mentality of the people could be in different parts of the Sierra (highlands) and Costa (coast), and even within the same region.

 

This conviction became even stronger when I went to the Sucumbíos Province located in the Amazon region of Ecuador, close to the border with Colombia.  Spending Holy Week of 2007 there, I could interact with the Kichwa people who are using a distinct language and ancestral practices. The poverty and marginalization, which they experience daily, call for special attention by the Church and the government.  Unfortunately, this vulnerable group does not get its needs met. While the diocese of Sucumbíos has only 11 active priests who get to see each community once or twice a year, the government does not seem to be very concerned about the people’s life conditions.

 

After finishing my language course, I went to the Coast to have my “full-time” pastoral practice. I stayed in Ventanas, a city of about 40,000 people located in the Los Rios Province.  Due to its climate, this place has perfect conditions for producing banana, cacao, rice, oranges, and coffee the whole year.  For that reason, the majority of the people are involved in farming.  However, the perfect conditions for agriculture still do not make this province a rich place to live.  What I perceive as unjust social structures favor the intermediaries but not the farmers; thus, the Los Rios Province has been one of the poorest provinces in the country.

 

I had the privilege of living among these people, witnessing their struggles and joys.  By visiting the communities in the countryside and celebrating the Liturgy of the Word with them, I realized their lives could be very difficult. At the same time, I witnessed their deep trust in God’s guidance and protection.  This makes the Ecuadorians look positively into future and enjoy life despite economical difficulties and rampant social injustice.  The people still maintain a spirit of hospitality and solidarity.  I experienced that every time I went to visit a family or a community.
 

There was a time, however, when this trust was tested.  From February 2008 until May of that year, the Los Rios Province, as well as many other coastal regions, suffered severe flooding.  Many people lost their homes and crops. Many were sheltered for weeks or months in school buildings desperately waiting help.  As a parish, we tried to respond to their needs—organizing food supplies, clothing, and hygiene kits.  It was a time of struggle and tears—a time of questioning God’s presence in our lives.  However, it was also a time of witnessing an exceptional human solidarity.  It was a time to share food and help each other in reconstructing homes. It was also a time to show our conviction that God had not abandoned us—that God is manifested through the love and solidarity we showed each other.

 

These experiences help me to realize that love and solidarity are what Christian and missionary life is all about.  This is what made me become a Divine Word Missionary and prompted me to leave my home country, Poland, in 2003 and be with my brothers and sisters who doubt that a different, more human and God-oriented life is possible. Sharing my life and the Word of God with them, I want to show them that it is possible!  With your prayers and God’s blessing, may my missionary desire become reality.